Her White Wolf

Chapter Twelve

"Late, late, late!" Cleo chided herself as she rushed to the palace. Her patients had taken longer than she anticipated this morning, but she didn't want James to think that she was leaving him to go to his appointment with Shuri alone.

She bounded up the stairs at the palace two at a time and waved a rushed hello to some of the Dora Milaje before she burst into Shuri's laboratory. "I'm sorry, I'm right here!" she announced. "There were unforeseen complications but it's all fine now," she explained as her eyes settled on James.

Nervous blue eyes stared back at her. James sat, strapped to a chair, waiting for Shuri to begin.

"He was adamant about waiting for you," Shuri stated. She was making sure all of the components that would connect to James' head were working correctly.

"I'm glad you waited," Cleo told her best friend before she moved in front of him directly and knelt down to rest her hands on his knees. She looked up into James's blue eyes and gave him a soft smile. "I know this makes you nervous, I'm sorry I was late."

James swallowed thickly, sweat beading on his brow. "It's okay," he said quietly.

Shuri finished her tweaks before she walked over to James and placed the neuron disks on each of his temples.

Cleo's eyes followed Shuri's movements. She could feel the anxiety wafting over James. It almost felt a little like static electricity. Her hand instinctively slipped up to take the one strapped to the chair. It was painful to see him like this... all she wanted to do was hold him.

"Hey," she prompted gently, giving his hand a squeeze. "No matter what happens, it's going to be alright. No matter what happens... I'm gonna be here."

"Okay," James murmured in reply. He met Cleo's eyes and locked on to them as Shuri turned on the machine.

Cleo could be strong for him. Whatever he needed, she could be. He had given so much to the world, the universe, really, and it was finally his turn to be able to live.

Shuri stood behind the active 4D brain scan in front of her and monitored the electrical currents. "Okay, James. I have to start by saying the first word. Are you ready?" she asked patiently. She knew he was afraid, but she felt good. This could work. If she could unlink the words one by one, they could do this. They could free him.

James let out a shuddering breath and closed his eyes. "Yes," he whispered.

Turning her eyes back to the brain before her, she spoke the best Russian she could. "Longing," she began and as an area in his brain began to light up she was able to zero in on it and find the neuronal entanglement.

Cleo kept her eyes on James even as he closed his and dropped fully to her knees to better slide in against his legs. She wanted him to feel her there.

James's hand clenched and his eyes screwed shut. "I... I don't like this."

"I know, I'm working, I promise," Shuri said, trying to reassure him but based on his brain activity it was obvious he was in pain. "I've almost got this one unlocked..."

Cleo wrapped her hand around James's clenched one and she gripped his thigh with the other. "Breathe, baby, it's gonna be okay," she coached. "She's almost there."

Tears ran down James' cheeks as he worked to fight the feeling that the single word gave him. He gripped Cleo's hand tightly.

Shuri struggled with the knot, like a delicate necklace that wouldn't give way. "Come on, come on..." she muttered to herself.

"I'm sorry, baby. I'm still right here," Cleo said to James, her hand was surely going to be a little worse for wear but she could handle sore fingers.