"Shhh," Mai said rocking her body back and forth trying to silence the baby's screams. "I know, honey."
Ren was having a hard time getting to sleep, and Mai couldn't blame him. They had just gotten done giving her statement to the investigators, and Kado and Hina begged Mai to stay with them for a while until things get more settled and CSI has left her house. They did not have to twist her arm; she was more than willing to leave. She grabbed a few things they would need for the week and have been at their house for a day already.
She moved Ren's mobile crib into her room and she planned to do the same when they were allowed to, and when Mai felt safer to do so, return back to their home. For now, she happily lived with her boss and his wife taking the bedroom farthest away from their room because she knew Ren would likely feel less comfortable falling asleep in a new environment.
Sitting in the rocking chair in the corner of the room, she used her feet to continue pushing back and forth. It was times like this, when she was alone with an upset Ren, that she missed the presence of her mother. What she wouldn't give to have her mom here and be able to look to her for advice on how to soothe the grandchild that the woman never got to meet. Mai could have used the comfort as well. Have someone telling her that something was a correct or incorrect response, or offered her an 'old trick' that she had never heard of, but that she could swear by in the future.
Ren's screams slowly died down and she felt his head relax into her body along with his arms. Getting up as slowly as possible, she set him in his crib which woke him somewhat, but Mai kept rubbing his stomach which was just enough motion to lull him back to sleep.
Once she was sure he wouldn't wake, at least not for a few hours, Mai decided to try to get some rest herself. The task would be made to seem impossible, however, as she would close her eyes and see Stone holding her son. The very sight had made her more anxious than anything in the world. She still had a slight reluctance to be around men without others nearby, and dark rooms, while a seeming childhood fear, had materialized in her mind. The light in the hallway was on for that reason.
She curled into a ball and wished, to the very depth of her soul, that Naru was here with her through all of it. He always made her feel safe and protected. Plus having someone else to lean on for support, and the fact that Naru was a natural logical thinker, made her feel like her mind was less sporadic. Her thoughts weren't shooting past at hard speeds and she could face the hope of tomorrow with a brave face.
Great. Now she was thinking about him and that always made her sad. That jerk had done a great deal snuggling into her heart and staying there no matter what Mai did. But now, he had to share her heart with Ren, someone he didn't even know existed. And her mind added that he likely never would know.
She rolled over and pressed her pillow over her face as if the memory foam would stop these reflections from breaking past her skull.
The following morning, Mai and Ren accompanied Kado into the office to meet up with the team. None of them had seen her since the break-in and she knew they were all worried. But she had been trying to avoid seeing them all again. They were overprotective with her when she was pregnant, and now she could not even imagine how they would act after both their lives had been threatened.
While she didn't want to address these nervous feelings, she also knew that the team she worked with would be her greatest source of support and assistance for getting through this mess. She didn't like thinking about what could have happened if she had not woken up when she did or if she had kept Ren's crib in her room as opposed to moving him into his room. These were thoughts that she did not want to think about, but her mind went there anyway.
She paced back and forth in the conference room with her son tucked into her body. She hadn't felt good about putting him down for any length of time, but she also knew that, development-wise, Ren needed to be able to sleep by himself and that holding them constantly could stunt that transition. She didn't care. Damn all those who thought her a bad mom or a coddling person.
"Mai, please sit down," Kado said stacking papers and flipping through a few files on Stone. "The others will be here soon, so why don't you sit and try to relax for the time being."
Almost with anger, Mai sat in the chair next to him and faced the oval table. She watched Ren fuss for a moment before curling back into his mother's arms, his head tucked in her neck. She pressed a soft kiss into his hair and reveled in the baby-scent that he had.
"Mai?" Maki couldn't have been louder coming into the room and setting her things down on the table before approaching the girl and giving her the best hug, she could. Mai patted her back while also trying to keep Ren out of Maki's tightening grip. "Thank god you're okay! I was really worried when Kado called all of us and explained what was happening. I'm just glad that you walked away with a concussion and nothing more."
Mentally, Mai added in paranoia, anxiety, and fear to the damage Stone's presence had brought upon. But physically, Maki was right in her comments. A concussion was the least of her worries. Most parents who had encounters with Stone walked away without their children in the world. When she was cleared from the doctor, she found that her concussion had not been hard to deal with, despite the doctor claiming otherwise, or maybe she didn't notice any implications, aside from a headache here or there.
Briefly, Mai noticed the rest of the team filter into the room, but she was having a complicated time pulling her focus back to the present. Maki gently took Ren from her arms, and, due to her constant wandering brain, when Mai first heard him shift, she stiffened and tightened her grip on her child. She looked at Maki with a fierceness the team had never seen.
"Mai, it's Maki." Her friend stated as she cautiously watched. "I'm not going to hurt him; I just want to hold him for a moment. I was really worried about you guys."
Mai shook her head a bit and relinquished her hold on Ren so that Maki had him safely in a set of arms.
"I'm so sorry, Maki, I… I don't know what's wrong with me." She could hardly get Stone's face out of her head. Sometimes, she would think she saw him out of the corner of her eye, or in the face of a stranger. She placed a hand to her head.
A warm hand fell on her shoulder. "Mai, it's okay," Maki said. "I understand completely. It's hard to forget someone like him after all the trauma he's caused you."
"That's why we're here to help you find him, and bring him in," Arata said. Mai looked up at where the voice came from behind her and saw the man. Facing back to the rest of the room, she recognized her team around the table.
Kado stood back and allowed the group a moment to check in with Mai and Ren before settling into his usual work mode.
"Alright, we are all glad Mai and Ren are unharmed, but we need to focus on the next steps we need to take." Kado waited for the room to quiet down before moving on. "As of 08:00 today, we still have no known location of Stone, which is concerning. We will be holding interviews with those who Stone was once in contact with, but all crimes involving children younger than 12 will also be personally assessed in order to determine if Stone had any involvement."
"Who are we going to be talking to first?" Maki said handing Ren back to his mother. He had started to fuss and as soon as he recognized his mother's scent, he went back to sleep effortlessly.
"We've managed to get a hold of Stone's wife, so we will be talking to her first."
"I'm sorry, but this has been bugging me," Arata spoke up from his position behind Mai's chair. It was unspoken among the members that they all were aware of the fact that Arata, while serious and somewhat emotionless, had a soft spot for Mai. "How on earth did he figure out where Mai lives in the first place?"
Luca nodded after the statement. "He's right. We took extra precautions to keep everyone's records out of the public eye for reasons like this." He emphasized his point by using a hand to enunciate his spoken words.
They all watched as their lead moved out of his chair and over to the projector before loading up a photograph of an Indian woman. Mai recognized her immediately.
"Doctor Amari?" She said in a tentative voice. The others looked at her with confusion.
"You know her?" Kana said waiting for a reply. "Who is she?"
Mai shifted Ren. "She's my OB-GYN. She delivered Ren and she was with me through my whole pregnancy."
Kado looked at her with condolence. "Yes, she was." Mai looked at him. "She was found dead in her house about two weeks ago. We only just now made the connection to you." He watched as the young mother looked on with horror. "When we investigated her office, we discovered that her computer had been hacked into and some files were missing. Stone must have retrieved the patient file she had on you."
"Who…" Mai's voice trembled and she cleared her throat. "Who found her?"
"Her daughter had just come home from school and didn't think anything of her mother's office door being closed, but when Doctor Amari's husband arrived later in the night, they knew something was not right. Her death was ruled a suicide because of the positioning of the bullet and the gun being in her dominant hand. He even went as far as to write a note for her before leaving with your information."
Mai couldn't process all of this. It was too much. She had almost lost her son, or her son had almost lost her, and now she was learning that Stone was so determined that he would murder her doctor just to get his hands on her files.
"But how did he know where to go? How did he know that she was Mai's doctor." Luca said crossing his arms and moving slightly closer to Mai as if his physical presence could change the past or future.
"They must have been stalking her for a while," Arata said glaring into space. "If I had to guess, probably for the last few months."
"If that's the case, then he could be stalking her right now!" Kana said shooting out of her chair in dread. "Is it even safe for her to be here right now?"
"Calm down," Kado stated and watched Kana with waning anger. He had to stop himself from getting frustrated at the lack of emotional restraint his team was presenting. Although, he couldn't blame them when a teammate was involved, especially if it was Mai. She was always selflessly looking out for others even before she entered the field and was performing office duties. She made sure everyone had everything they needed and a cup of tea as if to sweeten her presence. "We have already agreed to have Mai and Ren stay with us until we get better intel on Stone's whereabouts. CSI should be clearing out of their house fairly soon, but I doubt Mai would want to go back there anytime in the near future."
An epiphany hit her at that moment that she was going to have to alter her entire life. She could not be as carefree with who she talked to or any personal information she disclosed. Ren had to be kept safe. A trapped feeling came over her as well, and she had a moment of desire to call Naru and seek out his protective presence once again. The one she had fallen in love with all those years ago.
Alright! Let me know how you all thought this chapter was!
Sorry that this chapter ended up being updated so late! I will start updating regularly next week on Fridays, like always!
Just a quick thank you to those of you who have been taking the time to read this story in general! It motivates me to know that so many individuals enjoy the story and I have been having an amazing time experiencing it with all of you!
Cheers!