Hospital Visit

A random suit I don't remember ever meeting drops Mariam and I off at SaDian Hospital, where Emma is being treated. Even someone untrained could tell that the place is crawling with men in black. There are even a few guys with navy blue suits, and I wonder if that was on purpose or because their attire didn't matter. Maybe they were special and could wear whatever color they wanted. Perhaps they were from a different faction from the men in black and had a different set of skills. Either way, their presence did not go unnoticed. Neither did mine or Mariam's.

The suits follow Mariam and I with their eyes, not even attempting to be discrete about it. To be fair, Mariam and I do look a bit odd. We don't look sad or have flowers or cards to say were visiting a friend or relative. We don't even look happy to say that were visiting someone who's recovering fabulously. If anything, we look a mother and daughter on a mission. I would find us suspicious, too. Their looks make me wonder, though. Were they informed about us? If they were, did they know what Mariam and I looked like?

Gauging their professionalism, I wave at a few of them. They mostly give polite smiles and nods but their gazes never falter. They're not easily distracted. Good for Emma.

Mariam lightly taps my lower back to get me to pay attention, giving me a stronger whiff of her forest perfume, and she guides me to the elevator. While I wasn't looking she put on another spray of the scent, and I think of broken flower stems. She really wants this meeting to go well.

As I rub my finger under my nose Mariam presses the button for the third floor. Emma is in Patient Unit B. That much I actually bothered reading in the red file. The elevator starts to move and Mariam shifts her weight to lean towards me. A puff of chlorophyll fills my nostrils.

"Be good," Mariam warns. "This may be the dumbest thing we've had to do but it beats being murderers for once."

I fall back onto the support rail and cross my ankles. "I'll be good," I sigh. Mariam's perfume in this enclosed space has me relaxed and a tad sleepy. I want to take a nap in a field.

The green painted elevator doors slide open, indicated we've reached our floor, and we step out. This floor is crawling with even more bodyguards, and Mariam's perfume power starts to fade. Why was I hired if Emma has a whole army at her disposal? All these people could surely give Emma a sense of safety. If anything, my new face could put her on edge. This is such a ridiculous mission. Definitely not red file material, I say.

Mariam holds out her arm to stop me from leaving the elevator, then steps in front of me, showing her superiority. Oddly, I don't mind it. If she wants to take the lead on this one then I'll let her. I don't want to deal with over pumped, steroid riddled bodyguards.

Making funny noises with my mouth, I follow two steps behind Mariam. She shoots me a quick glance over her shoulder then returns facing forward. I don't know what the look means but I quicken my pace to follow her one step behind instead of two, just in case.

When we reach Emma's private room Mariam shuts me up with a raised hand. I suck my lips into my mouth and watch her interact with the bodyguard on door duty. His short cropped hair is blonde, giving him the appearance of being bald. I screw my face up at him, really making sure he's not bald. Yeah. There's itty bitty hairs.

"What business do you have here?" he asks, ignoring my funny face and squinty stare. His eyes are on Mariam and his tone is suspicious.

Mariam clears her throat then motions to me."We're here to see Emma. Emma Hall."

The man chuckles and takes a step towards Mariam. He's clearly trying to prove he's in charge, and it rubs me the wring way. "I don't think so," he says. He doesn't even ask why we want to see Emma or who we are. Is he stupid? He must be, because he does something only a fool would do. He tries to put his hands on Mariam.

As Mariam flinches, I grab the guard's wrist before he touches her, making him jerk in surprise. I scowl and keep my grip locked as he wiggles amd tries to break my hold. Glaring at me, he tries to grab me with his other hand but I slap it away. His tension rises and I can already tell that I'm going to have to fight this man. To be fair, he started it.

Mariam puts her hand on my shoulder but I push her back as gently as I can, then toss the man out of the doorway. It's almost too easy and it's the best option in my book. Getting him out of my way is better than killing him.

He lands by the nurses station down the hall and skids a few feet before stopping. He's not hurt, as he lifts himself off the ground to gape at me. The other bodyguards tense up and look my way, both shocked and prepared for a fight.

I cross my arms over my chest and shrug when Mariam reprimands me softly under her breath. "We were hired," I say, loud enough so everyone can hear. Then I focus on the guard I threw. "Don't pick a fight you can't win, boyo." It's a clear threat and, by the expression on his face, the guard doesn't miss it.

No one says anything else, and the air on the floor is tense. Mariam settles beside me to make sure I don't do something further, something stupid. I breathe deep to take in the scent of crushed leaves and disturbed dirt. My stance softens.

Clearing his throat, a slim man with soft, brown hair steps out of the room beside Emma's. I eye him suspiciously. He doesn't look like a typical guard, and he clearly witnessed me throw his buddy, yet he's calm and collected.

He stops at a respectable distance from Mariam and I, and raises his eyebrows. "You're Cas?" he asks, his gaze on me.

Mariam takes a step forward and answers for me. "Yes, she is. I'm Mariam, her caretaker."

"I'm Richard," he says, holding out his hand for Mariam to shake. "I'm supposed to be the other caretaker."

Mariam takes his hand and shakes cautiously. "Sorry about your boy there. Cas is... protective." She smiles and steps back, then glares at me from behind her glasses.

"He shouldn't touch a lady," I grumble, looking away. "Rude..."

Mariam ignores me but Richard laughs. "That's fine," he says. "All the guys needed to see what they were dealing with. Besides, she's right. He shouldn't have touched you. He was out of line."

I grin widely and nudge Mariam, who whispers for me to knock it off. Whatever, I was in the right. Even Richard said so. He seems like a pretty okay guy to me and I think I can grow to like him. Mariam, on the other hand, clearly already likes him. There's a slight blush creeping up her neck and she's fiddling with her glasses like a goober. I've seen Mariam with a crush before but this is hilarious.

I can see why Mariam is acting ridiculous, though. Richard is a good looking guy. He's has that boyish smile and white teeth, his short hair perfectly combed and parted. He even has the perfect amount of stubble on his jaw. Better than average features, I think. He's not my type but I can see the appeal.

When no one says anything for a while, I cough. Mariam manages to tear her eyes away from Richard's long enough to look at me. "Are we going to go inside the room to meet Emma or what?" I ask. Jeez. These two boobs can ogle each other later. Unfortunately, I've got a job to do, even if I don't want to do it.

Richard chuckles and clears his throat, his ears crimson, his smile sheepish. He gathers himself then nods and looks towards the various men around. "It's okay, everyone," he says, his composure professional again. "She's with me. Get back to your posts, and Shaun?" He looks to the man that I threw down the hall. "You can stay where you are. We don't need you to watch the door anymore."

Shaun grumbles and leans on the nurse's desk like he doesn't have a care in the world. But when a few guys around him laugh, his jaw clenches. I roll my eyes at his discomfort. I really don't care that he's butthurt about getting his backside handed to him. He brought it on himself.

Sticking my tongue out him, I spin on my heel, then flip him off behind my back. Richard holds out his arm to Emma's room and waits for Mariam and I to walk in before he does himself. How polite.

I step in after Mariam and look around, though I don't know why. Every hospital room is exactly the same- boring and sad. This room is no different. Antiseptic stench is present, too. Hospital's are not a fun place to be, even normal ones like these. The facility ruined healing places like these for me.

Focusing on the only bed in the room, I pucker my lips and stick my hands in my pockets. Richard stands off to the side and shuts his mouth while Mariam pushes me forward. I don't want to introduce myself, I don't want to be here it all. Mariam pushes me again and I sigh, then step closer to the bed and study the woman in it. Emma, I assume.

She's sitting up in bed with her nose in a book and doesn't acknowledge anyone. I know she knows we're here. She has to. Grunting, I narrow my eyes and tilt my head to the side. Emma's face has a few bandages on it, presumably where the glass shards were, and she's bruised here and there. For what she's been through she doesn't look so bad. It's her hair, I think, that makes her appear put together. It's been brushed and coifed perfectly around her face, the blonde waves near her cheeks curling to touch just under her chin. The rest hangs loosely around her shoulders and shines marvelously. Who in their right mind would be worried about their hair after a car accident?

Without looking up, Emma finally speaks. "What was that noise?" she asks, her voice soft and unconcerned.

Oh, lucky her. Not a care in the world thanks to daddy's money. How irritating. Ticked, I put all my weight on one leg and lift my chin. "I threw that asshole guarding your door down the hall," I answer simply, hoping to get a rise out of Emma. Unfortunately, it doesn't work.

Mariam elbows me in the ribs and whispers for me to behave. I scowl and shrug back at her, blowing air out of my nose. I'm not going to stifle myself for some girl that can't even bother to look at me, no matter how cute she is. I mean- wait. Stupid Mariam and Richard have got me thinking about crushes. Damn them.

Clearing my mind, I look at Emma and wait for some kind of response, a real response to my presence. Emma reads for a few more seconds, her face stoic, then she puts her bookmark in between the pages and closes the book with care. She gives the cover a small, secretive smile, making me wonder what she had just read. Then, finally, she raises her head to look at me... and surprise makes its way onto her face.

What's with that kind of reaction? I'm clean and showered and definitely don't stink. I'm not ugly, at least I don't think, so what's the deal? "What?" I ask, frowning. I want to know why my face caused such surprise.

"I wasn't expecting..." Emma trails off, making my frown deepen. She puts her book onto the table next to her bed then looks back at me. She bites her lip, hesitant. "Someone like you," she finishes lamely.

I huff and cross my arms. Someone like me? A woman? Her answer better be a good one. "What do you mean someone like me?" My tone is harsher than I intended, but I'm irritated.

Mariam steps next to Emma's bed and holds out her hand. "Please excuse Cas' attitude. I'm Mariam, her caretaker."

Emma takes her eyes from me to smile at Mariam, shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm assuming you two are the ones my dad hired to protect me?"

"Yes. Cas here is the one, really. I'm just here to make sure she doesn't get out of hand." Mariam takes her hand back and moves away from the bed to glare at me without Emma noticing. I return Mariam's glare, not caring that Emma could see.

There's a ghost of a smile on Emma's face as she nods and looks to me. "Nice to meet you, Cas. And what I meant by someone like you, I mean't I wasn't expecting someone that looks as fragile as you. It has nothing to do with your gender or how shabby you look." She smirks at this. "I was expecting a wrestler looking type."

I turn my glare on her. Her words were not so veiled 'criticisms.' I do not look shabby or fragile. Careless, maybe, but not shabby or fragile. "Cute," I mutter.

"Thank you," Emma says, wrapping some of her hair around her first finger. "I think the bandages enhance my look."

I shoot her daggers, but am slightly amused. Emma is going to be a handful. She's not afraid to mess with me, but I'm not sure if that's good or bad. "That's not what I meant," I tell her. How is she going to respond?

Emma smiles. "Well, that's how I took it."

Oh, a sassy one. I can only guess that she enjoys confrontation. Well, then I'll give it to her. "I should have left you under that car," I say, curious to the response to it.

Mariam turns to face me. "Cas!"

I don't even spare Mariam a glance. "What? If she wants to play then I'll play. She won't live long if she can't finish what she started." My eyes are studying Emma, searching, but her face is like stone.

Mariam bites her tongue when I flick my eyes to her. She knows I'm not really mad so she's going to let me continue. I'm not going to get out of control.

"You're the one that saved me?" Emma asks quietly. Her eyes are downcast and she's fiddling with her hospital issued blanky. Is she... nervous? It seems like it.

"Yeah," I answer, a bit put off. Why is she nervous? She was so willing to play a moment ago. "Whole lot of good that did me, huh?" I say cautiously. I know I shouldn't continue prodding but I have to know how the game ends.

Richard, silent this whole time, finally talks. "Now that's unnecessary." He takes a step forward, his arm outstretched. "You have no right to-"

"Stop," Emma interrupts. "Leave her alone."

"But Emma she-" Richard shuts up when Emma looks up to give him a sharp glare. He purses his lips in discomfort.

"Enough," Emma says. "She saved my life."

"That doesn't give her the right to-"

"I said enough." Emma's voice is ice cold, and Richard stops arguing. He takes a step back when she sighs. "She saved me. She's the only reason I'm here right now and not in the morgue. I could have died out there in the street, whether from freezing or never being found or... Just leave her alone, okay?"

My face softens at her words. I guess I was a little harsh, continuing the game like that. She was just testing the waters with me and I was trying to drown her. I'll take responsibility for that. "I'm sorry," I whisper, shuffling my feet.

Emma waves her hand dismissively. "It's fine," she says. "I was messing with you and you defended yourself. Like you said, I won't live long if I can't finish what I started. Did I finish to your satisfaction?"

I smile at her words, giving a firm nod. Mariam chuckles and shakes her head. She fixes her glasses amd moves towards the door, letting her hand drag over my back as she passes. The scent of crushed petals fills my nostrils and Emma's sheepish smile fills my vision.

Maybe this whole thing won't be such a bust after all.