Mother Knows Best
Chapter Two
Kiera stepped out of the toilet, now changed into her soft and comfortable clothes that Tails had bought for her. She was holding the plastic bag of new clothes and essentials in one hand, and in the other hand she held the clothes she bled out in. Kiera walked into the living room and through into the kitchen, she threw out the torn and stained clothes in the rubbish bin.
Kiera had soon caught the scent of the delicious smell and aroma of a cooking pepperoni pizza. She just yearned to have a little taste, Kiera felt as if she hadn't eaten in weeks. "It's nearly done, would you like to have a couple slices?" Tails asked her as she places two clear white plates down on the kitchen counter.
Kiera gave him a small smile and a nod. "I would love some, thank you, Tails."
Tails took the time to take out the newly cooked pepperoni pizza out of the oven, and place it on the cutting board. He began to cut and slice up the pizza into four large pieces. Tails put two slices on each plate.
"There you go." He said.
They both took a bite out of their own slice of the pepperoni pizza. Tails glanced at Kiera from time to time as they filled their stomachs. Tails really wanted to find out what happened to her, so he took a chance and asked her. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to you? Did someone do this to you?" Tails spoke with a softer tone.
Kiera sighed, holding back a flinch at the still early memory. "Yes, someone did do this to me, Tails." His eyes widened as she confirmed his theory that someone did attack and injure her on purpose.
He looked down at his feet then back up at Kiera. "Who did this to you?" Tails pushed gently, still holding the soft and innocent tone in his voice.
"His name is Alistair." Kiera spoke his name with venom lacing her tongue, the vivid memory still burns in her mind.
"Why did he do this to you?" Tails countered, but if she did not want to answer him and if the memory and trauma is still too fresh, he would respect her privacy and wishes to do so.
"He was ordered to kill me by his boss, Lorenzo." Tails' eyes grew even much wider than before, he had to have time to process this new found information. Alistair's boss? Was Kiera involved in some sort of gang fight? Tails thought, though he doubted that she would be involved in anything gang related, she didn't look like that type of person.
"Lorenzo wanted me dead as I was the last of my family, whom denied him what he craved most." Kiera continued as she finished her first slice of pizza.
"What did Lorenzo want exactly?" Tails urged out of pure curiosity and concern for her.
"Power." She paused.
"He wanted power."
"So, when my family deprived him of that power, he had Alistair kill my entire family." Kiera held her deep nostalgic emotions in as the graphic and vivid image of her murdered family spun around in her mind. Tails quickly brought Kiera into a tight and comforting hug, and she embraced him back, though it was comforting and awkward as their heights made the hug weird for the both of them.
His head nuzzled into her shoulder. "I'm sorry he did that to you and your family, Kiera." Tails whispered to her, deep nostalgic emotion filling his voice. Kiera nodded silently, thanking him for his genuine sympathy.
They both released each other from the embrace, and tuck into their second and last piece of pepperoni pizza. "Lorenzo had thought I was dead along with my family. But, obviously, I was not. I wasn't at home when they were mercilessly killed by Alistair. It took them both months to figure out that I was still alive, and when they did Lorenzo had Alistair sent to kill me, and now here I am." Kiera explained, pausing half way through eating her pizza slice and meeting his gaze. She soon finally ate her slice as did Tails.
"Lorenzo nor Alistair will get to you, this time, Kiera, they completely believe you are dead, again. You will need protection, and I will protect you." Tails beamed at her, making her a silent promise.
"Thank you, Tails, but you have to keep this to yourself. Do not under any circumstances tell anyone about Lorenzo and Alistair. Promise me, please, keep that secret." Kiera pleaded to him, and by the tone of her voice Tails recognised that this was a case of life or death – one he was too familiar with.
"I swear to you, I will not breathe a word of it to anyone, ever." Tails swore to her, looking into her eyes, letting her know that he will keep that promise with him always.
Kiera gave him a smile, thanking him silently that he will keep that to himself, forever if need be. Her facial expression shifted as she winced in pain. Tails' brows rose in worry. "What's wrong?"
Kiera took a deep breath, trying to work her way through the pain. "The pain in my stomach is growing, and really starting to cause me problems. It won't stop, Tails." Kiera groaned out.
"We're going to the hospital." Tails stated and grabbed onto Kiera's hand gently, leading her out of his house and into his car. As Kiera got into the passenger seat she made a sly comment.
"Since when did you get your driver's licence? Aren't you, like, thirteen years old?" Kiera quipped through her pain as he started to bring the engine to life and drive to Yukon River Hospital.
He awkwardly laughed. "I'm fifteen years old, and I was known as a 'boy genius' back home." Kiera nodded, smiling at his response and breathing her way through the considerable amount of pain coursing through her abdomen.
Tails hurriedly parked the car and jumped out of the vehicle to help Kiera out of the passenger seat without any discomfort – which failed miserably. They both swiftly made their way to the emergency entrance of the hospital. "Help! Doctor?! Nurse?! Help anyone!" Tails called out, and a nurse appeared from a nearby patient's room. She moved quickly towards them both.
"What seems to be the problem?"
Tails didn't seem to know how to answer that without giving up Kiera's secret, so she stepped up. "We were working on a car in our workshop and the car fell on top of me. Once I had gotten myself from under the car, my stomach was torn open, so my son stitched me up. But, now it is causing me to a have large amounts of pain." Kiera lied smoothly – well, it wasn't a total complete lie but it was believable, at least.
The nurse nodded, buying the story. "Very well, we'll need to do some tests if you are bleeding internally from the accident. Come with me, but your son will have to wait in the waiting room." Tails nodded, as did Kiera. Kiera went with the nurse to have the tests to check if she was completely okay.
Tails stood watching Kiera walk off with the nurse. He genuinely hoped that she will be alright. Tails cursed himself for not taking her to the hospital straight away or after he stitched her stomach up. He stalked into the waiting room, and seated himself in one of the plain and bland chairs, all he could do now was wait for the inevitable bad news.
Tails thought back to the smooth lie that Kiera told the nurse, he was impressed at how good of a liar she could be, she had the nurse hanging on to her every word. Where she learned to do that was beyond him. Tails also thought back to when Kiera called him her son, he was definitely surprised when she called him that. He never had a mother, so to know that he had a fake and fictional mother was comforting, and he honestly didn't and wouldn't mind the fact if she was his mother.
Tails' knew bounced up and down rapidly, he was anxious and nervous for the nurse to twirl around the corner and have him find out what was exactly wrong with her. He really didn't want to know what was wrong with her, but he knew he had to. Her well-being was his main priority right now, and he was afraid to say that he had gotten himself quite attached to Kiera.
She was something new and different. Of course, he was avoiding and staying away from his old life, and well, wasn't she? Her entire family was murdered, and now she all alone in the world. She had no one, and now she had Tails. He began to realise that they both needed each other in their lives. They were – in some weird way – a small family.
Tails wouldn't want to change that for the world.
He sprung up and out of his seat and to his feet as the nurse that took Kiera for some tests came back, and without Kiera. Tails' heart sank and he started to internally panic. "Is everything okay with my mother, nurse?" Tails asked her solemnly, he hated to ask that but he liked the way he said Kiera was his mother.
The nurse took a moment before answering, with that he knew that this was only bad and terrible news. "When the car fell on her it pierced into one of her organs, she is now in surgery." Tails' mouth opened and no words came out, he had nothing to say to what the nurse had just told him.
"It will take up to a two to three hours, you may want to contact any other family members."
Tails shook his head. "It is just us two."
The nurse nodded sadly and left him to stand alone in the waiting room. Tails slowly backed himself into the chair he once sat on. A range of unacceptable scenarios consumed his mind, and in all of them the surgeons and doctors couldn't be able to save Kiera. Anger rose inside of Tails as he mentally cursed Alistair and Lorenzo for this, if they didn't find out she was alive and hunted her down like an animal she wouldn't be dying right now. He just wanted Kiera to be happy and healthy, and right now either didn't seem to be possible. Tails needed her to be okay, it was like they were both like her fake and faux story, mother and son. Kiera was his mother, and a child always needs their mother.
Tails shook with anxiety in his seat, he tried to wait for her surgery to be over and done with. He tried anything to make time go faster, he checked his mobile phone very five minutes, and he paced across the room for over half an hour. Tails finally gave up trying to push time and checked his phone one more time, and he received an email.
Tails smiled at the fact that Cream had gotten herself an email address so that she could talk to him. He had to admit when he was living in Mobius, he had a bit of a crush on her but never admitted it to her face. When he left Mobius and headed to Yukon River he regretted not leaving a spate letter for her.
Tails had only written a letter for the whole of the gang, nothing to emotional or heartfelt. It was basically a note saying that he moved away, and he would miss them, and he would be happier if he lived alone for a while. And, by a 'while' he meant forever but if he had put that they would all come looking for him and bring all the mayhem and danger with them, and he didn't want that at all. A little white lie wouldn't hurt them. Tails selected the email Cream had sent him and began to read it.
From: Cream
Subject: Hi!
Hey there, Tails. I finally persuaded my mum to let me have an email address, can you believe it? Ha, me neither. I have missed you and your smiling face, Tails! It has been fairly quiet since you left, of course, Eggman has been trying always steal the Chaos Emeralds from us, and using Amy and I as bait (as usual) but, of course, Sonic, Silver, and Shadow come to save us. That's what I said, Shadow! Can you believe it? He has been helping us out lately with Rouge and Omega. Shadow has become less grouchy and as Sonic says a less of a 'loner' since he started to hang around us all, it has been nice to have them around. Rouge is always nice to talk to, Amy and I have become great friends with her!
Amy is still chasing after Sonic, like that is going to change, right? Oh! And Vector and my mum having been going on dates, I think it is sweet and cute. I think they are adorable together and I want them to be happy, of course! I wish I could still see you though! We had such amazing and funny times together, don't you think? Well, I can't wait to hear back from you, Tails!
Cream xx
Tails was significantly surprised at what he read – well, not at the part about Amy going after Sonic and Eggman still after the Chaos Emeralds – he couldn't believe that Shadow had softened up and joined team 'good guys' along with Rouge and Omega. Tails wouldn't exactly say Shadow was 'evil' but was swayed and manipulated in the wrong direction. He knew about Shadow's past on the ARK, and he felt sorry for him but Tails was glad he started to get better and began to live his life, which is what matters, right? Tails was also happy to hear that Cream was happy and okay, and that Vector and her mother were dating, he always knew that Vector had feelings for her, which was great. Tails knew he was certainly going to write Cream back.