Stalking

The poet was happy. I never thought I'd be swayed with words ever again. But my son's doctor had me feeling some kind of way~

The breeze was gentle. The walk up the small hill to reach Fenris Mansion was brief and quiet. Yet it felt like a milestone.

"Now we get to put our acting masks on." Said Dr. Rayleigh. I pulled up my black mask. The soft tissue, which mimicked the softness of linen, hugged my face. This small piece of cloth alone would be as expensive as the locket that hung on my neck all the time. Dr. Rayleigh truly believed in comfort. But just a little differently than I.

"...yeah, yeah, I heard that. Just cancel the deal if they're not bringing profits, you bastard!" I was appalled to listen to the old, balding man so fluent with profanities. That was out of nowhere.

As he exited the house for a walk, there was a young lady under his arm.

Wait...

"Wow, dude's full on cheating on his broad." Dr. Rayleigh said as he took pictures silently. I couldn't help but chuckle at that moment, quietly however.

"An old hag like him bagged that woman? Look, Elaine, even if I were rich, I would never do such a thing." Dr. Rayleigh said out of nowhere.

"Pft! It's as if you're telling me you wouldn't cheat on me when we're older." I crackled.

But I should've seen it coming because...

"So you DO wanna spend your old age with me~"

"Dr. Rayleigh...let's focus on the job."

Passing under streetlights and the moon amingst shimmering stars, we kept walking until the alleys started looking a bit...unreliable.

"I didn't know the downtown was so close to such a colony." My voice was softer than before. There were barely any people around, except for us four.

That was until Jacob Fenris met up with a mob...right outside of an eerie-looking motel. The hunks looked exactly like they'd say in the movies. Huge, tattooed and an unsettling aura around them. Their gazes filled with venom, potent enough to poison even the most saintly of them all.

"This is bad," he muttered, knowing something.

We halted slowly. I knew I had to pull my hoodie up.

"I had a patient come up from one of those people. They belong to the Jade Cross. Kinda like...Yakuzas." Said Dr. Rayleigh.

"What's a...Yakuza."

"I really can't say much, but they're bad guys. And we need to leave." Dr. Rayleigh was rushing me for some reason.

"Doctor, we've come this far. Let's take a photo at least," I whispered, slightly resisting as he tried to drag me away.

From the corner of their eyes, they could only find us suspicious from a distance.

And then, their gazes turned one after the other.

"Well, shit—"

Suddenly, my arms were pinned to my head and my body slammed against the wooden fence of someone's crappy house!

The creaking sound of rotting wood pierced through the quiet neighbourhood. But I couldn't hear anything...except for Dr. Rayleigh's hard breathing.

His face angled in such a way that it covered mine, as well as his, the back of his head being stared at as the goons wondered.

"Sheesh...are they really kissing? Here?" They laughed. Slight murmurs of chuckles were heard from the fast-paced breathing of the man who had me pinned against the fence!

"Get a room!" They shouted, laughing harder.

"And that is our cue to leave. Before they see the camera on me and grow suspicious."

"Y-Yes."

Phew! That was close!

I would've died of guilt, I brought doom upon Dr. Rayleigh! What if they found out!?

"Ms. Elaine," as soon as we got into the car, straps buckled, I scrunched my face up as his tough voice rolled out my name,

"You're not much of a listener outside the OR, aren't you?"

I winced at that.

"I'm sorry! I won't repeat that mistake!"

"You better..." he sighed softly. But from the corner of my vision, I caught him smiling ever so gently as we pulled away from the street parking.

"All that stalking, and we managed to get one photo. Literally. One." We sat in the hospital lobby, and Dr. Rayleigh stared at the photo he mentioned.

"Progress, maybe," I said.

And then, something happened.

My pager went off.

"ISR 12? That's Jean's room." I said, eyes widening. I rushed out of the lobby so fast, it almost looked like I was flying.

In the basement, where all contact was prohibited and equipment heavily guarded, I burst in to see Dr. Taylor and Nurse John.

Beneath their soft palms holding the child down...he was there.

My baby.

Crying heartwrenchingly. Confused by everything that was happening with him.

And most of all...he was scared.

"Jean...? Jean! Baby! Right here!" I almost lunged into the glass separating me from him.

"Ma...MUMMA!" He cried, throat hoarse and lifeless.

"Ow, ow, ow!" He couldn't tell where it was hurting. He could just scream. Thrash. Yell.

"Oh Goddess..." My hands were shaking.

"Elaine," Dr. Rayleigh rushed in. He could tell what was happening with Jean with one look.

Almost instantly, involuntarily, Dr. Rayleigh pulled me into a hug.

"He's gonna be fine, Elaine. I promise."

That's all I needed to hear...I guess.

It took Jean's little body a little over ten minutes to get under the effect of morphine. I pained me to see him sob, and his little sniffles fade as he passed out.

"I...am sure you know what it is." Dr. Taylor held my shoulder. I sat outside against the wall, head down and letting the tears drip.

"He's had a psychotic episode. Probably because of the unfamiliarity, fear and rejection of treatment." My ears perked up at the end.

"Rejection to...treatment?"

"It's one of our best guesses. This trial is relatively new, Elaine. But...I've got a little advice for you. Fenris&Co. is the one sponsoring this trial. If, and only if, you'd like to push your ego aside for your kid...I need you to enrol Jean on a new program. For a higher dosage."