Fear the Night
Chapter 11-The Plan

Chapter 11: The Plan

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

Whenhe didn’t get a response he frowned and turned to see Maverick still at thebedside and staring Isabella.

“Shehasn’t woken up yet,” he mumbled as Yukio caught him holding her hand andgently stroking her fingers.

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

Maverickfrowned and turned it toward the other man to ask, “How’d you know aboutthat? I only told Isabella.”

“AndIzzy told me,” he repliedsimply. “She keeps no secrets fromme. Just answer the question. Can we take her to see him?”

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

“Dead?”Yukio guessed.

“No,”Maverick replied.

“Outof town?”

“Notexactly.”

“Thenwhy can’t we see him?”

Mavericksighed and turned a tired look at Yukio before replying, “He lives in thewoods. If you can get past the Drones thatsurround his place, you’d be the first.”

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

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

“Withouta 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 daythere were Suits.

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

“Kindadifficult, considering you exed all our options out!” Yukio retorted, calmingdown slower than Maverick had. “Noclinic. Can’t see your doctorfriend. We’re running out of optionshere!”

Mavericksaid nothing and only stared at Isabella, stroking her hand again. Yukio sighed in hopelessness and ran a handover his mouth in thought. They had toget Isabella to that doctor in the woods if not to the clinic. But Maverick was right, they couldn’t goanywhere in this country! Not withouthelp, anyway.

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

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

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

“I’mmeeting 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?”

“Ashard as my fist can smack into your face,” Maverick replied through clenchedteeth as he stood again and lifted a fist at him, threateningly but Yukiodidn’t flinch.

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

Mavericklowered his fist and looked back at the still unconscious Isabella.

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

Mavericksneered as he turned his back to Yukio defiantly, crossing his arms over hischest. Yukio just smirked and placed ahand on the man’s shoulder.

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

“You’dbe surprised,” Maverick muttered.

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

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

“Ifit’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’lldo that now,” Yukio nodded then stopped as he caught sight of some things he’dbrought from Maverick’s place. “Oh,hey! I got your notebook andthis…whatever it is.”

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

“Izzytold 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?”

Hisfingers! He’d forgotten that they werebroken at all. It seemed whenever he wasin trouble where he had to get through it quickly, he forgot about any injurieshe had. And, with Isabella around, heforgot about them even after thedanger was gone.

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

“CanI tell you something, Mave?” Yukio wondered and Maverick only gave a grunt ofapproval. “I don’t think I could’vefound anyone better for Izzy than you.”

Mavericklooked at him in surprise but he said nothing more as he shrugged and walkedaway to do something, leaving Maverick to turn back to Isabella and give asmall smirk.