“We could use another doctor. I wonder what she would think about that. Origin has a lot of bad points, but they always choosethe best doctors possible. Even to the point of forcing them to work for them," Lu observed.
“Aren't you jumping the gun a little bit? That lady is in terrible shape. There's no way to be sure that she will make it.”
“Risa said she's stable right now and that she's gonna save her no matter what she has to do. I have a lot of faith in our doctor. She's pulled off some miracles.”
Abe sighed heavily. “I can't argue with you there. But I went to see her before I came here, and she still looks rough. I can't believe anyone could survive that.”
“I'm not arguing that she hasn't been through hell. All I'm saying is that she's got a will to live like nothing I've ever seen except in demons. I think she's going to make it. So, I'm going to make plans for what to offer her. She needs something to hold on to and a job offer, and her new future should do it.”
“You're right. Maybe that will give the poor woman a purpose to help her heal. I just can't believe what they did to her. I'm unsure I want to know everything they did to her.”
Abe returned to work on the computer, trying to find everything he could that might help them locate any more demons, gods, or even humans imprisoned. It also wouldn't hurt if he could find anything medical that might help some of the demons that were still having issues. It was true that Risa had helped many of them, but some still had difficult problems.
He checked the time because he was planning on having lunch with Gloria. She had taken a real interest in the prisoners who had been freed. She sat with the doctor often and talked to her. It had only been a week, and the doctor slipped into a coma and then would come out of it. Abuse as heavy as what she had gone through would be hard to recover from. Risa had asked if anyone who had some time and was willing would sit with her or the others and talk to them a little bit. Kiki was also taking some time almost every day to sit with her and talk to her.
There were several others–the more, the merrier. It was clear that someone sitting with the woman helped because her vitals would stabilize whenever someone was there. He'd never seen anyone who wanted to live more, and he hoped that she would and that she would recover from most of what had been done to her. To recover from all of it was too much to expect. It was almost lunchtime, so he shut the computer down and headed to the cafeteria. The restaurant would open before the hotel did to give those working there a chance to learn their new jobs and to get opinions from the demons to help in areas where they might not be doing as well as others.
Abe was excited about it and thought it would be more like a date than meeting at the cafeteria and sharing lunch. Gloria’s outlook seemed to be changing a bit at a time, and he hoped it would change more. Maybe they could develop a relationship that would lead to mating. That's what he wanted more than anything. Once in the cafeteria, he got two plates and waited at the table. As he looked out of the window, he could see the reflection of his sweetheart heading toward him, and he turned to look at her.
She smiled at him, and he felt so much love in his heart. If only he could convince her that he wanted her–especially that he didn't mind that she came with her sister. Abe couldn't believe that anyone would mind taking on such a sweet young girl such as Kiki. He also found it hard to believe that their parents would do a dump and run and barely call to see how they were doing. Demons always dreamed of having a family, having love, and a life like the one they now have. When you never had something, and you could only dream about it, to get it was an amazing thing.
It made you wonder about people who didn't appreciate the gifts that life had given them. Abe didn't understand it and didn't think he ever would. All he wanted right now was for Gloria andher sister to be his family. If others were added later, that would be just fine, too. He would be pleased either if they had children or adopted them. Why couldn't she see that? Was it because of the way that her parents were? He was working to change her mind, and he could see that it was beginning to change.
“Thank you for getting a plate for me. You always remember all my favorite things.” Gloria observed.
“It was my pleasure. I love sharing meals with you. Were you just with the patient?”
“I was. I can't believe anyone would do that to someone. Is that the kind of abuse that the demons went through?”
“Yes, and many died. To be honest, I don't know how she survived. I believe her name is Charlene, and she is a doctor. She refused to do the things they asked of her, so they tortured her instead," Abe explained. “Do you think she's doing any better?”
“I do. When I first got there, she was trying to talk. Risa said her throat was sore, and that's why she was unable to speak clearly. She gave her something to help with the pain that a sore throat would cause, and I gave her some warm fluids that Risa got for her. She was still awake when I left. It was a long stretch for her to be awake. I'm not sure if that was good. When she's sleeping, she’s not in such unbelievable pain.”
“I'm sure you are right, but for some people, they have a drive to know what's going on, and they simply will not lay down and die. She's a fighter," Abe explained.
“I never looked at it that way. It has to be scary to wake up in that condition and not know where you're at or how you got there. I explained to her that she was no longer with Origin and that she had been rescued. All I can hope for is that she understands, which puts her at ease.”
“Think she can feel that she is somewhere better because she has food, care, and a much better bed. What she had there waspathetic. I'm sure the others are all doing much better because none of them were as bad as she was.”
“I'm very proud of Kiki and the work she is doing. It is a sign that she is maturing and ready to become responsible. She's found her niche. I think that will make all the difference in the world," Gloria observed.
It was clear to him that she was very happy that Kiki was doing so much better. It had taken some time, but the improvement had started immediately. At first, Kiki had tried to take advantage of the guys, but she realized quickly that they cared about her, and they weren't going to do anything bad or let her do anything bad. She'd been absorbing all the attention that she hadn't gotten before. It seemed that a little care and attention had been all she needed.
He and Gloria sat and ate their meals, and this talk was more casual than it had been before. He didn't want to discuss serious things all the time. They spoke a little about the costumes and makeup she had used at the last two concerts. She was always happy to discuss that because it was her passion. The fact that he was one of the singers she worked on helped him understand exactly what she was doing. It also gave her insight into their job as a band. He knew a couple didn't have to have everything in common, but it was good to have something in common that they both understood.
They finished their lunch, but neither were in a hurry to leave. It was a nice time for them to talk and spend time together. Abe felt like they were moving to the next level. Hopefully, it wouldn't be long before they moved beyond that. He wasn't sure how long they would have stayed there talking because Kiki rushed in crying.
“They're losing her. They need blood. Risa is testing for compatible blood. I tried, but she said it looked like she neededdemon blood. I'm not sure what that means. Do you guys have a different blood type?” Kiki asked.
“I'm not sure. Gloria and I will go and get tested to see if either of us can help," Abe offered.
They cleaned up their area quickly and hurried down to the medical area. “Can you two go to the lab and get tested?” Risa asked. “They did something to her blood that changed it. Nothing I have tried worked.”
Gloria hurried in front of him, and he followed. Three lab techs were working, testing blood samples to find something compatible. Abe couldn't imagine what they had possibly done, but if he could help, he certainly would. It was unlikely that a human sample would make any difference, but while they were testing, they took blood from people who weren't compatible to store in case something else happened. It surprised him that they didn't have more blood stored for an emergency like this one.
Abe knew they would have information on the blood of every demon, so he wasn't sure why they weren't running that to see if any matched. He could see a line forming behind them because everyone had heard about what the woman had been through, and they wanted to help to ensure that she survived.
“You're a match," the tech told him. Although he generally knew most techs, this one was human and new.