Invasion: Chapter 6: Second Wind

Mika awoke the next morning in a world of pain. His head and legs hurt horribly. His injuries were as follows: severe head trauma, closed double fractures (tibia and fibula) in both lower legs, and extensive bruising to his torso. He had a gauze bandage on his forehead and both his legs were encased in casts. All of this was the result of a nasty fall he had off a mountain ledge yesterday morning. He had literally been unconscious for roughly 24 hours.

"Where am I?" Mika asked no one in particular.

"You're in the Wales hospital," said the doctor who was by Mika's bedside. "You've been unconscious an entire night."

"Wales?!" Mika asked. "How in Helsinki did I end up in the British Isles?!"

Mika must have thought those storm waves carried him farther than he could've imagined.

"No, no," said the doctor, "wrong Wales. This is Wales, Alaska."

"Blast!" Mika thought, pounding his right fist on the bed in either frustration or anger. He clearly would rather be in Wales, Great Britain. At least he'd be closer to home.

Mika's father, Toni, and Balto had found a hotel for the night. After waking up, they both headed over to the hospital to check on Mika. On their arrival, Mika was informed that his father was here to see him. Mika could barely walk because of his leg injuries, and so Toni and Balto had to go to the room where Mika's bed was.

"Hi Dad, hi Balto," said Mika, sounding groggy.

"Hello, son," replied Toni.

"You look beat, man," added Balto.

"Ya think!" Mika retorted.

"What happened?" asked Toni.

"I don't know," Mika responded as he sat up. "All I remember is a rock ledge collapsing under my feet, and then taking a 40 foot tumble before grabbing another ledge. I then lost my grip and fell again. The rest is a blank."

"How bad was he hurt?" Toni asked the doctor.

"Well," replied the doctor, "it's incredible that's he's even alive. He's got severe head trauma, closed double fractures - that's both the tibia and fibula - in both lower legs, and extensive bruising on his midsection. He's lucky he didn't sustain anything more serious or even fatal."

"Ugh," Mika said as he fell backwards onto the pillow. Nobody reacted to his reaction.

While Toni further inquired about his son's condition, Balto had a few words with Mika.

"We found you lying at the bottom of that cliff outside of town," said Balto.

"We? Who's we?" asked Mika, not knowing what Balto was talking about.

"Boris, Stella, Muk, Luk and myself," Balto replied. "You forehead was bleeding heavily and your face went pale."

"Where's my backpack?" Mika asked.

"Your dad has it," Balto responded. "Your supplies are okay."

"Do mom and Kaj miss me?" Mika asked for the third straight question.

"I'm sure they do," replied Balto. "I'm sure they do. David was also shocked that you ran off."

"He was?" asked Mika. Seeing how he and David didn't see eye to eye on everything, this came as quite a shock.

"Yeah," added Balto. "Kodi and his team were also shocked."

"What about my band mates?" Mika asked.

"Them too," replied Balto.

Mika sighed lightly before adding the next thing he had to say. "I didn't think it could get any worse. Boy, was I wrong. I'm starting to wish I had died out there."

"Don't talk like that, Mika" said Balto, protesting the Finn's death wish.

"Face it, Balto," Mika countered, "nothing's going right for me of late. Sure, the Lapp Attack deal was going well, but that was still overshadowed by all that was going wrong in my life."

"At least something was going right," said Balto.

"True," added Mika. "But I still don't think I'll be welcome around there anymore. Not after what happened."

Balto sighed and shook his head in disgust. He still couldn't believe what happened that day. He put both front paws on Mika's right arm.

"Look," said Balto, "I'm sure things will work out for you eventually."

"I hope you're right," Mika responded. "Why did you even come after me?"

"Well," put in Balto, "I've been having this recurring night terror about an outside force that might destroy Nome. One time I had it, you too, were in danger. I had to make sure you were OK."

"What outside force?" asked Mika. "Do you know what it is?"

"No, I don't know," replied Balto. "That's the other reason why I came out here."

Meanwhile, Toni had found out from the doctor that Mika would be in the hospital for about two months because of the extent of his injuries. After finishing talking, Toni went back to his son's bed. Balto backed away momentarily.

"Doctor says you're gonna have to stay here for two months," said Toni.

"Like it even matters," added Mika. "Say, are they still accusing me of murder back in Nome?"

"The parents of the victim are still trying to press charges on you," replied Toni. "So far, nothing's changed."

"Oh," said Mika. "Because I'm not going back as long as the heat's still on."

"Suit yourself," replied Toni. "Personally, I don't blame you for not wanting to go back right now. If you were attacked in your condition, you probably would have a hard time defending yourself. Oh, and I'll be looking for a lawyer to fight to clear your name of any charges brought on you."

"Thanks, Dad," said Mika as he hugged his father.

With that, Toni and Balto left the room to let Mika relax for a while.

Seeing that he wasn't going to be of much use anymore, Toni opted to just head back to Nome. He even offered Balto a ride back in his plane, which Balto eagerly accepted. Mika was outside, standing on a pair of crutches, watching his dad pack up the necessary supplies for the trip home. His backpack was still in the hospital, as it contained a few personal items.

"You sure about staying out here for two months?" Balto asked Mika.

"As long as it takes to get back up and regain control of my life," Mika responded. "For now, I'm just gonna anchor down here until I catch my second wind."

"Here in town?" asked Balto. "What will you do in the meantime?"

"I don't know," said Mika. "I probably won't be able to do much of anything until my legs heal." He bent down slightly and pet Balto, who returned the favor by nuzzling Mika's right leg. It was a little uncomfortable for him, however, as the cast left marks on Balto's skin, under the fur.

"Do you know if you'll ever come back?" asked Balto.

"I can't say for sure right now," replied Mika. "Anything could happen. I might come back, and then again, I might not. Right now, with the heat still on my back, there's no way I can."

Toni was ready for take off by now.

"I gotta go now," said Balto as he walked toward Toni's plane. "You take care, Mika."

"Likewise, Balto," Mika responded.

Balto hopped in the cockpit, was buckled in, and eventually took off with Toni. Mika stood in that very spot watching and waving goodbye. After the plane disappeared from sight, he hobbled back to the hospital. He alternated putting weight on his legs due to the fact that walking back on just the crutches would have been a major challenge.

It was late afternoon/early evening when Toni landed near the outskirts of Nome. After unbuckling himself, he unbuckled Balto's seat belt and let Balto climb out. Both of them headed straight for home. Neither one of them was sure how to break the news that Mika might not be coming back. Toni especially wasn't sure how to explain what transpired in Wales. As he approached the front door to his house, he finally just decided to tell it like it is.

"Welcome home," said Erja as she gave her husband a hug.

"Welcome back, Dad," said Kaj, also hugging them.

"Where's Mika?" Erja asked.

"He's in the hospital in Wales," replied Toni.

"What?" Kaj and Erja asked at the same time.

"He took a nasty spill off a cliff," said Toni. "Suffered severe head trauma, closed double fractures in both lower legs, and major bruising on his torso. The doctor said Mika's lucky to still be alive."

"Oh, no," said Erja as she started to cry. Or almost did.

"He's only staying there until he recovers from his injuries," Toni added. "I'm not sure what he'll do after that."

"What do you mean?" asked Kaj.

"He said he might not come back to Nome," replied Toni.

"I don't blame him," put in Kaj. "After all the accusations and death threats he got."

Mika was still getting death threats sent to his house.

"I guess we'll just have to wait until he gets better," said Toni.

"How long will that be?" asked Erja.

"Two months," Toni responded. "That's how long it will take especially for his legs to heal."

Jenna was especially happy to see Balto come home. But she was a little puzzled when she didn't see Mika anywhere nearby.

"Welcome home," said Jenna as she nuzzled Balto's right cheek.

"It's good to be home," Balto replied, returning the favor.

"How did you get back?" asked Jenna.

"Toni gave me a ride," replied Balto. "And yes, I enjoyed it."

"Where's Mika?" asked Jenna, sounding concerned and bewildered.

"We found him lying at the bottom of a cliff in really bad shape," Balto answered back.

"Oh, no," said Jenna, really sounding worried.

"Don't worry, he's okay," Balto countered. "But he was badly injured. He's in the hospital in Wales right now with a severe head injury, both lower legs are badly broken, and he has major bruising on his torso."

"How long is he going to be there?" asked Jenna.

"Two months," replied Balto. "And he's not sure whether or not he'll even come back."

Jenna was shocked, but not too shocked. She knew about the murder accusations and death threats that Mika was still getting. So it didn't exactly come as that big of a surprise.

"What about your night terrors?" asked Jenna. "Did you find out anything about the mysterious shadow force?"

"So far, nothing," Balto responded, sounding dismayed. "I don't know why, but I can't seem to get any closer to finding the answer."

"Was this force even out there?" asked Jenna again.

"It was nowhere to be found," Balto replied, again sounding down in the dumps. "I wish I knew what it was. Then I'd know whether or not I could do something about it."

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Balto," said Jenna reassuringly. "It's not worth it. I'm sure you'll find the answer one way or another."

"I sure hope so, Jenna," Balto put in. "I sure hope so."

They went inside to settle down for the night.

From there, well, word certainly got around. Most of the dogs in town were Lapp Attack fans, and the diehards were worried not only about Mika's condition, but also the future of their favorite band. Kaj, Keith, Colin and Ryan had already begun searching for a new lead singer in case Mika didn't come back. So far they were not finding many potential front men. The frontrunner was Nick Jones, a local solo artist who could also play guitar, and his style of play was similar to that of Lapp Attack. In fact, Nick was Lapp Attack's original lead singer, only doing vocals while Mika played guitar alongside his brother and did backing vocals. But after a falling out with Keith, who wasn't the easiest one in the band to get along with, Nick left and Mika moved up to lead vocals. Now Nick was back in the fray. The big problem here was how to tell Mika.

"How do we tell him?" asked Keith, who had originally helped Mika join the band in the first place.

"We haven't decided yet," replied Kaj. "I think we should ask him first."

"Write to him?" asked Colin.

"I guess if that's the only way to ask," answered Ryan, "then fine."

"Yeah," added Nick. "I don't want to steal that position out from under him if he still wants it."

So Kaj got out a piece of paper and a pencil and started writing a letter to his brother about the recent acquisition. It read as follows:

Dear big brother Mika,

I hope your recovery goes well in Wales. I can't tell you enough about how bummed out the band and our mother were hearing that you may never return. I myself am a bit depressed to hear the news. But if you think it's for the best, then we respect your decision.

We did manage to find a new lead singer for Lapp Attack. Have you ever heard of Nick Jones? Well, he heard about the opening at lead singer, and he's opted to take that position should you decide not to come back. His style of guitar playing matches your playing and our music style, and he's quite the showman, just like you in our live shows.

Take care. We miss you. Can't say the same for everybody in town, but at least some people here still care. Get well soon.

Best wishes,

Kaj

The next day, he enveloped it and took it straight to the post office.

A few days later, Mika got the letter. After reading it, he started on a reply letter to send back to Nome.

Dear brother Kaj,

Right now, I can't say for sure whether or not I'll ever come back to Nome. If I do return, it won't be until the heat's off my back.

I'm glad to hear you haven't let my absence stop you and the rest of Lapp Attack from carrying on. Nick has my permission to become lead singer.

Good luck to you. Oh, and tell Balto I said hi. I wish he was here.

Best regards,

Mika

As soon as he finished, Mika put it in an envelope and requested that it be sent to the post office. The only reason he didn't go himself was because, with two broken legs, walking, even with the aid of crutches, would be next to impossible. A doctor took care of that part.

A day later, Mika's letter arrived in Nome. Kaj had picked it up from the post office an hour after its arrival. After reading it, he showed it to his band mates. They were relieved to hear that Mika was okay, but disappointed to hear the uncertainty of his future. They had a jam session scheduled for that day, so they went ahead and started getting Nick familiarized with their songs, especially the rhythm guitar parts that Mika had written.

That night, Mika lay in bed in the hospital, clutching the letter he got from Kaj. It had been a week since he had fled Nome. As he lay there, he couldn't help but think that what he did may not have been such a smart move. He was starting to slightly regret ever running away.

"Man," he thought, "if I had known ahead of time that I'd end up here in this condition, I don't think I would have ever done this. This is definitely the low point of my life here in North America. Come on, Europe, take me home."

With that, he drifted off to sleep, hoping for a better tomorrow.

Will Mika regain control of his life? Will the secret behind Balto's night terrors ever be revealed? Find out in Chapter 7: Red Dawn.