Chapter Seventeen:
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The romantic atmosphere of the chilly autumn night was dashed by their assailant in the shadows. The tulips from the bouquet were scattered haphazardly about them in the alleyway.
"Oh Leon," Sora worried. "We need to get out of this alleyway." She held one hand against the small of his back and led him towards the crowded sidewalks. Her eyes scanned every nook and cranny, scouring the people for their attacker, or for any further threats.
"I think I need to lay down," Leon groaned.
An elderly couple quickly rose from a bench as they approached, motioning for Sora and Leon to utilize it.
"Can we help?" the older man asked.
"I need a police officer, please," Sora said.
"And an ambulance," the older woman added. She pulled her cell phone out of her purse and began to call for assistance.
"I'm so sorry," Sora said, sitting on the bench with Leon's head cradled her lap as he stretched out beside her. "If I had paid more attention or been faster, I should have been able to stop him!" The pale silk scarf was soaked with Leon's blood and Sora started to cry. She couldn't keep the tears from falling. She wanted to be brave and strong for Leon, but his face was cut open and he was bleeding and in pain!
"Shush," Leon admonished. He reached up with his free hand and brushed his thumb under her eyes, wiping away the tears. "It's going to be fine. You did good." His eyes screwed tight in pain.
"Ma'am," a police officer stood in front of Sora with a paramedic at his side. "She's going to check on him. Can you tell me what happened?"
Sora started to give the Amsterdam police officer her statement while the paramedic began to load Leon up in the back of an ambulance. Since Sora broke the assailant's wrist, the police would be on the lookout for broken bones at the local hospitals. The officer took pity on Sora and let her join Leon in the ambulance. He promised to follow up with her in the morning.
There were tubes sticking out of Leon's right hand and his face was covered with white gauze. Sora held his left hand tightly crouched near his head.
"Stop worrying so much," Leon said grimacing.
"You stop talking and hurting yourself and I'll stop worrying aloud," Sora said, patting his hand in reassurance. She reached out for his forehead and lightly brushed away his hair. "We'll get through this."
Sora waited anxiously at the hospital, wondering about Leon's status. Since she wasn't family, the hospital personnel couldn't divulge information. Her grandparents had driven over to the hospital as soon as she called them. They'd waited with her in the lobby for hours, but eventually they sought refuge in the cafeteria. Her appetite was long gone, so she sat nervously in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs in the waiting room.
Facial injuries were terrifying and Sora could only hope Leon's nerves were spared. He might have a scar, but she wouldn't care. She just wanted him alive and healthy. She didn't know how the vane Leon Oswald would handle the marring of his beauty.
"Sora Naegino?" A surgeon in blue scrubs with a face mask hanging around her neck stared down at Sora.
"Yes, that's me," Sora said, quickly rising to her feet.
"Your fiancé is in the recovery room. I was able to salvage a great deal. His smile might not be perfect, but he's stable. You can see him now." The surgeon glanced over her shoulder and waved over a nurse. "If you'll escort Ms. Naegino?"
"Come with me," a young, male nurse invited. "I'd recommend a follow up with a plastic surgeon in one week. There is a group in Paris that has an excellent reputation with facial reconstruction."
Sora nodded, only half listening, and still in shock that the hospital personnel told her anything. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest as the nurse led her down a long hallway. He opened a door to reveal Leon in a dark green gown laying back on a gurney, staring blankly at the ceiling. His pale gaze shifted towards the door and he sat up, eyes locked on Sora.
The right side of his face was hidden behind crisp white bandages.
"You'll be admitted overnight and released in the morning should you remain stable," the nurse said, addressing Leon. "Will your fiancée be staying?" He shifted his gaze between Sora and Leon. He continued, without waiting for an answer. "There is a pullout sofa in the hospital rooms that can be utilized for overnight guests." He glanced at a clock on the wall. "You have fifteen minutes, then you'll have to go back to the lobby until we move Mr. Oswald into his hospital room. His intravenous morphine will have taken effect by then and he'll be asleep." He abruptly turned around and left the room in a hurry.
"Busy man," Leon murmured, his voice groggy with the anesthesia.
"So, fiancé?" Sora asked. She laid her hand against Leon's forehead and smoothed her palm over his silky hair.
"The policy here only involves family," Leon explained. "The doctor says my smile will be off-center."
Sora scoffed. "You rarely smile anyway."
"Only with you." Leon closed his eyes warily. "I can't believe you went after the robber."
"He attacked you! I reacted." Sora took a deep, shuddering breath. "I was so scared."
Leon's hand brushed against the side of Sora's face. "Me too. It was foolish to take that short cut."
"How bad is the damage? Any nerve pain or just cosmetic?" Sora asked.
"The swelling has to go down to know for sure, but they think it's just a flesh wound," Leon explained. "Even with a renown plastic surgeon, I'll never look the same."
"Good thing your fiancée loves more than your face," Sora teased.
Leon's eyes popped open, suddenly alert. "Did you just say you love me?"
Sora smiled. "I should think it was obvious by now. Why else would I put up with all your drama?"
"I don't want to be admitted," Leon groaned, shifting his weight and trying to sit up. "Let's go home after they check on me again."
"My grandparents are in the cafeteria. They can drive us back," Sora offered. "It will be against doctor's orders though." She reached for Leon's hand and held it, squeezing it gently. "Maybe we should follow the doctor's advice."
"Hospitals remind me of Sophie," Leon whispered. "In the end, I spent so much time with her there, only to see her slip away." He closed his eyes. "I thought I would go mad back when I was admitted the last time."
Sora knew exactly which incident he referred. Shortly after Leon joined Kaleido Stage, he'd been nothing but rude and insufferable towards her. Then one day, Leon had fallen off the trapeze in a desperate attempt rescue Sora. He'd been worried about her getting hurt and in his mind, he'd confused Sora with his sister right before Sophie had been injured in the car accident that eventually ended her life. Somehow, in spite of all his snobbery and blustery personality, the selfish Leon Oswald had grown protective and concerned about Sora, whom at the time he had claimed was beneath him and unworthy of consideration. Sora visited him daily in the hospital, surprised to learn about the warm, generous heart within the frosty Frenchman.
Sora didn't mind hospitals, as it was that incident that allowed the two of them to finally become friends, and then something more. "I'll speak with the doctor," Sora promised. "Grandmother is a retired nurse. Maybe they can give us some instructions and we can take care of you at home."
Leon squeezed her hand back. "Thank you, Sora." His grip relaxed and his breathing deepened as the sedative kicked in.
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OoO
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Layla landed easily on her feet, perfectly balanced from Yuri's toss off the trapeze onto the platform. They just finished the first complete practice of their characters for Alice Through the Looking Glass.
"Are you happy with that?" Yuri asked, a broad grin across his face. He knew it had been a stellar performance.
"Yeah," Layla said with a nod. "Now you can go supervise practice with May."
"You're not going to come?" Yuri asked. Normally, they both observed and advised May and her partner on their performance for the upcoming European Showcase. Originally, May had asked Yuri to be her partner, but Yuri had been noncommittal. He'd made a special exception with Sora, but otherwise intended to retire from competition. His guilt over Sophie was still strong.
"It's better if I don't go," Layla protested. May's new partner, Felipe, a talented acrobat from Spain, often grew nervous around Layla. He claimed she reminded him too strongly of his older, domineering sister.
Yuri swung his trapeze towards the platform and leapt off, landing beside Layla. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Very well. Tell Sora I said hi."
"What makes you think I'm going to talk with her?" Layla scoffed. She slipped out of Yuri's arms and started to climb down the ladder to the floor.
"Because you've been trying to reach her for weeks and keep complaining about it?" Yuri suggested. He did a flip off the platform and landed with cat-like grace on the floor eight feet below.
"I wish you wouldn't do that," Layla worried. "You could sprain your ankle!"
Yuri shrugged. "I could get struck by lightning too."
Layla watched him leave, her gaze lingering on his tightly muscled rear on display with his form-fitting pants. She picked up her phone from where she'd set it to record their performance. She watched the recording with an absent smile, enjoying the way she and Yuri moved with one another in such a beautifully fluid manner. Luckily, the recording ended before their little interlude on the platform. She gathered her towel and wiped dry her face and throat before making her way towards Kalos's office. He really wanted to see the run through himself, but had to meet with a couple of investors regarding the Kaleido Stage.
She checked her phone and was disappointed to see that Sora still hadn't responded to her last two messages. "What is going on with that girl?"
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OoO
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"Do you need another pain killer?" Sora asked.
Leon closed his eyes and braced his hand against a nearby post as a wave of nausea threatened to overpower him. Sora's comforting hand rubbed soothing circles between his shoulder blades, but he still felt pretty terrible.
"We can take a break, Leon. There's no need for you to push yourself like this. We still have six weeks," Sora reassured him. "The surgeon said for you to take it easy."
"I don't see how my inability to smile, or a numbness on the side of my face makes a difference in my acrobatic performance," Leon grumbled. The nausea had turned into a vicious throbbing headache in his right temple and behind his eye. "I'll take another one of those pain pills."
Sora's warm hand vanished and she rushed to the side of the exercise mat and came back with an orange capsule and a bottle of water.
With a sigh of defeat, Leon took the pill and washed it back with water.
"Why don't you have a seat while you wait for it to kick in?" Sora took his hand and urged him to sit on the floor beside her.
After returning to Paris, Leon had been evaluated by a Plastic Surgeon and had further work on his knife injury. The surgeon warned he would have discomfort immediately following the surgery, but stressed that it was only temporary. The swelling would only last for a week or two, afterwards the nerve compression would be relieved and once healed, it would be nearly impossible to detect the scar. With all the current bruising and swelling, Leon was finding the surgeon hard to believe.
"My grandparents adore you," Sora said quietly, breaking the silence. They had decided not to practice with music since Leon's hearing was hyper-sensitive.
"Considering what a rotten mood I was in after the attack that is impressive," Leon grumbled.
"Grandmother said she'd dealt with worse patients, namely Grandfather!" Sora placed a gel icepack against the side of Leon's face. "Doctor Lafayette recommended icing it when it bothers you."
Leon's tensed muscles relaxed marginally at the cool relief. "Have you talked to Layla or May lately? How are things at Kaleido Stage?"
"I've not been checking my messages," Sora admitted. "I've been a little preoccupied with you. Lay back." She gently held Leon's shoulders and urged him to lay his head in her lap. She gently stroked the uninjured side of his face and held the icepack in place.
Leon let his arms cross over his chest and relaxed against Sora. He had grand plans for these weeks that were now dashed by his injury and subsequent recovery. He wasn't ready for the public, so taking Sora to an elegant restaurant and proposing to her while his face was akin to the Phantom of the Opera wasn't high on his list of priorities. He'd been too embarrassed to visit the bank and retrieve the engagement ring. Frankly, Sora was the only person aside from the doctors that he'd seen since the attack.
"Worse case scenario," Sora continued. "We don't have to perform in the showcase." She leaned over him and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. "So stop stressing yourself out."
Leon pulled back the icepack so he could look up at Sora clearly. Her caramel eyes stared down at him with concern and affection glittering in their brightness. "We're performing," Leon stated. "We've worked too hard and I need goals."
Sora smily shyly. "Otherwise, you'll sit around feeling sorry for yourself?"
"Exactly." Leon started to smile, but cringed instead at the sharp pain. "Ouch."
"Stop hurting yourself," Sora chided.
"Then stop making me smile!" Leon accused, another grin fighting to form on his twitching lips.
"Not a chance!" Sora said, leaning down and kissing him gently again.
"I suppose you could do that," Leon conceded. "Whenever I start to smile, you stop me with a kiss."
"That sounds like a solution I can get behind," Sora said with a radiant smile.
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Stretched out across the bed, Sora turned on her computer. She booted up the Skype program and called her family in Japan. Since his accident, Leon had been reclusive and agoraphobic. However, that morning he'd woken up in a good mood and declared he had a few errands to run by himself, leaving Sora alone for the first time in weeks.
It was a strange feeling, but at least she could speak freely to her parents and grandparents regarding her concern about her boyfriend. The smiling face of her mother and sister filled her screen and soon Sora immersed herself into a long conversation in Japanese.
After subsequently catching up with her grandparents, then a conversation confirming arrangements with the Beaucamps regarding the showcase and sharing a suite at the sponsored hotel, Sora finally returned Layla's call. She had several messages from her old rival.
"Finally!" Layla huffed in exacerbation, puffing her golden bangs out with a frustrated breath. "Where have you been?"
"Canada, Japan, Holland, France," Sora recited in an exaggerated bored tone. "This world traveling is simply exhausting."
"Oh shut up," Layla laughed. "You're absolutely loving it. Don't even try to deny it."
"I am learning a great deal," Sora agreed. "I apologize for not answering sooner. I have been preoccupied." She toyed with the idea of telling Layla about Leon's accident, though after discussing the topic with her family and the Beaucamps, she decided against rehashing the stressful story.
"I'm sure you have. The acrobatic community is wild with gossip about you and Leon. The anticipation about what you have planned is subject to gross speculation." Layla leaned close to the monitor, her cerulean eyes glittered in excitement. "Why, if I was competing against you I'd be absolutely bonkers right now."
"It's not a competition," Sora protested.
Layla snorted. "You keep telling yourself that, sweetheart."
Sora chewed her inner cheek thoughtfully. She wouldn't mind it being a competition at this point. Leon needed to feel like a winner. Unlike her, he really took great joy in being the best. Sora cared more about having fun and entertaining the crowd. There wasn't any reason they couldn't do both.
"So, I wanted you to know that Yuri and I will be performing Through the Looking Glass. We finished our choreography earlier this week. Opening night is the week after the European Showcase," Layla explained.
Sora smiled at Layla's obvious excitement. "Leon and I will be there," she promised.
"You better."
"How is May doing? Is she going to the showcase with Yuri?" Sora asked.
"No, he didn't have time, nor did he want to. The only reason he agreed to perform with you before was because he knew how important you were to me," Layla admitted. "There's a new acrobat from Spain. His name is Felipe and he and May are a truly dynamic duo. You've got some steep competition with those two."
"Good," Sora said, blinking slowly as her eyes ached from staring at the computer too long. "I look forward to it." She rubbed her eyes. "Uh, the computer is hurting my eyes. I'll see you in a few weeks, okay, Layla?"
"I might not make it to the showcase," Layla said. "Opening weekend is near the same time."
"Oh, well, I mean, that's okay." Sora shrugged and tried to seem disinterested. "It's not a big deal. It's going to be televised and streamed across the internet. No need to travel so far."
Layla stared at her silently for a few beats. "Okay, well, break a leg!"
"You too." Sora reached out to shut down the program and then turned off her computer. "There's no need for Layla to go to the showcase," she muttered, hoping to convince herself.
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Leon stared at himself in the mirror one final time. His scar was only a little noticeable. He'd been tempted to purchase concealer from a pharmacy, but resisted. Upon reaching the bank, he'd ducked into the restroom and tried to steel himself. The subway ride had been mostly tolerable. Only one child pointed at him, as far as he was able to see, but he still felt very self-conscious.
"You've got this," he told his reflection.
His reflection stared back with annoyed, lavender eyes.
An electric burst of electricity raced down his right cheek, causing Leon and his reflection to cringe. It seemed cringing made his deformity more obvious. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small pill box and took four Ibuprofens, washing the pain medicine down with water cupped into his palm from the sink.
With the last ounce of his will power, Leon pulled himself away from the sink and mirror and entered the bank's lobby. He had a very specific goal. He planned to access his family's safe deposit box and withdraw his mother's wedding ring.
There was certainly a better place for that diamond ring than in a dark, cold storage room.
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