6. Go-ahead

GENESIS

If she had been asked why she was back at that mansion, she would not have been able to give any tangible answer. She had originally decided to stay away from the man and his son in order to keep her sanity, but when she had thought deeper about the child, her heart melted and she was moved to return.

But now, it was looking like she should not have let her emotions win. Dante's hard face was the first thing she faced immediately she walked into Elon's room. Again. Only thing was, this time, his eyes were no longer bloodshot and he did not look like he was going to shoot her brains out. He looked indifferent, like he could care less if she was there or not.

"Good morning, sir." She tried her best to not let her voice crack, struggling to maintain eye contact with him. But all she got was a curt nod before he rose to his full length and exited the room.

She breathed. The stillness in the room had gone out with him, and it was now she became aware of the little boy's eyes scanning her face.

"You look like you are about to throw up." His brows furrowed as he tilted his head slightly. "You're the first nurse I've known to look sick."

That made her laugh, and released the tension in her chest. "I am just a little bit tired."

"But you did not come here yesterday." Elon said to her, his brows were almost touching now.

"I di—" she caught herself before she realized that he was not aware of her and his father's short but scary encounter the previous. She decided it was best to keep it that way. Instead, she said, "I was at the hospital."

At that, the boy's face straightened and he sighed, looking away from her to focus on his blanket cladded feet. She observed him, watching his face drop a little. That look in his eyes, she could recognize it anywhere, it was one of despair. And before she could ask him what was wrong, he hit her with a question.

"Would I really never be able to walk again?"

She was not prepared for that question. She was aware that she was going to answer it at some point but she did not think it would be this soon. However, with a kid like Elon, she should have known better.

"Who told you that?" She first asked the boy.She was not willing to believe that Dante was stupid enough to have told the boy already.

"The people that come in to clean my room. They thought I was asleep while they discussed it." Her heart ached as she watched the kid fight tears. "One said that it's a miracle that I'm even alive."

"Look, Elon." She sat on the edge of the bed and turned his head so that his eyes met hers. "You will walk again." This may have been going contrary to all the medical observations she had made, but she could not even tell where her belief came from. All she knew was that she was going to try.

From her grandmother, she had learned local methods of physiotherapy and she had made up her mind, right there and then, that she was going to take that route with the boy's treatment.

"Promise?" Hope floated in the boy's eyes now, she could not let it die.

"I promise you." She smiled softly at him and he mirrored her expression.

Now, she just had to figure out a way to get Dante to give her the go-ahead she needed.

°•°•°•

Elon had given her directions on how to find his father's home office, it had taken her a while to find it, and it was taking her even longer to get over her nervousness and knock on the door.

"Sir, I need to ask your permission for something." She decided to rehearse what she was going to say. That one sounded too forward, she shook her head.

"May I speak with you, s—"

The door swung open and her words got caught in her throat, almost choking her.

"I— um..." as she struggled to form a sentence, he looked at her from head to toe with the most unimpressed look she had ever seen, intimidating her even further.

"I need to speak with you, sir." She finally said to him, clasping her fingers together to stop them from shivering. "It is about your son."

At that, the hardness in his eyes decreased and he immediately stepped aside to grant her entry into his office. She released a sigh of relief, gaining his audience had not been half as hard as she thought it would be.

Most things in here were either black or grey. It could easily be described as a devil's lair at first glance, but when her eyes adjusted, she saw the softness in that darkness. Behind his black, wooden desk, right opposite her, he took his seat and gestured for her to have hers too.

"I'm listening." He propped his elbows on the table and looked straight her. This was the first time she was noticing that he had black eyes.

She swallowed, cleared her throat. "There's a method of treatment that I want to try on Elon to help him back on his feet. I believe it will work but I need your permission before I commence."

"What is that? If I may ask." One of his brows rose slightly.

"It is a traditional method of physiotherapy that I learned from my grandmother." She felt like she sounded stupid to him, because his brow had gone up even higher.

"Traditional method of physiotherapy?" He leaned forward a little bit, that little gesture gave her a little bit of hope.

"Yes, sir." She nodded.

"Is that even in line with medical ethics?" he inquired, looking a little bit concerned.

"That's the thing, it's not. Which is why I need you to not disclose this to anybody." All the possibilities of him agreeing to this seemed thinner now, he was already frowning at her.

"So my son is going to be your little lab rat?" He tilted his head, that devilish glare of his was back and the air around her was beginning to get hotter.

"No!" She raised her voice in defense. This man just had to hear her out. "From the medical standpoint, nothing can be done. But I am willing to try the traditional route with him if you let me. I don't want to give up on him yet."

For a few seconds, he just stared at her, scrutinizing her. And she fought hard to not cower under his gaze, maintaining their eye contact.

Then he asked, "what if it does not work?"

"What if it does?" She countered. Her eyes sent out a plea to him, desperate for his approval. "Please, let me try."

It took him a few more seconds of thinking before he exhaled and said to her, "Go ahead with it."