Where is Martial Kim? What could he be doing in a time like this?
Remember last time, he mentioned a ‘Her’ person? Who could he be referring to?
A lover from his homeland he often dreams about? A close friend back in Moon Tavern he confides his feelings to? Or maybe, just maybe, a wise martial arts sage in the Martial World to seek for counsel?
Who could the young master be thinking right now?
--- Why!? Why didn’t I think of her before! Fae Fae is the answer! She’s been through this EXACT situation!
OH YES! Of course! The Sword Fairy of Celestial Dreams Brothel, Courtesan Fae Fae! Why, she too had been in a long coma due to unfortunate circumstances! And Martial Kim was her most responsible physician at the time.
The same events replaying in a different world – what are the odds! There was a chance to save Keekee!..................
.........Uh. On second thought.
--- I don’t understand. How many floors can this hospital be built on? This is beyond the height of a martial arts tower! Where are the exits hiding? Please don’t tell me, I have to fight some sort of secret guardian just to escape each floor! This is ridiculous!
Sigh. Martial Kim was still wet behind the ears when it came to this modern world. Surviving elevators was one matter, reading the maps and directional signs was another can of worms. What is M.R.I., the name of a city gate? Where was he now, Cafeteria Pavilion? And why was he thrown out of a doctor’s lounge – he was a doctor too! Rude!
One door only lead to another room, one gate lead to another department. Even if he asked people for directions, they would ask him back...First time visitors who were also lost in the basement.
And the staff. Hah. Good luck finding someone who isn’t covering a double shift! Over capacity beds here, over capacity beds there, over capacity beds in the hallways!
"Excuse me, sir! Where is the exit—W-wait, come back!...Ah, Madame, could you tell me what is the pass phrase to open these doors—Wh-what do you mean I can't follow you, I just need to... Oh. Pardon me, sir, could you direct me to the nearest...Hello?...Hello?...Hellooooo!?...Is he deaf?"
No, no, Martial Kim. Those are ear buds, not hearing aids.
--- I am tempted to just use a Tiger-Subduing Palm and break through the walls one by one to find my way out... But given how everything runs on some sort of electric power and what not, I can’t afford breaking anything that would affect Miss Keekee...
Just when all hope was lost, he finally found the way!
--- Ah-ha! An Exit! It even has the name written right above the doors! Why, their letters are glowing in bright red colours! How convenient!...Just...how do I open this? Just push this red bar? Curious.
Exactly. Just one push and—wait wait wait...Red Bar?...MARTIAL KIM NO!
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING! RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING! RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!
--- Wh-what in the world is this violent screaming? Is that a bell? Did I trigger some sort of trap?
NO MARTIAL KIM! THAT’S THE FIRE ALARM....SAID: IT’S THE FIRE ALAAAARM! HELLOOOOO!?
LIKE ANY NOR—(Oops)—Like any normal human being, he would try to find the off switch for the emergency alarm trigger. And like any normal human being, he failed to stop the ringing and the mechanical screaming. People who didn’t know the better reacted on instinct and scattered, following emergency protocol.
It didn’t take too long before Martial Kim found himself alone with the mess he started.
--- ........................................................What...am I doing?
Questions of our lives, really. Everyone of us could give him a hundred different answers. But none of them was the one response he wanted to hear. Even if they did tell him what he wanted to know – it would be drowned out by the alarm.
Or perhaps, all he needed was a tap on the shoulder.
“Kim! Thank god, you’re alright! Been looking all over the hospital for you! Where have you been? Are you hurt?”
“Teacher...”
“Jesus, I’ve only been gone for what 40 minutes? You look like you lost 10 years of your life. Come on, let’s get out of here before the security comes over and gives you trouble! Playing with the fire alarms is an offense!”
Prof. Stone would tow Martial Kim away from the scene of the crime, like any parent would after their child made a terrible mess. Never did he imagine he would reach such a strange low in his life. Neither did he expect himself playing the role of a father for the young master.
As much as he wanted to lecture him, it was pointless to yell at something akin to a ghost fresh from the grave. Martial Kim had never been this pale or weak, even his own steps lacked any weight or shadow.
“Teacher...What am I doing wrong? Isn’t there something more, I can do for Keekee? I—”
“Kim. What happened to Keekee is not your fault, alright? You didn’t know, I didn’t know – hell no body knew this was going to happen! I know you want to help, but we’re not medical experts—”
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
“—I—”
“LICENSED medical experts.”
“...”
“Kim. Hear me out. Everyone is doing what they can to help Keekee. We have to trust them, the medical staff and the hospital. You want to do more, but we can’t be reckless.”
Martial Kim was no stranger to pain. The young master knew the stabbing of a dagger in his arm, the slash of a sword through his torso, a smash of a mace across his legs, to having his bones broken and re-broken from being put into place by a drunken master.
Just...never before, had he felt pain like this – that feeling of helplessness.
“...Here. Kim. Take this.”
Oh a kerchief? Martial Kim wondered why his mentor would give him this cloth at a time like this. He wasn’t breaking out in a sweat, right? Now that he thought about it, was something dripping on his face? The young master pondered, if it were those automated sprinklers his mentor taught him about, breaking off their plugs to spray water to immediately douse the ‘flames’.
Nope. All of them were still intact. So what was wet and running down his face?
--- ...Tears?...A-are these actual tears?...A...am I crying!?
image [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/e5d49d01-e685-46aa-8d92-b07d57dc33fb/didaiyy-7cc70b06-faf9-4771-a24f-b7127efe7b76.png/v1/fill/w_1280,h_207/moon_tavern_page_break_by_suimaifiles_didaiyy-fullview.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MjA3IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvZTVkNDlkMDEtZTY4NS00NmFhLThkOTItYjA3ZDU3ZGMzM2ZiXC9kaWRhaXl5LTdjYzcwYjA2LWZhZjktNDc3MS1hMjRmLWI3MTI3ZWZlN2I3Ni5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.V__LDKPGxPLEElJXKGgxKvmlMcRIG9Nv3hgCGY_VlEE]
Safe, for now.
Prof. Stone would peek through the curtains of Keekee’s ‘room’ in the Emergency Unit. Once the coast was clear he would close them up and stay away from the light under the cracks of the curtain. He kept his voice down, like a fugitive on the run.
“Doctor said Keekee will be moved to the I.C.U....Oh that’s another department, intensive care unit they call it. There would be nurses watching over her 24/7, constant supervision. So we can be at east for now and go home for the night.”
Martial Kim had closed the floodgates, long before they returned to Keekee’s room. He made sure to remove every bit of evidence off his face, as if he never broke down in the first place. Good as...newish. However, he was conscious of reopening those floodgates whenever he thought of certain memories, words, even actions.
“Teacher. Allow me to stay. Let me keep Miss Keekee company.”
“Kim. As admirable as that is – visiting hours is way over. In fact, we just sneaked behind the nurses’ back while they’re doing a turn over meeting, to prepare for the night shift.”
Martial Kim resisted when his mentor tugged him on the arm. Why, anyone could tie 10 towing cattle to this young master and he wouldn’t budge an inch, believe that!
“Kiiiim. Please, don’t make this harder than it already is. I’m already too tired to turn my door keys.”
“Teacher. What if Miss Keekee happen to recover over night? She opens her eyes and finds herself in a completely different place then what she remembers. Surely even you would panic waking up somewhere else, correct? The shock may harm her even further. Miss Keekee needs a familiar face, wouldn’t you agree? So please, allow me to stay with her. I swear, I won’t cause any trouble.”
“I trust you, Kim, but this isn’t that simple. Hospital regulations. Sooner or later the nurses will either force you to leave, or worse case scenario call security to throw you out.”
“Trust me teacher. Not a single one of these people in this building are a peerless master that can hear a pin drop a mile away or can listen to count how many steps a rat would make while crawling in the ceilings. With my martial art skills, I am the breeze that strides through them.”
“...............................”
It sounded like complete bullshit, but knowing Martial Kim it felt real.
That was why Prof. Stone was speechless. What else can he say after that checkmate of a negotiation? Not like he can bribe the young master with money or lure him with some fancy food. No doubt Martial Kim can become invisible for years to come and survive on the energy of the cosmos alone... a bit of a stretch, but not like Prof. Stone understood the science of what goes on in Martial Kim’s cultivator gut.
So what to do? How can he convince this immovable wall to move? Can’t just say flowery words to make the young master pack up and leave. It just can’t...Wait a minute...Pack Up?
An idea struck Prof. Stone’s bald held like a lightning bolt.
“You know what, Kim. You’re right. Absolutely right. So you stay with Keekee. I admit defeat.”
“I am glad you see things my way, Teacher.”
“Still. I feel pretty bad for her.”
“...I agree. Seeing her hurt like this.”
Prof. Stone rubbed a finger under his nose, “Oh I meant the lack of clothing and supplies she has at hand. Look at how uncomfortable her hospital gown is. Wearing the same thing all day, all night. And this blanket, ooof. So rough and course. If Keekee wakes up, she’ll surely be wanting some a fresh change of clothing and a comfy blanket from home, right?”
“..........................”
“And let’s face it Kim. How much donated magazines in this hospital can help Keekee pass the time? She’ll want something to play with during her stay, like a book, handheld game – it’s not like she can play on her phone, given it’s with the police right now. Yep. Keekee's probably going to be asking ‘why didn’t you bring me anything Kim?’ or ‘Kim I’m boooored!’”
“...Couldn’t...a nurse bring them to her?”
Prof. Stone put the final nail in his coffin trap, “You think the nurse knows exactly what makes Keekee comfy and happy? Hmm?”
The immovable wall caved in.
“Teacher...We will come back to see Miss Keekee tomorrow, yes?”
“Of couuuuurse! I swear, I’ll pick you up bright and early! You can bet on it!”
“How early?”
“6 AM, sharp!”
Martial Kim grimaced, “That’s too late. Please make it earlier.”
Prof. Stone felt his stomach sink, “...5 AM?”
“Earlier.”
“Kim! Are you trying to kill me? If you keep this up, I’ll only get one hour worth of sleep! And I haven’t even eaten yet! 4:59 AM, final offer!”
“Earlier!”
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