Jessica pulled up to the gate of Wabash and rolled down her window. One of the guards on duty walked over to her.
"Doctor Middleton, nice to see you again. You might not have heard, but Miss Blessing has moved to Equestria," the guard greeted.
She smiled at him. "I'm aware, Joe. I'm here to visit Jordan. She and I have been best friends for years. How's she doing?"
"Only saw her briefly when she came in yesterday evening, so I don't have much of an opinion yet. Word from the previous shifts is she kicked out a few visiting delegates earlier today, but most of them made it through the whole visit. Been pretty calm around here so far," Joe answered. He then pointed down the street. "I think there's some paparazzi camped out over there, trying to dig up dirt about the new mare in charge, likely taking your picture right now, but they've been keeping their distance and haven't tried anything stupid yet. We've spotted a few drones flying around the fence, but we can't do anything about those unless they cross the fence."
Her ears laid back as she looked at where he had indicated the people were camped out. She didn't see anyone, but he knew better than she did about that kind of thing. Having her picture taken and stuffed in some tabloid was annoying. Anyone who did any research would already know she and Jordan were longtime friends, and she was also a frequent guest at Wabash. Still, tabloid people would misrepresent anything, and most people wouldn't bother to do even a basic internet search to confirm whether what they were being told was true. If they did, they usually had no idea how to tell a reputable source from a bad one. She could only imagine what wild stories they might come up with. By tomorrow there might be an entire narrative lodged in people's minds about a deep-state conspiracy where NASA and partials did away with Sunset Blessing so they could eat children at Wabash Manor or something equally outlandish and nonsensical. People would believe the dumbest things.
She listened at the edges of her range but didn't hear anyone talking, at least not in the direction indicated. She still didn't see anyone, so they could be out of her field. She did hear the drones buzzing around, although it was hard to pinpoint exactly where they were. It was more than one drone by the sound of it, and there were likely more outside the range of her ears. There were some scattered heartbeats and breathing, but it was hard to pinpoint the location of those beyond Joe and the other guard at the gate.
Oh well, what would she do if she caught someone filming her? There wasn't much she could do. Confronting them could only go badly for her. Perhaps they wouldn't bother using footage of her. It was dark, and the picture couldn't be that great. They likely had nothing to use.
Power of positive thinking? Yeah, she didn't buy into that. It was time to accept that she would be implicated as part of some conspiracy.
"Alright, let me in, Joe. Jordan needs groceries, and she doesn't even know where Whole Foods is," Jessica said.
"Sure thing. Enjoy your visit, Doctor Middleton," Joe replied before waving to the other guard. "Let her through and signal the house that she's arriving."
Joe walked back to the gatehouse, and she waited for the gate to fully open before driving forward.
As she drove along the path, she looked out at the yard. It was surprising how high the grass had gotten over the past few years, completely overtaking the flower gardens that had previously been the highlight of the yard. There was still some earth pony in her, and the state of the flower beds saddened that part of her. They used to be very well kept back when Dry Soil, Hook Line, and Sinker took care of them. The garden had started falling back into dishevelment as the two elderly ponies had slowed down, and it had stopped getting care altogether when they passed away. Their graves were on the property, out by the chapel. They'd have had a fit if they saw it in this state. It was unlikely to get better anytime soon. Jordan was no gardener, Sinker was unwell, and if Auntie hadn't been paying for gardeners before she left, she certainly hadn't left Jordan funding for it. Auntie didn't trust random gardeners being at the property. Auntie didn't trust most people.
Maybe there was a weed wacker somewhere.
She pulled around the angel statue and stopped. Andrea had been at the front door, and the old crystal pony walked out to her as Jessica put the car in park and turned off the engine.
"If it isn't the big-shot scientist," Andrea greeted as Jessica exited her car. "Here to do a scientific investigation into how a pony can survive without a backbone? I'm sure Amicus would like to volunteer."
"Insults for your sister but not Jordan?" Jessica asked. "I guess Jordan made a good impression."
"Eh, I'm still trying to get a read on the filly. She gives me whiplash with how inconsistent she is when it comes to showing some spine," Andrea answered, shaking her head.
"She's only eighteen and hasn't been in a situation like this before. It would be a lot for someone much older," Jessica cautioned.
"You're nineteen and have more of a backbone. Does a year make that much difference?" Andrea countered.
"I've lived a very different life, and I've had to learn how to put on a brave face when I'm feeling anything but," Jessica answered. "Jordan's tougher than she looks. In terms of self-defense, aside from the Three Demons, she's the best of Tempest's students. I might be physically stronger and have my sound powers, but she can still kick my ass with ease. It should be safer here now that Auntie Sunset is gone, but just in case, Jordan's more than capable of defending herself."
"She doesn't have to worry about physically defending herself with me and the guards around, but most people don't need to worry about physical attacks anyway, and most people coming for her are coming with barbed tongues. She needs to learn to defend herself verbally and not give these creeps an inch," Andrea said.
"Jordan will be fine. Give her time," Jessica insisted. "Can I go in?"
Andrea stepped aside. "Be our guest, but don't expect any musical numbers. Oh, and keep your powers to yourself. I know they don't turn off, but I know when you're focusing with them. I'll down you just as fast as anybody else if you do."
Jessica looked at the inscription on the doorframe. "You always make people feel so welcome." She then headed inside.
She entered the mansion and looked around. The foyer looked the same as always, right down to the family portrait of Sunset Blessing and her adopted foals. The old unicorn had left everything behind. There were some new inscriptions around the doorways and on the banister of the stairwell, but they only made the place feel even more like her Auntie. A few guards stood off in corners, casually watching her.
"Jordan, I'm here. Where are you?" she called out. She wished she could try to search for her friend's heartbeat, but Andrea's threat was legitimate. It was uncertain if she could sort it out of the other heartbeats anyway.
"Miss Gilmore is in the bathroom, freshening up," one of the guards informed her.
"I guess I'll make myself at home then. Let her know I'll be in the rec room," she replied.
She walked to the rec room and looked at the doorway. There was a verse written on it.
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind
The verse felt Shimmerist in some way, though she was unsure how. Odd, considering how Auntie felt about Shimmerists. The door verse had been equally strange, considering most were unwelcome. These were all part of some puzzle; she was sure of it. The fact they were so hypocritical could be a coincidence or part of the puzzle. Curious as it all was, she would let the mystery continue to be just a bunch of unrelated pieces. Auntie's obsession with solving puzzles was not a trait they shared. If this was a math problem, it might be different, but this was some convoluted mess of a security system that her Auntie, in her arrogance and audacity, decided to give clues on how to bypass, despite that being completely illogical. Jessica had no interest in untwisting Auntie's machinations.
The rec room was the same as she remembered, down to Líng's posters of sexy mares and Méng's mini-arcade. The snack platters set out for Jordan's guests were still sitting on the table half-filled with food.
The television was on with commentators having moved on from discussing Auntie to discussing a bill about diverting rains from the next hurricane season to the midwest instead of the southwest in hopes of replenishing water there after more than a century of gross mismanagement of the aquifers. The arguments mainly centered around how much the federal government should be allowed to regulate the states on their groundwater use, but also with New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada protesting giving up the rains to the Great Plains states at all after how badly water had been managed there previously–basically saying the Great Plains states had made their bed and should sleep in it instead of being bailed out. In the Great Plains and the Southwest, rain and the water that came with it meant the difference between life and death as both regions faced being consumed by the desert. Recent rain policies had given new life to the southwest, but most agreed that the Great Plains desperately needed help soon, or in a few decades, it would begin to become a desert to rival the Sahara. State governments tried their best to bring rain to the plains with pegasi, but they were only working with local water, and it was not enough–and interfering with rains elsewhere. Wild Growth was currently passionately speaking about establishing a national weather management system and cabinet position separate from the Department of Interior, not surprising considering Wild Growth was an outspoken environmentalist. Jessica never paid much attention to these debates because they presumed the Devourers weren't coming or weren't coming soon. The environment was important, but it was more critical to worry about the doom on their doorstep than the doom still down the street—one thing at a time.
She was on vacation and determined not to worry about any of it until she had gotten sufficient time to relax and breathe, even as the clock continued to tick-tock without a stop. A few days to enjoy life with friends and family wasn't much to ask after years of tireless service.
To pass the time while waiting for Jordan and not wanting to worry about the news, she walked over to one of the arcade games at random and started playing. After five minutes of watching her fighter get helplessly murdered, murdered again, and then dismembered in an impossible way, she determined that maybe Mortal Kombat was not the arcade game for her. It never made sense to her why ponies would happily play such games when most ponies found violence deeply disturbing. Did digitizing it make it acceptable?
"Jessie!"
She barely had time to turn around before Jordan had mounted her legs, wrapping forelegs around them.
Jessica touched Jordan's head with the palm of her hand. "Hello, Jor. It's good to see you again. You do know we're going to a grocery store, not a club, right? You don't need all the jewelry and makeup. It looks good, but it seems a bit much. I like the braid of your mane too."
Jordan released her and sighed. "If only the stallions would notice that stuff. The jewelry is kinda mandatory. All of Auntie's defenses require me to wear this piece of jewelry or that piece of jewelry–well, two earrings and a necklace, anyway, and one of the earrings doesn't do anything. She had a master necklace that did all of it, but nobody seems to know where that is–probably in a vault. I figured that if I need to wear them, I might as well go all out."
"And what do they circumvent exactly?" Jessica asked, curious.
Jordan pointed to her ear. "This thing lets me teleport while on the property without teleporting to my doom. The necklace lets me do advanced spellcasting. I don't know what qualifies as advanced in Auntie's book, but apparently, if you try to do anything too complicated while on the property, it can go haywire and fail without this necklace."
Jessica shook her head. "Auntie loves her security. I wanted nothing to do with it. I'm glad you're here, but I don't envy you having this place. You're tough, though, and I'm sure you'll do fine."
Jordan looked away. "I'm not that tough. The Demons beat me all the time during the training sessions with Tempest–it wasn't even close, and you had to save me back during the Cataclysm."
"Jordan, stop it," Jessica said firmly. "Comparing you fighting to one of the Demons is completely unfair because everyone loses to them in a physical fight–they can even beat Tempest, and she trained them. That you could even hold your own against them for any period is extremely impressive, and as for me saving you–I was six, and you were five. We aren't little foals anymore. You could barely get your horn to even spark back then. You started doing bodyguard work in eighth grade to protect Auntie's granddaughter, and Auntie, who trusts no one, trusted you with Drizzle's life. You've also never gotten below a B in school in your life. You're intelligent and capable, and you should stop putting yourself down."
"You never made a B," Jordan countered.
Jessica looked left and right before bending down to whisper. "You're right, but don't tell my mom that I made a C as an undergrad in Art History."
Jordan raised an eyebrow at her. "You made a C?"
Jessica nodded. "Yep, it ruined my perfect 4.0 GPA. It was an elective, but it was the most stressful elective I've ever taken. I barely passed the class. Worse than that, it's a subject that my mom cares about. I'm the only member of my family who almost failed at something art related. Don't tell her."
Jordan giggled. "Your deep dark secret is safe with me. I guess we should get going."
"Let's do that," Jessica agreed.
"That over there is Coors Field," Jessica informed, pointing at the stadium while stopped at a light. "The Rockies baseball team plays there, and they do some events like concerts there during the offseason."
"Oh, do they go to the Super Bowl a lot?" Jordan asked.
"Uh, wrong sport. It's called the World Series with baseball, and no, they never go. Physics is not on their side. I could give you a detailed explanation of why they have difficulty winning games, even with great players. I doubt you would be interested in the details about air pressure and gravity, so I won't go into it," Jessica said. "I'm told their games are still fun to watch. The most exciting games in baseball."
"I have heard of the team. Drizzle had season tickets, even for away games. I was told they gave her season tickets for life after someone dressed as their mascot tried to kidnap her," Jordan said. "She says they had to change the design of the mascot and everything because they felt so bad it had been associated with a foalnapping. I suppose that it isn't good press to have kids think of your mascot as a monster that steals kids away in the night."
"I was in the manor when that happened," Jessica replied as the light turned green, and they started again. "I remember when Auntie finally got her back that Drizzle was scared of the purple dinosaur plushie she had gotten before that. It was heartbreaking to see."
Her phone started ringing, and she tapped it to answer it. "Doctor Jessica Middleton speaking, who's this?"
"Doctor Middleton! Thank goodness we got ahold of you. We were unsure you were on call since you didn't appear in our visiting doctor listings. We need your help. Mark has escaped his room, and we can't find him. We've checked the cameras, but we only saw his escape from the room. We're at a complete loss on how he could be evading us. The notes said he trusts you. Can you help us find him?"
"I think there's been a mistake. You know I'm not a medical doctor, right?" Jessica asked in disbelief.
"You aren't?" the nurse asked. "The notes that the other shifts left say you spent a great deal of time with him. Are you a psychiatrist?"
"I'm a physicist!" Jessica exclaimed.
"Physical therapy? Okay, well, that's still fine. We need you down here. Please, we're begging here. Mark could be in trouble or get hurt," the nurse said.
Why did people have to be so stupid? It wasn't her looking down on others for not being as bright as her, right? This nurse was stupid. Still…Mark had grown on her, and the thought he may be in trouble was enough to give her pause.
"I'll see what I can do. Give me another call if there is any update," Jessica replied, then hung up.
"Is Mark the partial kid?" Jordan asked.
"Yeah," Jessica answered. "Jordan, I know it's asking a lot, but do you mind if we do a detour, a big detour?"
Jordan smiled. "Jessie, I have nothing better to do, and I'm another set of eyes to help look. Groceries can wait, but are you going to get in trouble for letting them think you are a medical professional?"
"Their fault for thinking that," Jessica answered. "Thanks for this. I'll make it up to you."
"It's no trouble. I want to be a teacher. What kind of teacher doesn't try to help kids?" Jordan asked.
"I don't think this is the helping kids that teachers do," Jessica said doubtfully. "I'm still happy to have you along for the ride."
Her phone started ringing again. She sighed and answered. Maybe they'd found him, and there was no need to go help.
"Doctor-" She began.
"Jessie, Mark's gone missing! Can you help me find him? He trusts you, and you can focus on his heartbeat."
"I'm already headed there, Dad. They called me, begging for help," she replied. "Are you heading there?"
"Yes, thank you. I've got to get going. I'll see you shortly." He hung up.
"This is kinda exciting," Jordan said, practically hopping in her seat, or at least as much as a pony could while in a seat harness.
They almost made it to the interstate exit before the light turned red. The fastest way to the hospital was at the next interstate exit. Traffic was surprisingly light; she was unsure why.
"Small kid stuck in a big scary building, sound familiar?" Jordan asked.
Jessica frowned. "Yeah, I suppose it does."
Being the most logical place to start their search, they headed to the nurses' station next to Mark's room. The pony nurse was off duty, and a human was on duty. It made sense. Ponies tended not to stay up late and rarely worked overnight shifts. Night ponies were an exception to this, but they were neck and neck with crystal ponies as the smallest tribe, and there simply not enough of them that you would see shifts full of night ponies overnight–even in professions that night ponies tended to gravitate towards, which surprisingly included medical care.
The nurse gave her a suspicious look as she and Jordan approached the station.
"Can I help you…miss?" the nurse asked as Jessica reached the station with Jordan still tailing her.
"I believe you called me. I'm Doctor Jessica Middleton," Jessica replied. "Mark is still missing?"
The nurse blinked. "You're a partial?" The nurse's eyes narrowed. "Is this some kind of joke? Get out of here before I call the cops. How low do you have to be to try to impersonate a doctor? You're lucky Doctor Middleton isn't here yet, or I'm sure they'd prosecute you."
Jessica's ears flattened, and her tail flicked.
"Hey! You can't talk to my best friend like that!" Jordan yelled. "This is Doctor Middleton. You just called her!"
The nurse bent over the edge of the station and waved her finger at Jordan. "Is this your idea then? Some college prank? This is a hospital, filly; we don't do pranks here!"
Jessica bit her tongue as she reached into her purse and rustled around in it until she found what she was looking for. She then put her faculty ID from the college and her driver's license in front of the nurse.
"These will clear up my identity," Jessica said with forced calm. "As I tried to explain on the phone, I'm not a medical doctor; I'm a physicist. That is a doctor of physics. I understand you must have gone to school in Florida or something, and therefore lack a basic understanding of what that is and lack the capability of counting over twenty because you have run out of fingers and toes–unless you're inbred and have a different number. Physics is a science, the study of the behavior and properties of matter and energy. I have doctorates in both math and physics. Being a doctor of math, I can do complicated math that would baffle your mind, like long-division."
The nurse's face reddened. "I don't care who the fuck you are, partial freak. You do not talk to-"
"Jessie! You're already here!"
She looked back and saw her dad exiting the elevator.
"And she's leaving before I call security!" the nurse yelled.
"Calling security because I insulted you?" Jessica scoffed. "You small-minded, bigoted-"
"Maybe we should go," Jordan piped in. "I don't think we're wanted."
"Got that right," the nurse snarled.
Her dad lividly advanced to the station. "She's not going anywhere. Mark missing is a social services issue, and I called her to help track him down because you weren't doing your job. If you don't want me and my office making as big a deal about you failing to watch an endangered child to your administration as I should be, you will give us what information you know and let us search for him."
The nurse glared at him for several seconds, eyes occasionally flicking to Jessica with contempt, before finally sitting down.
"He exited his room two hours ago. We have not seen him on camera for any of the elevators–not that he could reach the buttons anyway, and the other nurse on duty is currently checking the other rooms on the hall."
Her dad grunted. "Jessie, you can start searching. Jordan…nice to see you again…you can search as well. You might want to split up to cover more ground. I'll review the camera feeds."
Jessica stiffly nodded and started towards Mark's room. It was as good a place as any to begin the search.
"Are you okay?" Jordan asked, hurrying to keep up with her.
"We were supposed to split up to cover more ground. Following me isn't splitting up," Jessica replied.
Jordan came up beside her. "I know, but I wanted to know if you were okay. That lady was way out of line. To be fair, what you said was out of line too, but that lady had it coming. So…are you okay?"
"I don't want to talk about it right now," Jessica answered. She then stopped, sighed, and looked at her friend. "We can talk later, I promise, but let's focus on Mark for right now."
Jordan's ears sagged. "Okay, but I'm going to hold you to that." She then turned and headed in the opposite direction.
She entered Mark's room. There were some toys laid out on the floor. Her dad had said something about bringing Mark some toys. They didn't look played with, at least as far as she could tell, and she could be wrong.
Stupid nurse. She doesn't want to believe a partial can amount to anything. I'm as human as she is and far more capable. Jessica thought to herself.
She reached down and picked up a teddy bear from the toys. It was a simple bear with a red scarf. It reminded her of her bear that she had since she was an infant. She still slept with it, even after all these years.
I bet that nurse wasn't paying attention to you because she thought you were incapable. She probably didn't care enough to pay attention. She only cares now because she can get in trouble for this. You deserve better. We deserve better. she thought at the toy, using it as a stand-in for Mark.
Still holding the bear, she listened to the room. There were no heartbeats or breathing in the room other than her own. Mark might be able to hold his breath, but he couldn't stop his heart. He wasn't in the room. On a whim, she listened to the nurses' station. The nurse was showing her dad the camera feeds, listing off times and locations. She'd half-expected him to be chewing the nurse out, but he seemed to be keeping his focus on Mark. Part of her resented that he wasn't telling off the nurse, but she forced that part down. Mark was what mattered right now.
Listening to the other rooms from here was pointless. She could focus on one room at a time from here, but she didn't know Mark's heartrate and breathing like she knew members of her family. Hearing a heartbeat meant nothing. This was a hospital; there were hundreds of people here.
She left the room, still carrying the bear, and walked to the door of the next room. Two sources of heartbeats were inside. She opened the door and peeked in–two beds occupied by patients. She shut the door and moved on to the next. The nurse was standing away from her station, arms crossed, staring at her. Jessica flicked her tail. Did the nurse think she would do something to the patients or steal something?
The next room had no heartbeats, so she moved on. The room after that had one, and a quick inspection showed a pony in bed. She continued room by room, checking to see if any rooms had any heartbeats that couldn't be accounted for by the patients within. It took her only five minutes to check all the rooms along the hall. The nurse was still watching her, and Jordan could be seen on the other wing of the ward exiting a room. The nurse wasn't paying Jordan any attention, only her. Jessica squeezed the teddy bear in her hand.
Another nurse came around the corner, looking flustered. She didn't pay Jessica any attention.
"No sign of the kid in the burn ward or burn ward lobby. Nobody's been there except the staff and three patients for hours, not since Doctor Taylor made his last round. Cameras confirm it," the nurse announced to the nurse watching Jessica.
Jessica headed to the stairwell. Once the door was shut behind her, she headed over to one of the stairs and sat down to collect herself. She would do Mark no good and overlook things if she let her emotions run too wild.
"You're better than this. You have no time for this. You shouldn't let one bigot get under your skin so easily," she scolded herself, starting to cry.
Why was she so emotional lately? It was embarrassing. Worse, her frayed emotions made it harder to keep her powers in check. She was starting to get bombarded by all the sounds of the hospital again. She huddled forward, hugging the teddy as she cried and tried to focus. Sound pushed down on her, a constant roar in her ears that made it impossible to find herself.
Then, it stopped as a familiar person snuggled against her.
She looked down, and there Mark was, right beside her. He must have been hiding out in the staircase or trapped in the stairwell, unable to reach the door handles. The only way he could have gotten in here is if he had snuck in when someone else had used it. How had they not noticed him? Actually, she knew the answer to that. He was very tiny and could move very quickly and silently. All it would take was a human paying more attention to their phone than anything, and he could easily slip through undetected.
He must have noticed she had stopped crying because he looked up at her. His eyes were bloodshot, and his face was wet. He had to have been crying as well up until recently. There was no fear in his eyes, just pleading.
"Scared," Mark said in his typical quiet voice. He then looked back at the door. "Bad."
Her ears flattened, and she forced her face from hardening. Had that nurse said or done something to him? It could be that he overheard her say something or just picked up on her disgust of partials. Kids could be very perceptive.
"I know," she replied. She looked back at the door as well. "I know."
He snuggled even tighter against her. She offered him the teddy bear that he'd previously ignored when her dad had offered it, and he took it, grabbing it with both hands and locking both arms around it. The bear was small, but it was almost the same size as he was.
She couldn't let anyone barge in on them, so she reached out with her powers. Jordan she wasn't able to sort out from all the other sounds, but she found the familiar heartbeat and breathing of her dad.
"I found him. You can let Jordan know too. We're in the stairwell, but can you give us a few minutes? We both need some time." she said to his ears only.
She heard him sigh with relief. "Yeah, take your time. Is he unhurt?"
"He seems to be uninjured, but he's scared. I could be wrong or projecting, but I think he picked up on what the nurse feels about partials. He's scared of them more than the others."
Her dad was silent for a few seconds, and she could imagine him cursing the nurses in his head.
"Understood. I'll see what can be done," her dad replied. She kept listening to him for a few more seconds, but he started talking to the nurse, and she had no interest in hearing any more of that woman, so she stopped listening.
She laid a hand on Mark. He flinched at it but then settled again.
"You know, we can't stay in on the stairs forever," she told him.
"I want to go home," he replied.
She blinked. That was a sentence. She hadn't gotten a sentence out of him before.
"I'm sorry, but that's impossible," she said softly. "Your grandma isn't there, so there's no one to care for you. You remember being alone, right?"
He didn't immediately reply and seemed to grip the teddy bear tighter.
"You come home with me," he proposed.
She shook her head. "I can't go and live at your home. I have my own home."
"I come to your home," he gave as an alternate proposal.
Her first objection that came to mind was she would be too busy to take care of him, but if her task with the Dreamwardens indeed was coming to an end, she did have the time. The next objection was more valid.
"I'm only going to have one bedroom; I'll have nowhere for you to stay," she countered. It was also unlikely that she'd be allowed to let him stay with her even if the lack of room wasn't an issue. She'd lamented for years that it was unlikely she'd be allowed to adopt because no one wanted to entrust a child to a partial, no matter how successful the partial.
He started to cry again, and her heart broke at the sight of it. She rubbed his ears to try to calm him. That trick helped with ponies, and it helped with her when she begrudgingly allowed it; hopefully, it would help with him. He didn't stop her or flinch away, but he didn't stop crying, either.
"They're going to get you out of here and take you somewhere nice people will take care of you. There'll be other ki-"
She stopped and thought. The foster parents being kind was no guarantee, and kids, even usually good kids, could be exceptionally cruel. He couldn't deal with anyone but her at the moment, and he was expected to adjust right away to new caregivers and kids who would quickly take his silence as another thing to label him as different and not to be liked? How others perceived her made her upset enough to cry, and she was an adult who had dealt with this for years. How was he expected to deal with it?
"Do you remember the man who brought you those toys?" she asked. "He brought me to see you the first time."
He nodded but said nothing. At least, she was fairly sure it was a nod. It was hard to tell with him gripping the teddy like that.
"He's my dad. He's a nice man. He wants to help you. If he asks you some questions, can you try to answer?" she asked.
He didn't answer her.
"Will it help if I stay with you while he asks you questions?" she asked.
He stayed still and stopped crying. "Yes."
She smiled. "It's okay if you don't know the answers to his questions. If you don't know an answer, just say, dunno, but please try to answer if you can. This is to help you. Okay?"
"Okay."
That was the best answer she was going to get from him. She reached out to her dad.
"Dad, you can come into the stairwell. I know your priority is getting him safely back to his room, but he might answer your questions, at least while I'm sitting here with him. I'd advise coming by yourself."
"I'm coming," he answered.
She touched Mark's head again. "My dad is coming. Would you feel safer in my lap?"
He didn't say anything, but he tried to climb into her lap. Unfortunately for him, that was hard to do while gripping the teddy. She helped him, and he didn't resist. When he was in her lap, he curled up tightly again with the bear. It was then that the door opened, causing Mark to flinch, but he didn't flee.
Her dad came and sat down on the stair beside them. "It looks like at least one of the toys I brought you is appreciated. Hello again, Mark; I'm Mr. Middleton, but you can call me Paul."
Mark didn't reply. Then again, there'd been no question asked.
"This is also the first time I've seen you in person," her dad continued. "I'll only ask you a few questions. I know you're being brave just letting me talk to you. Do you know where your parents are?"
"D-dunno," Mark replied.
"When did you last see your parents," her dad asked.
"No p-parents," Mark answered nervously.
Jessica rubbed his ears. "It's okay. You're doing great."
Her dad nodded. "Is there anyone, other than your grandma, who ever visited you?"
Mark jerked his head up. "Where's grandma?"
Her dad blinked, and he looked down. "This will be hard to hear, but I'll be honest with you. She's unwell. She's been asleep for a long time and hasn't woken up. We don't know if she will wake up. She might never be able to take care of you again."
Mark huddled even tighter.
"We can take you to her so that you can see her.. Do you want to see her?" her dad asked.
"Yes," Mark answered.
Her dad looked at her. "You'll need to carry him and keep a hold on him. We don't want him running off. I am pushing things even doing this, but he deserves to see her. We'll make no progress with him if he doesn't understand she is in a coma."
Jessica looked down at the small form in her lap. "Mark, is it okay for me to carry you if I take you to your grandma?"
"Yes," Mark answered.
Her dad stood up. "Okay, let's go see your grandma."