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Post by silverviper2134 on Jun 13, 2008 12:52:44 GMT -6
The boy rolled his beady eyes and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. He lit one, brought it to his mouth and took a long drag.
"From what I can see, that's true" Frank laughed slightly, still watching the movie.
Arden smiled slightly when she saw her friend sitting neck to her. She then went back to watching Carrie kill the others at the prom.
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Post by dante on Jun 13, 2008 13:59:24 GMT -6
When the ambulance arrived at the hospital, Marcelle stepped out to speak with the receptionist while Oscar and the other paramedics carefully wheeled Nikolai into the hospital.
"Take him to ze emergency room," Marcelle commanded when they arrived in the nearly empty lobby. "Marco is alveady vaiting in zere with zat squat fellow. Go, go, go!"
Oscar nodded and wheeled the stretcher through a large pair of double doors at the other end of the room, followed closely behind by a group of paramedics who were wheeling the life support system.
"You go along, too," Marcelle said, turning to Martel and giving her a kind smile. "Marco vill vant to speak with you, no doubt."
Dahlia, meanwhile, was watching the movie attentively with Arden. She would yawn every now and then and close her eyes for a few seconds to catch some rest, still a bit groggy from the nap she just woke up from.
Dante was still out of the room, apparently still talking on the phone.
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Post by silverviper2134 on Jun 13, 2008 14:06:07 GMT -6
Martel nodded and slowly followed Oscar to the emergency room. Marco was waiting outside with Grio.
"I'll take care of him" Marco said, touching Nikolai gently. The child made a pitiful attempt to cry, but managed only to let out a strangled sound. He motioned for the paramedics to bring the baby into the room, but asked Martel and Grio to stay outside. "Ask her a few questions. Whatever you think sounds right" Marco instructed stepping into the room.
Calm for the first time since Nikolai had gotten sick, Arden giggled softly as Margaret White stabbed her daughter in the back after they had prayed. Carrie went tumbling down the stairs, already covered in blood from the bucket that had been dropped at her during the prom.
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Post by dante on Jun 13, 2008 14:20:32 GMT -6
Grio nodded and turned to Martel, trying to think of some questions to ask her. He decided to start with some of the more obvious ones: "When exactly did you notice that your son wasn't well?"
Dahlia cheered as she watched the scene between Carrie and her mother. Not because she understood anything that was going on, but because it was amusing her best friend.
Dante was sitting outside on her veranda, cellphone pressed against her ear. "...Listen to me," she started after a short pause, "There are two police officers here right now, aside from Scar - all of whom will be out for your blood if you lay so much as a hand on me or my little girl. Do I make myself clear?"
Another tense silence followed. Dante stood from her chair and walked over to the side of the veranda, staring out into the distance while her nails dug into the railing. "....Do you honestly think I am going to tell you where that boy is?"
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Post by silverviper2134 on Jun 13, 2008 14:24:07 GMT -6
"Just a few minutes ago. I was talking to Dante and I heard Arden's dog barking, so I went upstairs to see what was wrong" she shook her head as though she didn't want to think about this. "I came into my room, saw him, and I just thought he was dead".
Bandit, who had gone downstairs when she heard her master cry, looked at Dante from where she was laying with her head on Arden's lap.
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Post by dante on Jun 13, 2008 14:37:58 GMT -6
Grio nodded. "And did you ever miss any injections?" He sincerely doubted that she did, but just wanted to make sure.
Dante was now pacing around the veranda, her expression a mixture of anger and worry. "For the umpteenth time, Magrace, the Philosopher's Stone is gone. Even if you found a viable way to open the Gate, there's no way for - "
She cut herself off, and a very long pause followed.
"...And just what were you doing with this person, exactly?" she finally asked.
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Post by silverviper2134 on Jun 13, 2008 14:42:06 GMT -6
Martel shook her head. "They aren't supposed to get their next shots for another two months" she told Grio, sighing slightly.
As the movie ended, Arden was curious to see what would come on next. The credits announced the Mr. FunnyBone would be on next. Kevin yelped and grabbed the controller, quickly changing the channel to NBC, where Heroes was airing.
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Post by dante on Jun 13, 2008 14:55:41 GMT -6
Grio nodded in understanding. "All right, I think that's all the information we need for now. Unfortunately, we can't allow you into the emergency room for a while, so we need you to wait in the lobby. We'll contact you as soon as we have an update on his condition."
Dante was standing motionless near the railing as Magrace ranted to her about exactly what he had been doing to further their end. "...And exactly how many times have you attempted this?"
As soon as her answered her, her face drained of whatever color it had left. "What do you mean by that...?" She paused and narrowed her eyes dangerously. "...Stop laughing at me, Magrace, and answer the damn question. MAGRACE!"
Dahlia, hearing her mother yelling from the veranda, started tearing up.
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Post by silverviper2134 on Jun 13, 2008 15:04:08 GMT -6
Nodding Martel went into the lobby. It was barely six at night, but she was so drained, it felt like she had stayed up past midnight.
In the emergency room, Marco was examining Nikolai. He hooked the infant up to a heart moniter and began to test a few reflexes. From what he could tell, Nikolai's sucking reflex was very weak and his startle reflex was almost nonexistant. When he slammed a tray to see how the child would react, he was dissapointed to see that the only reaction was a strangled cry.
"What the hell's going on out there?" Frank asked while Arden and Kevin laughed as Sylar sliced the head off one of his victims.
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Post by dante on Jun 13, 2008 15:10:51 GMT -6
After finishing his discussion with Martel, Grio headed back into the emergency room and frowned when he got a good look of Nikolai. He remained silent, not wanting to bother the doctor while he worked.
Dante appeared at the doorway a moment later. Her eyes were heavy and her expression was blank. She seemed a bit jittery, though she was trying to control it as best she could. "Frank, Bob, could I have a word with you out on the veranda?"
Bob, realizing that something was gravely amiss, stood and followed her out onto the veranda without a word.
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Post by silverviper2134 on Jun 13, 2008 15:14:21 GMT -6
Marco shook his head gravely and told Oscar to take Nikolai into the Intensive Care Unit. He went over to Grio and motioned for him to talk to him outside.
Frank followed his partner to see what was wrong with Dante.
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Post by dante on Jun 13, 2008 15:29:59 GMT -6
Oscar nodded and carefully wheeled Nikolai toward the Intensive Care Unit, occasionally casting a worried glance down at the ailing child.
Grio followed his employer out of the room and frowned. "..How serious is it?"
Dante closed the door once both the officers were outside, then walked over to the table and took a seat. "We have a serious problem on our hands," she told them gravely.
Bob nodded as he leaned against the door, arms crossed. "Go on."
"Earlier today, I severed my connections with Magrace when I realized the man had more than a screw loose. He just called me back and threatened my life and my daughter's, and then imparted some disturbing information to me..." she went on.
"Like what?" Bob asked, visibly worried.
Dante sighed heavily and rested her forehead on her palm. "Oh, where to start? Ever since I met the man he's been telling me about his 'grand theory' to open the Gate, but never gave me the details...."
"...Exactly what has he been doing, Dante?" Bob inquired, expecting the worst.
Dante hesitated for a few moments, then answered: "...To put it simply, he has been secretly abducting people and torturing them to the brink of death in hopes of restoring their connection with the Gate. Since meeting me, he has done this to about fifteen people."
Bob was at a loss for words, utterly shocked and appalled at what he had just been told. Red in the face with anger, he opened his mouth to berate Dante for involving herself and her housemates with the lunatic before being cut off:
"Bob, you might want to call your wife."
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Post by silverviper2134 on Jun 13, 2008 15:33:41 GMT -6
"Fairly serious" Marco said, rubbing his temples slowly. "If he lives through the night, and if his condition has improved then he'll have a fairly good chance." He took a deep breath and looked at Grio to see how he would react.
Frank shook his head in anger. He couldn't believe that they had been to Magrace's house and hadn't even reconginzed the smell of death that lingered so strongly in the air.
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Post by dante on Jun 13, 2008 15:43:21 GMT -6
Grio had expected to hear as much after seeing how bad the child looked, but the news didn't sting any less. He stared at the doctor with a sorrowful expression, then let out a sigh and leaned against a nearby wall. "...Damn it..."
Bob rushed into the house without another word the moment Dante told him his wife may be in danger.
"Magrace is convinced that I still have the Philosopher's Stone," Dante said, looking over at Frank. "I have a feeling he may attempt to break in and look for fragments sometime soon. Nikolai may be in danger, as well: he still has that array on his stomach, and Magrace is looking for him now that he knows I won't make one for him."
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Post by silverviper2134 on Jun 13, 2008 15:48:34 GMT -6
"We need to tell Martel" Marco said simply, placing his hand on his ward's shoulder. He didn't seem to be phased by this so much. Then again, he had seen enough infant deaths to not reflexively show his emotions.
Frank nodded and paled slightly. This was way more serious then the average child abuse case or even the murdous rapists he usued to deal with.
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Post by dante on Jun 13, 2008 15:57:00 GMT -6
"...Doctor Marco, I don't think I would be able to handle doing that," Grio told him sullenly. The thought of seeing Martel's face after she heard the news was tearing him up inside.
Bob opened the veranda door a moment later, looking like he was ready to faint on the spot. "No response," he told them curtly as he jumped over the railing and started heading for the police car. "Frank, you stay here and keep an eye on the house! I'm heading to Magrace's mansion," he called to him.
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Post by silverviper2134 on Jun 13, 2008 16:00:04 GMT -6
"I said we for a reason, Grio. I'm going too. Martel's my patient and if her son dies, I want her to know that I want to take the blame" he assured the disformed young man.
Frank nodded and flushed slightly, a little bit of color coming to his face.
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Post by dante on Jun 13, 2008 16:02:41 GMT -6
Grio nodded softly, still not wild about having to go along with him. But he realized he had to learn how to deal with it if he was ever going to become a good doctor. "...All right, let's go."
"We need to hide the children," Dante said as she rose from the table.
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Post by silverviper2134 on Jun 13, 2008 16:09:26 GMT -6
Marco nodded and started towards the lobby. When he got there he motioned for Martel to come over. "Martel, I'm afraid I have some bad news" Marco began, looking at the floor when he saw how Martel looked. "Nikolai is in a very critical condition. If he lives through the night and his condition improves by then, he should have a good chance of surviving."
Martel swallowed and asked, in a somewhat choked voice, "And what are the chances of that happening?"
"The chances of him surviving the night are less than 15% and the chance of his condition improving are less than 10%". As Martel leaned against the wall for support, he gave her one last inscruction. "Go home and try to get some rest. I'll call you the moment anything happens".
She nodded and took out her cellphone. Shaun White was on her speed dial, so she called him to take her home.
Frank nodded, but then asked, "Why? I know he's after your daughter and Nikolai, but what would he have against Arden and Kevin?"
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Post by dante on Jun 13, 2008 16:18:40 GMT -6
Grio avoided eye contact with Martel the entire time, instead focusing his gaze on his large shoes. He winced and cursed inwardly when he Marco told her how low his chance of surviving the night was.
"In case you haven't noticed, Frank, Magrace isn't exactly the most stable person," Dante said icily as she walked to the door. "I doubt he's above murdering a child to get what he wants."
She walked into the living room and put on a small smile. "All right, everyone, we have to head down to the basment for a while," she said, picking up her daughter, who whimpered and wiggled around in her mother's arms.
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