Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here is chapter forty-one of "Gone in the Dark." This fic is moving closer to the end. Whatever happens to Neytiri and the unborn twins is still up in the air. Stay tuned for chapter forty-two.
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Chapter 41: Give and Take a Little
The rain had stopped falling on Awa'atlu and the surrounding area by midnight. Jake sat in the chair next to Neytiri in the marui she was in. He held her hand somewhat tightly. He listened to the steady beeping of the heart monitor. He shifted his attention toward the IV bag. He could see saline dripping slowly in the tube. He turned back to her and kissed her forehead. He rubbed it with the back of his hand. Tears fell from his eyes, some merging with each other.
He looked over his shoulder at Max, who lay asleep on his side on the other cot. He was relieved the scientist decided he would try to get some sleep since Neytiri's condition had remained the same and would likely do so over the next few hours. He was aware his friend had gone without sleep for nearly twenty-four hours a few times during this war. He hoped for him to get some really good shuteye.
His thoughts shifted to Lo'ak and Tsireya. He was glad they went to the Cove of the Ancestors to connect to the Spirit Tree and see Rishi within Eywa. He imagined them having lively conversations with her. He wouldn't be surprised if they had makeout sessions afterward. He actually began to get a feeling they went further than that. He talked with Tonowari about it and found he agreed with him. They decided it would be best to leave them alone if the couple remained there for the rest of the night. They told their children not to worry about them.
He started thinking about Spider, Kiri, and Tuktiery. He recalled visiting their marui and finding them asleep on the floor. He even heard Spider snoring softly. He did not blame them for being there because they were exhausted from the day's events, especially Kiri. He wasn't sure when she would get over seeing Rishi die in front of her. He took comfort in the fact that she and Spider sang Burial at the funeral.
Jake shook his thoughts out of his head. He turned back to Neytiri and pressed his lips together. He squeezed her hand a little more tightly. He rubbed the back of it with his thumb. He heard approaching footsteps and turned to see Tonowari coming into the marui. He looked up at him as his leader stopped next to him.
"Hello, Tonowari," Jake greeted with a heavy sigh.
"Hi, Jake," Tonowari said while glancing at Neytiri. "Still no change?"
"Unfortunately," Jake admitted, letting go of her and standing up. He peered at Max in the corner of his eye. "Max won't be awake for a while."
"I don't blame him for going to sleep," Tonowari said as he turned toward the scientist. He and his friend eyed each other. "He has not gotten a whole lot of sleep over the last few days."
"He did set his alarm, so he could check on her and watch her for a little bit. Then he will go back to sleep," Jake whispered, letting out a long yawn.
"You look like you could some sleep yourself," Tonowari suggested honestly.
"Yeah," Jake agreed and ran his hand over his face. "I am going to stay awake a little longer."
Jake and Tonowari looked at Neytiri. The former crossed his arms, his eyes closing and shedding tears. At least two fell down and hit the floor. He opened his eyes with a shuddering breath.
"It feels so unreal that our mates became victims of the war," Jake muttered in much disbelief.
"Yes, it does," Tonowari agreed. "You always think 'It will never happen to me or my loved ones.' Then it does happen."
"I can't forget the night the twins were conceived. Neytiri and I went on a rescue mission with two men to find Olei and her hunting party earlier in the day. They hadn't returned home by noon as they said they would. We came across a big island. We decided to search it. We found her with a stab wound in the outer part of her upper left thigh. We ended up getting attacked by two Green Spears. They were very aggressive. We were forced to kill them. Her two friends were found with their throats slit. We took them home. She was treated for her injury. We buried them in the Cove of the Ancestors that night," Jake explained.
"You and your family handled the burial of the hunters yourselves," Tonowari commented in a low but firm voice.
Jake let out a long exhale. "Neytiri and I decided to take a walk in the forest not long after. We wanted to get our mind off what happened. We came to the river. We went for a swim. After we finished, we made intense and passionate love on the riverbank. We could not stop. We spent the night there."
"Lo'ak told Spider, Kiri, and Tuk not to worry about you two because you needed time alone," Tonowari pointed out truthfully.
"It was just like that night we went into the forest for a walk. The difference is we made love at the waterfall pool," Jake said, sighing contently. "It is rather tough to get time alone while caring for the kids and war patients."
Tonowari laid a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Ronal and I are in the same position as you are. The difference is we are dealing with two toddlers."
Jake shuddered as he felt a tear fall from his eye. He uncrossed his arms and wiped it away, a sniffle coming from him. He let out a quiet sob while looking toward the window.
"I have no doubt Neteyam would have found it difficult to see his mother in this state. It was not just severe injuries that made him squeamish. It was also seeing wires and tubes sticking out of injured people everywhere," Jake mumbled sadly.
"We did not have to deal with such a thing until now," Tonowari said, a heavy sigh coming from him. "I have to admit it is a little hard for me to see the tubes and wires in the patients."
"I have seen it more times than I can even count. It never gets easier," Jake admitted and bit his lip.
"Life was never meant to be easy. If it was, the universe would be a dull place to live in," Tonowari murmured truthfully.
"It was risky for Neytiri and me to go rescue Kuai, but we needed to do it. Neytiri knew the risk of going out to find Dila alongside Ronal, but she was determined to do it," Jake commented.
"You never know what will happen until you try," Tonowari said and cleared his throat.
"Exactly," Jake said with a nod. "It reminds me of Migration. Mack was reluctant to take Pam, Gwen, Dax, and Dan out of their pond in New England. He considered it too dangerous. Pam called him out for his overprotectiveness, especially when it came to their children. He finally agreed after seeing Dan so unhappy. They began to migrate, but they ended up going north instead. They got caught in a number of mishaps while trying to get out of New York City. They finally made it to Jamaica."
"I can't blame some parents for being overprotective of their children, but they can't keep them hidden from the universe forever. They have to let them experience it," Tonowari said, his ears going back.
"Neytiri went from shunning Spider to being overbearing toward him. She knows how fragile humans are and does not want him to get hurt," Jake said, placing his hands on his sides. "What a twist of irony."
"We encounter examples of irony every day," Tonowari admitted and rubbed the back of his neck. "We can never get away from it."
Jake went to the window. He focused his attention on the clouds as they moved through the sky. Tonowari joined his side, hearing him sigh sadly and sniffle softly.
"Jake, I really do think Neytiri will make it. She is an incredible fighter," Tonowari assured.
"I hope so, Tonowari. I can't imagine life without her. She is my whole world," Jake responded and emitted a soft sob.
"Ronal is my whole world too. I can't imagine life without her either," Tonowari whispered in much gentleness.
"Our mates are stubborn as shit. You can hardly talk sense into them," Jake said and swallowed hard.
Tonowari nodded in agreement. "That is true. Sometimes, it is just best to let them do what they will."
Jake sighed. "One thing is clear. Neytiri will need a lot of help recovering from her injuries, especially since she is carrying twins."
Jake and Tonowari spotted two tetrapteron flying through the sky. They could hear them squawking and chirping.
00000
Nekx sat on the pier outside the marui Keye'txon was in. He had his feet in the water. He kicked some into the air. The droplets seemed to move in slow motion. They landed in the water a short distance away. He placed his hands on the edge. He gripped it somewhat tightly before blinking three times. The wind went past his hair, moving it back somewhat. He turned toward the sky, seeing the clouds moving apart.
Nekx glanced at his bandage and touched it very lightly. He recalled Mo'at changing it earlier. He enjoyed listening to her talk about when Neytiri was a child. He was surprised to learn the warrioress had been rather mischievous at times, especially when she teamed up with Sylwanin to play pranks on others in which it included their parents. It reminded him of when he was young as he had a habit of doing the same thing. His favorite prank happened to be the old vine-hanging-from-a-tree trap.
His thoughts shifted to Neytiri. He would never forget seeing her in such a horrible state. He was amazed at how careful Jake was in tending to her wounds. He considered it a miracle she did not need surgery, despite her breathing was labored. He could not blame Jake for refusing to leave her side. He saw soulmates in them. He felt bad for calling her a demon lover days ago. He had much hope she would survive, though he knew she would be left with many scars.
He started thinking about Spider, Kiri, Lo'ak, and Tuktiery. He felt bad for them due to having to deal with their mother fighting for her life. He admired them for being so strong. Of course, he knew people could only display so much strength before they broke down. He saw crying as a sign they have been strong for too long. He understood it was best to let it all out sometimes, especially in times like this.
Nekx snapped out of his thoughts when he heard approaching footsteps. He turned to see Mo'at coming toward him. She stopped next to him, her tail going up and down three times and her ears going back and forth twice. He folded his hands and laid them in his lap. His heart skipped a few beats. He pressed his lips together before taking three deep breaths.
"Hey, Mo'at," Nekx greeted softly.
"Hello, Nekx," Mo'at responded in a warm voice.
"What brings you out here?" Nekx wondered and laid his hand over his heart.
"I was looking for you. Max said you were staying with Keye'txon. I found he was asleep. You weren't there. I figured you were out here," Mo'at explained. "Do you mind if I join you?"
He shook his head. "Not at all."
She smiled. "Thank you."
Mo'at sat next to the veteran, who scooted over a little bit. She placed her feet in the water. She caught sight of three fish swimming in a circle. They went up, down, and sideways.
"It is nice watching fish swim around every night," she said with a soft chuckle.
"I can't argue with that," he agreed. "My favorite part about living on the reef is jumping off the pier of my marui to go for a swim. I can't count the number of times my friends have pushed me into the water."
"My best friend would keep me from falling into a mud hole by grabbing my tail. When I believed she was about to pull me away from it, she would let go and allow me to fall in. She did it many times. Her name was Maya," Mo'at pointed out.
"Where is Maya now?" Nekx asked.
"She passed away ten years ago from sepsis. She was attacked by a nantang and bitten on the leg. Despite our efforts to treat the injury, it developed a major infection. Not even the penicillin could keep it at bay. She went into septic shock within a week. She died three days later," Mo'at murmured, her ears lowering in sadness.
"I am sorry," Nekx said sympathetically.
"Thank you," Mo'at said.
"You're welcome," Nekx responded and sighed heavily. "It is never easy to lose friends or family."
Nekx looked toward the sky. He could see Polyphemus becoming visible as more clouds departed. He unfolded his hands to lay them on the back of his neck. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly.
"You know you were very brave to give up being tsahik of the Omaticaya, Mo'at," Nekx said.
"It was not easy for me to make this decision. I was meant to pass it along to Sylwanin, but she was killed. Neytiri was to take her place. Then Jake came into her life and swept her off her feet. Humanity was sent away after the first war. They returned and sent my family on the run. I saw my family as more important than my title was," Mo'at explained with a sniffle.
"Titles do not mean anything when you have no family to pass them along in my view," Nekx commented.
"Unlike Neytiri, I got along with Ronal almost immediately. We had a lot in common due to our histories as tsahiks," Mo'at explained, chuckling to herself. "I learned Ronal admired me because my daughter told her all about me."
"Did she teach you how to live on the reef?" Nekx asked, his eyes showing much curiosity.
She suppressed a yawn. "Oh, she did. Despite my age, I adjusted rather quickly. I will offer my medicine if Ronal finds hers is not working."
"I tried her medicine for my pain. It worked, but it had a bitter taste. It is no different from Nessa's medicine," Nekx grumbled and looked about ready to vomit.
"I gave Kuai my medicine for her pain. She did not like the bitter taste, but the pain started to go away quickly," Mo'at said and bit her lip. "I plan to give it to Neytiri after she wakes up. She will be in a bit of pain, especially since her wounds were severe."
"I wish we could predict when she will wake up," Nekx growled frustratingly. "She will be hit with a lot of bad news."
"I know," Mo'at agreed. "It was nice of you to attend Rishi's funeral along with Eli. You both did well in comforting Kiki and Kipling."
"I felt I should pay my respects to her after making peace with her. She was so brave to give up her life for Rotxo," Nekx commented, sniffling. "I should never have pushed her out of the way, so I could be with my clanmate."
"She was a very sweet girl. She was always willing to help others, whether it was out in the ocean or here," Mo'at said.
He touched his temple. "It was good that Payakan and La attended the funeral. I never thought I would see tulkuns do that."
Suddenly, spouting air came out of nowhere. This caused Nekx and Mo'at to jump to their feet. They glanced at the water, seeing Payakan lift his head. They emitted surprised gasps while laying their hands over their hearts.
"Payakan, what in the hell are you doing here?" Nekx asked as he pointed his finger down at the water. He patted his chest. "We were not expecting you."
"I thought I'd come see you since Lo'ak is with Tsireya for the night," Payakan squeaked. "I hope I am not interrupting anything."
Mo'at shook her head while moving her hand in a circle. "Not at all, Payakan."
"I have to say it is nice to see you," Nekx said, warmth echoing from his voice. "I can't believe I am saying that."
Payakan clicked. "I can't either."
Nekx went down to one knee and laid his hand on top of it. Mo'at mimicked him with both ways. The former sighed remorsefully while looking down. He turned back to the tulkun.
"Payakan, I want to say I am sorry," Nekx said, moving his hand from his neck to his chest. He held out the other one and rubbed them together. "I should not have shunned you and branded you as a killer."
"Apology accepted. I do not hold the shunning against you or anyone else. I never have," Payakan responded gently.
"I am glad," Nekx said, a smile forming on his face.
"I used to think toruk was the largest animal on Pandora. I was proven wrong with the tulkun," Mo'at commented.
Payakan moved his body to where it was parallel with the pier. He rolled on his side, exposing his flippers. He placed the back flipper on the edge. Nekx and Mo'at petted it with much gentleness. Payakan squeaked pleasurably.
"I never thought I'd be petting a tulkun," Mo'at said in delight.
"Their skin almost always peels right off," Nekx said as he looked down at the flecks of skin in his hand.
"That is something no animal, Na'vi, or human can control," Mo'at commented.
"Yeah," Nekx agreed with a nod. He gave the flipper a gentle pat before petting it once more.