Road to Arcadia: the Path East

Chapter Thirty-six: From Eden

Kai's mom was nice enough to drop him off after she had finished running her errands, even if he felt the matter was more pressing. Her directions on what to do when he got inside were vague at best, but she didn't seem concerned he would get lost.

His senses were overloaded as he got out of the car and made his way through the portico entrance. There were people here, a lot of people, making their way inside and outside, talking to each other, existing. He felt his vision tunnel, perhaps as a way to cut back on the human presence or as a response to the onslaught of fluorescent white lighting. He approached the front desk once it was free. A tired-looking woman with rounded cheeks and a cardigan graciously took care of him.

With a slightly better sense of direction, he took down the hall, rubber-soled shoes occasionally squeaking against the linoleum.

He tried to avoid eye contact with the people around him, shutting out casual conversations and sounds of unnamed machinery. At the end of the hallway was an elevator that took him to the correct floor.

The moment he stepped off the elevator, he was intercepted. Another woman wearing a uniform, sparkling eye shadow, and a wide smile, must have noticed the uneasiness etched into his face and decided to take mercy on him. When Kai told her his destination, she wasted no time shifting directions and leading him the correct way. He tried to ignore the sounds going on around him. The beeps, the whines. He had one thing in mind and he was going to keep his blinders on until he reached it. The woman stopped outside a room with an open door, extending an arm to invite him inside.

Kai hesitated, gingerly stepping up to the doorway and peering inside. There were a lot of things in the room, big, bulky things he didn't want to find a name for yet. There was only one thing he was looking for.

And there she was.

Towards the middle of the room, he saw the back of her. She was sitting in a wood-frame, pleather cushioned chair. Her long, ashy brown hair was disheveled, but presentable enough. He could see at the edges of her form-fitted t-shirt newfound curves that were not there when he had last seen her. She had one leg up on the chair, chin resting against it. Even from behind, he could tell she was nodding off while trying to keep her focus on whatever was ten feet in front of her. He didn't have the strength to lift his head to see what that was.

He took a careful step inside. Then another. Then one more, until he was standing just shy of flush with her chair.

Something touched his calves.

He turned around. The kindly woman, the young nurse, had quietly pulled up a chair. He gave her a gracious nod before pulling up the chair and sitting next to her.

Kai didn't say anything.

Instead, he let his right hand drop, searching for her dangling left arm. Once they found each other, he took his hand in hers, squeezing it tight.

His gaze followed hers, straight ahead until it locked on to what had complete control of her attention. Kai couldn't make heads or tails of it. Of course he understood it was a piece of hospital equipment. He knew what the shape on the other side of the clear glass was, but he didn't recognize each button, each beep, each tiny gear of each incredibly expensive piece of equipment. He had so many questions but they were all a lump in his throat.

The hand in his twisted until it was holding him back.

"He decided he was going to be born before we were ready for him," her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. She sounded as exhausted as the slump in her spine looked. It was almost hard to hear against the constant background noise of a bustling hospital. "He picked out his own birthday and everything. I don't think he was done cooking yet, but he was so determined. It looks scary now, but this is nothing.