Chapter 37
I was trying to fill out forms for my sister at the hospital. To say it wasn't going very well, would be a gross understatement. I gave up, and told them that while she was my sister, I had only recently discovered that fact. I said that I would be paying for her treatment. I told them I had no idea what her medical history was.
I was asked how that was possible. I stared at the doctor.
"Not that it's any of your business, but I was sent away from home when I was a child. We didn't get back together until recently. Hell, I didn't even know I had a sister, 'till recently," I answered with a bit of anger in my voice.
"I see. I'm sorry. But this is a bit unusual. We ran a tox screen, and while it came back clean on all known substances, there is something there we can't identify. You were right, her kidneys are failing. What we need to know is, how YOU knew this," the doctor said.
"I knew because someone told me that was what was happening. So I got my sister and came here with her. Before you ask me, no, I don't know what she took. No, I don't know where she was when she got poisoned, or took whatever she has in her system," I said, trying to head off the inevitable questions I could not answer truthfully.
"Who told you her kidneys were failing?" the doctor asked me.
"A guy in a no nonsense suit, with a bad haircut. He said that my sister was having kidney failure, that he couldn't do anything for her, and that I should get her to a hospital quickly. Then he picked up a little bag, and left. That was the last time I saw him," I said, giving them the false idea that it had been a doctor telling me this.
I was getting aggravated. I decided that I would impose my will in this entire hospital if they kept this nonsense up. I was told it would be an hour or a little more before they would know how she was responding to treatment. They suggested I get something to eat.
I had other things on my mind, such as Pao. I could feel his anger at the treatment I was getting from the doctors I was dealing with. He was surprised that I took no actions. How do you explain the legal system of this world, and the fact that America did not have royalty, as Pao understood it.
So I found myself sitting and trying to explain the way America was set up. Pao was not having any of it. He still wanted me to take action against these people, and teach them their place. I sighed mentally.
While I was sitting there, a doctor came and asked me about her arrow wound. I told him I knew nothing about it.
"Mr. Lindsy, you show up in my ER at night with a woman you say is your sister, yet you know nothing of her medical history. Fine, that can happen. She has an unknown poison that is shutting down her kidneys, which we are currently working on.
We have also discovered a wound to her shoulder that appears to be a puncture wound of some sort. I am afraid I am going to have to notify the authorities. I have already notified hospital security, and informed them I thought you were possibly involved in this. I am sorry if you're not, but our policy is better safe then sorry," he finished seriously.
I had had enough. I concentrated a moment, and cast a compelling on him. I carefully instructed him to help me resolve all problems he or his staff had made for me. I also compelled him to keep me informed of everything that my sister was going through, and what was happening with her.
I had just finished the instructions to him, when security came over. The good doctor took them aside, and talked with them for a couple minutes. The security personnel then all walked away. I sighed, pleased with how that had turned out.
Pao thought I should have been more firm with him. I could understand his point of view. In his world, I was a high-ranking individual, the descendant of a demigod. My wants, wishes, and needs should be the first concern to those around me.
And so I waited. A nurse came by and informed me that they had stabilized my sister, but she was still in critical condition. She also kept me updated on all procedures they were preforming.
Pao decided that now would be a good time to instruct me in the art of being a sword master. I had visions of moving first one, then two swords through pattern after pattern.
It was very beautiful. The patterns Pao showed me were simple in execution and effective, I could see. Then he started to show me more complicated patterns. I itched to get a sword and practice these patterns he showed me.
He finally stopped showing me patterns, and agreed I should practice what I now knew with swords. This would be a first for me, as I had never done any sword work, left-handed. I decided to get to work on this, as soon as I got home.
I decided to get something to eat. I asked, and was told that the cafeteria was closed. So I asked how my sister was, and was told she was still critical, but was now stable. I nodded my thanks, and went outside. I walked a few blocks to a fast food joint.
Ok, I might not have been dressed the best for earth, but this was California. Weird people were all over the place, but I drew a couple of punks anyway.
"Hey! You with a fair, or something? You sure are dressed funny," one punk said to me.
I shook my head and tried to place an order.
"You with one of those old times fairs? Where people dress up in old-fashioned clothes maybe? Well, you need to get back there if you are," the other punk told me.
I sighed. They were circling me. The guy running the place looked a little worried. I paid for my order. I went outside, to a street table, and tried to eat in piece. No luck, there. They followed me.
A young family was sitting a few tables over, two young children were watching all this, wide-eyed. The parents were looking a bit worried. I decided to stop this now, so the family and I could eat in piece.
"Actually, I am with a renaissance group. I am dressed as a high lord magician. Observe," I told the punks.
I made several theatrical gestures, and then made a couple of balls of smoke appear, and teleported the two punks to a place I knew about a hundred miles from here. That should hold them. When the two balls of smoke cleared, the punks were gone.
I bowed to the family, and winked at the kids, reseated myself, and ate my meal. The children were talking excitedly about the two guys I had 'disappeared'. I smiled from time to time at the children and their parents.
I finished my meal and went back to the hospital. There was no change in my sister's condition. I could feel Pao in my mind, telling me I should have blasted the two strange ones into dust. Pao seemed to be a lot more blood thirsty than I had originally thought.
Around midnight, a nurse found me and told me my sister was improving, and was awake. She was asking for me. We went to the intensive care ward, and I was taken to my sister's bed.
She was hooked up to many machines, and had tubes in both arms. She looked like a commercial for a health care organization! But she was alive and still with us, which is all I cared about!
"Paul. This is a strange place you have brought me too, but a good one, I think," she said weakly.
"Thank God you're getting better, Mirwanna. I just found you. I don't know what I would have done if I lost you so soon!" I said, a little choked up.
"Well, when I am better, you can take me to your home, here. I want to see where you lived when you were here," she said, a little more forcefully.
"You got it, Mirwanna. As soon as they release you, I will take you to my home," I said with a lot of relief.
I stayed with her for a while, until the charge nurse chased me away. I briefly contemplated working a spell on her, but then I saw how tired Mirwanna really was. I left the hospital, and found a room at a hotel that was fairly close by.
I called the hospital and left my contact information with them. I sighed and turned on the TV, and started channel surfing. I could feel Pao shifting in my head. This was a most disconcerting feeling. I finally settled on a PBS show about the 60's music scene.
"Your world is amazing. To have all this comfort, but then waste lives on drugging yourselves into insensibility," Pao said to me in his whispery voice.
I explained, or tried to explain the 60's, but there was no mutual reference point. I finally gave up and agreed that it was ridiculous, and let it go at that. I turned off the TV and settled myself in the bed. Actually, it was a comfortable bed, for a hotel bed.
I was sleeping lightly when I felt the first part of a spell seeping into my room. I was instantly awake and had a shield up and ready to fight. Damn! I knew that magical signature. Melissa.
I snarled to myself. This time she would not escape! I stood quietly and waited. This woman had been a thorn in my side since the first time I had met her. Now she shows up here. That told me she was tapped into her father Markus's NSA source, here.
I felt another spell start, and roll through the room, and over and around my shield. I made sure there was no feedback. I wanted her to think she had succeeded. A couple minutes later, the door slowly opened. First one, then another, then finally a third figure stepped in.
I had cast a glamour onto the bed. To all other eyes than my own, I was still on my bed, not standing over here by the bathroom door. I wanted to see what they were actually doing. I had already identified Melissa.
One of the things I had learned from Svedra, was how to dampen down my abilities so they could not be seen. This was a nifty trick. I saw the usefulness of it, the moment I had seen him let loose with his power.
They still had no idea that it wasn't me on that bed. First one then another man lifted a weapon, and with a quiet, 'Chuff', they shot something into the glamour of me on the bed. Melissa followed that up with a magical attack that left a hole in the bed.
That was enough for me. This was a hit. I was sad for Markus, because I had already started to forgive him. These people here, which included Melissa, were just here to kill me.
I sent two separate blasts, one from my left hand, the other from my right at the two goons who fired the silenced weapons at me. They folded quickly. I then sent a blast at Melissa. Something absorbed the strike and she was only knocked back a bit.
Of course, doing all that revealed that I was not dead. Maybe I should have gone after her first. I sent another blast of pure energy at her, only to see most of it deflected away from her. The ceiling cracked from where the residue of power struck it.
Melissa got it together, and sent something my way. It splashed harmlessly off my shield. I tried something Svedra taught me. I did the Krkk attack on her. The power hit her shield, which crackled and started to fail. Her eyes widened in shock, and for the first time, fear. I followed it up with a heart attack spell. It bounced off a separate defense that was in the form of a pendant hanging from a chain on her neck. I sent another spell at her that Svedra had taught me.
This one caused a sphere to form around someone and then collapse on itself. I watched it start the slow business of collapsing on Melissa. I saw her gesture, but my sphere remained, slowly constricting and collapsing on itself.
Finally, the sphere stopped collapsing, and Melissa had a look of strain on her face. She had managed to stop it, but not destroy or counter it. It still surrounded her. She looked at me with both hate, and terror.
"Care to explain yourself? I am sure that we can come to some sort of accommodation if we just try," I said to her.
Edited By TeNderLoin