The brunette sighed as his feet started to hurt from all the walking he had been doing. He had been walking throughout the entire hospital until he was far away from the maternity ward nearby to where Morro was being treated. Morro had been in hospital for a month and as far as Kai and the others knew there had been no change in his condition. They didn't know if he was getting better or worse. Kai did consider visiting the criminal again, but he was worried Wendy would be there and cause a scene, or call the police and accuse him of harassment.
The brunette held in a groan as he searched the entire hospital for a loaded vending machine.
Cole had left to the car park to try and find his car in that giant maze of vehicles. The noirette had offered to take Kai to his next scan, but they were only there for a few minutes. Kai had gotten his appointments mixed up and had shown up for his scan a day early. He had just been a little excited but mostly scared because this scan was the one that revealed the gender of his baby. He was around five months pregnant and he had been scared that if his baby was a boy, all he could see was Morro.
He had been reading some baby magazines in the waiting room and it said that most baby's looked like their fathers.
Kai didn't think he could look at his baby if it bared even a slight resemblance to Morro. He soon found a vending machine, but his mind was racing so much that all he could do was stare at the candy bars behind the thick glass. There were only two options to choose from. He was so caught up in his own thoughts he failed to notice a woman approached him from behind.
"Spoiled for choice?" She said and Kai whipped around in surprise. She had ash grey hair braid into a ponytail with a snowy white streak and pale green eyes. She wore a pale khaki utility jacket with dark brown pants and a short, dark green scarf.
"Sorry?" He asked in confusion, not paying attention to what she had been saying.
"It's a joke, there's not much selection." She smiled weakly, having noticed that he seemed troubled and just wanted to cheer him up. "The patients are sick enough without eating that rubbish." She added as she glanced at his bump. "You should try the cafe, they have more tasty options."
"I'm not hungry." He sharply replied as he turned back to the machine.
"Alright, well, that explains why you're looking at this thing." She chuckled. "At least your one of the lucky ones."
"What?" He frowned, glancing back at her.
"No hospital gown or uniform must be visiting someone like myself."
"What's it got to do with you?"
"I'm only trying to be friendly, you looked a little troubled." She frowned slightly at his tone.
"Well, I'd be fine if people just left me alone." He growled as he started to leave, only for this stranger to suddenly grab his arm.
"Excuse me sir, but you forgot-"
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" He suddenly screeched and bolted down the corridor as if the devil was chasing him.
"Wait, you forgot this!" She called after him, holding up his wallet that he had failed to put in his pocket properly, but he was already gone...
Kai gasped for breath as he burst through the main entrance and into the open air. The world seemed to spin around him and a throbbing pain took hold of him, so much so that all he wanted to do was vomit and hoped the pain would come out with it. Every part of his being ached for an answer to this feeling of misery and any answer that could bring relief was one worth considering. It was all too much to handle and for a moment he considered giving in to the pain and giving up.
He took a deep breath, then another, and then another.
A state of calm returned to his mind for a moment. On any other day, he probably would have gone to bed and rested to make sure he had healed well and fast, but not today. He slowly stumbled his way over to the hospital's only peace garden. A place where patients, staff, and visitors came to relax and clear their minds, even if most of them only used it to smoke in. He took a seat on a small wooden bench and looked over the beautiful garden.
A jade garden of grass was bordered by overgrown hedges and bushes.
A couple of gigantic trees stood near the right edge, their bark and branches reaching for the sky, ever trying to reach higher and higher. The rows of flowers were growing strong and proud as the garden provided everything they need and they were highlighted with garden lights. A couple of messages carved on stones were spread around the garden, leading visitors to the best spots. Grass and roots playfully crept and crawled their way through the garden, each eager to expand their foothold beyond the locations given to them.
The trees, birches, have stood there for over half a century, and the garden was later built around them.
It was no wonder these trees were the biggest eye-catcher. The rows of colorful flowers did their best to take some of the attention. The hedges and bushes usually looked amazing, but the attention was always drawn to the birches. He was sat there for a few minutes until he noticed Cole walking over to him. The agent was about to head into the hospital to find him when he saw Kai sitting alone on the bench.
"For a second I thought you'd walked home." He joked as he sat next to the brunette and saw the upset look on his face. "Kai, I know you're feeling upset and angry about what's happening with Morro and his mother but-"
"No, it's not that." Kai cut him off. "Just then in the hospital this... this woman started talking to me."
"Did something happen?"
"You mean apart from me freaking out at her?" He glared, more at himself than anything else.
"Why? What'd she do?"
"That's just it, nothing." He whimpered as tears welled in his eyes. "But all I could think about was that Morro and his mother were somewhere in that hospital and... she was just trying to be nice." He sobbed lightly and Cole wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
"Don't feel bad about it, we all snap sometimes."
"I-I couldn't help it, I just ran away as fast as I could!"
"You're safe now, that's all that matters."
"But is it?" He asked as he looked his raven-haired boyfriend in the eyes. "What if this is me right back at square one? What if I never get over it? What then?"
"Kai, no one's gonna hurt you, I promise." He promised and properly hugged the upset brunette. Kai relaxed into the embrace as he fought back the tears, thinking what a fool he was. He actually thought her was getting stronger, then he went into a meltdown at the first random person who tried to talk to him. Eventually, the pair got to their feet and started making their way over to Cole's car. Cole gently rubbed Kai's back as he tried to reassure him.
He was bound to have setbacks, especially knowing Morro was in there somewhere while he was having regular checkups for his baby.
They considered moving to a different hospital, at least until Morro was discharged, but Kai was the first to quickly dismiss the idea. The hospital they were in was the closest to the apartment and if something went wrong, Kai wanted to get to the hospital as soon as possible.
"The weird part is I wanted to see him and I wanted to look him in the eye and ask him why is he doing this to us." Kai suddenly said as Cole started looking for his car keys.
"And feed his ego?! I don't think so!" Cole angrily dismissed, before calmed down when he saw Kai's startled reaction. "There's no appealing to a man like that."
"But sometimes facing your demons is the only way to move on."
"You want my advice, stay away from Morro, he's taken enough from you as it is."
"You know I couldn't face any of this without you guys." Kai smiled and Cole returned it as he hugged his pregnant boyfriend and kissed his forehead.
"I know it doesn't feel like it at the moment but you'll get through this," Cole promised and Kai smiled. They were about to leave when Kai suddenly realized his wallet was missing and the last place he had it was at the vending machine. They quickly retraced his steps and were disappointed to see that his wallet wasn't there. "I suppose it was too much to think it'd still be here." Cole sighed.
"Well, it's my own stupid fault," Kai muttered.
"There'll be a lost property office around here somewhere." He suddenly suggested. "I'll go and have a look and I'll meet you back in the maternity ward, are you sure you're alright on your own?"
"I'm fine, go on." He promised and Cole gave him a quick peck on the cheek before rushing off. As soon as he was gone, the woman Kai had spoken too early suddenly appeared and her face lit up like a Christmas when she saw the brunette.
"Oh finally, I've been looking everywhere for you." She smiled, only to frown when she saw the fearful look on his face. "I haven't been stalking you if that's what you think." She quickly reassured him.
"I don't think that you're stalking me." He replied as he looked at his feet and thought about his next words. "Listen, I'm sorry about earlier, I don't... normally react to people like that."
"I'm sorry if I upset you."
"No, you didn't... it's complicated."
"You left this behind when you rushed off." She smiled and held up Kai's wallet. She returned it to the brunette and he quickly checked to make sure all his cash, bank cards, photos, and most importantly his first ultrasound picture. Once he was sure everything was dare he smiled back at her.
"Thanks, and I am sorry."
"Don't be, I hope things work out for you." She replied before walking away. Kai stood there for a moment before he went to find Cole, a small smile on his face...