"..hh..hh..(sneeze).." the kid cried "..Mom....ple..ase...help... Mom..."
Louige saw the crying kid curling on the bench, all trembling in fear. He looked around for the teacher but he can't catch sight of it. He went around the bench and brought the kid to his arms. He placed his head on his shoulder.
"Hey kid? Are you alright?" Louige asked. But, Markus just kept sobbing, " You are cold all over your body. Are you having a panic attack?"
Markus did not respond.
"Wait a sec, I'll bring you to the clinic." Louige whispered and rushed to the elevator. "Keep it open!" He exclaimed when he saw the door starting to close.
The employees inside immediately hit the button and waited for him to enter the lift.
"Mr. Louige.." an employee said. "Who's that kid?"
The three employees inside exchanged bewildered looks.
"Hurry up and hit the button to the Clinic's floor," Louige answered sharply.
They immediately looked away and one of them pushed the 3rd button. The elevator started to go up and the air felt awkward.
The elevator opened and some employees waiting outside the door felt shocked when they saw the Boss' secretary holding a kid in his arms. They immediately stepped aside and let him pass as he walk like no one's in front.
"What was that about?" the employees murmured as the elevator closed.
Louige instantly approached the counter and the nurse felt inept.
"What can I help you, sir?" the nurse asked.
"Go get him a doctor, fast!" Louige urgently replied. He looked around and placed he kid on a bed near the window, facing north. "It's alright, you'll be fine."
The doctor immediately approached them and checked on Markus with his watch.
A light scanned the kid and the results immediately flashed like a holographic screen.
"There's nothing wrong with him." the doctor replied. "Except for his brain waves having an anomaly."
"I guess he's having a panic attack," Louige replied. He reached his phone from his breast pocket and dialed a number. "Give him an anti-depressant immediately..." he said to the doctor.
The nurses immediately prepared for the shot and the doctor turned to Louige and said,
"Who's this kid, Mr. Louige?" the doctor asked.
"It doesn't matter, just treat him immediately..." He turned around and placed the phone on his ear.
"Dad.."
"Yes, have you forgotten something, Louige-kun? Make sure it is an important matter, I'm about to get inside the plane. I just answered it because it was your call." Reiko said shouting to make himself heard. The machines of their ride is giving a loud noise.
"Hai... it's very important, Sir..."
"What was it?"
"Markus is..."
Louige told him what happened and Reiko felt all the strength on his legs draining.
He turned his back away from the entrance and all of the attendants were confused and worried of what is happening.
"Reschedule my meeting and postpone my flight." He said to one of his employees. "I've got something more important to attend to."
"But sir?! The plane's about to take off, you won't arrive on time if you leave now." his attendant insisted, bewildered of what to do. His hands are shaking. It was his first time to do the secretarial work with the boss' bad mood.
"What's the matter, dear?" Reiko's wife asked. She was boarding the plane right behind Reiko. She's wearing a black formal suit with a pink undershirt. She's carrying a gray suitcase with her computer inside.
"Nothing. I just remembered something important that I must attend to. You can go ahead and I will just follow when the matter is done." He replied but he brushed the lady away and moved towards his car that was park a few meters away from the plane.
"You can't do that! Come back here!" she whined. Her brows are crossed and her face burned like the heat of the sun.
"Just go...and I've gotta leave, too."
"Whatever!" she turned away and madly boarded the plane.
Reiko drove his car fast back to ORION. He hurried even more the moment he arrived at the entrance of the Facility.
"Ohh.., Boss... you forgot something? I thought you're on your way to Luna?" the head security of the day asked him.
"It's none of your business. Just do your job properly." Reiko replied and rushed to the elevator.
"Hai,, I'm sorry." He turned away and went back to what he is doing.
The employees were shocked to see their boss on the line to ride the lift when he has his own elevator at the 3rd entrance of the building at the south-west.
"Good morning, Sir." they all greeted.
"Ahh." he just replied.
When the elevator finally opened, the people inside immediately went out to make way for the boss. He entered the lift alone and immediately closed the door.
He arrived at the clinic and immediately searched for Louige.
"Reiko-sama..." Louige said as he approached him. He saw Reiko passing by the counter.
"Louige-kun," he turned around and saw his kid lying on a bed near the window. "How was he? Is he alright?" he said while catching his breath. He approached the bed in hurry.
"He was given an anti-depressant just a few moments ago. He had a hard time breathing so the doctor managed to put a tube on him. He's turning gray so they have to insert the tube for him to breathe."
"Ahh,, I see... Arigatou ne,, Thanks for calling me." Reiko said with a heavy heart.
"Hai... it's my pleasure. Here sir, have a seat." Louige got a stool and Reiko sat beside the bed.
"Have you called his mom? Who was in-charge with the field trip?" He reached the kid's hand and put it between his palms. Louige offered him a stool and he sat beside the bed.
"I already called them. His mom and his teacher. They will be here soon." Louige replied.
"Ahh... great." He went to the bedside and reached Markus' forehead. "Cold...he's pale, too."
"Ahh, he's been like that for almost an hour now. The moment I brought him here, I called you immediately. He's having a hard time breathing since then." Louige explained. "He's also muttering words as if he's remembering the day of the incident."
"Poor Markus... if I could have done things better..." he lost it and hugged his son.
"It's not your fault, Dad."
The teacher arrived with the sound of her sandals on the lobby and went straight to the Counter.
"Nurse, is there a kid rushed here for breathing difficulty or something?" Mrs. Milton asked, raising her brows.
Louige and Reiko heard the conversation and he let go of his son. Louige approached the woman and said, "Are you his teacher?"
"Ahh... ano... I'm sorry." Mrs. Milton replied. She properly stood up and looked professional since she know who she's talking with. "Where is my student, Sir?" she asked politely.
"He's on the bed, near the window," Louige replied. "I found him curled on a bench at the corner of the atrium. Is he like that most of the time?" he asked.
"Ahh.. Sorry for the trouble he caused you again, Mr. Louige. I know he's given Orion a hard time before and the Administration is very sad about what happened. We are pretty glad that you still agree with this field trip regardless of what happened before. And that kid has given a good scolding but now he's still doing the same trouble for the company, what a troublesome kid." She said crossing her arms and walked pass Louige.
The Secretary was taken aback by what the teacher had said. He thought if his boss heard those, be it a woman or a teacher, he'll probably snap. He immediately followed the woman towards the bed near the window
Mrs. Milton went to the bed where Markus was laid and said nonchalantly "Not again Markus? ... you always bring trouble to us, you bastard... now I'm behind the schedule just because of the pathetic panic attack you've cased yourself. You are a disgrace, Markus Lockwood."
"Shut the fucking hell up!" Reiko raised his voice and everyone near that side of the clinic stopped their pace and looked towards them.
She didn't saw Reiko standing beside Markus' bed.
Louige acted immediately and brushed everyone else from that side of the clinic, leaving the concerned parties alone.
"How dare you talk to a helpless child like that?" he looked so mad that the teacher unconsciously took a step back and trembled in fear.
"Hai.." She replied sarcastically. She raised her brows and gained her composure.
"He was a good kid. You are a teacher. You should have better perceptions than this, you selfish whore."
"What did you say? Did you just call me a whore?! How dare you speak to me like that? Who are you anyway?" she approached the man fiercely to see his face.
"He is the president of ORION, Ginsei Reiko-sama that is," Louige said proudly opening the curtain. The bright blue sky illuminate the dimmed part of the clinic.
"Gin...sei, Reiko....? The president of Orion, the greatest researcher and businessman of all time, For real?!" She covered her mouth with both of her hands and took a three step back.
"I don't want to see your face in here ever again, how dare you insult my son.." Reiko pulled his necktie up and glared at the woman.
"I'm really sorry for my foul words, President Ginsei, sir. " Mrs. Milton said shaking, bowing her head. "Your son, this Markus?" the teacher trembled, her heart was drowned with shame.
"Hai... this is my son. So don't say foul things to him or I will definitely turn your whole life into hell."
"Hai... I'm really sorry for what I've done! I'm taking my leave, I'm sorry" she ran away, crying pathetically.
Louige turned to him and asked "You proudly said that he's your son there.. quite good, sir."
"Ahh... I just can't stand them hurting my helpless Markus. Calling him a bastard... I just can't ..."
"Something like a good father must do," Louige said in agreement
"At least I can do just this for him."
After a while, Charlotte arrived with a very worried look on his face.
"Uhm, sir, can I ask a question." She stopped a passing man wearing a gray suit. "Where is the clinic?"
"Ahh ma'am, this whole floor is the clinic." the man replied. "If you want to ask a specific location, ask the counter there." he pointed towards the Nurses' counter and took his leave.
When she came near the counter, she saw a doctor and asked, "Have seen a kid named Markus? Markus Lockwood?"
The doctor looked up to see her face and said, "Are you his mom? Well, he's there at the bed near the window corner."
"How's my son? Is he alright." Charlotte asked as they moved towards the bed where Markus is.
"He's sleeping for now." The doctor said and checked on the oxygen machine.
"Thank you, doctor."
"Thank Mr. Louige and the President for bringing him here right away." the doctor gazed towards their direction.
"Mr. Louige and the President?" she turned to see if she had just misheard what the doctor said but she saw Reiko on the bedside, her expression change into a frown. Her eyes glared at them "...You again? What have you done this time?"
"Nothing... I swear. Nothing. I was just here, taking the watch--" Reiko felt offended. "until you come."
"...Mom..." Markus said slowly, opening his eyes.
"Yosh..." she replied slowly, too. She went to his bedside and reached his face. "How are you feeling? It's fine... Mom's here.."
"Hai.." he replied on the same manner. He turned on the other side and he saw the silhouette of the man who tried to hit him on the Bureau headquarters. He barely remembers his face but the shape of the silhouette wearing a suit and glasses with an angry look crossed his memories. He shouted and cried aloud hugging his mom, trying to hide himself on her arms.
"Hey...hey,...here... calm down Marky..." Charlotte brought him up and away from them. She tried to comfort her child but he continued crying.
"It is because he saw you standing there." She looked at Reiko straight to the eyes "This is ORION. He had the hunch to see that man he feared and might get hurt in an instant." she raised her voice.
"I can't hit him. You know I won't do that..." Reiko felt a cold air as he looked at his helplessly afraid son. He tried to reach him but Charlotte took him farther away.
"I know you won't... but it's what he thinks. He feels he's not safe here. Staying here is also adding to that stress. He has this Trauma, you cannot simply erase that. That's why, I'm taking him home." She sighed "I can't even understand why the school had forced all the students to come here in this exhibit. He came here for compliance and nothing more. I signed the waiver knowing this would happen coz I thought this might help him overcome his fear. But instead..."
"But Charlie..." Reiko tried to reach his son.
"Would you like him to suffer even more?" Charlotte glared at him "Don't ever touch him."
"No.. but.." Reiko took a deep sigh.
"I'm not blaming it all to you. But please stay away from him. I'll just bring him back home." She said.
Markus cried and hid his face even more.
"Alright..." He doesn't want to agree but he knows it is for the better. He turned his back and waved his hand "...take care of him."
"You don't need to tell me." She turned around and said, "...I'm his mom, anyway."
"Hai..." Reiko softly replied looking up the bright blue sky.
She went straight to the elevator, still calming her son on her arms.
When they arrived at the ground floor, she saw Cassandra and Dave looking for Markus.
"Aunt Charlie" Dave called. He approached them and looked worried seeing how Markus is crying on his mother's shoulder.
"Ahh,, kids, what are you doing here?" Charlotte replied trying very hard not to let her tears fall. "Aren't you in the tour?"
"We've been looking for Marky. I'm glad you found him Aunt Charlie. What happened to him?" Cassandra asked.
"He was just with me and I left because I went to the toilet. When I came back, Markus is not there at the bench anymore." Dave's voice fumbled.
"He was brought to the Clinic. Someone saw him having difficulty in breathing. They phoned me and said he had his panic attack that's why I'm bringing him home." She patted Markus' head.
"Okay, that made me feel relieved..." Cassandra said with a sigh.
"You make us worry there, Marky." Dave hold Markus's hand and he felt it is still trembling and it's cold.
"Ahh... you two enjoy the rest of the day. Don't be a bother to your teachers, okay?, don't do reckless things. I'll just bring Marky home first. Don't worry about him anymore. Take care." Charlotte smile to the kids and whispered to Markus, "Say goodbye to Cassy and Dave for now."
Markus just nodded. Charlotte and the kids exchanged looks and they all smiled.