FILE FIVE

"Gene." She buried her face against the medium's arm. "Tell me this isn't happening." She pleaded, her body shivering with fear.

The medium looked down at her bent head. "Don't worry. It's not his time, yet."

Those words again. Mai raised her head and stared at him.

"Do you trust me?" He said.

Mai nodded, her eyes closing tightly while her hand gripped the hand that was holding hers with enough force to give him the answer that he wanted to hear.

Gene tugged on her hand and led her to the bed where Naru was lying down. It took her several calming breaths before she could stop her legs from shaking. Meanwhile, the nurse placed a rectangular device on the bed. Then, he pulled the edges of the patient's hospital robe away from each other, revealing only the chest before he leaned down and applied CPR until the doctor arrived with an order to prepare the defibrillator.

"Now. Hold him." Gene said as they hovered near the end of the bed where they could clearly see Naru's face.

Mai was about to move her hands when Gene took hold of them instead and placed them against Naru's cheeks. He kept his hands firmly in place and with him standing behind her, Mai was caged between his arms. The situation was awfully macabre that it only slightly wrecked her nerves. Why do this have to happen at such time? Awkwardly, she looked down at the source of her discomfort. Gene's hands was soft and warm—

"Close your eyes." He said near her ear, making her jump in surprise but she obeyed his instruction nonetheless but with great difficult this time.

"Relax your breathing."

Mai followed almost absentmindedly. His voice so encouragingly gentle and whisper soft seemed to be hypnotizing her.

"Concentrate on his pulse."

Naru's pulse? Mai moved her fingers, the need to clarify it overwhelmed her. Her fingertips instantly sought the point in his neck where his heartbeat was stronger. There it was, the pulsing pressure on his skin was very weak but it was enough to make her sob in relief.

"Now. You can open your eyes.."

Slowly, she lifted her heavy eyelids and noticed that they were no longer standing inside the hospital but rather in the middle of a grassy plain.

She looked around. There were many people around the place. But none had noticed their presence, in fact, they were so seriously enthralled by a point in the horizon that they didn't even blink an eye or move a muscle.

Suddenly ill at ease, Mai followed the direction of their gazes and saw a very steep bridge at the end of a cliff, going up and up until she couldn't see its end.

"Gene? Where.. exactly are we?" She looked at the medium and saw in his eyes an expression that she couldn't quite name.

To be continued

..

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I love writing weird stuffs when the genre is angst so bear with it, please. And oh boy, some nurses had all the luck! Imagine, CPR with the big boss of SPR. Masako and Mai would have fought hands and nails for such opportunity. Hehe ;)

During Mai's meditation, the doctor was already using the defibrillator. In reality, it would have sent some shock into her because the electricity coming from the device would've flown in her body, but she's in a spiritual trance so it didn't actually affect her.

R & R