Chapter 15: Runnin' - Adam Lambert
Day 4: 0600
Naru
He was in bliss. For the first time in what felt like years the darkness in his heart and the hatred in his mind were replaced by golden tendrils of light, sprinkled with stardust, and treasured in the gentle hands of a brown-haired brown-eyed ray of sunshine. Mai fell asleep again as they laid back in bed, her head on his chest and arms wrapped around him protectively. He held her close to him and gently stroked her head. Every now and then when his thoughts turned dark, he saw Mai's fingers turn golden and send a jolt of light through him and the darkness seeped away. He realized after the first time he saw this that she was doing this in her sleep, and was in awe. The realization that Mai's powers and capabilities were quickly growing exponentially was not lost on him. This was something that if they returned home he'd have to research in depth.
"When. When we return home," the golden tendril reminded him. He sighed in relief and held her tighter.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he knew that they were moved to a different room, with a larger bed and nicer amenities. The room looked more like a hospital recovery room than anything else. He needed to be vigilant and start being aware of every location change, personnel change, names, and people to be especially wary of. And people to trust.
A knock at the door distracted him from his thoughts. Naru held Mai closer to him and wrapped his legs around her. He glared at the door unsure of who would be coming in right now or why they'd even bother knocking. The door opened with a creak and Naru saw the figure of Dr. Hiroa walking in carrying a tray of two plates and various fluids in it. He sighed with relief and loosened his grip on Mai only slightly. When the door shut and Dr. Hiroa looked up, he stopped walking to look at him.
"You're awake Doctor," he said.
"Obviously," Naru replied.
"I'm glad. You two have been asleep since the incident took place. A full day has gone by," he explained as he set the tray down on a side table. "I was able to convince them to bring you two to a larger room with much more humane amenities. It took some persuasion, especially from leader Akio, but I managed to explain that it would boost your guy's recovery significantly. Which it seems worked. How is she feeling? Has she woken up yet?" He asked as he pulled up a chair and grabbed his clipboard nearby.
"Yes, she has woken up. She's mostly recovered. Only scars from the burn remain on her," he replied stoically.
Dr. Hiroa paused for a moment in his note-taking. "You know," he started. "I read your books, and I've caught up on your studies. I can see why these people want you for themselves. I myself didn't truly believe it. At least not until the other day. Your PK, that power you possess, is powerful. It's also remarkable that she's survived everything that happened."
Naru stroked Mai's head and she snuggled into his chest. "She's quite powerful herself," he replied.
"May I examine her?" he asked, getting ready to stand up. "I'd like to see the results of whatever that golden glow was myself."
"No."
"No? Why? You should know by now I am not here to hurt you two," Dr. Hiroa said almost offendedly.
"As you can see, she's not even awake. Why would I let you violate her rights like that?" Naru challenged. "Besides you work with them. Even if you say they're your "not-colleagues" you still do this work for them. I won't let you detail your findings on Mai to them so they can use that to sell us better."
"I said before," Dr. Hiroa said through gritted teeth, "I don't work for them. Nor am I reporting anything more than the fact that you're alive to them. This is purely my work as a doctor right now. I want to make sure Mai is OK."
This was the first time that Dr. Hiroa referred to Mai by her first name. He looked down at the girl in his arms. She looked so happy right now. He would hate to wake her up. But…perhaps…
"Mai," he whispered while caressing her face. "Wake up. Dr. Hiroa is here. He's here to check your wounds and injuries."
"Mmmm," she groaned. She scrunched her face as she slightly opened her eyes. Grogginess was evident on her face as he smiled at her. "Naru," she whispered.
"Good morning. Dr. Hiroa is here to check your injuries. Are you feeling up to that?" he asked.
"Yeah, I can do that," she replied, sitting up in bed.
"Thank you, Mai," Dr. Hiroa said. "I promise that I will not do anything you are uncomfortable with. If it would help we can have Dr. Davis here the whole time too."
Mai giggled. "I'm sorry, I'm just not used to hearing other people refer to you as Dr. Davis. That is probably why you're such a narcissist at times," she said while looking at him.
"Hey I worked hard for that doctorate, thank you," he said smiling back.
"I'll begin with some vital readings," Dr. Hiroa said. As he started running through his examinations, Mai continued to hold his hand. When it came time to remove the bandages though she flinched back.
"What's the matter Mai?" he asked.
"I'd um…" she started to blush. "I'd rather have Naru remove them, please. The scar is a bit sensitive," she said while looking down.
Naru began to blush as well. 'Keep calm! Calm down! It's not a big deal, it's just for the exam. Just for medical purposes. Breathe.' he thought. "Ok," he finally was able to say.
He began to unwrap and unravel all of the bandages on her arms and chest. She held the blanket up to cover herself and only showed what she needed to. It was hard to not reach over and kiss her as he trailed his fingers across her skin. He could still feel the tiny amounts of energy running through her as he caressed the scar on her chest. The bandages fell to the sides around her as he saw the full extent of the scarring. He could see that it trailed down below her breasts as well, but she covered up with the blanket on the bed. He could feel through their bond that she was feeling vulnerable and open more than she wanted to be. He put his hand on her back and began to lightly scritch her upper back. She audibly sighed and relaxed her posture. That sent his brain into a tizzy as he could feel love pulse through their bond.
"Ah, these are lichtenberg burn markings. Very common for survivors of lightning strikes. It is an effect that happens underneath the skin as a result of the blood vessels bursting into the capillaries from the heat and charge. Normally minor shocks that don't result in any type of organ failure, or in your case cardiac arrest, will have this go away in about a week or two. Given how severe the shock was and how whatever that golden glow wasn't even powerful enough to get rid of the scar, I'd say that unfortunately, you're looking at a year or three," Dr. Hiroa explained.
Mai looked at him and smiled. "I'll be fine," she said. "It'll always be a reminder of my promise to keep Naru safe."
He wasn't sure what he did to deserve such devotion, but he wasn't going to let her sacrifice be in vain. He leaned forward and kissed her. He doesn't think he'll ever tire of kissing her. Just knowing the feel of her lips, warm and inviting as they are, makes him feel weightless and filled with warmth.
"I think I owe you two an explanation," Dr. Hiroa said pensively.
Naru broke the kiss with Mai and looked over at him. "Go on," he implored.
"I wasn't lying when I said I work for myself. The truth of the matter is, I've been in debt to these yakuza for quite some time. I'm more free to roam and do my business around this place due to my status here, but much in the same way as you two, I'm held here against my own wishes," Dr. Hiroa explained. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. "I haven't had the chance to show you these yet Mai." He pulled out his shrunken down and laminated credentials and handed them to her. She took them and looked them over before handing them back to him.
"What I haven't shown you two is this," he twisted his wallet inside out and revealed a hidden zipper compartment. He undid the zipper, pulled out an old photo, and handed it to Naru. He took it and looked at it with Mai. She gasped when she saw the picture and he furrowed his eyes. It was a younger-looking picture of the doctor with a little girl about the age of 13 next to him. They were both smiling as they looked to be at some marketplace with candy in their hands. The doctor looked significantly more rested in this photo and well-groomed as compared to how he looked now. His hair was more brown with only hints of gray coming through. The little girl had short brown hair cut just above her shoulders. She had mesmerizing brown eyes and a wide grin on her face. Her lips were tinted blue from the candy she was eating in her hands. She looked very similar to Mai if she were younger.
"Her name is Aya. Aya Hiroa. This picture was taken just a couple of days before the accident. It was her 13th birthday and I took her to a farmer's market. Her mother wasn't there that day. Even though my work as a neurosurgeon kept me away from home a lot, I always tried to be with her for the most important moments. I wasn't a good husband, but I damn well tried to be a good father. A few days later I was doing a six-hour brain biopsy when I received a phone call from my wife. She said she was held up in a work meeting and would need me to pick up Aya from her lacrosse practice. I found out later that her work meeting was just her sleeping and having an affair with her boss. But I picked her up. As we were driving home, I was so exhausted from work that I started to drift asleep at the wheel. I never saw the truck until…" he trailed off. His voice caught in his throat.
"She lived. She's still alive, but she's in a coma at the hospital I used to work at. Shortly after the accident, my wife left me. She blamed me for being in such a loveless marriage by working all the time. She blamed me for the accident. I was left alone to try to care for Aya. I spent more time at her bedside than I did working. When I did work, it was subpar at best and license revoking at worst. I took a leave of absence, but the bills didn't stop piling up. One thing led to another and I found these yakuza who offered me money to pay for Aya's hospital bills in exchange for treating their members free of charge and under the table. I've been doing this for three years now while I work to research how to treat her brain injury and get her out of her coma," he finished.
Naru was silent, but he felt Mai's aura swimming with emotion through their bond. He looked at her and saw silent tears flowing down her face. A thought crossed his mind through their bond. It was Mai's thought. "He's telling the truth. I can't sense any ill intent."
"Why are you telling us this?" he asked.
"My work with the yakuza has always been just another job. I don't ask questions I don't want answers to and I do the work. That was going to be the case with you two as well. No matter how I felt." He looked up at Mai. "Until you died in that experiment."
"Wha-" she stammered, "Why?" looking shocked.
"When you died when your heart stopped, I saw my daughter in front of me again. The same day as the accident." Dr. Hiroa reached out and grabbed the picture again. He looked deeply at it. "You remind me so much of her. She's your age now, actually." He caressed the photo gently. "I haven't seen her in a month. I can't bear the thought of losing her. And then you just happen to look just like her, I just…" he trailed off again and tears welled up in his eyes. He put the picture back in his wallet and re-folded everything.
"Dr. Hiroa," Naru said, looking stoic and trying not to give his hand too early. "You must know that given the situation we're in, we have to be skeptical of everything and everyone. What exactly is your goal with this story?"
Dr. Hiroa looked up determinedly. "My goal is to ensure that you two make it out alive. I want to help you two get out of here. Not end up like me. And even if I die doing this, I ask that you save my daughter. There are forces in this world I seem to be very unfamiliar with," he said and looked at Mai. "You, dear child, have an amazing power. You healed your own wounds with your own spiritual aura. When you get out of here, please go to her and try to save her…"
Mai's breathing hitched as tears continued to flow. She nodded. "I will try," she vowed.
"Dr. Davis, I said to you I read your books and your reports," Dr. Hiroa said, looking at Naru. "I never had any interest in the paranormal or ghosts, but my daughter did. She recommended you to me. I laughed at the time, but I read them because she was interested. Now that I'm seeing you and your powers in person, I believe that my daughter was right when she said you sounded incredible. I won't let you become their weapon," he vowed.
Naru thought for a minute. He looked over at Mai who looked at him and they both seemed to have the exact same thought: 'Trust him.'
"All right," Naru said. "So what's step one of getting out of here?" he asked.
"Breakfast!" Dr. Hiroa said cheerfully.
He wheeled over the table that he put the tray on and took the lids off the two plates. Slices of ham, a scoop of scrambled eggs, toast, and a banana half were revealed on the plate. Apple juice and milk were also in containers on the side.
"Real food…" Mai whispered.
He would deny it later, but at that moment Naru's stomach growled so loud it broke the silence of the moment. They both grabbed a plate and started eating. It was like eating ambrosia made by the gods in comparison to the rations they were eating before.
"Also Mai, I've got a change of clothes for you," Dr. Hiroa said, as he got up and went over to a large bag in the bathroom. "It isn't much, and they're a bit on the larger side, but I've managed to get you a sweatshirt and sweatpants. It should keep you warm. Same for you Dr. Davis. It seems you two were wearing the same clothes from almost a week ago."
'Has it really only been less than a week? It feels like months,' he thought.
Dr. Hiroa came back with an oversized tan sweatshirt and black sweatpants for Mai. He handed them to her and she took them. She put the shirt on and Naru snickered as it lobbed off of one shoulder. He traced his hand up her back and to her left shoulder where it had dropped. He made careful attention to trail his fingers slowly across her skin to the shirt and gently brought it back up. He felt her shiver and he smiled.
"Have they said anything out there about the incident?" Naru asked.
"Oh yeah. It seems Alaina is not happy with the results of the test. She has been cursing up a storm for the past day. She was expecting perfection and leader Akio is trying to tell her she's not going to get it straight away," replied Dr. Hiroa, grabbing his notes.
"No kidding," Mai muttered through a mouthful of egg.
"Dr. Hiroa," he said, "If you can, convince them to have us experiment again but on a smaller scale. We can go at a moderate pace instead of a large one. That can buy us time to scan the layout of the area and figure out a plan of action and escape. You'll have to sell them an indifferent attitude, but persuade them nonetheless."
"I can do that," he replied.
"Mai, you'll have to act hesitant to the task of channeling my PK. Don't make things evident about your new abilities. You'll really need to look like it's a struggle."
"You got it boss!" she said with a wink. That made his heart do a flip.
"Then it's settled!" said Dr. Hiroa, standing up. "I'll leave you two alone, and I'll "report" to leader Akio and Alaina. Finish up breakfast. You two have earned it." With that, he got up and knocked on the door twice and was gone.
Naru waited five seconds before turning to Mai and pulling her into a kiss. She moaned and moved her hands up to his face and pulled him down to the bed and on top of her. He moved away from her mouth and moved to kiss her left cheek, trailing down to her jaw, and kissing her neck. She writhed beneath him and moved her hands to the back of his head.
"N-Naru…please!" she panted, and that sent pleasure through him.
He felt his PK begin to react to the closeness of her and her spiritual aura. The bond grew stronger as the two powers began to combine and collide with each other. He felt as much a part of her as he did himself. His hands trailed down to her sides and held onto her hips. As he gripped tightly he bit lightly down onto her neck.
"Nngh!" she moaned beneath him, and he committed that sound to memory.
She grabbed his head and pulled him up so she could kiss him. The second their lips crashed together he felt their bond tighten and meld together. It erupted around them in a flash and they pulled away panting.
"Mai," he whispered. "I love you so much. I've never felt like this before."
She blushed and smiled. "Neither have I. I love you; only you. It's only ever been you," she replied breathlessly.
"We're going to make it out of this, Mai. When we do, I'm never going to let you go," he promised, running his hands up and down her sides.
"Nnn…" she moaned. "I can't wait, love."
He kissed her again softly before breaking it and sitting up. "Now then," he said, holding out his hand, "let's finish eating. Can't let all this food go to waste."
