Tempted | Kai Parker

sixty two: reconciliation

Kai nervously shifted his weight back and forth on the balls of his feet, staring down at his palms as though he was studying the faint lines which curved over his skin.

He'd been psyching himself up for this for almost the last ten minutes, but no one wanted to interrupt him. We could all tell just how nervous he was to have Liz's life in his hands and increasing the pressure on him would do little to alleviate his anxiety, or Liz's for that matter.

Caroline's shoulder brushed up against mine, her body gravitating closer to me with every moment that went on. The pair of us stood silently on the other side of the hospital bed, just watching, and waiting. Every pulse in the room was so frantic that I couldn't even tell whose was whose anymore, they all just merged into one rapid drumroll.

Kai rolled his shoulders back, slightly shaking his arms to loosen himself up as he puffed out a small breath of air. Then he finally let his eyes leave his palms, as she shifted his gaze onto Liz.

Her blonde hair was limp against her sallow skin, and dark sunken rings encircled her eyes, but she still managed a faint smile when Kai gave her a reassuring grin. And even through the clear evidence of illness and fatigue in her weary features, her smile still sparkled.

"You ready, Liz?" He asked softly.

She gave a small nod, keeping her eyes firmly attached to his. "Ready as I'll ever be."

He pulled in a deep breath, causing his chest to expand as he straightened up his spine. His fingers flexed as he stole a final glance down at his hands and widened his stance so he was steady. There was a slight tremor which ran through his digits, almost as though he was frightened of touching her. Like he was scared that he might hurt her.

"Should I take my rings off?" He asked frantically. "They might be cold on your skin."

"No, don't be silly." Liz chuckled. "I'll be just fine."

He gave her a small nod, but blew a hot breath into his hands and rubbed his palms together regardless, trying to warm them up. Then he finally let his hands touch her skin. His left hand slipped onto the back of her neck, and his right over her forearm, as he let his eyes softly flutter closed. Liz pulled in a deep breath before closing her eyes too, just as I saw the beginnings of a radiant glow starting to seep onto her fair skin.

I quickly let my eyes drift over to Caroline, and she let her gaze flick away from her mom for just one moment. And in that split second, I could see just how gripping this fear was for her. There wasn't as much as a spark of joy left in her pale blue eyes, just pure anxiety.

I ignored the tightness which was bundling in my chest, and the weakness that afflicted the joints in my knees, trying my best to appear overly calm. Maybe if Caroline could see that I was confident this was going to work, she would allow herself to relax just a little bit.

With a small reassuring nod, I slipped my fingers in between hers, keeping her hand tightly locked in mine. Then both of our eyes instinctively drifted back over towards Liz, watching vigilantly for any change.

The glow exuding from Kai's palms had strengthened, deepening to a warm orange colour and growing more luminous by the second. And that wasn't the only thing that was changing. The regular beeps emoting from Liz's heart monitor began to get increasingly quicker with each second of siphoning. The quicker the machine squealed, the faster my heart hammered, the tighter Caroline squeezed my hand.

The high pitched bleeps eventually became so rapid that the machine sounded like it was screaming. The wave of her heart rate was spiking so violently that the machine could barely keep up with it, as Liz's face contorted with pain and discomfort. But Kai stayed calm and steady. He knew he had to.