Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Reasons for Running

Chapter 2:

Reason For Running

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The steady sound of the medical equipment filled the room as Jace sat next to the hospital bed. Holding in his hands the hand of the one most precious to him. His mother, Delilah.

"Hey, Mom," Jace spoke quietly, his words soft, "I don't know if you can hear me, but...I got the money for the month. Heh, just barely..."

The sound outside the room caught his attention as he heard the footsteps of the doctor approach. Turning, he saw an older, stocky man in a white, sleek scrub. His balding hair and cybernetic brown eyes showed his age with the slight wrinkles around them. His dark skin weathered, yet he had a kindly expression as he smiled.

"Jace...this is the nurse who's going to be taking care of your mother from now on," He motioned to the young woman with soft brown hair tied back in a tight bun. Long, pointy ears ran along the side of her head, "She's-"

"Marian," she said curtly, cutting off the doctor's words.

Her sharp, grey-blue eyes pierced him. A bad feeling coursed through him in that moment. The slightly golden undertones to her skin told him what she was. High Elf.

"Something wrong?" Marian asked sharply.

"Yes," Jace replied, turning back to his mother, "Get me another nurse."

"Jace, that's-" The Doctor spoke up, but once again was interrupted.

"You can't afford another one," Marian said blankly, "You still owe for-"

"Excuse me?" Jace rounded on her, the power inside thrumming, only the hold on his mother's hand kept him calm, "I paid in full for this month. The hell do you mean I still owe?"

"A-About that, Jace..." The Doctor's face seemed crestfallen as he placed a hand on his shoulder, "There's been a few changes, and-"

"The hell do you mean, changes," Shrugging off his hand, Jace glared down the two of them, "I-"

His mother's hand twitched, squeezing his hand in the depths of her coma. Remembering the words she spoke so often. "Breath, Jace. It'll be alright. Think, and talk. I love you, you hotheaded child of mine." An image of her bright smile passed through him then.

"...Let's talk elsewhere," Jace sighed, standing as he put his mother's hand and arm underneath her blanket carefully, "I don't want to discuss this in front of her...or do I not pay enough for even that?"

Shooting a glare at Marian, he saw a bit of a crack in her snobbish demeanor.

"...Come this way," Marian responded softly, and Jace followed them both into a small, private room.

"So...Tell me what's going on," Jace folded his arms as he leaned against the wall, "What changes?"

"Upper management," The Doctor told him, "They've increased the fees...again."

"Of course they did...fucking bastards," Jace muttered to himself, glancing at Marian who had been silent so far, "No quips this time?"

"...No," Marian said curtly, "I am told that I come off as harsh when I do not mean to. I often forget."

"Is that so?" It wasn't unheard of, as Jace himself was hotheaded and often snapped when he didn't mean to, "Fine...whatever. So, Doc, tell me...how much more do I owe?"

"Jace..." The Doctor was sympathetic, but he knew that the amount Jace owed now would be near impossible. He tried his best to figure out how best to tell him.

"Just tell me," Jace sped him along, narrowing his eyes, "Ten thousand? Twenty? How much?"

"....A hundred," The Doc responded somberly.

Jace stared blankly at the doc, something the doctor was worried about. There was no way Jace could afford it, but he felt bad for the kid. He got to know him really well over the years. He became a doctor to help people, but instead he crushed them. Took them for all they were worth, and he didn't have a choice.

"Jace, we can-"

"I'll get it," Jace responded before the doctor could say more, "Thanks, Gerard. Doc...I...I'll get it. End of the month or?"

"...The week," Gerard told him, a grim tone to his voice.

"Of course it is..." Jace looked towards the girl, Marian, "Please, take care of her the best you can until then."

Jace's words were the softest and most kind they've been since he addressed her. They caught her off-guard, a light red entering her ears as her eyes slightly widened in surprise. The only thing she could do was nod and agree.

"Of course...That's my job," She stated, but she knew she'd do the best she could, for in that moment she saw a vulnerability to this kid, and it stirred in her the Hippocratic oath she once swore. A surprise for her to be sure.

Turning, Jace was stopped with a large hand on his shoulder by Doctor Gerard.

"Jace...if you can't make it, we can work something out," He was sympathetic, and wanted to help as best he could.

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"Just make sure she keeps her room until I return," Jace smiled, but behind it the doctor saw the pain as he shrugged off his hand once more and walked from the room.

"Fucking bastards...playing with people's lives," Jace's thoughts were dark, but he couldn't blame Gerard, or even Marian. They held no power. Many times, Gerard helped Jace and his mother. He was a kind, good man in a shit system. Steeling himself, Jace put up his hood and began his music. He had work to do.

-----

"Mana Degeneration," Gerard shook his head as he took the vitals of Delilah, "Kid blames himself."

"Why?" Marian asked objectively, "Mana Degeneration only happens when-"

"There's contaminated mana. Yeah, I know," Gerard snapped more than he intended, and so he bowed his head in apology, "Sorry, it's..."

"It's alright," Marian dismissed, knowing people often found her cold and uncaring, "I didn't mean to come across as if I didn't care. I took the same oath as you."

Nodding to her, Gerard returned to his work as he checked the progress of the disease on her arm. Carefully and gently examining it.

"How long as she been like this?" Marian asked as she helped.

"Seven years," Gerard sighed, respectfully returning her arm under the covers, "Kids father was abusive. Took it out on him and his mother. A drunk."

"You know a lot about them," Marian noted, looking up at the doctor, "Almost close."

"Could say that. As a doctor one should know their patients," Gerard eyed Marian who nodded in agreement. A smile came over his face then, pensive of the past, "They've been seeing me for long before now. I was in family medicine."

"What happened?"

"Me? Wanted to help," Gerards tone was grim as he continued his check, "Kid's father went too far. Near killed her when the kid lashed out, only...it wasn't with his fists. The backlash and over flux of magic had an inadvertent affect."

"Magical Overflow..." Marian muttered, looking at the woman before her.

Beautiful golden hair cut short to better maintain it, pale skin and slightly emaciated. Her veins shown through, completely black. Mana Degeneration is a rare disease that happens when you're exposed to high levels of concentrated mana, but the most common is exposure to corrupted mana. Almost like radiation poisoning. Only proper treatment could save you.

"But that wouldn't have caused Mana Degeneration," Marian concluded, to which Gerard agreed, "Even if his mana had been building...unless it was somehow corrupt?"

"No, his wasn't corrupt," He shook his head, "His father, on top of being a drunk, was a Mana Stimmer. When the kid lashed out to save his mother..."

He made a gesture with his hands indicating a collision followed by an explosion. Marian understood. The real mana had collided with the fake. Attempted to destroy it or assimilate it. Since it was fake mana, it was easy to corrupt. The ensuing fallout caused his mother to contract it.

"What of the kids father? He survive?" Marian asked as she finished her checklist.

"Unfortunately," The Doctor finished his rounds as well, making his way around the bed, "Though, incarcerated. Not for the abuse, but the use of illegal mana stims."

He seemed angry, and Marian felt like she understood a bit of why. As a doctor, one often cares for lives. To see it be disregarded while the use of the drug wasn't would upset anyone, except her.

At least, it shouldn't have.

As she took one last look at the kids' mother, she was reminded of the words he said to her, and the look upon his face. They were ones of genuine love. No hidden motives. No agenda. He had simply asked her to take care of his mother.

At the time, she had even blushed at the sudden genuine nature. Something she was not used to in her life, and something she had quickly quelled. Still, she had been caught off-guard. Just like then, she felt a twang in her heart. She had heard so many stories similar to this in her time, so why was it that this one moved her heart when all others didn't?

"Will the kid make it?" Marian asked quietly.

"Jace? I won't lie. I'm worried, but..." The Doctor rubbed his chin in thought as a warm, yet pained smile appeared on his face, "Yeah, he'll make it. He somehow always does...it'll be the death of him, though."

"What do you mean?"

"Seven years, I said," Gerard reminisced, "That's how long she's been here. Five years of that she's been in the coma. For two years she brightened this entire ward. She could find laughter and happiness even in the darkest of times."

"Doctor?" Marian asked, confused by his sudden explanation, "I asked-"

"I know what you asked," Gerard interrupted, standing before the door out, "Jace has worked nonstop for those seven years. She often got after him for working too hard...But he won't stop. That's how much she means to him. Guilt, love...maybe a mixture of both. Marian..."

Rounding on her, he placed a gentle, yet firm hand on her shoulder. His eyes holding an intensity.

"I know he asked you, but now I am," Gerard leveled with her, "No matter what...make sure she stays in this room. Even if he's late. Understand?"

"But that's-" Marian's words stopped half-way out of her mouth as she saw the look on his face, "...Very well, but it's on your head."

A satisfied smile spread across his face as he agreed. A few more questions later, she found out that Jace was a runner, and as they left, she began to understand a bit more. Part of her even cheering for the kid. An oddity that surprised her.

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