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Thank you to each Soul who is reading my work!!! You are appreciated.

*Amir*

"A Heartbeat Away"

I was five seconds away from snapping someone's neck.

I could feel something surging through Luna somewhere inside this hospital. They were giving her shocks around her forehead and it caused me to have a damn headache. I was trying to listen to what Dr. Kim was explaining to me about each patient under his wing, but whatever they were doing to Luna was distracting. She closed off our connection, but not enough for me to feel her insides frying like they were on a stove.

A few more days of their treatment to her, and they'll see a whole new side of this foreigner who reigned in from across the world. I'm making this place my bitch. Well, maybe that was a little too dramatic, but this facility wasn't getting off scot-free. 

Amir had a plan in place, and Dr. Kim was his target.

Who knew how many hours had passed since he put her in isolation? A couple? Several? Hell if I know. I just know I haven't spoken to her since her last visit with her family, which was four days ago. She probably had no idea what day it was or how much time had passed. She had nothing to worry about, though. Her other half is here, and we're leaving this place together. Dr. Kim better not get in our way. He doesn't want to cross me.

Once I was escorted from his office to a laboratory on the first floor, Dr. Kim had left, and I was then getting acquainted with the lab techs who were surely his lap dogs. The men and women in here did whatever they could to suck up; it was atrocious. They showed me a few of the patients who either had their head hanging low and not making eye contact with anyone in the room, or they continuously banged their heads on the wall nearby. 

I just went along with everything and took blood work and full exams of the people they introduced me to. 

One patient who was young and needed help, according to the information I was given about her, was staring at me. I turned away and glanced around at the thirty people in the room, sensing Luna nearby. Unless she's Luna, she can forget it. My eyes were focused on one person in this place, and I couldn't wait to finally lay my eyes upon hers. 

I sped up this long process of doing blood samples and questions. Just counting the minutes before I can see her. Dr. Kim was showing me every floor, with hers being on the top in Orange Security. I bet she was stashed away in some room that was no bigger than a tiny walk-in closet. I couldn't tap into her mind. I could, however, feel her weakness from wherever they have her. Not exactly pleasant, I might add.

All I saw was red. 

While working on one child, which caused me to vomit and feel saddened that children were here in the first place, I excused myself and told the other lab technician that I had to go to the restroom. In return, she batted her eyes at me, and I gave her a pleasant but small smile back. The staff here didn't have any respect for me. I was wearing my father's wedding ring he handed me weeks ago that had been passed down to all the males in my family. I explained that my heart is connected and married to one woman in the States, and she was the only one I cared about being with in my lifetime. Couldn't the women, and even the men, see that I'm married? 

Rushing into the bathroom, I paced myself along the walls, not able to steer my mind away from her. I couldn't help but wonder for the hundredth time if Luna was pacing around too. Or did they have her beautiful body strapped down again? I couldn't tell what was going on, but this weird link between us only seemed to become active if we were in close proximity of one another. There was a small chance, a sliver of hope, that she was right around the corner. My heart pounded at the thought of that. 

Allah, I miss her. 

My eyes tore up, thinking about what it will be like to see each other in person after all this time. I should've come down here sooner. I hated the thought of losing her to this place. I was addicted to her soul. I was also wondering if I'd run into Cami at some point. I told Dr. Kim to give me all the patients he had a concern about, and I would assist them. I came into this place as a volunteer scientist from Pakistan who heard great things about this treatment center. Boy, if they knew what I really know and how I really felt, it would be a different story. 

In the middle of my thoughts and emotions, I heard more G.I. Joe wannabes coming outside the bathroom. A hard knock slammed against the door, scattering my nerves to pieces. They've given Luna something, and it had weakened her. God, there was something going on with her and I couldn't check. But at least I was in the same building as her.

"Yes?" I yelled and then made my way to the door. "I'll be out in a second." Luckily, this bathroom was private and no one could see the nervous wreck that I am. 

"Mr. Khan, Dr. Kim has a new part of the wing he wants to show you," G.I. Joe said to me on the other side. I didn't even know his name, and I didn't care to. I want to see Luna. "The Orange floor, where we keep the severely deranged patients at." 

That knocked my mind back into place, hearing my baby's location. I washed my hands and spruced up my hair in the mirror. I was about to see her—the love of my life. Casually stepping out of the bathroom, one soldier placed a hand on my shoulder, guiding me with them to wherever the doctor was. I passed by one of the rooms that she was in where they were dosing her with medication. That memory burned inside my chest. Once we were in the elevator, we ascended further up many floors, and then we walked out into a narrow, almost vacant corridor. Most of the staff and personnel were in suits and uniformed white scrubs. I was wearing a pair I chose at Wal-mart three blocks away. Luna liked me in this color. 

Brown. 

My already thin patience with this building stretched even more when we stopped in front of a door that didn't read Luna's name; it read it for some other patient. A male. My spidey sense was telling me that Luna might not be on this floor, considering it had more male names than females. 

The commando did some secret handprint with the control panel, and the door slid open, revealing a large desk with many monitors surrounding it. The room wasn't empty though. Oh no. It was the doctor whom I was ready to bury and throw stones at. I was anxious to do many things to him, but I held myself back. I was here for one purpose—rescuing my wife, Luna Khan.

Dr. Kim perked up at me, like I was some celebrity who came in here to shoot a film. "Mr. Khan. Welcome to the control room." 

I wasn't in the mood for any of the false crap he was about to spew my way. He was probably prepared to show me some videos they'd captured on Luna, I'm sure, and he'll feed me more lies about her being ill. I didn't care if he showed me other patients; I just cared about locking my eyes with just one.

"Okay." 

"This is where the entire facility is monitored. It's on the top floor for obvious reasons. Our patients can be a little wacko." 

I was so close to smacking his jaw. How dare he refer to his patients like that?

"I understand." I didn't. I was ready to go all Rambo on his ass, but I casually sat down without being gestured to and leaned back, folding my arms in my lap. The commandos secured the door and take up guard on either side of him. Was I meeting the President or something? That was strange behavior. I shot them a small nod, not caring to be more than a little polite to them. "Is this floor where most of the male patients are held?" I asked him, curious about where the women's floor was.

The doctor tried to maintain his cool facade, and I prayed to Allah more than ever that my girl was all right wherever she was. "No. Actually, this floor houses each division of our patients. Children. Teens. Young adults, both men and women. Some older adults."

"What kind of protocol do you have in place here?" 

Dr. Kim moved his finger up to a post on the wall and pointed to a paragraph. I read it in one minute, and my insides twist when I saw the treatment plans set per patient. Shock therapy. Multiple medications. Isolation. "As I have explained to you before about our mission, these are the necessary steps we take to ensure the best care for all patients." Oh God, I gagged a little. Shock treatments shouldn't be done to any human being; especially children. He had no morals. 

"I guess I wonder why you feel it is necessary for shock treatments. When I was exploring options in other hospitals, none of them had anything like that. What purpose does that serve?" 

Yep... I caught him. He stayed quiet for a few moments. 

One thin brow raised. "You don't understand the need for them?" 

"No. I do not," I said, dryly. 

He glanced downward and chuckled a little. "You know what, Mr. Khan? Maybe I should show you the main reason why we use that treatment plan here." 

My jaw clenched. He was about to show me some patients on camera who undergoes pain, and that probably included Luna. "You don't have to. It's okay, sir." I swear, he was one second away from feeling my wrath smashing into his face. 

"Mr. Khan, we have many patients who psychologically show that they need treatment. Shock treatment in many cases. I know you have mentioned that you work in a research lab at home, but this facility is different. Are you sure you don't want to see what we are about?" I didn't want to meet his gaze, but I had no choice. "These people are severely ill. As a man of science, you've studied the human brain and know how it works. Patients on this floor are the delusional ones." 

"I just never thought children would be subjected to this pain. Shock therapy can damage a person's brain, given too much of it." 

"I understand where you are coming from. We only perform that treatment to them as young as age twelve. Sometimes older." The pencil I was holding in my hand snapped in two. My mind was now fantasizing a way to snap his neck; how dare he do this to children? "Some of the female patients really need help. There is one just a few doors down—Ms. Carlyle—whose mental state is terrible." 

My hands balled into fists. He mentioned her name. Once I was through here, I'm going to glue his lips shut and possibly staple them together so he wasn't able to utter her name anymore. He pissed me off. Just being in his presence unsettled me.

I shuddered. "What's wrong with her?" I could barely choke anything out.

"She has a slew of emotional and mental problems. For starters, she was happily engaged to our biggest benefactor for the facility..." What? That explains everything, then. Chase had donating money to this building, and he was keeping her in here by handing the doctor extra funds too. What a jerk. I am so plotting my revenge on Chase when I leave for the day. "Her name is Luna Carlyle. She is a young mother, and her biggest issue is her illusions of her people who aren't there in front of her. She has a tendency to imagine her late boyfriend who died right after their daughter was born." I breathed heavily under my breath. He was giving me her entire history, which I knew already, and I was finally inside this place to bust her and Cami out. I don't know how, but the girls are getting out of here one way or another. 

"Luna dreamed about him for many years, and just when we thought that she was getting better here, she fell, quickly. It baffles me how fast she had fallen. She received a letter along with her friend who also stays in the room next to her. Well, Miss. Taylor, Camille, is being transferred soon to another location, because she has shown more improvement than Luna. Her parent's have stopped donating their money anyway, and I'm simply shipping her off." 

So Chase continues to fund everything here just to get his revenge on Luna for dumping him. Meanwhile, Cami's folks decide they'll transition her elsewhere because the bill must be steep for them. Everything was making sense here. Luna should've been gone, but Chase had a part in all of this. I knew it. 

"With all due respect, Dr. Kim, is it more about money, or the mental health of each individual?" 

He didn't even blink when I asked that. Not at all phased, scamming his patients. "Not all the patients are held here because of the money that is coming in, but that is some small part of it. We also assist them for their safety to return to the outside world and ensure they are cared for by people who will be strong enough for them. There are reasons why mentally ill patients continue their routine in life, and if they have a relative who is financially stable to ensure our care for them, then we keep them here." 

"I read in Ms. Carlyle's file that she and her fiancé are split up. Why would he continue paying for her care here?" 

"That little information is not exactly accurate. Luna believes she has broken up with him, and he is her Health Care appointed personnel, but realistically they never broke up. She is just angry with him for placing her in here."

"So the fiancé believes they are still engaged?"

He nodded. "She's only going through a temporary phase and will get better, eventually. He pays a good portion for our facility, and we need to keep him happy. We keep Luna here since he has withdrawn none of his funding. And sometimes when she makes improvements, she is rewarded. She is given more meals and has mail sent to her. She has a longer time outside when the ladies are out there. It's pleasant for her."

I stilled, and my heart sped up more. This place was beyond pleasant for my woman.

"I doubt she feels like it's pleasant for her." How could he think that's the best way to sell me? I could smell his bullshit. And Chase was not just an ignorant fool, but an incompetent dick. Oh Lord, poor Luna. My eyes felt teary. "My apologies if I spoke out of turn. Her case reminds me of my younger cousin before she passed away."

I had to say something to explain my compassion for a "stranger" inside this place. Actually, my cousin, Aya, suffered from some mental problems when she was a teenager. Then she fell into the wrong crowd and ended up getting killed. 

For twenty minutes, Dr. Kim described each patient on this floor. If she was here, somewhere, her essence was out of reach. I stayed in this seat for most of the day as we went over procedures and protocols that were set in place, and then he leads me to the holding rooms they have for some of the male patients. I almost got emotional when I saw a boy who was only six years old strapped down. What did he do to deserve this? And why were his guardians and parents okay with this? Or is it that Dr. Kim wasn't giving anyone the full story? That had to be it. If not, the people put in charge for the care of this child shouldn't be able to have any children at all. I pray that they know nothing. 

When the guard and Dr. Kim continued to walk passed another set of doors, we stopped near one, and my eyes widened. We were close to her. My spidey sense kicked in. 

"Luna Carlyle is in the next room. She has been asleep for several hours. I'm not sure if she is awake yet. She is feisty and sometimes hard to manage." 

I just nodded back. "I'm sure I can handle her. You can continue to explain to me what's going on with her." 

He glanced at a nurse who was approaching us, and then they whispered back and forth. "You must understand something. She isn't always tame, and we have to use restraints on her sometimes." 

I almost felt like sticking his pen into his eyes for touching her, but I kept myself composed here. I came for her, and she was the only person who can calm my irritated soul. The guard slightly stepped to the side, and the doctor punched in his code. 

"Is she okay?" I asked him, concerned over my queen. 

He turned to me, surprise crossing his features. He must have not expected for me to ask such a personal question. He didn't realize who I was. "She can be at times. I haven't checked in on her since earlier today." 

I didn't like how that sounded. Frustrated and shuddering under my breath, I could feel her more than ever. My spidey sense was overwhelming and more intense. It felt like someone massaged hot oil all over my skin, and hers, causing the back of my hair to feel damp. The image of her being strapped down like the little boy from Room 2 came to mind. I felt a strong tremor running down the muscles of my arms and chest. There was no doubt in my mind that her condition was most likely horrible, but I knew I had to be strong for her. I would help her in any way I could, and hopefully by being in the same room as her won't be our final breath. Our species can't meet whom we are paired for, for a reason, but I'm breaking the rules. Luna needed me. She needed to get out of here. Her heart and soul had been through enough damage.

I could faintly hear voices coming from inside the room, and like my favorite song playing on the radio, I heard the beautiful sound of her tone. My Luna. Her sound was angelic and euphonious to my ears. And her tone was just as beautiful to hear in person as it was telepathically.

My stomach filled up with butterflies, and I was close to falling over. Before falling down, I held onto the rail along the wall, and kept myself up. 

"Are you okay, Mr. Khan?" the nurse asked me.

I nodded. "I just felt a little light-headed. That's all." 

The doctor and nurse glanced at each other for a moment, and then opened the door, revealing Luna in all white clothes, her hair wavy around her face. I never thought this moment would happen, and now it has. I was in the same space as my soul mate, and now I didn't know what to do. She had to know that I came for her. We learned a lot from watching our Terminator films together, and what it meant to be there for the other. I loved her soul more than anything, and if one of us should die by the consequence of our species, please take my life. Hers was more important. 

Like floating in space and sauntering on the moon, I moved forward, cautiously, not feeling my feet on the floor beneath me. The air suddenly thickened, causing me to feel choked up and without air in my lungs, but in reality I walked passed the doctor and still didn't feel like I was close enough to her. 

My senses were on high alert as I locked eyes with hers, aware of the door closing behind me. My gaze stayed on hers, and my heart pounded. The only reason I still breathed was right here, five feet apart from me. 

Luna's beauty struck me hard, like a shock wave hitting the middle of my chest. I froze in place, for how long I wasn't sure, unable to peer my eyes anywhere else. I stayed put and studied her facial features as she stayed sitting on her bed. Part of me hated that I couldn't touch her, or kiss her sores along her forehead, but another part of me could feel the electricity running through her body by her first glance at me. And honestly, I was elated to finally grace her presence. Nothing has happened, no sickness or fainting from being around each other, no world's crashing down upon us, but we were still not out of the loop. Those things could still happen, because two people who are paired are never supposed to be this close. 

But I couldn't stop myself from rushing to her side, finally seeing her face to face. This was the happiest moment of my existence, and my heart was finally united with the moment I have waited for that seemed like forever.

My heart was finally united with my wife.

My Luna.

❤❤❤

  Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. More emotional and heart-wrenching scenes await. #Alunaunited