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Nature vs Nurture
Chapter 2
Naida pulls into a small mountain town where the old mixes with the new and the dogs roam freely through the streets. The thunder drums in the distance and the raindrops only leave a few specs on the windshield. A blue hospital sign directs her onto the main road that leads to the center of town. The high beams follow the car as it turns onto the street and startles a stray dog digging in the trash. It bolts out and almost collides with her car.
Naida jerks the wheel to the left and her foot pops the brake. "Look out!" Her brows scrunch together. "Is everything suicidal today?" She stares sharply at the dog scampering down the street. Saji listens to his mother mumble indistinguishable obscenities under her breath as they cruise along. A large sign for the Hospital comes into view and Saji points with a big smile on his face. "There it is!" Naida continues to drive by and Saji watches confused as they pass it. "Why didn't you stop, mommy?" Naida's body stiffens.
Is she really going to bring a potentially hostile lifeform into a facility filled with sick and vulnerable people? Why did she have to go and make such a promise? She doesn't want to be responsible for unleashing an evil monster in an infirmary. What if innocent people get hurt? What if they call the cops on her and they take Saji away? This is far too risky, but she already has taken it this far. "Damn it." She curses under her breath and shakes her head as these thoughts race through her mind. "What would Naru do...?" Her voice is quiet, but Saji's ears prick up at the sound of his father's name.
"Daddy always knew what to do." His tone reeks of disappointment and Naida's heart sinks in her chest. Yes, he did. She can't help feeling disappointed in herself. She always feels like she can never quite live up to Naru. He was quite headstrong. It was his most defining trait. And she, well she is mousy. A wolf and the mouse. What an odd couple. If Saji only knew what this thing is. Would it even matter if he did? He's a child, he doesn't know such things as evil. She wishes it will stay this way. That he can stay innocent, but there will come a time when even that will change. He will grow up and come to understand what happened. What will he think of her then?
The car slows to a stop "I know you miss your dad. I do too..." Naida looks compassionately at her son through the rearview mirror. His head slumps to his chest, but his face reignites with a bit of luster as he meets her gaze. "Could we visit him in the park tomorrow?" Naida raises a brow at his question. "The park?" Right, he still doesn't quite understand the concept of a cemetery. She has to force a smile at her son. Her throat tightens and it's hard for her to answer. "Yeah, we can bring some of the lily's Miss Sukishima gave us." Saji smiles back at his mother in agreement.
With that, Naida's face hardens and she straightens her back out. She rotates the wheel to the left and the car pivots around towards the hospital. She pulls up on the side of the road, the distance of one building away. "This is a Hospital?" Naida says in confusion. She stares dumbfounded at what looks to be an old house renovated into an infirmary. White paint adorns the face of the building. The previous old, flaky, cracked, layer is still visible underneath from what looks to be a new paint job. The doors are the newest thing on it and a bit out of place. A pair of sliding doors. The perfect example of money well spent, she rolls her eyes.
Just as she is about to get out, the doors slide open and a man steps outside. Naida's back slouches again and she bites her lower lip gently. "Great. He will be out here for 15 minutes at least." Thoughts of how the staff might react buzzes in her mind. How should she go about this? She pinches the bridge of her nose, her elbow resting in the palm of her hand. She has never had to do this before. She became increasingly aware of the beating of her heart as she waits pensively. She even starts to count its beats. Her breath becomes shallow and weak and she can feel her pulse increase.
As they sit in the car, Saji stares with droopy eyes at a small flickering flame that lights up some of the man's face. A puff of smoke escapes the person's mouth. He turns his attention back to his mom who is running her fingers up and down her face. "Am I having another panic attack?" Naida mumbles. All this stress is pushing her to her limits. She is probably blowing things out of proportion, too. She always does this. It's not like she has a responsibility for the thing. She can just drop it at the door. "Are we going in?" Saji asks.
He would have waltzed right in without a second thought. Yet she can barely muster up enough courage to leave the car. He is so much like his father. Bold and brash, and yet Naru could be level-headed. When he wanted to be, anyway. Saji has his weak moments, but he's just a little boy. His question reemerges in her distracted mind. "I will, I just need a minute, honey," she says as she stares out the windshield. Her chest expands as she takes a breath of air. Saji continues to watch the nurse smoke a cigarette. "Such a nasty habit," he shakes his head. His little hands gripping the edge of the window.
A few giggles escape Naida's pale pink lips. "Yes it is, and don't you forget it." The playful energy is enough to animate her. She pops open the car door. The cool mountain air rushes into the vehicle as she steps outside. Flecks of cold rain tap on her face as she closes the door. She leans against her blue Strada. Naru smoked, She closes her eyes. She hated it, too. She isn't one to judge, but she certainly does not want her son picking up the habit later in life. He looked up to his dad, all children look up to their parents. That's why she has to set a good example. At least that's what she's telling herself.
"I'm just going to walk into the hospital and see if someone can help. That's it. No big deal." Or maybe she should just leave it on the steps? No. She will bring it into the hospital herself, she ponders. No telling what they might do. Saji can wait in the car if they need to leave fast. She steps away from the car and stands tall. "No, don't even think about that. I bet they won't even know what it is." Naida's body quakes as it tries to shake out all the negative vibes. "Surely they have seen worse things." Heck, a lot of people in these sequestered mountain towns don't even know who Cell is or even about the cell games. At least Naru's parents didn't.
His parents were such kind people to offer help to her after Naru's passing. She is fine on her own, but she doesn't have the heart to turn them away, no matter how much she might want to. Lately, she wants to turn everyone away, to be alone. Regardless, they have been elated to see more of Saji. They don't get to see him often. The only reason she knew of current events was that her husband was a military man. She has never been big on television or mainstream media. "Enough stalling, I can do this." A foggy vapor leaves Naida's mouth as she takes a deep breath. She tries to rub the cold out of her arms as her own words conjure enough energy for her to act.
She makes her way to the back of the car to the passenger side and opens the door. "Can I come too?" Saji pleads. His hands fumble with the belt buckle, but she answers without hesitation. "No. I need you to stay here...and I mean it," Her voice is monotone, almost robotic. Saji knows his mom means business when she has that tone. "Don't open the car door for anyone." She stares at her child like a school teacher. This little misadventure is giving her a bit of energy. She should run things over with her car more often, she morbidly jokes to herself. "I will be right back, okay?" She watches his head droop to his chest as he fiddles with the strings on his coat. "...okay."
This is important to him, she understands why. She looks at the blue action figure on the seat beside him. "Please help him, mama." He looks up at her, eyes filled with sorrow. Naida's nods and her chest trembles as she loops her arms around its body. It feels surprisingly warm. "Ugh," she groans as it slumps in her arms. Its weight causes her to stumble back. She readjusts the body in her arms and nudges the door to the back seat with her hip. The door glides shuts loosely with a click. "Lock the doors," she orders and uses her rear to force it the rest of the way.
The man is nowhere to be seen, so she breaks into an awkward jog towards the doors. Her feet slap on the wet pavement as she approaches the entrance. The lethargic doors slide open. Naida squeezes through as fast as she can and her jeans hook on the door frame. The doors rattle when she breaks away. "Quiet!" She hisses. Perhaps it is the lack of sleep as the entrance seems to close quicker. Even the door knows better than to sass her when she has her mama bear face on. There is a very concerned little boy counting on her.
The fluorescent lights harass her eyes as she rushes into the empty lobby. A vending machine hums as she contemplates leaving it there and heading home. She can see the news headline now. "Local woman seen on surveillance drops monster in sleepy mountain hospital. 300 dead, 10 injured." What is she thinking, she groans. "Time to finish what you started, for better or for worse." Naida adjusts the body in her arms and looks left and right. "Where is everyone?" She begins rushing down the halls. It doesn't take her long to come upon what looks to be a male nurse mopping up an accident of some kind. She can only imagine what.
She can feel a knocking in her chest as she approaches him. "Excuse me...," she barely squeaks out of her tight throat. "Sir I need some help, please..." She watches the nurse dunk the mop back into the water and sloshes it on the floor. The knocking quickens beneath her breastbone and her face crumples. "Are you hard of hearing. I need help." Her voice is stern, yet he remains unmoving. It takes all she has to choke out a few words and he ignores her? Naida's eyes come to notice a wire dangling from his ears and quiet, raspy music. She looks at the ceiling and sighs.
"He's wearing earphones, dummy." She extends an unstable hand to him. "Hello?" Her hand touches his shoulder. The man's body lurches and he grabs the buds out of his ears with wide eyes. "Please, can you help me?" Naida pleads. Her voice is shaky and raspy. "I need to speak to a doctor." The male nurse looks at the floor and up to her in shock. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" His face distorts. "Please wait here. I will get some more help right away." The nurse races past her and down the hall she came from leaving her standing alone.
Naida doesn't know whether to feel relief or panic. She turns around to see the nurse slip and fall as he tries to round the corner. "This is it, this is happening." Her eyes fixate at her feet. Drops of purple blood are flecked on the white freshly washed floor. Her eyes follow the trail all the way down the hall as a female nurse and the same male nurse round the corner. "Why am I doing this," Naida whispers as her muscles tense up. When the lady nurse spots her, she breaks into a jog. She wants to turn and run the other direction as they rushed towards her.
"Oh my god! What happened?" One of the nurses asks as she reaches Naida and begins to escort her down the hall. "I- I hit it with my car." The nurse is radioing someone as she answers, asking for a stretcher. She looks up at Naida as if she has two heads."It?" A garbled message returns her call and the nurse carefully takes the body out of Naida's arms and into her own. The nurse grunts and has to adjust herself. One more person arrives from the other direction with a stretcher. The wheels creak and rattle as she hurries towards them.
Naida watches in quiet terror as the lady places the shrouded creature on the gurney and slowly pulls the blanket off. "Wahh!" The nurse jerks away and they all shriek in unison. "Why did you bring this here?!" A sharp pain shoots through Naida's chest as the nurses stare dumbfounded at her. "I don't know. When I hit it with my car I thought I should get it help and I didn't know where else to bring it. I'm so sorry." Naida's hands clasp together at her chest and she bows. Her worst nightmare comes to fruition as she stares at her feet eyes wide with uncertainty.
"You hit it with your car?" One of the nurses asks with a nauseous expression. "What is it?" asks the male nurse. Standing over it with a mixture of curiosity and disgust. Naida straightens herself out and looks at them all staring awkwardly at the creature on the stretcher. They don't know? Is she in the clear? "Are you able to help it? I think it's dying." The two female nurses look to Naida, mouth hanging open. Their eyebrows look as though they will rise right off of their foreheads. "No way. This thing's not even human?"
"No way?" Naida's soft, worried expression darkens. Her face hardens and their body language shifts to unease in her presence. "You won't do anything?" Naida's words are harsh. She didn't come out of her way, out of her comfort zone, for these ignorant asshats to completely dismiss her. "Isn't it your job to help? You can't just say 'no way' and expect me to go 'oh, okay then' and leave!" Naida's head feels hot and heavy. She feels as though a vain was going to burst in her forehead. She has had just about enough tonight. Between that truck driver and these nurses, she was ready to start punching a few throats.
"What do you expect us to do? We've never seen anything like this" The male nurse swallows hard as he struggles to keep eye contact with Naida. "Can you at least consult a doctor?" She can't believe she has to ask that. She knew all too well how small towns like this can be, but a hospital? Who manages this place? She's never spent much time in this town before. She would only pass through on her way to Naru's parent's house when visiting to stop at the convenient store for Saji's favorite candy. To think she almost had to give birth to Saji here.
"None of our surgeons are in right now. It looks like this...thing needs more help then we can give, Ma'am." Naida's fists clench together and she steps towards the nurses. "What kind of place is this? There are no doctors, at a hospital? You have to be kidding, right?!" One of the female nurses raises her hands to chest level and waves them gently "This is a quiet mountain village, we don't get that many emergencies at this hour, but we do have a surgeon on call." The nurse says reassuringly. Naida runs her hand down her face dragging the skin with it.
"Well then call him! Or her, or whoever!" She throws her hands up in defeat. Why is she getting so worked up over this thing? The night has been far too long to contemplate this. She is sick of dealing with these goofballs. How hard is it to get the proper authority down here? She never thought she would be arguing for this monster. Especially what it represents to her and her son for that matter. She must be out of her mind. In fact, she guarantees it at this point.
The male nurse stares at the creature on the gurney with a solemn expression on his face. His hands rest on the metal bar surrounding it. "I'll see what I can do." The other two make a disagreeable face at him and he returns the favor using body language Naida isn't equipped to decipher at this hour. They almost look to be communicating telepathically. They must know each other well, Naida thinks. They all walk briskly down the hall towards the makeshift lobby, leaving Naida alone. She can still hear their voices. Nothing but murmurs though, as an argument erupts between them.
Naida shakes her head and her eyes roll in her skull. She turns to face the stretcher and walks slowly to the side of it. She has not seen the thing in this light before. She has spent more time with it than the nurses and yet she really doesn't know what it looks like exactly. Her eyes move up and down its short body. It looks no bigger then Saji, yet it is oddly tough looking. Bruises, scrapes, and scratches riddle its body. It has a large, cracked indent on the right side of its head crest. Cracks in its black chest plates are oozing with blood. She wonders if that is from her car or the bat.
Her hand comes to rest on her chest and her mouth relaxes open. It looks in bad shape. She has a hard time believing she could have done this. When she held it's body earlier it seemed...sturdy. Her brows droop after examining its condition. It doesn't seem as frightening to her on the hospital bed as it did on the road in the middle of the night. She wants to reach her hand out and touch its face. Two eyes, a nose, and a mouth? Its features have humans characteristics. If it wasn't for the odd colorful markings on its face. How can these nurses refuse to help so willingly?
Naida reaches a hand and brushes her thumb on one of the purple strips on the side of its face as if she expects it to rub off. Its skin feels warm and smooth. It's hairless, not quite like human skin. She moves her hand up to its head crest and shifts it from side to side half expecting it to come off. Its head falls to the side when Naida lets go and her shoulders tense up. Her hand returns briskly to her chest. She feels like a child with a stick poking at a dead body. Except this one was still alive.
Naida peaks around the corner to see the male nurse talking with a corded phone pressed to his ear, most likely speaking to the doctor. The only one in the whole town. The only one for a few miles, probably. He hangs up the phone and walks towards her. When he sees Naida, his head nods at her as he turns into another room. The other two are nowhere to be seen and Naida snorts as she turns back to the stretcher. She doesn't feel nearly as frightened of it as she had on her own. Her son is safe in the car. She need not worry about his well being in its presence anymore. "Saji...," she exhales.
Naida folds her hands in front of her chest and bows her head. A sickness tickles her heart as she thinks of her little boy. Saji has never been an extremely vibrant kid, but he has fallen abnormally quiet this past week following the death of his father, understandably. He had a bit of a hard time understanding the concept of death. She has been doing her best to answer any questions he has, but he has not cried like she had expected. He has just been quiet. In fact, he often just wonders why his dad isn't coming around anymore. She's been so worried about his coping that she hasn't really had time for her self. "I should go check on him."
She leaves the stretcher and peaks down the hall in both directions. When she sees the nurses are out of site she walks briskly to the lobby. Her wet shoes squeak on the glossy flooring so she lightens her steps. When she reaches the lobby she can see Saji in the back seat of the car. Naida lets out a sigh of relief and waves. She sees his sleepy little hand wave back through the foggy window. "Still awake, what a trooper." She takes one step back and looks down the hall to see if anyone has arrived. The male nurse comes out of the room with a folder in his hands and looks surprised to see her there. "I'm just going to check on my son." She gestures to the entrance and the nurse nods. "Go on ahead, I'll be right here."
As Naida leaves towards the entrance the male nurse shouts out. "Actually, ma'am? I didn't catch your name earlier?" Naida stops in her tracks and her runners make a high pitched squeak when she lurches forward. "Oh, umm. It's Naida Gin-" Wait, she stops herself short. Should she be giving him her full name? This can be traced back to her. Back to Saji, if things go wrong. If. Right, what could possibly go wrong. She only brought a monster to a hospital. "Naida Gin. Just Gin, It's been a long night," she chuckles a little and rubs the back of her head. "Right. Thank you, Mrs. Gin," the nurse says as he scribbles in his folder.
Naida's legs feel like noodles and her stomach twists. "Actually, it's just Miss now." Naida instantly regrets the words as they leave her indecisive lips. The man taps his pen on the folder in his hands. His mouth opens and closes a few times before he thinks of what to say. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to assume you were married." It was perfectly fine for the nurse to say what he did. It wasn't incorrect, so why does she feel the need to speculate otherwise? Naida bemoans. "I am. I mean I was, but...he passed away." The nurse looks away and scratches his head as he struggles to come up with the right words. "I'm really sorry to hear that, may I ask what happened." He speaks with sincerity but there is regret in his eyes.
Naida averts her gaze when her eyes begin to blur. That's none of your business, she wants to say. She knows she only has herself to blame, but she is mostly startled by her own petulance. "It's fine." Now, why on earth did she go and say that? She most certainly is not fine. Must she dig deeper into this rabbit hole? 'Why is a raven like a writing desk?' Naida tries to distract herself. She doesn't realize she is pressing her fingers to her head with her eyes slammed shut until the nurse interrupts her. "Umm. Mrs. G-, I mean, Naida?" Naida's eyes fly open to see the nurse trying to approach.
"He was a pilot for the Kings Guard," her words run off her lips at an alarming rate so she tries to loosen her tense muscles "...he was killed in combat when the army was deployed to destroy that horrible mon-" Naida stops herself as a pang of fear jabs in her chest. She almost gave herself away, that creature away. If they don't know what it is, best not to inform them. "Nevermind. I don't want to talk about it..." Naida can see the nurse trying to come up with the right words to say.
Most people do this, she thinks to herself. They feel obligated to say something important as if they will find the magic words that will make it all better, but there isn't any. She knows they mean well, of course, but there really isn't anything to say at all. Naru is dead, nothing can bring him back, that is that. Unless somebody has some magical way to bring people back from the dead there really isn't anything they can do. "There's nothing you can say or do that will help," Naida says as she shrugs her shoulders. The nurse looks at his feet to avoid her gaze.
A rush of heat fills Naida's head. She can't suppress the toxic emotions that bubble up within her. She isn't even sure why she decided to confide in a complete stranger. She wishes there was a time machine that can transport her back before she ran her mouth. She could stop Naru from going. Even if there is one somewhere, she knows there was nothing she could have done to stop her husband's death. Sure, she could have begged on her hands and knees for him to stay, but that wasn't like him. He wasn't the kind of person to sit back and do nothing. Probably why he was in the army in the first place. Was one of the reasons she fell in love with him.
Naida pats the sides of her legs and does an about face, then marches to the doors leaving the solemn nurse in the lobby. She waves her arms in big sweeping motions at the sensor to open the doors. When they don't respond she kicks them. "Open you piece of junk." A piece of the frame falls off and clatters on the floor and Naida turns back to see the man look down at his notes and walk away. "You did the right thing," she mutters venomously in self-hatred as she pries the doors open to get outside. She wraps her arms around her torso to shield herself from the cold. She grew accustomed to the warmth the hospital provided. Her skin prickles in response to the cold so she jogs the rest of the way to the car.
When she gets to the window she relaxes her jagged forehead and makes a silly face at Saji who is watching her. Nothing. Not even a grin. Poor kid she thinks. He must be exhausted. She unlocks the doors on the driver's side and gets in. "Good boy," she says quietly to herself. Naida turns around and rests her chin on the headrest. She tries to force as gentle of a smile as she can after that unpleasant conversation. She knows there is going to be many sleepless nights as she writhes in self-loathing over it. "How you doing, kiddo." Saji's puppy dog eyes meet Naida's soft gaze. "Is the little boy going to be okay, mom?" She takes a heartfelt breath and exhales. "I'm not sure, but the doctor is on his way and they're going to do the best they can to help." She squeezes his toes through his black rubber boots.
Saji's jaw stretches wide open in a big yawn. "I hope so...maybe we could be friends." A prick of pain stings deep within Naida's chest. She didn't even think of what this could lead to. This is not the kind of opportunity she wants to create for Saji. It will most likely lead to disappointment. Especially if that little monster doesn't make it. The last thing she want's to do is explain death again. Not now. It's too soon. She really isn't much of a liar, either. Besides, she has tried to build their relationship off of truth. As much as she possibly can, anyway. She watches him manipulate his action figure in his hands. Adjusting the arms and legs in impossible positions. She opens her mouth ready to speak, but a flicker of motion tickles the corner of her eyes.
Her head twitches towards the movement. A middle-aged man in a trench coat approaches the hospital doors and has to pull them open to enter the building. He jogs through, kicking the metal frame on the ground. Naida watches him rush further into the hospital. "There he is. I'm going back in, okay? Stay here and-" Saji answers before she can finish, "don't open the doors for anyone." His voice is lethargic and Naida smiles at him. "Yes, never, ever, ever," she says as she pushes the car door open. when Naida gets out she presses the lock twice to be safe. Her wet shoes squelch on the pavement as she slams the door behind her. She rushes to the hospital entrance, hoping she doesn't miss anything.
The doors are still open when Naida gets there, so she hurries through and runs into the lobby. She continues down the hall and slips around as she tries to get to where the stretcher is. When she finally does, it's gone. A disturbance echoes down one of the adjacent corridors and Naida races towards the noise. Her heart is thumping. She could have gone home. She could have stayed in the driver's seat and drove off. She could have lied. For once. Just this once for crying out loud. "I've lost my mind, I've lost my mind...," she chants repeatedly "I don't care what she thinks! Get the potassium chloride."
Naida slams her foot on the ground to stop herself but her wet boots cause her to slip forward. Her left knee cracks as she goes into a kneeling position to stabilize herself. "Owie," she cringes. Naida lets out a long groan as she uses her hands to push off of her leg to stand up. She limps a few steps back to one of the rooms and looks in. The middle-aged man and the nurse all surround the creature on the gurney. One of them leaves the body tepidly as their superior stares aggressively at her with his hands on his hips. The male nurse from before sees Naida walk into the room and his eyes increase. "Wait!" Naida shouts before he can say anything. Her breathing is deep and fast. 'You need to get in shape!' she thinks to herself.
The doctor turns and his hands fall to his side. He strides towards her pointing to the doorway. "You can't be in here," he says in a harsh tone. He grabs Naida by the arm and then turns to the others. "What are you waiting for, get on with it!" Naida yanks her arm away and runs towards the nurses strapping in the monster on the stretcher. "What are you doing? Stop that?!" The male nurse grabs her as she tries furiously to stop them. Her vision blurs in and out and her head spins with vertigo "Naida, you can't go in there, he's not in good condition!"
"Let me in! I have to see him! I have to know if it's him!" Naida shrieks. Another man comes to assist in restraining her as her free arm reaches for the metal door behind them. "Naida, you have to believe me, please!" Her hands grasp on to his orange uniform as they pull her away from the morgue. Her thrashing is enough to cause one of the men to fumble. Naida rips her arm out of their grasp and barrels through the swinging doors startling two men in white lab coats. "Oh god, no!" She screams and falls to the floor. Naida's arms wrap around her stomach after seeing the chard remains laying on the metal table; limbs missing.
"It can't be him! It's not him! It can't be! Narusa!" Her fingers dig into her ribs and her head presses against the floor as she screams out in disbursal. The man watches Naida crumple on the floor of the hospital. He reaches for her slowly. "It couldn't have been him," Naida cries, "it couldn't have..." The young female nurse from earlier enters the room with a needle but stops in her tracks when she sees Naida. She stares at the others in confusion. "What's going on?" Before anyone has time to answer her, the doctor rushes over and grabs the needle out of her hand. "It doesn't matter. We have to kill this thing before it does us all in!"
"What is the matter with you...," the male nurse grumbles under his breath. "What did you say, Kazic?" His hand rests on Naida's shoulder and he looks up at the doctor from under his brow. "Can you not see she needs help? She is clearly suffering from some kind of situational induced trauma." The doctor walks past Nadia and Kazic on the floor. "Do what you want, but I'm taking care of this once and for all." As he does so Kazic and the other nurse help Nadia to her feet. The doctor nervously leans over the creature and brings the needle to its neck. His hand shakes as the needle inches towards its porcelain skin.
Naida shoves the doctor and he is forced into the medical equipment beside the stretcher. He falls to the floor and some of the instruments fall on top of him. The female nurse and Kazic jump to his aid. Naida is already undoing the straps holding the creature down as the other female nurse tries to interfere. The gleam of a scalpel on a tray beside the stretcher grabs her attention. Her hand jerks towards it and the nurse grabs her hands desperately. "What in blue blazes are you doing!" the doctor shouts from the floor, "have you gone mad woman!"
Naida manages to wrestle out of the nurse's arms and grabs the scalpel. The tray and other utensils crash to the floor. It makes a loud clang that stings the ears. "Stop!" yells Kazic as Naida tries to cut the straps. One more nurse rushes into the room with the look of shock on their face. They don't hesitate to help restrain Naida. She lets out a primal scream when she is forced to the ground with her arms held behind her and a knee pressed into her back. "Let me go!" Naida roars from the floor.
One nurse brings some twist ties over and straps her wrists together. As they lifted her off the floor she thrashes around like some kind of wild woman. They carry her off and out of the room. As the door closes behind them Naida spots her son hiding under a table. "Saji!" she shrieks, jerking her head back and colliding with Kazic's. They almost lose their grip on her as they hurry her off. Saji can hear his mother's cries get quieter and quieter as he huddles under a table. His little heart thudding rapidly in his chest.
His hands hold his legs tightly as he sits frozen in shock. He stays motionless in his hiding spot and stares at the door his mother was carried out of. He wants to help her. He wants to save the day like a real hero. Like Space Boy, like his dad. Some hero he is. Saji wipes his tear stained cheeks and his runny nose on his sleeve. He swallows the lump in his throat and hesitates twice before crawling out from under the table on all fours. Just like when he pretends to be a lion. Mom puts his food in a dish on the floor. She is cool like that. Just where were they taking his mom? Should he follow?
He looks all around the room. At all the equipment. Everything is so high up. One of the fluorescent lights flickers periodically. His eyes fall on a bit of blue peeking up from a metal bed. "There he is." All he wants to do is get a good look at him. That's it. Saji walks over to the stretcher apprehensively. He checks back at the door hoping the doctors don't come through. He never liked doctors. He doesn't really understand why everyone tries to convince him otherwise. He knew all along they could not be trusted. Saji tries to stand as tall as he can to see on top of the bed. Even way up on his tippy toes, but nothing. When is he going to get taller already, like he was promised?
He looks around and sees a chair up against the wall by the table he hid under. He heads over to it and pulls it across the floor towards the stretcher. It screeches and wains like nails on a chalkboard as he drags it. Just when he is about to climb up someone bursts through the door. His whole body jolts and his wide eyes meet his mothers. She rushes towards them sweat dripping from her brow. "Mommy!" His smile goes limp when his mother ignores him. She starts on the straps quickly, but she does not rush. There is an odd calmness about her. Much different than the woman they dragged out of the room moments ago. Saji doesn't know what to think. "Let's go," Naida says to him in her serious voice. She almost loses her balance a bit as she lifts the creature off the bed and heads to the door.
Saji runs to catch up to her without a question. As he follows her out of the room he looks down the halls wondering where the doctors went. He contemplates asking, but he isn't sure if he should right now. He looks up at his mother walking briskly down the hall. She walks with purpose. Her long wavy hair jostles with the weight of each stride. Naida could have walked through walls without flinching and Saji would have followed without so much as a word. He would have followed her to the edge of the world right now, knowing she would have defeated anything that got in their way.
Naida moves swiftly past the lobby and turns down the hall leading to the exit. Saji slows down as he passes another hall. Muffled shouting and banging carries down the halls and into his ears. "Saji?" He jumps a little and looks at Naida adjusting the creature in her arms. "Let's go," she encourages him with a light smile, but he can pick up on the slight concern in her eyes. He looks down the hall as he slowly walks towards his mom. Naida surveys the hospital one last time as her one free hand rests on Saji's back to she help him along. They get to the doors and Saji jumps over the metal railing his mother broke earlier. The doors are still stuck open. It brings Naida a bit of relief and she jogs to the car. "Come on, Saji. Hurry up." He joyously runs to the car with his mom with a big smile. "Okay."
Naida opens the back door to the car and in the rush tosses the creature into the car with little care. "Sorry," she cringes. However, Naida is in far too much of a rush to feel guilty. Heck, for all she knows the thing is already dead. As Saji comes up behind her she picks him up and puts him in the front passenger seat. "Put your seatbelt on," she says emotionless and closes the door. Saji smiles in jubilation at being able to sit in the front, like a big boy. He watches his mom run around the front of the car. The head lights shine off of her auburn locks as they catch the wind revealing her scrunched expression. Saji isn't sure if she is angry or just trying to tolerate the weather.
The door creeks open and the car wobbles as she plops in and slams the car door closed. She cranks the ignition, then steps on the gas. It causes the car to speed forward and Saji feels like an astronaut taking off. He looks out the window and sees one of the men running out of the hospital. He chases them down the street. "Mommy?" Naida puts on the gas and the doctor doesn't keep up for long. He hunches over to catch his breath and Naida breathes a sigh of relief. When they round the corner she double checks Saji's seatbelt. She turns down various streets not sure where she should go next or what she should do. Naida sees a major road and turns on to it.
"This place looks like a ghost town at night." Nobody has any reason to be out and about at this hour of the morning. A curse and a blessing for them. She wonders if the cops will be out looking for her now. She comes to an intersection with a bent flashing yellow traffic light. When she gets to the intersection she whips the car around to the left and parks on the side of the road facing the wrong way. "What are we going to do, mommy?" Her head turns to Saji looking up at her from the passenger seat. Naida's mouth opens then closes. She can almost feel the synapses in her brain trying to make connections that refuse to form. What on earth should she say? What should she tell her son?
Her mouth opens again and she stares off down the road through the windshield. "I don't know," the words slip out of her mouth. Naida's body slumps into her seat and the tightness in her shoulders and chest relax. "I don't know." It feels good to say it. Here she prides herself on transparency when the whole time she has been pretending. Pretending to know all the answers. The truth is she has none. She knows it and any onlooker would know it. Heck ever since she gave birth to Saji she's been "pretending". There was no manual for this. Nothing. Maybe instinct. You do what your parents did. And then you find out that even they were "pretending".
She looks at Saji in earnest. "I don't know what to do." Saji stares back at his mother. Then looks all around like he does when he is thinking. "What would you do if it was me?" Naida's stomach turns. Did she say that or did he? She looks at her son, her pale complexion even paler. She doesn't know which way is up or down right now. All she wants to do is go home and not do today anymore. Drink a glass of wine, no, a bottle, then go to bed. Since when is she an alcoholic? She laughs to herself. Did she laugh out loud?
Saji just watches his mother with one brow raised, adults are weird. They're always talking to themselves. Always thinking too much instead of doing. His mother stares out the windshield, her hand tracing her jawline. 'What if it were me...' Saji's words echo back in her mind. At least she thinks he said it. Maybe it is just her subconscious making itself known to her. This must be what she's been thinking the whole time. If it were Saji, she would have stopped at nothing to get him help. But it isn't Saji, now is it. It is something potentially dangerous. Potentially evil.
Too much waiting around and she will be too late. She has no time to be sitting here contemplating. She made her choice earlier. She could have left him there. Him? Now she's humanizing it. What next? Her eyes fall on to a weathered, metal framed phone booth. She hasn't seen one of those in years. The big cities don't have them anymore. Not like this anyways. A light smile dances across her face as she allows a wonderful memory to wash over her. "...oh Naru." Wait, she ponders. A phone booth, that's just what she needs. Naida perks up in her seat and backs up the car. She turns it around the right way and parks.
"Come on, Saji," Can't have you sitting in the car unattended with this thing, she thinks to herself. Naida pops open the door to the car and hustles over to the booth leaving the door to hang open. She looks back at the car to see Saji's door swing open. His black boots splash into the puddle on the side of the road and he runs through a bunch more on purpose. He loves the way the ripples move, to disturb the surface. He crouches down and watches the world warp and shift as the puddles slowly normalize. "You just have to go through the puddles, hmm." Saji grins up at his mom from under his lashes. Naida shakes her head and smiles.
She tried the hospital, but what about a vet? Maybe they will be more open than the hospital staff. After all, they do deal with nonhuman entities. Maybe not exactly like this. She pulls the folding door open and is glad to see a booklet in a slot underneath the phone. It is small, more of a pamphlet. She opens it up and there's a haphazard map of the town and a bit of town history beside it. The map will be useful, she thinks and continues to flip through the pages. Dr. Mosley's Animal Hospital jumps out of the page at her. Naida's hand grabs the phone and she presses it to her ear. An automated voice prompts her to make a payment. "Shoot, I don't have any change on me."
Naida pats her pockets frantically. She can hear the pitter patter of Saji's feet approaching her and his little hand extends. "Open your hands." He says like he has a surprise. Naida smiles and holds her hands under his and he drops a few Zeni into her palms. "It was in the car under the seats," he says beaming with pride. "Well, thank you, kind sir," Naida says with the voice of an old woman. Saji giggles enthusiastically. What a wonderful sound, she smiles. She hasn't heard him laugh like that in a quite some time. He is probably just beyond exhaustion at this point, though. Even she is getting a little silly.
Naida puts the coins in the slot on the phone and listens to them roll through the machine. When they clatter on top of the hidden stash inside she pushes the large metal button with her index finger. The beeps are loud enough to hear from the receiver and it begins to ring and ring and ring. The answering machine takes over. Stating the veterinarian office hours and a small note at the end to call Mosley's direct line, in case of emergencies. "Dang it all," Naida groans. "We better hope a real emergency doesn't happen in this town with all the running around you have to do to get help." Isn't this a real emergency? She shakes her head dumbfounded at her own words.
Naida can hear the automated voice prompt her to make another call and how to get her change back as she opens the leaflet again. She doesn't have to look far for Mosely's number, they at least had the decency to put it right under the Vet. "Here we go again," she says to Saji huddling up beside her in the booth. She dials the number and her heart starts to beat quicker. She knows she will succeed this time, she just knows it. A garbled sleepy voice answers the phone with a, "...hullo." It is almost inaudible. Naida tenses up and her throat slams shut. Speak, you dummy. "Y-, yes. Umm, hello. I think I have an emergency."
The older man grumbles on the other line as he takes a few seconds to answer her. "Is this Martha?" Naida tries to answer, but he beats her to the punch. "I told you it's just a sebaceous cyst. Quite common in dogs his age. It's not cancer, I assure you. Lucas will be fine." The irritation in his voice is quite evident, yet sympathetic at the same time. Naida struggles to get the words trapped in her throat out and the man continues. "Now if you don't mind I would like to get some much-needed sleep. It's 2:30 in the morning, Martha. You should be more worried about your own health, you should be in bed resting." What is wrong with you speak, speak, speak! "I'm not Martha." She almost shouts but corrects herself halfway.
"My name is Naida and I have an emergency. Please. Can you please help me. The people at the hospital wouldn't and I don't know what else to do." She can hear the man fumble with the phone and when he answers his voice has a serious tone. "My sincere apologies ma'am. Is this an animal related medical emergency?" Naida presses her hand to her forehead, unsure how to answer. If she lies what will he do once she gets there? How will he react? Is it even a lie to say he - this thing is an animal? "Ugh, yes. I think. I mean...I'm not sure what it is exactly. I hit it with my car and it's bleeding all over my seats-" Naida's voice is noticeably shaky and her body starts to tremble.
"I will be right there, at the animal hospital on Main. Are you close by?" his voice is incredibly sincere. Naida looks at the map in the pamphlet and answers quickly, "yes? I think so." She swallows and tries to release the tension building in her throat. She doesn't really know and doesn't have time to look for the street he just gave her. She can barely turn the pages with her shaky hands. "Alright, I am leaving right away. I will be there in a few minutes." Naida can hear more shuffling through the line and the jangling of keys. "Go around to the back of the building. I can let you in through the back exit. See you then." Naida doesn't have time to answer back before the phone hangs up.
"Let's hope this is our last stop tonight," Naida whispers as she hangs up the phone. She runs her hand through Saji's hair as he sleepily looks up at her. "Let's head back to the car, okay." Saji nods and starts walking back to the Strada. He steps through the puddles but with less enthusiasm as before. Naida grabs the pamphlet before she hurries to the car. She sits in her seat and waits for Saji to pull himself up onto his. She is about to buckle him in but he stops her. "I can do it," he says with a bit of sass. "Okay, okay." Naida takes her hand away from the seatbelt and closes her door. As she waits for Saji to finish she becomes aware of how cold her arms feel. She has been numb to the cold for most of this night but it is starting to catch up to her.
"We have to get to the Main street, okay?" She grabs a pen from a tray and circles it, then hands the booklet to Saji with a smile, "can you handle that?" He nods enthusiastically. "Yeah!" He loves to give directions, he is always happy to help with things. She is lucky like that. Some parents have to work hard to get the same results. She points to their location on the map. "We are here and we have to get to here. We will be driving North, this way, okay?" Saji nods again. "Ready? Here we go." Her face is serious as she pulls out from the side of the road and she drives down the street. Saji holds the map out in front of him. "You have to turn right here okay, mom?" Naida nods with a smile.
It would have been hard for her to watch the road and look at the book for directions. She doesn't need to be running anything else over tonight. "Right here, mom. You have to turn this way." Saji makes a motion to the right and Naida follows the road onto another road. A green street sign is too rough to tell what it says but she trusts Saji to get her where she needs to go. "Turn here, mom," he says quickly. Naida has to tap the break a bit too slow down to make the turn. This street sign is at least legible. "Here we are. Now we just need to find the back lane."
Naida can see an older gentleman half a block away unlocking the front doors to a building. "That must be him." Saji looks at her and then back at the man, curiously. The doors close behind the person as Naida and Saji pass. There is a large sign for the vet office with neon lights. It would have been hard to miss even without a map. They look to be in the center of town. "Look mama!" Saji points to a tall bell tower held up by four pine logs that taper near the top. A triangular roof with tiles adorn the top and a large rusty bell hangs down from the middle. What looks to be a flower bed encompasses the base. Metal posts with a chain fence keep people from wandering too close or possibly just for decoration. It was quaint.
Behind the bell tower is a small standard looking home that has a large sign on the front that reads Victory Hill Town Office. The building looks well taken care of. In fact, most of the buildings do in the surrounding area. They have a bit of a western look architecturally speaking which seems a bit out of place in the middle of the mountains. The main office sits in the center of a plaza in between a fork in the road. Naida keeps to the right as she searches for a route onto the back lane. She pulls up to a side street with a gravel road running adjacent to it and cranks the wheel to the right. She does another right onto the alley. The car rumbles and wobbles as they travel down the back lane.
The popping of rocks that squeeze out from under the tires of the beat up Strada as they pull up to the back entrance of the Vet office. "Looks like we are here...," she says apprehensively. Her hands grip the steering wheel tightly and she closes her eyes for a moment. When she releases her grip she turns off the car and puts her keys in her pocket. Naida slowly turns around to look at the creature in the back cab of the car. It is laying face down with one arm hanging from the tan seat. It's dark purple blood stains the upholstery and Naida groans. 'Not my Strade,' she says to herself. Naida shivers at her own response but decides not to read to much into it.
Saji notices her upturned expression and tries to turn around in his seat but his mother stops him. "You stay here, mister. I'm going to take him inside and talk to the doctor." Saji remains silent and looks at her with pouty eyes. "I really need you to stay here this time. I understand that you want to help, but it just isn't safe, sweetheart. I need you to understand that." He looks down at his feet and taps his boots together avoiding eye contact with his mom. "Saji, I need you to promise me this time," Naida's voice is stern. "..Okay." Saji's answer is almost inaudible and Naida's brow furrows. "Saji, look at me." The four-year-old slowly tilts his head up towards his mother. However, his eyes stare at the dashboard as he avoids her gaze. "Promise me you will stay here."
He takes awhile to respond but he looks in his mom's eyes and gives her a satisfactory answer. "I will. I promise, mama." Naida nods and gets out of the car. She walks around the vehicle and pops the back door open. She is about to pick up the creature but stops herself. Naida jogs to the back of the car and opens the hatch on the back. "I thought I had another blanket around here someplace." She riffles through various canvas bags and bins. "Ah, there we go." When she pulls out a picnic blanket a pang of doubt stays her hand. She looks at the blanket remembering days of yesteryear and sighs."You can always buy another one," she reassures herself then closes the hatch.
Naida hurries to grab the dying creature and lays the blanket over it, tucking the fabric under its body like she had before. She lifts it up slowly, then hobbles over to the entrance and knocks on the wide metal doors blocking her path. Naida turns to Saji staring through the window of the beat up Strada and motions for him to lock the doors. She looks at the scrapes and dents lining the body of the car. The back wheel is crooked. The car might get written off after this, she thinks. She hopes not, this is the first vehicle she owned. She worked hard to afford it after high school. It means a lot to her. She weights a bit longer before knocking again. Before she finishes the door opens quickly and she stumbles back.
"Terribly sorry," says an older man with grey hair and a coarse grey beard. "Please come in." He holds the door for Naida and she ducks under his arm when she walks in. He drops the door and it makes a loud clank that vibrates off the walls of the dark hallway. He directs her into a room with a small examination table and when they walk in the vet extends his hand to her. "Dr. Mosley," he smiles at her, but it seems forced to Naida. She can barely see his mouth from under his mustache. "Naida," she says quietly and shakes his hand. He walks over to a set of counters with a jar of biscuits and various medical equipment. The walls have a variety of posters. One is for heartworms and Naida's face crinkle in disgust at the thought of such a thing.
She looks at more posters on the walls that have various breeds of dog and cat. She has never been to a vet office before. Then again she has never owned an animal. Naida has always been a little nervous around dogs, and cats were usually indifferent to her. There is only one cat she could recall that was quite pleasant. It would walk with Saji and her to the bus in the morning when she would take him to daycare. An orange cat with stripes she would call Tiger. Saji would race ahead and the cat would chase after him and block his path. It would hold him there until Naida caught up. The memory made her smile. Maybe she and Saji could adopt a cat at the shelter one of these days.
"You can lay it on the table," Mosley says. Interrupting Naida's thoughts. His back is still turned as he puts on a pair of latex gloves. "Right," Naida places it gingerly on the table. Her chest and arms start to shake as she waits for him. At this point, she isn't sure if she is actually anxious or if this is a symptom of exhaustion. "Alright. Let's have a look here." Mosley turns around and begins to unwrap the blanket. When he unveils the creature his eyes widen. "What on earth...? Do you know what this is?" He looks up at Naida with wide eyes that burn into hers.
Naida's body goes rigid. He knows what it is? His eyes, they are riddled with fear. Naida swallows hard and decides the truth will be the best option. How will fanning ignorance help her case, anyway? She is far too tired at this point to even care what he thinks of her. At least that's what she is telling herself. "Yes, I do...I took it to the hospital, but they refused to help. I can understand why and I will understand if you feel the same way. I have my son with me and to him, it is just a little boy. He probably thinks it's the hero from his favorite cartoon for crying out loud." Mosley's brows knit together and he doesn't hesitate to form a rebuttal.
"You know what this thing is and you still brought it here with your son?" His words sting. Naida knows he is right to judge her, but it still makes her defenses rise. "He's only four. What was I supposed to do? commit a hit and run? My son wouldn't have understood if I left it there laying on the highway." Dr. Mosley looks down at the monster in silence. His weathered hands clutch the edge of the table. "We don't know if this one is even dangerous, do we? It's just a child so shouldn't we help?" Naida says as she folds her arms into a tight knot in front of her chest. Mosley gently moves it's head to the side, examining the damage on its cranium and body. "A child or not. A cub can grow up to be a lion."
As Naida watches him study the creatures her heart rate slows and her temper cools. His hand moves to its neck and Mosley gently feels for a pulse. "Hmm." Naida watches him place a stethoscope to its chest. "The pulse is very weak and the limbs feel quite cold. I've seen this many times. It is very near death," he says as he rests his hands back on the metal table. "Isn't there anything you can do?" He looks at Naida with a brow raised. 'This woman doesn't know when to quit,' Mosley thinks to himself. "Even if I wanted to, It truly suffers. It would be more humane to put it to sleep at this point. However, I wouldn't feel right helping this demon anyways."
"Please..." Naida's body trembles and her voice begins to shake. "Please help. This is very important to my son. You see, his father died recently. What am I supposed to tell him? How can I possibly tell him this again." She tries to fight the tears, but a few escaped her eyes anyways. Naida feels as though she will die of embarrassment. She doesn't even know this man and here she is, sobbing like a child over something she shouldn't even care about. She should be home, Saji in bed. But instead, she's dealing with this when she should be mourning her husband. Mosley looks at her sympathetically. Not a single bone in his body can resist helping someone in need. What a terrible weakness, he groans inwardly.
Does this creature deserve his help? What is he thinking? of course it doesn't. Perhaps if he offers an antibiotic and IV fluids it will be enough to satisfy her. Then he can be done with this and get back to bed. It is illogical at this point, but he doesn't have the heart to send her off with nothing. He can always put it out of its misery later. Yes, that will do. "I'll give it an antibiotic and some fluids if it will make you feel better?" A wave of relief washes over Naida. Saji and her have been through so much this night and finally someone with a heart. If it doesn't work than they at least tried. "Yes, could we try that?" Mosley can feel his conscience nagging him like a mosquito buzzing in his ear. If only he could swat this one away. He swallows hard and nods with a weak smile. "Okay, Let's bring it to the operating room then."
He reaches for the creature on the table and his hands hesitate. Naida can feel a small spark of fear in her chest, but Mosley proceeds to pick it up. Something doesn't quite feel right, but she is ready to be done with this whole mess. He cradles it in his arms and Naida follows him into a large operating room. Mosley gently place's it on a metal table and leaves the room for a few minutes. He comes back with a pouch of fluid and a metal stand. The wheels rattle across the floor until a few wheels get stuck and he has to slide it the rest of the way. He hooks a fluid-filled sack onto it and then walks over to the cupboards across the room. He comes back with a needle and tubing. "Thank you," Naida says softly. Mosley's stomach turns but he smiles at Naida and nods.
He grabs the creature's arm and feels it's inner elbow. How on earth is he going to find a vein? The purple, wrinkled flesh makes it difficult to tell where to poke the needle. Well, it's not like it's conscious. He can keep trying until he finds it. Besides, It's not like he feels sorry for it. As far as he's concerned it got what it deserved. Naida looks away as he jabs the needle in. He has to try a few more times but he eventually succeeds. He tapes it in place and steps back. "That should do it. The rest is up to it." When Mosley returns the items to their proper places Naida reaches her hand out and feels it's neck for a pulse. But nothing. He said it had a weak pulse, but this weak? "Um, Dr. Mosley?"
The worry in Naida's voice makes him look her way. He quickly takes off his rubber gloves and throws them in the trash. "Is something the matter?" He walks over to the table and looks at the creature with confusion in his eyes. "I don't feel a pulse..." Naida chokes out. Mosley hooks the stethoscope up to his ears and has another listen. Naida fiddles with the zipper on her coat obsessively. A wave of sorrow hits her when she looks into Mosley's eyes. "It must have just passed on," he mumbles. A small rush of dopamine courses through him and he sighs. What a strange mix of emotions. He is relieved, yet he feels guilt? "I'm sorry I couldn't have done anything. Do you need a minute?"
He barely finishes his sentence before Naida replies, "no." He nods and walks over to the cupboards then grabs a sheet. He returns to the table and notices Naida's blank expressing as she stares at the creature laying limp on the table. "After all this, it just dies?" She would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't disappointed. She watches Mosley slowly place the sheet over its body. How surreal. She didn't expect this night to end this way. "Are you sure you don't want a minute?" Naida shakes her head back and forward. "I just want to go home..." Mosley nods in response. "Right. Could you meet me at the front? I still need to make a report of the incident." Report? Not again, Naida groans to herself. "I guess so, sure..."
Maybe she should just run out the back. She laughs to herself. It wouldn't be the worst thing she had done all night. Mosley walks out of the room leaving Naida alone with it. She rests her head on her hand and stares at the body hidden under the sheet. What is she going to tell Saji? His heart is going to be utterly broken. Will this affect him later in life? Naida breathes out and she looks at the fluid pouch. Is it possible Mosley did this? Was she right to trust him? It doesn't really matter at this point, now does it? What's done is done. If this were a game she lost. But it's not. It's real life and this creature lost its. "Are you coming." Naida's body jolts and she turns around to see Mosley poking his head in the doorway.
"Sorry didn't mean to startle you." Naida holds her hand to her chest and takes a deep breath. "Goodness," she deplores, then nods at Mosley. She listens as his footsteps get quieter as he walks back down the hall. She turns around and looks at the creature one last time. She places her hand lightly on its chest and tries to come up with the right words. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry I took too long to get you help, even if you may not have deserved it. And, I'm Sorry I hit you with my car and hit you with a baseball bat." Naida cringes. This is a terrible eulogy. She takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry I failed you. Rest in peace." Naida returns her hand to her side and quickly leaves the room to go meet Mosley in the lobby...
The door to the blue Strata slowly opens and two rubber boots splash in a puddle below. The little boy uses both hands and all his strength to close the car door. It makes a loud thud and Saji stubble's back as it shuts tight. Something crashes to the ground behind him and he spins around to see a trash can spill into the lane. A bit of movement catches his eye and he sees the back end of a raccoon as it wobbles down the alley. Saji sighs and brushes the dirt off his hands before he makes his way to the door of the Veterinarians office. He looks up at the wispy cloud-covered sky. Small patches allow the beautiful starry night to peer through. He closes his eyes for a moment then returns his gaze to the large metal doors before him.
"What's taking so long?" He rubs his eyes with both hands and yawns. The puddles beneath his feet splash as he walks up to the back entrance. The boy pulls his hood over his head to keep his ears warm. He can feel a bit of warm air blowing through a small opening in the door. Saji holds his cold fingers out to warm them then tries to peak through the small crack. "Mommy?" His fingers grasp the edge of the door and he tries to pull it open. He has a bit of success, but his dry hands lose their grip on the door and it bounces slightly on a rock stuck in the frame. Saji's heart pounds in his chest and he steps away from the door. He contemplates running back to the car but freezes, expecting his mom to come through the door and scold him.
But, nothing happens. The little boy creeps up to the door and presses his ear against it. When he doesn't hear anything the four-year-old tries again. A burst of warm air blows a few of his russet locks peeking out from under his hood. Saji scoots backward as he pulls the door halfway open. When he releases the door he runs through before it has time to close. It clanks loudly and Saji's hands jerk up to his ears. He holds the hood tight against them as he stares down the hall. Still no sign of mom? If she didn't hear that one than where is she? He wonders. His hands return to his side and his ears prick up at the sounds of mumbles in the distance. He fiddles with his strings on his coat as he looks down the dark hallway and at another set of doors with two windows.
Why is it so dark? A bright fluorescent light spills onto the floor from a room to his right. He was about to call out, but a commotion from the room stops him. A strange groan causes his body to tense up. "...Mommy, is that you?" Saji asks as he quiets his breathing. The back of his heel thuds against the door and his body jolts. A loud thud and a clatter follow more vocalizations. Something rattles and it gets louder as it approaches the door. Saji's thinks his heart is going to jump right out of his throat when a small metal dish rolls out of the room. It swivels in circles before coming to a stop in the middle of the hall. "Mommy, are you there?" His eyes start to get tight and his vision starts to blur. Saji's hands move up to his eyes to rub the dampness away. He has nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide.
'If you keep hiding, you'll be hiding your whole life, Sport,' Saji recalls his father's words. However, his attempt to bring himself a bit of confidence is fruitless. Why would he need to face anything when he can just hide and wait for it to go away? It always does anyway. A shadow moves across the light grey tile and Saji can feel his back press against the door. He pulls his action figure out of his pocket and holds it tightly in front of his chest. The room goes silent, but Saji keeps watching the rectangular glow on the floor. He crouches down and shuffles as far into the corner as he can possibly go. What was that? Was it a monster? Wait, isn't that what those doctors called that blue boy? Maybe he still needs help and those doctors took mom away again.
He doesn't understand what the big deal is. Saji rises to his feet. This is his chance to prove to his mom and those doctors that they were wrong. Saji lifts himself up from the floor and slowly approaches the room. Another shadow moves across the floor and his breathing goes shallow and quick. "If you keep hiding, you'll be hiding your whole life" He whispers his fathers words like a mantra. His feet keep moving forward despite the embarrassing urge to run back to the car. "Don't be a scaredy cat. I'll show them there is nothing to be afraid of," Saji whispers.
When he gets to the very edge of the door he crouches down. He tilts his head trying to peak into the room but only sees a metal stand resting on the floor. A clear pouch of liquid leaks onto the light bright tiles. When Saji tries to get a better look his action figure slips from his hands and clatters on the freshly waxed floor. It lands in the middle of the doorway and his fingernails dig into his legs. He hears another clatter in the room and a shot of Adrenalin tries to power his extremities. His legs ache restlessly as he tries to fight the urge to book it through the back door. The room goes quiet again.
He should take this chance to run. Nobody can catch him at recess in a game of tag, he is the fastest in his class as far as he is concerned. No, no more running, he should go in there and help. They will be best friends he knows it. Another loud noise comes from the room and Saji's legs spring into action. He stands in the doorway to see the blue creature facing the wall with his hand stretched out in front of him. 'What is he doing?' Saji ponders. A flash of light shoots out of the creatures hand and the explosion rattles the building like an earthquake. Glass rains down from the ceiling and Saji falls to the floor with his eyes clenched shut. His hands hold his ears to block out some of the noise. He rolls over and pushes himself off the floor and runs down the hall to the exit as fast as his little legs can carry him. He should have stayed in the car like his mother told him. Dang, why did she have to be right all the time...
In the lobby, Naida and Mosley brace themselves on the front desk. The alarm sounds and the sprinklers turn on. "What in hell was that!" Naida yells out. Mosley already has the phone to his ear but places it on the table. "The phone lines are dead. Isn't your little boy in the car out back!" Naida's face turns pale as a ghost. The contents of her stomach looking for an exit. "Saji," she breathes out. Mosley grabs a gun in a drawer on the counter and they race for the back. Naida body checks the pair of swinging doors that lead to the exit. She slows down at the entrance of the operating room when she sees the rubble on the floor. She tries to step over it but slips when her foot comes down on something brittle and plastic.
Naida yells out in pain when she does the splits. She rolls onto her side as Mosley comes jogging up behind her and helps her off the floor. When she gets to her feet she sees the culprit. "What is this?" Naida reaches down and picks up the broken blue toy and she can feel the blood from her legs rush to her head. "Please tell me you, or someone who works here has a child?" She knows full well this is Saji's Space Boy action figure. A mother always knows, but she looks at Mosley with desperate hope in her eyes. His sunken expression say's it all, He doesn't need to answer. "Oh my god, no." Naida hurries for the exit, Mosley doesn't stop her. Instead, he walks into the operating room knowing full well what to expect.
The entire east wall is blown open where medical supplies used to be. "Just like the news broadcast..."A door from one of the corner cupboards falls to the ground and wobbles into the alleyway. The crisp wind brushes across his face as sheets of paper dance around the room. "What have I done..." He walks through the forced exit to see Naida fall to her knees at the sight of the empty car. "No!" Her hand clasps her mouth. "It took him! That monster took my baby!" Naida's torn vocals weep out as she kneels on the wet gravel. This can't be happening. her fingers grasp at her damp locks.
"This is all my fault. If I had listened to that stranger on the road I would still have my little boy. If I had done my job as a mother Saji would be safe at home." She knew what that creature was. She should have let those doctors do it in. "This has to be a nightmare." Naida's hands run down the side of her face as a few drops of rain start to drip on her nose. A light rumble fills the sky once more. Naida rests her hands on her legs. "You made this mess," she tells to herself then pushes herself off the ground. Mosley comes to console her and reaches his hand out. "Please come inside. I can use the phone in the town hall to call for help." Naida pushes his hand away and walks quickly to her car.
She is about to grab her keys from her pocket but she feels a hand grab hers away. "Stop this! I know he's your son and you want to do everything in your power to help, but some things are better left to the professionals." Naida shoves him away. "Let me go, I have to find my son!" She opens the car door a quarter of the way but Mosley slams it shut. "Just what are you hoping to do, huh? That thing will kill you like it killed countless others. I simply can't let you go." Naida picks up on a hint of grief in his gruff voice. Mosley swallows and he tries to hold eye contact with Naida's harsh gaze. "Than what do you think it will do to my little boy? I have to try even if it kills me. I'll have nothing left if he's gone, nothing to live for. You see, I'm as good as dead if my son dies. If he isn't dead already."
Tears stain Naida's satin cheeks and her hand jerks up to brush it away with the sleeve of her coat. "Just let me go." Naru's head shakes side to side "I can't do that. You know I can't." Naida's head jerks up and her eyes widen when they meet her husbands baby blues. "Look, that monster will be dead by noon and I'll be home before sundown. So get a bottle of your favorite wine ready for us, Babe. Saji needs company, don't you think." Naru winks at her with a crooked smile. Naida shakes her head and closes her eyes. She runs her hand down her face then looks up to see the concern and confusion written on Mosley's face. "You don't seem well. Please ease my mind and come with me. I wouldn't feel right letting you go alone."
Naida's hand clutches the car door handle as Mosley waits impatiently for her to come to her senses. "You don't even know me," Naida's voice was soft as silk. "I don't have too." Her head turns to him and she looks into his compassionate eyes for a moment. A rush of guilt washes over her. "You're a good man, Dr. Mosley. But, what good are the police when the elite military wasn't even enough. I know I'm only one person, but he's my son. I got us into this mess and I'm going to be the one who gets us out of it." Naida rushes into Mosley and checks him with her shoulder. As she does so she grabs the gun from his coat pocket. She turns off the safety and cocks the gun like Naru had shown her. Mosley stares down the barrel of the gun and slowly raises his hands in the air.
"Alright, alright. I won't fight you." He backs away and Naida opens the car door with her free hand. "Back up more." Mosley complies with her wishes and walks back towards the building. Naida spins around and gets into the car. She closes the door and her hand jerks to the locking mechanism. When it clicks twice she feels satisfied enough to put the gun on the seat next to her. She rolls the window down and looks at Mosley. "I'm sorry!" she yells out of the car window. When she fails to find more words to express her remorse she puts the car in drive and steps on the gas. Mosley stares at her car as it speeds down the back lane. He watches the cloud of dust get carried off by the wind then looks up at the night sky.
"Kami help her..."