Edge of Thorns 3 - Pt 11

Part 11
No time to waste! I need to get help and get up there!

Nathan jumped to his feet, not even caring about the stares he drew as he hurried towards the stairwell, hoping it was secluded enough that no one would notice when he muttered Michael's name under his breath.

"What happened?" the angel asked, waiting by the door when Nathan reached it. The writer was already panicked to the point that his sudden appearance didn't startle him.

"Gula's here," he said, trying to move past Micah to get to the stairwell. "And she's on her way to visit Wren..." A hand on his shoulder stopped him from going further and he snapped his head back, but the angel calmly touched his forehead.

"Close your eyes."

Nathan didn't ask, just did as told, trusting Micah knew what to do (and having a good idea of what he was doing). He waited until he didn't feel the angel's touch, then opened his eyes, dizzy for only a moment as he reoriented himself to his new location on Wren's floor. He quickly followed after Micah, only a few paces ahead, passing the elevator on the way: it was only two floors down.

They were cutting it close.

When they reached Wren's room, the teen was sitting up, and Lidia (now awake) was sitting at the foot of his bed. Between them was a pile of cards, and from the looks of it they'd been playing a game of War before Nathan and Micah arrived. Both looked up when the pair appeared in the room, and Lidia squealed with delight, holding her hands out towards the writer. Even with Gula's arrival imminent, Nathan couldn't help but give the child a smile, and he walked over to her to pick her up from the bed.

"I thought you were just calling him," Wren said, eyebrows knotted while Nathan lifted Lidia.

"He did," Micah told him before Nathan could answer. "But my physical presence became necessary."

"Why...?"

"Right this way," came a voice in the hall, and shortly after a nurse appeared. She smiled at Wren as she looked into the room. "Mr. Xu, you have a special visitor."

Even more confused, the teen's face turned a deep shade of red when Gloria walked in. The model smiled at him, the slightest hint of worry on her face when she saw him there. "Hello again," she said softly, clearly surprised. "I feel bad that I never got your name when I asked you to make all those panini for the photography crew."

Wren shook his awe enough to give her a rueful smile back. "Xiao-ping, but everyone calls me Wren since they can't pronounce that." He swallowed loudly and watched while she sat in the chair next to his bed, then frowned and looked over at his stump. "I'm glad you liked the sandwiches. I won't be making any more anytime soon..."

"I'm sure you will," Gloria assured him, taking his good hand and drawing his attention again. Her voice was soft, and her smile -- which before had seemed vaguely fake -- was gentle and genuine. "I bet in no time, you'll be able to make all the things you used to, probably even better than before. You've already come this far, after all. That's a huge accomplishment, Xiao-ping."

"You... said my name correctly." Wren was blushing deeply again, but he did smile again. "Most people have trouble pronouncing it if they don't speak Chinese."

The model giggled, then said slowly, "Wǒ shuō... jǐ jù zhōngguó."

That made the teen laugh and smile wider. "Your accent is pretty good."

"I had to learn a little when I did a shoot in Hong Kong. Maybe you could help me improve?"

While they talked, Lidia cuddled up close to Nathan, nestling her head in the crux of his neck. The writer glanced over at Micah, who gave him a silent nod, saying without words that he would keep watch on them. With a quiet sigh, Nathan adjusted his hold on the little girl and let himself out of the room so Gloria and Wren could have a little more privacy, his worries from earlier more at ease. Micah would protect them, if they needed it, and he and Lidia could get back to the apartment.

His fears kicked in again, however, as soon as he was in the hall.

"So, how did you meet Famina?" Scott asked, notebook and pen in hand as he spoke to the very person Nathan had been worried about. The woman smiled and opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated, suddenly turning towards Nathan. Her interviewer noticed she was distracted and followed her gaze, then laughed upon seeing his coworker. "When'd you get up here?"

"Not long ago," Nathan told him, not realizing he held onto Lidia a little tighter. "I was visiting Wren earlier, but I figured I'd let Gloria have her turn."

"How sweet of you," the woman said, keeping her sharp gaze locked on him. Oblivious, Scott made to introduce them.

"This is my coworker, Nathan," he explained as he gestured towards him. "He's supposed to be recovering from the same ordeal Mr. Xu is, but I guess I can't blame him for wanting to see how the teen's recovering too." He nodded to Nathan, then motioned to his interviewee. "Kink, this is Gula, another model and (as I guessed) Famina's new girlfriend. I was just asking how they met."

"And I was just about to tell him it was over a lovely, impromptu dinner outing," Gula said before her stare abruptly shifted to the child in Nathan's arms. "And who's this delightful little crumpet?"

Even though she couldn't hear, Lidia looked up for a brief instant, whimpering quietly before burying her head against Nathan again. Scott rubbed his neck and looked at him expectantly. "I was just about to ask that myself."

Cornered. I can't just get out of here without some sort of explanation, especially not with that hungry look Gula's giving Lidia. But what do I say? Do I admit that I just found her, or do I make something else up? Not that the Sin will care either way, I'm sure, but what do I tell Scott?