Fear the Night

Chapter 11: The Plan

“So we have a new hiding place,” Yukio sighed, turning on some lamps as Maverick sat with Isabella who hadn’t awoken and was lying on the bed. “The good news is, the looters didn’t take a lot of things we need. The bad news is, she didn’t have anything we might need, anyway.”

When he didn’t get a response he frowned and turned to see Maverick still at the bedside and staring Isabella.

“She hasn’t woken up yet,” he mumbled as Yukio caught him holding her hand and gently stroking her fingers.

“That doctor you said your dad knew,” Yukio began, “could he take a look at her?”

Maverick frowned and turned it toward the other man to ask, “How’d you know about that? I only told Isabella.”

“And Izzy told me,” he replied simply. “She keeps no secrets from me. Just answer the question. Can we take her to see him?”

“No,” Maverick answered, turning back to Isabella.

“Dead?” Yukio guessed.

“No,” Maverick replied.

“Out of town?”

“Not exactly.”

“Then why can’t we see him?”

Maverick sighed and turned a tired look at Yukio before replying, “He lives in the woods. If you can get past the Drones that surround his place, you’d be the first.”

“So we go during the day,” Yukio shrugged. “How hard is that?”

“Need I remind you we have Suits after us?!” Maverick shot back, standing from the bed to face Yukio. “You wanna walk around in broad daylight and get yourself pinched?! Fine! I’m staying with Bell! She’ll need someone when she wakes up!”

“Without a doctor, she might not wake up!” Yukio shouted back and Maverick only stared back at him. He was right, and Maverick knew it. But going into the woods, at any time of day, was risky. At night there were Drones and during the day there were Suits.

“Well, we have to think of something else,” he finally sighed, sitting with Isabella again.

“Kinda difficult, considering you exed all our options out!” Yukio retorted, calming down slower than Maverick had. “No clinic. Can’t see your doctor friend. We’re running out of options here!”

Maverick said nothing and only stared at Isabella, stroking her hand again. Yukio sighed in hopelessness and ran a hand over his mouth in thought. They had to get Isabella to that doctor in the woods if not to the clinic. But Maverick was right, they couldn’t go anywhere in this country! Not without help, anyway.

Help! he suddenly thought. Natalie! She can help us!

“Hey, Mave,” Yukio called and they both looked at each other, Maverick in wonder at the other men’s tone. “You remember that girl that gave me money for groceries?”

Realization dawned on Maverick and he set his jaw, shaking his head as he said, “No. I’m not trusting some girl I’ve never met with our lives and Bell’s!”

“I’m meeting her tomorrow to pay back the money she bought our groceries with,” Yukio replied, casually. “How hard could it be to ask her for help?”

“As hard as my fist can smack into your face,” Maverick replied through clenched teeth as he stood again and lifted a fist at him, threateningly but Yukio didn’t flinch.

“You told me something the last night,” Yukio began, making Maverick stop dead and stare at him in wonder. “When those Drones were trying to get in, and you said you to lock the door, I told you it was suicidal. You remember what you told me? You said if it was just you and me you would’ve made me hold the door down with you all night, but we had to take care of Izzy. Well, I’m reminding you, we have to take care of Izzy.”

Maverick lowered his fist and looked back at the still unconscious Isabella.

“I knew you liked her the moment you said that,” Yukio continued with a warm smile making Maverick whip his gaze back at him with wide eyes. “She needs a doctor, Mave. Even if Natalie doesn’t know one, maybe she can get us to your friend.”

Maverick sneered as he turned his back to Yukio defiantly, crossing his arms over his chest. Yukio just smirked and placed a hand on the man’s shoulder.

“You trust me, don’t you?” he wondered and pulled his hand back when Maverick turned his head enough to see him in his peripheral then nodded. “Well I trust her. She’s too cute and innocent to be a devious little thing.”

“You’d be surprised,” Maverick muttered.

“If you want, you can meet her,” Yukio said. “I’ll bring her to meet you.”

“You sure about that?” Maverick chuckled, turning to face him again.

“If it’ll help, yeah,” Yukio nodded. Maverick thought for a moment, then nodded his approval. “Great! I’ll go first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Alright,” Maverick nodded, sitting with Isabella again. “Make sure the doors are shut tight and locked tonight.”

“I’ll do that now,” Yukio nodded then stopped as he caught sight of some things he’d brought from Maverick’s place. “Oh, hey! I got your notebook and this…whatever it is.”

Maverick looked up at Yukio with a frown and the younger man tossed something silver at him, which he caught. It was the utensil he used to fix his arm he’d totally forgotten to take with him.

“Izzy told me about that, too,” Yukio explained. “I grabbed it with the book before we left. Those and the gauze and whatnot. Anything I could carry easily. How’re your fingers?”

His fingers! He’d forgotten that they were broken at all. It seemed whenever he was in trouble where he had to get through it quickly, he forgot about any injuries he had. And, with Isabella around, he forgot about them even after the danger was gone.

“They’re alright, I guess,” Maverick shrugged, then looked back at Isabella. Yukio came up next to him from shutting and locking the door and watched the other man closely as he continued staring at the girl lying on the bed.

“Can I tell you something, Mave?” Yukio wondered and Maverick only gave a grunt of approval. “I don’t think I could’ve found anyone better for Izzy than you.”

Maverick looked at him in surprise but he said nothing more as he shrugged and walked away to do something, leaving Maverick to turn back to Isabella and give a small smirk.