Almost Goodbye

*A Halcyon City hospital. December 10th, 2018*

It’s a simple hospital room. Fluorescent lights. Couch. Other cheap furniture. A window with green curtains. Various ‘Get Well’ gifts and flowers scattered around.

Cyclone is sitting up on the bed, still in a hospital gown with little green squares on it. No heart monitor or other pesky wires and cords though. At this point they were keeping him there more as a formality for outpatient observation. In fact, he would be going home tomorrow. But for now he was simply relaxing in the bed under some blankets and flipping through channels on the room’s TV. He stopped for a moment on a news program with Melvin Zimmler discussing some local kids stopping a bank robbery.

It’s only a little before lunchtime, but Rhiannon feels like she’s been dreading this all day. Still physically and emotionally exhausted from her time in captivity, she doesn’t even bother putting up her glamour. As she approaches the room number that was told to her, the girl’s pace slows then comes to a stop. Taking a few calming breaths, she peeks her head through the door.

“H- hello?”

“Yes? This is uh- I’m here, hello?”

Realizing that he can’t see her from where the bed is, Rhiannon slowly pushes the door open the rest of the way and gives a little knock on the wood as she takes a couple steps further into the room. Cyclone smiles when he catches sight of her.

“Ah, Rhiannon! Come in, come in! I’m glad to see you. I’ve been meaning to speak with you.”

Rhiannon moves in toward the bed but stops a couple feet away from the foot of it. “It’s- good to see you. The others said you were okay, but- I needed to see for myself. I was… I was so worried after-” Her voice catches a bit and she seems unable to finish the sentence.

“Also I- thought it would be better if I said goodbye in person…?”

She attempts to smile at him as her eyes fill up with tears.

Cyclone jolts up a bit at that, a look of absolute surprise on his face. “Goodbye?! Whatever for?”

"Well I've- recently had a lot of time to think, heh. And um, with what you said (and everyone else seems to agree), I don't have as much control as I- as I thought I did... as I should. Not enough to be a hero, though it was a nice dream for a while…”

“After ruining Thanksgiving, plus putting those hostages and- and you- in danger because of me... I just assumed it would be better for everyone if I leave. One less- problem for you to worry about." She's trying so hard to be professional as her voice trembles and she struggles to get the words out, tears streaming unchecked down her face.

Cyclone smiles at her again, this time filled with sympathy and trying to disguise how hard her words hit him. “No… Rhiannon, you are not a problem. You definitely belong on this Team and would be sorely missed. It wouldn’t be the same. If you want to leave, I can’t stop you, dear. But- I can tell you there would be many people lost without you here. Myself included.”

Rhiannon’s expression becomes confused, her voice small and vulnerable. “That’s- that’s not what you said…”

“What I said before- I didn’t want you to leave the team.”

“You may not have intended it to seem like you wanted me to leave, but- My powers are *me*. I can’t- Offering to dampen them or turn them off or something, it’s- it’s not that simple. It’s like denying a piece of myself.”

He simply pats the edge of the bed and speaks gently. “Come here.” She moves to where he indicated, taking a seat on the edge of the bed next to him but avoiding looking at him directly.

“I… was mistaken. I wouldn’t want you to take any part of yourself away. When I saw what happened on Thanksgiving, there were a few things that went through my mind. One of them is that you are a very brave girl. That bravery that I can see in someone who has such great power and does everything she can to hold it back is exactly why you belong on the Team. I wanted to give you an option to not have to worry so much anymore. I didn’t realize how important it was to you. That was my mistake…

“I saw how the young Tommy wanted to look at you, and I felt some pain that it would be very difficult for him to ever do so without risk. I wanted to provide options that could allow you to pursue that if you wanted. I didn’t intend for what I said then to come across so callous. I’m sorry. I *believe* in you as a member of this Team”. But I also wanted Rhiannon to have a chance to be a typical young lady as well.”

The tears haven’t stopped as Rhiannon continues to listen to Cyclone explain. “So you… you really do still believe in me then? Because I didn’t think you did anymore and- you’ve always been my hero? And if my hero didn’t believe in me, I didn’t think there was a place for me anymore…”

“Of course I do. If anything, what happened that day proved to me that you can be *my* hero.” Cyclone gives a little chuckle. “You saved me from that car crash. Your quick thinking and your courage- those are qualities of a hero. Yes of course you’re going to need more training like everyone else on the Team, but you’ll get there. Okay?”

“So my- my shielding spell did go through? I was really worried. I didn’t know if you were dead.” Her voice breaks again and her face crumples up, clearly about to go from tears to outright sobbing.

Cyclone reaches out his arm toward her, off to the side so she can come in close. “Come here.”

Rhiannon carefully works her way partly onto the bed so she can hug him and doesn't let go, small sobs catching in her chest. “I’m sorry…”

“What do you have to be sorry for?”

“You wouldn’t have gotten hurt if it weren’t for me.”

“If it hadn’t been you, it would have been one of the others. It’s just part of the job. I choose this life. I risk my life on a daily basis coming in to work. It’s no big deal. I’ve risked my life in much worse situations.” Cyclone smiles and shakes his head.

“So you- you really want me to stay though? The way that I am?”

“Yes! Yes. Stay just as you are. I just wanted you to have the choice. But I like you as you are.”

Rhiannon is unable to speak anymore as she finally allows the tears and sobbing to overwhelm her, clinging to Cyclone like her only port in a storm. So much pent up fear and grief and now just… relief.