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"I want you to feel the emptiness that I feel!"

~ Harumi

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WARNING: fake blood and highly irritating and dramatic criminals

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Lloyd has done a lot of scary stuff. He's scrambled up a desert, he's willingly taken away his childhood, he's fought his possessed father and he's faced a crowd of angry ten-years-old when the candy store had a sale! (There's not much more terrifying than sugar-deprived tweens.)

But this...this was a challenge worth rivalling the candy incident.

Lloyd's never heard his heart beat louder, the thudding sound echoing in his head and pressing at his neck. His nerves were tingling, the hairs on his arms standing on end as if he was in the heat of battle. Lloyd's had this feeling many times. Post-battle it was often hard to get your body to relax after constantly being on edge. But there was no battle in sight and Lloyd's usual calming techniques weren't working.

"Look, mommy!" A little kid sporting an arm cast waved their good hand at him. "It's the green ninja!"

Lloyd smiled tersely, hoping it didn't look too much like a grimace. No Mommy, he said in his head. It's a giant mess!

The woman looked surprised to see him, a mixture between awe and wariness in his expression as she guided her child to the car. Lloyd nodded at her and turned towards the hospital doors so he didn't watch them drive away like a creep or a lovesick teenager. Both would make anyone uncomfortable, especially a parent. A nurse wheeling an old woman paused when they saw him. "Can I help you?" The nurse asked curiously. The old woman gave a gummy smile. Lloyd admired how bright and cheery she looked for a wrinkly, senior citizen, with no teeth and an I.V stuck in her arm.

"Uh, I'm here to see someone," Lloyd told him. The nurse nodded slowly in understanding.

"You mean, Harumi." He said easily.

Lloyd's eyebrows flew up and he immediately looked to the old lady, hoping she wouldn't get a heart attack. To his surprise she stared straight ahead, gnawing at a soft baby cracker like a dog with a stick.

"Greta won't know," the nurse assured him. "She doesn't have her hearing aids in. Even then she probably wouldn't understand."

"Oh." Lloyd looked at Greta from the corner of his eye.

He kinda envied that she couldn't listen to anyone. There were times where Zane was rambling about some boring facts, Nya was complaining about Cole eating all the cake, Cole was complaining that he wished there was more cake, and Jay and Kai were arguing just for the sake of seeing who could get their voices louder than the other! The noise was overwhelming and while often Lloyd would find the chatter calming there were some days where calm would turn into a migraine. (Lloyd had invested in earplugs but they never seemed to do it.)

"I went to see her today," the nurse, (Adam, Lloyd noted) said gently as he pushed Greta inside. Lloyd followed cautiously and tried not to get his toes run over but the wheelchair. "I can't give you any reports yet but if you sign in at the front desk I'll be able to see you after I bring Greta back to her room."

Lloyd mustered his most sincere 'thank you' face. "That would be great."

Adam motioned to the middle-aged woman at the front desk and turned down the hall.

"Bye Larry!" Greta waved her baby cookie at him as she rolled away.

Lloyd sighed and wiggled his fingers back at her as she left and stepped up to the counter. Before he could address the receptionist, someone shoved him out of the way. A curse pressed behind his teeth but he quickly shoved it down as he got his balance. When he looked up he was shocked to see Ronin keeled over the counter, his sides heaving as he clutched what looked to be a fake knife made for Halloween pranks.

"Doctor! Doctor!" He cried. "Please I need help! I've been stabbed!" Ronin proceeded to make dramatic hacking noises and even spat reddish-looking saliva all over the desk. The receptionist cringed, sliding her papers away from the unconvincing act and narrowed her eyes at the criminal.

"Ronin," She said flatly. "You can't come in here to lay on the hospital beds. You need an actual injury!"

"Are you refusing to give me care? I should sue you for this!" Ronin pointed an offending finger at her. The woman raised an eyebrow and pushed it away from her face.

"Just so you know," she dipped her finger in the fake blood that had leaked from his hand. "Strawberry syrup doesn't make very convincing blood."

Ronin stared at her for a moment, frozen as if he wasn't sure what to do. Then he straightened, dropping the fake knife and standing lazily like nothing was wrong. "Well, that is good information to know." He gave her a wink. "See ya next week, Vivian."

She sputtered, leaning over the desk to yell at him as he turned on his heel and marched away. "My name is Katherine and you know that!" Ronin, of course, acted like he didn't hear her, and Katherine sat back in her seat with a scowl, calling him names under her breath that may be associated with one's behind.

"Uh," Lloyd coughed after a moment of her exchanging more choice words with the other receptionist. "Can I...? I'm- I'm here to see someone."

Katherine finally directed her attention to him, her eyes widening as recognition flashed across her face. "I know you!"

Lloyd gave a good-natured roll of his eyes. "Yeah, it's part of the job-"

"Wait don't tell me!" Katherine squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her fingers to her temples. "Uhhhhhh- College! Third year! Anime club! You were in charge of taking minutes, right?"

Lloyd has never been in an Anime Club or any clubs for that matter, and to add to that he hasn't attended college. Things suddenly felt a whole lot more awkward.

"...sure." That's something to unpack later. Lloyd grumbled internally. "Now, I got a call saying-"

"See Nora?" Katherine leaned back and directed a smug smile towards her coworker. "I told you I have the best memory! Even an elephant wouldn't be able to rival this brain!"

Nora have an uninterested grunt in return, her eyes glued to the sitcom she was subtly watching on her screen with her the phone tucked behind a book. Unfortunately for her, the disguise wasn't very convincing because she had it upside-down. Katherine scoffed, crossing her arms and returning to her desk, resuming whatever work she was doing. Lloyd cleared his throat uncomfortably, tapping the surface of the table to get her attention.

"Er- I'm here about a patient? First name starts with H, ends with 'arumi and last name is..." Lloyd paused when he realized he didn't know her last name. "DeJadePrincess." He kept his tone hushed but his attempts were wasted when Katherine stared at him like he'd grown another head.

"Lloyd Garmadon?" She shrieked.

Lloyd winced as heads swung over to him. Even Nora briefly glanced up from her show.

"Yes," Lloyd growled through gritted teeth, he raised a hand to block his face to keep some illusion of secrecy. "And I need to talk to the doctors now."

"Right!" Katherine was suddenly very flustered. "Right! Uh- uh- Here's the room number." She hastily scribbled it down on some paper and subtly slid it across the counter.

"Thank you." Lloyd sighed in relief, peeling it off the smooth surface and closing it in his fist. He turned around, stumbling back in alarm at the many eyes watching him like pigeons when they spot a French fry, just less predatory. Lloyd awkwardly waved at them, clearing his throat loudly. "G-good day everyone." Before Lloyd could embarrass himself he quickly slid away, speed walking down the hall as fast as he could go without running into anybody.

When he got far away enough that he could no longer hear the whispers over the hustle and bustle of the hospital he slowed, the reality of what he was doing sinking in like a rock in water. Lloyd felt his pace pause, his toes beginning to drag along the polished floor. Nurses and doctors rushed by, medical equipment and file folders in their hands. They didn't pay Lloyd any mind, simply keeping their attention on their patients and work. Lloyd began to note the people he saw. A tall doctor with a fluffy Afro, a quiet middle-aged woman sitting sombrely as a doctor checked her I.V, and a child perched on a chair outside of a room.

Lloyd blinked, taking in the puffy eyes, runny nose, and strangled teddy bear. After only a moment's hesitation, Lloyd redirected his course towards her.

"Hey," Lloyd murmured, bending down to her level. "Are you okay?"

She simply stared at him in bewilderment. "Green Ninja?" She gasped. Only then did Lloyd notice the ninja pin on her cardigan. Lloyd chuckled a little, tapping it lightly.

"Yeah, that's me." Lloyd smiled at her. "And what's your name?"

"Mona."

Lloyd hummed. "That's a nice name."

"Are you here to save Mama Lina?" The little girl looked at him hopefully.

Lloyd sucked in a breath. "I'm afraid not, kid. I wanted to see if you were alright."

She shrugged. "Mama Lina is sick. She needs to have surgery but Mama Willow is scared."

"Ah," Lloyd said softly. "That's very hard. You are very brave."

"Not as brave as you!" Mona gave him a brilliant grin. "You fight the bad guys all the time! You're not scared of anything!"

Lloyd was suddenly aware of the paper crunching in his palm. "I get scared sometimes."

"Really?" Mona's mouth fell open into a perfect 'o.' "Of what?"

"Well," Lloyd thought for a moment. "I'm afraid of snakes," he mimed a wiggly reptile and slithered it over to her, making Mona giggle. "And ghosts."

Mona laughed. "Ghosts aren't real!" Lloyd winced.

"You want to know what I'm not afraid of?" Lloyd whispered, leaning in close as if he was revealing a deep secret.

"What?" Mona's eyes were shining.

"Being there for my family," Lloyd said simply. "I'm not as scared to face the bad guys or to jump into danger when they're by my side. I think Mama Willow might need someone to hold her hand for a little bit. It will take being brave and it won't be easy but when you surround yourself with people that love you it isn't so hard."

Mona nodded seriously. There was a click as the door swung open and a woman stepped out. She looked drained but she jumped when she saw Lloyd.

"Lloyd Garmadon!" She exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Lloyd stood. "I just noticed Mona over here and thought she looked like a really cool person to talk to." Mona giggled.

The woman relaxed. "Thank you."

Lloyd waved goodbye to Mona and watched as her mom pulled her into the room. Mona glanced at him nervously as she left but then squared her shoulders and lifted her head. Something soft and sweet tingled on his tongue and he stepped back, a lighter emotion in his chest as he started back down the hall.

His fingers gently released the paper, pulling it apart and smoothing it with his thumb. Lloyd counted down the numbers until he made it to 215, his heart thudding like a drum in his head as he stopped in front of it. A shaky breath released from his mouth and he stared at the door. It was a normal door. Painted a grey-blue tone with a frosted window and a little plastic container for folders on the front. Its handle was silver and should be easy to pull open but for some reason, it seemed so hard.

"What are you doing?" A gruff voice demanded. Lloyd turned to see a broad-shouldered woman watching him through narrowed eyes. She was dressed in pink scrubs with a name tag pinned on her chest but Lloyd suspected that she wasn't just there to take children's temperature.

"I was called to talk about this patient." Lloyd nodded to the door.

"Really?" The woman scoffed disbelievingly. "Sir, I suggest you take a step back from that door-"

"Tammy! Sorry!" Lloyd turned to see Adam rushing down the hall. "It's okay, he's been permitted to talk with me and the doctors about the patient."

The woman scowled. "Adam, I thought we talked about communication!"

Adam gave her a funny look. "I thought that applied to my dating life!"

"Oh." Tammy paused. "Well, it applies for work too! Tell me when you let a suspicious man loiter around the hall!"

Lloyd sputtered. "Suspicious?"

"Sorry about that, Lloyd," Adam said apologetically. "We can talk with Doctor Williams in one of the rooms this way."

Lloyd nodded, giving the door one last fleeting glance before he followed Adam to another room. Tammy huffed as he walked past and crossed her arms but resumed whatever task she was doing, her eyes flicking around warily at anyone who walked by.

Adam pushed open the door and held it for Lloyd as he walked in. Instantly, Lloyd was on high alert, his nerves prickling uncomfortably as he looked around the room. A professional but unassuming doctor stood in the room. Her dark hair was tied into little braids and wrapped in a bun on top of her head. She greeted him with a handshake.

"Lloyd Garmadon," she said with a smile. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Doctor Williams, right?" Lloyd asked. She nodded. "It's good to meet you too."

"I'm sure you're aware that this is a... delicate situation." Doctor Williams motioned for him to sit. "Patient confidentiality is very important to us but as you've been told this isn't a regular patient."

"It's Harumi." Lloyd struggled to swallow the lump growing in his throat. "The Quiet One."

Doctor Williams grimaced. Another person stepped into the room and Lloyd immediately recognized him to be Zac Morton from the police station. The man took his job very seriously, perhaps too much, and that was coming from Lloyd. Zac would often get into arguments with Nya over if something was classified information or not.

"Green Ninja," Morton nodded to him curtly. Lloyd relaxed slightly. If was one thing he could count on Morton for it was remaining professional.

"Officer Morton," Lloyd said in the same level tone.

"I see that you know each other." Doctor Williams quirked an eyebrow. Lloyd shrugged.

"We will go over the legal information later, I assume you want to see her?" Doctor Williams looked to Lloyd.

He swallowed down a lump in his throat. This is it.

"Yes." He said softly. "I do."

NOTE****
If any of you read my other books then you may know that updates are extra slow this month because of school and flumptober. My easier week is starting up so hopefully, I'll get more done but I think I forgot how hard it is to do one one-shot a day! 😂

Sorry that the story is moving along so slowly. I added #slowupdates and #slowburn to the tags now. 😆

Have a nice day!

LuckyBugBooks🐞