Chapter 88: An Unexpected Visitor

[Scene: The O'Sama study. Beryl looks up from Kunzite's research pages]

Beryl: There's a problem.

Jeddy: What is it?

Beryl: In order for soul transference to work, the subject must still be alive, or else the soul needs to be stored in a transferable medium, like a soul jar.

Neffy: [pointing to one of the pages] He's going to summon his spirit from the afterworld.

Beryl: But that almost never works. The soul has to be receptive to communication, and he has to be in a plane where he can be contacted. And on top of it all, he has to want to come back.

Kunzite: It will work.

Jeddy: How do you know?

Kunzite: Because Zoisite and I did a soul binding the day we were married.

Neffy: You did a soul binding with a fifteen year old?

Jeddy: What's wrong with doing a soulbinding on a fifteen year old?

Neffy: Nothing. If you don't mind listening to hip-hop for the rest of eternity.

Beryl: I still don't think it will work.

Neffy: That sounds like sour grapes to me.

Kunzite: Our souls are bound. I will find him. And when I do, I will open a portal between the planes and serve as a conduit to draw him back into the realms of the living.

Beryl: If it were that simple we'd have people bringing back their dead long before this. Think about it. What if he's in heaven, and he's happier where he is now?

Neffy: Or more likely, what if he's in Hell, and he's trapped under Tanzanite?

Kunzite: [without emotion] Leave. All of you. I need to study.

Neffy: [ushering the others out] Go on. Let the man work. I want to see him pull this off.

[…two days later…]

[Kunite is walking through the corridor of the hospital with his pages in a portfolio. As he nears Zoi's room, he sees a slender figure leaving Zoi's room in a long black wool coat and black boots, walking in the other direction to a vending machine. His breath catches when he notices the unmistakable waist-long gold hair.]

Kunzite: Zoisite?

[Kunzite's pulse quickens as the figure stops abruptly at the mention of his name.]

[Kunzite rushes over, smiling like a fool. He stops smiling when the figure turns around and he sees it's actually a middle-aged woman.]

[His disappointment is physically painful]

Kunzite: My apologies. I mistook you for someone else.

Woman: You must be Kunzite.

[Kunzite just stares at her]

Woman: I'm Renee Cappelli.

[She frowns when Kunzite still doesn't react.]

Renee: [sighs] Zoi's mother?

Kunzite: Oh.

Renee: [frown deeps into a scowl] Don't tell me he's never mentioned me.

Kunzite: Oh, course he has. I've had a lot on my mind lately.

[She's a classic beauty, but Kunzite strongly disagrees with Zoi's claim that his mother is prettier than he is. Especially since a lot of her look is foundation and makeup.]

Renee: He's mentioned you…of course he never mentioned how manly you are. [looks him over with a strong hint of motherly disapproval] I didn't expect my son to be dating anyone quite so tall.

[A well-dressed woman passes them in the hall]

Renee: Telluuuu!

Tellu: Renee? Renee Midori! Darling! When did you come back?

Renee: [To Kunzite] Excuse me. [Rushes over to her friend and they hug and exchange cheek kisses] It's Renee Cappelli now. [Shows off her engagement ring]

Tellu: You look great!

Renee: And so do you! You haven't aged a day!

Tellu: [makes a pitying face] I heard about your son. I'm so sorry. How are you holding up?

Renee: I'm doing as well as I can under the circumstances. He'll be ok. He doesn't look it, but he's a tough little kid. [their voices fade as they walk away from Kunzite] Tell me, who does your botox?

Tellu: Oh, I don't do botox.

Renee: Oh, please, your forehead is as smooth as a ping-pong ball. [over her shoulder at Kunzite] Excuse us. [They walk off arm in arm.]

[Kunzite goes into Zoi's room, looking over his shoulder]

[Zoi is still on life support. There is a suitcase, a pillow and blanket on a sofa near the bed and the far side of the room is filled with flowers, mylar balloons, and stuffed animals. Chief Midori is sitting on a chair. He's mellowed out and seems relieved to see Kunzite. ]

Chief Midori: I assume you've met my ex?

Kunzite: She's stepped out for some botox.

Chief Midori: Don't think too harshly of her. It takes a while for things like this to sink in. It's for the best, really. When it does hit her, she's going to completely fall apart.

[Kunzite nods and erases the nurse's info from the room's whiteboard. He looks at his pages then starts writing an integral equation in tiny letters.]

Chief Midori: Is that part of the spell to heal my son?

Kunzite: [nods] I'm going to bring him back tonight around midnight.

Chief Midori: [sees the demonic pictures printed on pages that look suspiciously like human skin] I assume I shouldn't be here for that?

Kunzite: Correct. I will be channeling vast amounts of dark energy. I'd evacuate the other patients from this wing if I could, but it can't be helped.

Chief Midori: That could be a problem. Renee has taken to sleeping at her son's bedside. She refuses to stay at a hotel and I certainly am not going to convince her to come home with me.

[Dr. Mizuno, a tiny woman in a lab coat, peeks her head in]

Dr. Mizuno: Mr. Midori, I need to have a word with you. [Looks at Kunzite] In private.

Chief Midori: He can stay.

Dr. Mizuno: I'm sorry, but he can't. Immediate family members only.

Chief Midori: It's ok. He's my other son.

[Kunzite is a bit taken aback, even more taken aback that Dr. Mizuno allows it, even though she knows it's not true]

Dr. Mizuno: Is your wife available?

Chief Midori: She's stepped out for a minute.

Renee: [slips into the room] No I'm back. I was just getting caught up with one of my girlfriends. [looks at the start of Kunzite's equation] Could you please not do that here? I have to stay here, and that's annoying.

Dr. Mizuno: We'll be getting the results of your son's CT-Scan tomorrow afternoon. In the meanwhile I have set up an appointment with a grief counselor. I know how popular your son is so I think you might want to ask Zoi's school friends if they'd like to attend that as well.

Renee: [chuckles nervously] What? A grief counselor? Isn't that a bit premature? My son is going to be fine.

Dr. Mizuno: Mrs. Midori—

Renee: Cappelli.

Dr. Mizuno: Mrs. Cappelli, I don't know how to tell you this…your son doesn't show any sign of neurological function He has no reflexes. He doesn't respond to any stimulus—

Renee: Of course not. You put him in a coma.

Dr. Mizuno: Strictly as a matter of procedure. There was never any hope.

Renee: You don't know that. I read a story just the other day about a boy who woke up from a coma ten years later and he was perfectly fine.

Dr. Mizuno: That's not what is going to happen here.

Renee: What do you mean?

Dr. Mizuno: Tomorrow we are going to get back the results of his CT-scan. Your son did not have a living will or an advanced directive, so you and your husband are going to be asked to make some very difficult decisions on his behalf.

Renee: Are you asking for my permission to kill my son?

Dr. Mizuno: No, Mrs. Cappelli. I'm telling you your son is already dead.

[Renee's face goes very white and Chief Midori catches her before she falls.