22

03.00 a.m. March 25, 2085

Nicholas’s surgery turned out to be successful. He was declared stable, and Marianne was so relieved, she almost cried. Evan was whisked away to be treated and given rest. Vance, who Marianne had also brought in, seemed to be doing well, even though he was clearly pissed.

And so only Lisa and Jamie were left in a waiting room that early morning, seated side by side in their hard, blue plastic chairs.

Lisa let out a sigh, pushing strands away from her face.

“So it’s finally over, huh?” Jamie remarked.

“I hope so,” she murmured. “I hope you and Marianne destroyed everything.”

“Of course. We didn’t leave anything out.”

Lisa shrugged, silent.

“What happened to your headaches? It seems like you never get them anymore now.”

“I do, but not as much. And they’re hardly painful anymore.”

He smiled. “Seems like your brain’s kind of gotten used to them.”

Lisa nodded. She pressed her hands into her eyes, and Jamie asked, “You OK?”

“Yeah … I’m just really exhausted.”

“You should be glad we’re only exhausted, and don’t have any bullets in us.”

“I know. I am.”

“Yeah. If anything had happened to you, imagine – I’d have to go all the way to Troitan to find your family and tell them."

“And vice versa.”

Jamie shook his head, his curls bobbing. “No. My family wouldn’t really care.”

“That can’t be true, Jamie.”

“The only one who would have really cared is my mother. And she’s gone.”

“Your mother?” she asked carefully. “Where is she?”

“I don’t know. Somewhere in Solco City. She moved out a couple of years ago, after she couldn’t take me, my dad and my brothers anymore. She called us all irresponsible, said that none of us cared about her, and she deserved better.”

“Didn’t you stop her?”

“No. That’s the thing. It’s stupid when I think about it, but when you’re a kid …. I don’t know. You just care so much about your ego, you don’t tell people how you really feel.”

“I know,” she echoed quietly. “I understand.”

Jamie turned, gazing at her. “I really regret that, being so pig-headed. I’ve kind of learnt how to appreciate things since then, you know?”

She nodded mutely.

“You should, too. Your family sounds OK. Maybe you disagreed on stuff, but it sounds like they love you. You shouldn’t forget that.”

“I never would have thought you, of all people, would know how to give good advice.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, well.”

Lisa sighed tiredly, then without really thinking, dropped her head onto his shoulder. Jamie stayed still, not seeming to mind. In fact, a second later, he raised his arm and wrapped it around her back, holding her. They sat there like that for a while, then Marianne appeared from Nicholas's ward. She walked past them, heading for the vending machine.

Lisa paused, frowning, then turned up to look at Jamie. “Wow. Incredible.”

“What?”

“She walked right by us … and you didn’t even look at her.”

Jamie set his head back, laughing lightly. “Geez, Connors. You act like I’m in love with her.”

“You sure act that way.”

“No,” he went, sounding earnest, and amused. “I just think she’s hot. That’s all.”

Lisa swallowed, turning her face from him. He chuckled then, leaning over. “Oh my God. You were really jealous, weren’t you?”

“I was not,” she said hotly, but she knew she was blushing, and under those glaring hospital lights, he wouldn’t be able to miss it.

Jamie shifted then, another laugh sounding low in his throat. His hand went up, touching her chin and turning her face towards him. For just a second, they stared at each other, his puppy-brown eyes perfectly serious for once, his lips parted. He leaned over, pressing his mouth fully to hers.

Lisa was surprised, and more than a little embarrassed – they weren’t completely alone in the waiting room. But after a while, she became used to the kissing, and started to care less and less about their surroundings.

A minute later, though, Marianne walked past them again, and she grinned. Lisa pulled back, sheepish. But Jamie just smiled, running his fingers down her cheek.

No one should be alone, thought Lisa. And there’s no reason I should be.

---

Evan dedicated the rest of his life to the mageite cause. He never married.

Nicholas and Marianne went on to have kids, two daughters. After they were born, Marianne never again complained of being bored.

Vance recovered but was imprisoned on charges of unlicensed experimentation and attempted illegal testing on a human. His company, Vance Corp, shut down and was forgotten.

Lisa went back to the city of Troitan, where she reunited with her family and gave up showfighting to teach martial arts instead. Jamie went with her, trying out a variety of jobs before sticking to a place in a television studio. After five years together, he proposed to her, and they had a big white wedding. Nicholas and Marianne were there, and Evan became the best man.

For their honeymoon, Lisa and Jamie took a few weeks off … to go to the Alps.

---

Gilraen : Yes, it's over! I can't believe it, it was so fast. Hope you liked it, and thanks for being such a great reader. I'll be back with more stories though, so keep an eye out. Take care until then, love ya!