The Star Within (Poohpavel)

Chapter 14

"Thanks for taking care of her, Gem," Pooh announced as he lifted White/Elizabeth from the floor. The white furry purred when Pooh brought her small body close to him, happy to sniff the scent of Pooh and Pavel's that lingered from Pooh.

"Sure. Sorry I can't take care of her longer than promised," Gemini replied. He had a bag of White/Elizabeth supplies in his hand, which he handed to Pooh, and the said man thanked him.

"It's okay. P'Babe had discharged 2 days ago," Pooh put the kitten back on the floor before he took her cage and opened the door. "So I can take care of her from now on," he said as he carefully put her in it.

Gemini now sat on the couch, his brow furrowed in confusion as he processed the news Pooh had just shared with him. "Wait, he's already discharged?" Gemini questioned, his voice tinged with disbelief.

Pooh humming softly as he locked the cage where White/Elizabeth was settled, nodded in response. "Yes, the doctor said he's healing well. Isn't that great?" Pooh replied casually, seemingly unfazed by Gemini's puzzled expression.

"But isn't he supposed to stay longer?" Gemini pressed further, his eyes scanning the room as if searching for answers in the very air around him.

Pooh simply shrugged, a nonchalant expression on his face. He knew Babe preferred to be at home rather than in a sterile hospital room. If the doctor deemed it safe for him to be discharged early, then Pooh saw no reason to question it.

However, despite Pooh's calm demeanor, Gemini couldn't shake off the nagging feeling of unease that lingered within him. Just yesterday, he had come across a disturbing article online detailing a violent crime that had occurred in Pooh's residence. The victim was described as being severely injured, and when he put two and two together, the timing and circumstances seemed too coincidental to ignore - especially when coupled with Babe's sudden hospitalization. So Gemini had thought the victim was Babe himself.

But with Babe's sudden discharge from the hospital, things just didn't add up. Is it possible for a human to be injured that badly and be discharged within just a day?

"What's wrong, Gem?" Pooh asked with a hint of concern creeping into his voice as he noticed Gemini's troubled expression.

Gemini let out a sigh, trying to push aside his suspicions for now. Maybe he was overthinking things; perhaps the victim mentioned in the article wasn't Babe after all. "Forget it," Gemini muttered under his breath before changing the subject.

As they continued their conversation, Gemini suddenly remembered something and dashed into the kitchen. He rummaged through a drawer before returning with a bottle containing greenish powder inside.

"Here," Gemini handed over the bottle to Pooh, who looked at it quizzically.

"What is this?" Pooh asked as he examined the contents of the bottle closely.

"It's catnip," Gemini explained with a smile as White/Elizabeth eagerly sniffed at her cage upon catching a whiff of its scent. "I noticed she was stressed out while I was taking care of her, so I got this for her."

"Bye, Gem. And thanks for this," Pooh held the bottle of catnip in the air. Gemini nodded before dismissing his friend. As Pooh bid goodbye to Gemini and left the condominium, a sense of unease settled in the pit of his stomach. The conversation with his friend regarding Babe's quick recovery started to create questions in his head. He couldn't shake off the feeling that something was amiss.

Walking down the empty corridor towards the lift, he glanced over his shoulder, half-expecting to see someone following him. Ever since leaving Babe's condo, Pooh kept sensing as if someone was watching him from afar. However, he was too lazy to really think about it when he had already set the plan to pick up his daughter and immediately head back home. Dealing with such things would just delay his time.