Sonic: REMgaged

Chapter 19

When Patrick pulled into the parking lot of North Lake General's Hospice Care Center a half hour later, he cut the engine, but Alex wouldn't let him get out.

"You have to stay here," she reminded him. "It's like I said... Like Robotnik said... If I don't come alone, he might hurt my mom. That, and he said he'd send Stark after you." She nodded her head in a leftward direction. A few spaces away sat a familiar black Lincoln MKT sedan. "Stark's waiting there by the car. Don't provoke him. Just stay here, okay?"

Alex's gaze locked onto his, her eyes shimmering with the stirrings of unfallen tears. Still wearing Patrick's T-shirt and her pajama pants, she looked more vulnerable than ever. It was going to be hell letting her walk into that lion's den by herself, but he had no choice. Not if he didn't want to jeopardize her mother's safety. Or his own, for that matter.

"Please," she begged. "Promise me you'll wait here."

Patrick's anxiety was on the rise. He hated that Alex was being forced to do this, but there was no way out of it. No way around it. She didn't even have time to change clothes, for she was insistent on leaving immediately. He couldn't rightly blame her. She was worried to death about her mother.

"Alex... This isn't right. This isn't fair. We should've called Sonic or something. Robotnik doesn't have to find out. I-I can't let him just take you! Not after everything we've been through! There's gotta be something we can do!"

"No! No, Patrick. We can't! I mean, of course I'd love to tell Sonic. God, I really wish he was with us! But I can't risk it. Not with my mother's life on the line. So just... please... do as I say. Don't call anyone. Don't tell anyone. Just... stay. I don't even know for sure what he wants yet. I mean, I'm sure it's not good, but m-maybe I can reason with him, or maybe I can just breathe into a test tube or something and he can turn that into chaos energy. I don't know. Just please... stay."

Patrick gave her a fearful look, one that almost seemed to ask, 'Will I even see you again?' But there was only one thing he could say as she got out of the car.

"Alex... be careful."

Without another word, Alex leapt out of the car and ran up the front walk to the hospice center, passing the Lincoln sedan on her way. A pair of dangerous eyes followed her as she darted past. Stark. The hulking android watched as she ran by. And he wasn't alone. Edgar Roman stood outside of the car, leaning against it and having a smoke. He arched an eyebrow and smirked around his cigarette as his eyes trailed the girl. But neither he nor Stark made a move. Instead, they remained by the car, as they'd been ordered to.

Their presence was unsettling, but Alex had more important things to worry about than them. Though, she noticed the conspicuous absence of Sage. For one heartrending moment, she worried that perhaps Sage had confronted his father as Ennis and was – perish the thought – scrapped. With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Alex flew through the lobby, brushing past the front desk.

"Oh, Alex. How are— Alex? Miss Parker! Where are your shoes? Hey!" But the receptionist knew her well enough that Alex was certain she wouldn't push the issue. Everyone here knew Alex.

Of course, Alex couldn't blame the strange looks she was getting. She was still wearing Patrick's over-sized T-shirt over a pair of purple pawprint pajama pants and bare feet. Not exactly the typical garb for coming to visit her mother. But as she'd told Patrick, she didn't have a moment to lose.

Alex threw open the door to her mother's room. Three heads turned to appraise her in the doorway as she panted heavily. "M-Mom!"

To her immediate relief, her mother looked unharmed. And to her further relief, Sage was present and accounted for. But their presence, and especially Robotnik's, and the casual-as-you-please manner in which they were sitting and drinking tea with her mother made Alex want to throw up.