Fear the Night
Chapter 16-The Heartless

Chapter 16: The Heartless

“Shedoesn’t have a concussion,” Joshua explained to the three as the sun began toset. “She’s just unconscious. She’ll wake up when she’s ready. In the meantime, I put some ointment on thebump on her head to cut the swelling and when she finally wakes up, I’ll giveher some tea for her headache.”

“So,she’s in a coma?” Natalie shuddered, gripping Yukio’s arm. He yanked his arm away and wrapped it aroundher shoulders.

“Notexactly,” Joshua replied. “Trust me,you’d have known if she was in a coma.”

Thethree sighed in relief as Natalie hugged Yukio around the waist and Joshualooked to Maverick as he leaned back on his desk across the room.

“She’sonly unconscious?” he inquired and Joshua nodded.

“Thinkof it as a deep sleep,” he suggested. “Certainly not life threatening, but hard to wake up from.”

“Canyou tell when she’ll wake up?” Yukio wondered and Joshua raised a brow at him.

“I’ma doctor, not a fortuneteller,” he replied. “She’ll wake up when she wakes up.” He looked out the door then headed toward it, saying, “In the meantime,you three had better stay here. It’s toolate to go anywhere now.”

“Doyou have enough room?” Maverick wondered as Joshua shut the front door andlocked it.

“Youcan have your old room, Maverick,” he answered. “Yukio and Natalie can have the guest room. Or, you and Yukio can share your room and thelady can stay in the guest room.”

“I’mstaying with Yukio!” Natalie replied instantly, holding on a little tighter tohim. “I promise I won’t go wonderinganywhere without him.”

“Learnedyour lesson, did you?” Maverick smirked, shoving off the table and headingtoward the hall. Yukio shot a glare athim as Natalie buried her face into his chest at the memory of the cave.

“Don’ttalk to her like that!” he snarled and Maverick stopped to glare back at him asYukio turned himself toward him, Natalie still attached to him. “She’s not like you! You shouldn’t joke about it when she couldhave been killed!” Yukio hugged her alittle tighter. “She could have beenkilled, just like Izzy could’ve been killed by those Suits! After you take her away, I wouldn’t have had anyone if Natalie had died! Two of the greatest things in my life couldhave died, and you sit there and ask if one of them has ‘learned herlesson’?! Do you have no heart?!”

Thatwas all Maverick could take. He marchedtoward the younger man and Joshua stepped in to pull Natalie away as Maverickgrabbed Yukio’s collar to pull him to his face.

“Noheart?” he echoed through clenched teeth. “You tell me I have no heart after I saved your girl?! After I saw Faye lying dead on the floor andnearly died myself because even though she was a Drone I had some strange bondwith her?! After---?!”

Hestopped and looked at Isabella, still unconscious on the couch and shoved Yukioaway as he looked back at him.

“Iprobably didn’t have one beforemeeting you guys, but after meeting Isabella…apparently I grew one. So, what do youwant from me, Yukio? An apology? I’m sorry we’re in this situation. I’m sorry I dragged all of you into this andI am especially sorry that Bell was knocked out andalmost killed by a damn Suit. There, nowI’m going to bed.”

Mavericksighed in exhaustion, glancing at Isabella once more then turning to the halland walking toward his room, he disappeared through the door as Yukio, Natalieand Joshua watched him. Natalie ran backto Yukio who looked at Joshua over his shoulder just in time for her to latchonto his arm.

“Didhe mean any of that?” he asked and Joshua raised a brow at him then headedtoward the hall himself.

“Ifyou believe him, then he was tellingthe truth,” he said. “He’s not a verygood liar. I’ll prepare the guest roomfor you two.”

“Thankyou,” Natalie called as she and Yukio still stood in the middle of theroom. She let go of Yukio’s arm and saton the couch with Isabella.

“Doyou believe him?” she asked, meekly and he looked at her as she met his gaze.

Did he believe him? Itwas hard to say. Maybe what he had saidabout Maverick not having a heart was a bit harsh? He hadbeen surprised and seemingly devastated when he saw Faye dead, but the way hehad killed one before their first night there had frightened Yukio. He’d done it with such a straight face, butwith each slam of the door, all Yukio had seen was anger and hatred. It was almost as if Maverick had been a Drone.

Yukiolooked to Isabella lying peacefully on the couch and realized, as much asMaverick had that anger and hate in him for Drones, he had feelings forIsabella. If he hadn’t, they wouldn’thave been where they were now. He did believe him, and realized he wasjust as scared as any of them, he just hid it with his anger and hate.

“I’llbe right back,” he told Natalie and headed toward the hall but she stood andcaught his arm before he walked completely away from her.

“Wait!”she breathed. “What are you doing?!”

“Don’tworry,” he smiled reassuringly and ran a finger softly down her cheek. “I’m just gonna talk to Mave. You sit with Izzy for a while.”

Hekissed her cheek and headed down the hall just as Joshua was walking out of theguest room.

“MissKeith,” he called. “Would you mindhelping me bolt the windows?”

Yukiofrowned in wonder at the man but shrugged as Natalie replied to the doctor andhe only headed to the door Maverick had disappeared through. He knocked as he leaned on the doorframe.

“What?”Maverick grumbled through the door.

“It’sthe Greenhorn,” Yukio called back with a smirk. “Open up.”

“Why?”Maverick wondered and the younger man could hear the indignation in his voice.

“‘CauseI wanna talk,” Yukio replied and waited when he heard shuffling in theroom. The door opened so Maverick couldlean on the door frame opposite Yukio so he could face him.

“Alright,”he nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. “Talk.”

“I’msorry about the, ‘You have no heart’ comment,” Yukio said immediately. “I should’ve known better after seeing theway you are with Izzy.”

Maverickglanced at him but said nothing.

“So,after Izzy wakes up, what are we gonna do?” Yukio wondered.

“Onething at a time, kid,” Maverick replied. “Let’s get Bellto wake up first, then we’ll worryabout what we’ll do. Why don’t you getsome rest?”

“You’renot still mad, are you?” Yukio wondered and Maverick chuckled, patting him onthe shoulder.

“Nah,I can’t stay mad at ya too long, Greenhorn,” Maverick smirked. “Go get some sleep, and tell that littleheiress of yours to get some sleep too.”

“Idon’t think she’ll sleep after what happened earlier,” Yukio replied andstarted down the hall but Maverick had more to say.

“Hey,kid,” he called and Yukio stopped and turned to face him. “That’ll be the last time I call you‘Greenhorn’.”

“Thanks,Mave,” Yukio smirked and continued down the hall, waving as he did. Maverick scoffed and shut the door to hisroom and waited for everyone to go to bed. He wouldn’t get any sleep tonight.