Wonder Lost

Poison's Consequences

Will was glaring at her. Isabella took a step back, raising her eyebrows at him.

“What?” she demanded.

“I don’t even know why you ask for my help. You apologized first. Now he’ll think you’re weak, and that it’s okay for him to push you around.” She felt her eyes redden with embarrassment and anger.

“What are you talking about? Leo would never push me around, and he won’t think I’m weak.”

“You don’t know that.”

“You don’t have to watch me, you know. You could go bother Simon,” she snapped.

“Fine,” he said. “I will.” He faded out, much quicker than last time. Her dream disappeared and she fell into the void of deep sleep.

When she woke up, the sky was still dark. Isabella turned her head, checking the time. It was 4:14 AM. She got out of bed and started to brush her teeth. She fixed hair and put it into a high bun. Walking out of the bathroom, she groaned, doubling over. She slowly made her way to the bed, gently shaking Leo awake.

“Leo,” she whispered. His eyes opened. “Help me.” He looked into her dark green eyes. Standing up immediately, he took her hands.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“My stomach,” she managed to get out. She groaned again, squeezing his hands. “I-I can’t move.” He picked her up and ran to the car, focusing on writing another bark letter. Leo laid her in the backseat, turning the car on and speeding down the highway.

Leo was terrified. Every moan or gasp was like a bullet to his heart, sending chills down his spine.

Finally, he parked the car, opening his door and pulling the seat back. He went to pick her up, but she groaned, already bathed in sweat.

“Isa, please,” he begged. “You have to let me carry you.”

“I can’t,” she moaned.

“I know it hurts, Isa, but we have to go inside. They’ll help you.” Isabella sighed, moving towards him. He picked her up again and she gasped. She closed her mouth, not wanting to scare him. She panted as he carried her.

Isabella watched as he said something to the receptionist, but all she could hear was her heartbeat, pounding against her chest. She tried to inhale more, but with each breath, the pain seemed to increase. She tried to be silent, but as he carried her down the hallway, a few cries of pain escaped her lips. Isabella watched as Leo’s lips moved, but she couldn’t hear the sweet sound of his voice.

The journey to a check up room seemed to last a lifetime. Finally, Leo set her down and she sighed, grateful to lie down and not move. Dr. Schenk followed them in and Leo and him exchanged a few words. She was forced to sit up, but the pain felt muted. Don’t get your hopes up, she told herself. Dr. Schenk did the usual check up procedures and left the room. Isabella hadn’t realize that Leo was holding her hand until she went to lie down and saw it. Her hands felt numb. She raised her hand to her cheek, where Leo’s hands warmed her face.

Dr. Schenk came back and didn’t ask her to sit up again, because he got the results. She watched as Leo’s face turned pale because of the news. His eyes darted from her, to Dr. Schenk, to the papers he gave to him. Dr. Schenk gave Isabella a pill bottle and told her to take one, giving her a glass of water. She sat up, the pain returning, and swallowed one of the orange pills, drinking the water that she couldn’t feel.

After five minutes, her hearing returned and the pain in her stomach gradually went away. She heard Dr. Schenk talking with Leo.

“But is it dangerous?” Leo was asking.

“We aren’t sure. We’ve never seen anything like it before, like I said. We’re also low on morphine and painkillers.”

“Will you have enough before the surgery?” Leo demanded. Isabella felt a jolt in her stomach, completely unrelated to the poisonous gas.

“I’m not sure. But we still have enough to mute the pain for her if it comes to that.”

“It’d better not.” Isabella decided that this was the moment to stop eavesdropping. She smiled.

“That’s so much better,” she said. “Thank you.” They went back to the receptionist’s desk and Leo paid the price, scheduling another appointment in two days. He took her hand, leading her into the car. His face was still pale.

“Are you okay?” Isabella asked, resting a hand on his arm. “What did he say?”

“Um…” Leo hesitated. “He said that the gas was still in your system and that’s why it was hurting. It’s going to keep getting worse until they remove it, and that’ll take a surgery.” He waited for her to process the information.

“Is it dangerous?” she whispered.

“I-I don’t know,” he replied. His hand was shaking.

“Will it be easy? Or fast, at the least?” Isabella closed her eyes as he repeated his answer. “Will I… is there a chance that I mi—"

“No, Isa,” Leo said, clutching his temples. “There’s no chance of that happening.” He sighed. “Don’t worry about it. You won’t even feel anything.” He pulled out of the parking lot, speeding back to the Oasis. Could she call it a home? She remembered her house being blown up, so she technically could call it her home. Isabella held her breath, finding that it helped the pain. She exhaled after a minute, only to take another breath.

To distract herself, she scanned through her mind to try to find new memories, but she only had a few from before: Will’s death, memories with Leo, some flashbacks…

“Isa?” Leo said, slowing the car down and drawing attention to himself. “Are you okay? How’s your stomach?” She exhaled.

“Better,” she said. He sped up.

After a while, he passed the Oasis, still speeding past the skyscrapers.

“Leo, you missed it,” she said. He smiled, looking at the road.

“I know.” She stared out of the window as Leo drove past the city, the landscape becoming a forest. He parked the car at a small parking lot and they got out. He slipped his hand into hers and led her into the forest.

“Where are we going?” she asked. He kept walking. “Leo?”

“You’ll see.” He walked her to a small clearing where leaves and branches covered the roof and flowers lined the perimeter. In the center of the clearing, there was a red blanket in the grass with plates of sandwiches and glasses of lemonade. She laughed as she realized what it was.

“Presenting… cliché number five: a romantic picnic!” Leo said. He guided her to the picnic blanket and they sat down. Isabella started to eat the ham sandwich, thankful for the temporary break from the pain.

“Leo, you’re not being fair,” she complained. His smile melted.

“What? I thought you were enjoying this,” he said.

“That’s the problem,” she teased. “I can’t beat any of this.” His breathtaking smile reappeared.

“You think that that actually matters?” he laughed a mellow laugh. She smiled.

“Well, I feel bad,” she explained. “You’re doing all of these amazing things for me, but I can’t think of anything for you.”

“I can.” She waited for his answer. “Time with you.” She smiled wider as he leaned into her. He kissed her gently, caressing her face with his warm hands. Her stomach jolted before she could pull away and she clenched her fist without breaking the kiss. But when Isabella’s breath caught, Leo pulled away, keeping a hand on her cheek.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Are you okay?” She nodded.

“I just need the medicine,” she said, opening the container. “Do you have water?” He tossed her a water bottle. She swallowed the pill. She clenched her fists harder as the pain became worse, the medicine not sinking in yet. Leo put his hands over hers and the pain wavered for a second, shortly coming back. After a few minutes, she sighed in relief and relaxed, lying down on the soft blanket.

“You okay?” Leo asked, his melodic voice ringing in the quiet of the forest.

“Yep,” she answered. Leo lied down next to her.

“So, quick question: Which cliché is your favorite?” Leo asked her. She knew the answer in a second but pretended to look like she was thinking about it.

“Swimming in the lake,” she replied after a couple of seconds.

“I would probably have to say the movie was my favorite.”

“You didn’t even watch that movie!” she exclaimed playfully. He grinned.

“Kidding,” he said. “My favorite was the lake, too.” She yawned, looking up at the night sky, the stars covered by a thin layer of clouds. “Go to sleep,” he said, wrapping a muscular arm around her.

“Don’t we have to go back to the Oasis?” Isabella asked, her eyes drooping.

“The other members went to look for the third palace. They think they might have a lead.” She smiled, feeling safe and warm in his arms against the cold, winter night.

Isabella slept peacefully, with no Lobelts or even regular dreams that she was aware of. When she woke up, Leo was looking up into the cloudy sky. She observed his features: his thin, kissable lips; his wild hair, hand-combed back; his calm, chocolate colored eyes; his small but high cheekbones; his adorable, almost-invisible dimples as he suddenly smiled to himself; his perfect, white smile; his smooth face… Isabella smiled, loving him more. He turned his head to look at her, and his beautiful features were doubled. She smiled wider.

“Hey, beautiful,” he greeted. “Is there a reason for you to be smiling?”

“You,” she responded. His grin widened. “What time is it?”

“Around nine o’clock,” Leo answered.

“Wow,” she marveled. “I slept for a long time. Why didn’t you wake me?”

“I thought you might need your sleep. And we’re in no rush anyway. Tony got a lead so they went to explore more.”

“Didn’t you want to go?” she asked.

“Well, yes, but I wanted to be with you more.” She smiled. She took her water bottle and swallowed another pill as the stomach pain started.

“Leo, I think it’s spreading. My arm’s been hurting. Do you think it has anything to do with the gas?” Leo took her arm, observing where she said it hurt.

“I think you’re right. Your skin tone doesn’t look the same as before. It looks… greener.” She swallowed.

“Leo, I’m scared,” she whispered. “What if the doctors don’t know how to heal me? Or if they end up ki—"

“Isa,” he soothed, cupping her face in his hands. “Stop. Everything’s going to end up perfectly. You’ll be healed and we’ll eventually stop Liam. But the doctors know what they’re doing and they will help you.”

“Leo I heard what he said,” she admitted. “About how they didn’t have enough painkillers and that they’ve never dealt with anything like this before. What if I never see you again?” He actually laughed. She furrowed her eyebrows together in slight anger and shock.

“What?” she demanded.

“I should be worrying about if I never see you again,” he said. “And if I’m not, then you shouldn’t worry.” She lightened up. “Do you want to go back to the Oasis?” Isabella hesitated and then nodded. “Oh, and I forgot to tell you: Tony needed the car and I gave him the keys. That’s why the food’s gone: he brought it with him. But the Oasis is five minutes from here.” Isabella wasn’t worried. That just meant more time closer to him.

Leo held her hand as they walked, his rough-but-soft fingers intertwined with hers. The forest soon disappeared, replaced with the crowded sidewalks and busy buildings of Liviette. Suddenly, Isabella doubled over in pain, clenching Leo’s hand.

“Isa? What’s wrong?” he asked.

“It’s getting worse.”

“But you just took the pill. And it lasted the whole night,” Leo pointed out. “What happened?” he wondered, mainly to himself.

“Help me,” she groaned.

“How? I don’t want to hurt you more.” She started to gasp for breath. Leo’s face paled as he looked for a bench. He picked her up carefully and carried her to a wooden bench. She lied down on it, closing her eyes tightly. It started to rain.

“Should I give you another—?” Isabella gasped, the pain immediately disappearing. “Isa?”

“It’s gone,” she breathed. “I’m fine.” Leo exhaled, the color returning to his face. “Yes, something is definitely wrong. Should we go back?”

“If you think we need to, then yes.”

“Then let’s go. Maybe they can do it today,” Isabella said. “Saving me some anxiety.” Leo sighed. “I know you don’t want to, but it’s going to have to—" Leo grabbed her waist and kissed her, his wet lips sliding off of hers. She didn’t know how many kisses he could give her before the operation and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. She couldn’t smell cinnamon anymore; the rain washing it away. She felt the rain running down her back but because of Leo’s warm embrace, the cold water didn’t affect her.

Isabella realized that the sooner the surgery was, the less time she could spend with him. She didn’t want to leave him worried and alone. Even if the surgery ended well, what would she have put him through?

Leo pulled away slowly, trying to make the moment last. Isabella clung to him, resting her head on his shoulder. She kissed his neck a few times before finally pulling away from him. His eyes looked sad as they looked at the rain splashing in the slightly flooded sidewalks.

“Leo, I want to do the surgery tomorrow. Let’s not rush it. Can we just go back to the Oasis for now?” Isabella requested. He smiled faintly, taking her hand and leading her down the sidewalk. They got home soon enough, dripping wet in the doorway. Leo hung his coat in the closet, away from the other jackets to avoid getting them wet.

Isabella heard footsteps about a minute away.

“I thought you said everyone left,” she whispered to him.

“They did.” He looked at her. “I don’t have any weapons.”

“Me neither.” The footsteps broke into a quick walk, approaching fast. They braced themselves for Liam to show, but the figure that appeared in the doorway was Simon.

“Simon?” Isabella exclaimed. “You scared us. We thought you were Liam.” He scowled at her, observing her face and clothes.

“Are you stupid?” he asked Leo. Isabella glared at him in shock. “You’re taking her out, looking like that? Really? What if you guys were seen?”

“You know what?” Isabella whispered to Leo. “I think I would have preferred Liam.” Leo smiled.

“So would I.”

“Liam is out in the city somewhere,” he said, elaborating each word slowly, as if she couldn’t understand him. This only made her more frustrated with him. “You have to put on some kind of disguise if you want to go out in public, Bella! Think a little bit!”

“Simon, why does that even matter? We weren’t even in the city!” she explained.

“That doesn’t matter, Bella!” he shouted. “What about his partner? We don’t have a single lead on who or where they are, and until we do, you aren’t allowed to leave this building. Do you understand?”

“Simon, I have to go to a su—"

“No, you don’t Isa, remember? It was cancelled,” Leo lied. She immediately caught on.

“Oh yeah, I forgot,” she said. “Okay, Simon. Thank you.”

“And you,” Simon said, glaring at Leo. Isabella’s anger raged on as he approached Leo, sticking a finger in his chest. “I really hope that you learn to treat my sister better. How dare you break up with her like that, leaving her crying and distraught!” Before Leo could answer, Isabella’s temper - a mix of frustration, humiliation, and anger - exploded.

“SIMON!” Isabella roared, pushing him away from her love. “Shut up! You didn’t even care about the breakup until now, when we’re perfectly fine! We don’t want to be reminded of that terrible night. Just leave! Go to wherever you were before!” Simon looked hurt, but Isabella was too angry to care.

“Fine!” he snapped, marching to the door. He didn’t bother to grab his jacket as he slammed the door behind him.

“Isa,” Leo whispered. She shook her head, not daring to look him in the eye. She needed a moment alone with her thoughts. First, he had called Leo stupid. Then, he treated her as if she was a child. And he starts yelling at Leo about breaking up with her? How dare he? And Will, eavesdropping from death? She never payed attention to what Will and Meg were talking about. Both Will and Simon were starting to turn into her father.

And all three men she had lost.

What have I done? she thought. I pushed away Simon and Will. What if I never see them again? If both Simon and Will take my advice and leave me alone? I didn’t mean it in that sense; only that they would stop eavesdropping.

“Isa?” Leo whispered again. She didn’t want to lose Leo, too.

“Am I a terrible person?” she whispered. He walked up to her, stopping behind her. She felt his arms around her stomach and his chin resting on her shoulder.

“No, Isa,” he soothed. “Everyone slips up. Simon just overreacted and you got mad at him. He’ll forgive you. He’s not gone forever.” But Will might be, she thought. How was she going to apologize? He was just protecting her.

“Isa, you want some food?” he asked. She shook her head.

“I’m not in the mood,” she mumbled. He let go of her, wrapping one arm around her waist and guiding her to the couch. He turned on the TV to a show that he didn’t pay attention to. He observed her features as she watched: her round, dark blue eyes filled with sorrow over Simon; her high, wide cheekbones; her eyebrows lightly pulled together in anger over herself; her full, inviting lips; her half-dried hair, highlighted with a light brown; her perfect complexion; a single tear dropping from her cheekbone to the leather sofa…

“Isa,” he said, stroking her cheek. Isabella bit her tongue, not wanting to cry. She softly giggled.

“And I was trying so hard not to cry,” she whispered.

“Why?” Leo asked.

“Because I pushed away three important men in my life and I don’t know if I’ll ever see them again.”

“Three?”

“Simon, Will, and my father. Simon you already know, but after the kiss that Simon brought up, Will butted in and I told him basically the same thing I told Simon.”

“And your dad?” She sighed.

“That’s a long story. The basics are that I just came home from training and my dad saw that I got a 76 in my medical training class. He got angry, but I told him to look at the other grades, which were perfect hundreds. He ignored me and I got mad again, going into my room and slamming the door, which made him even more frustrated with me.”

“Isa, don’t worry about it. Both Will and Simon will get over it and forgive you sooner than later.”

“But what if they don’t?” she whispered. Leo laughed again and she turned her body, facing him. “What?”

“You’re so negative,” he joked.

“No I’m not!” she protested. “Normally I’m more positive than Simon, which is hard to do.”

“Oh really?” Leo said, jokingly. “You keep thinking that the surgery is going to go wrong, and that nobody will ever forgive you, and that you’re the reason for my worries.” He kissed her forehead. “You have to stop worrying. Promise me?” She nodded.

Isabella suddenly heard a faint ringing noise. She sat up.

“What’s that noise?” she asked.

“What noise?”

“The ringing.”

“Oh, good!” Leo exclaimed, standing up. “They called.” He ran to the dining room and picked up his phone, pressing accept.

“Hello?” He started talking to whoever was on the phone. Isabella grabbed the remote and flipped through the channels. After finding nothing to watch, she went into the kitchen and grabbed an apple.

“Isa, I’ll be right back, okay?” Leo said, his hand covering the phone.

“Okay,” she said. He walked out of the room, into the maze-like hallways. Isabella finished the apple and turned to go. Suddenly, the stomach pain burst to life, like a flame on gasoline. It had never been this bad before. She crumbled to the floor, gripping her stomach and beginning to cough. She turned her head up, looking for the pill bottle. It was at the other end of the room. She crawled to the table, struggling to open the bottle.

Finally, it opened, spilling orange-colored tablets all over the floor. She groaned, picking up one of the pills. Isabella went back to the stove, where she opened a water bottle and swallowed the pill. She sat on the floor in a fetal position, waiting for the pain to go away. Except it didn’t. She sat for ten minutes, praying that it would stop, but it only got worse.

“LEO!” Isabella screamed after her stomach jolted. She hoped that he wasn’t deep into the Oasis and that he heard her. She heard his running footsteps in the hallway, heard the triple beep when he hung up, heard the door of the kitchen whooshing open…

“Isa? Where are you?” he asked frantically. She groaned in response. “What happened?” He knelt down next to her, trying to calm her.

“It started a little after you left, and then…” she moaned, breathing heavily. “And then I took the pill but it didn’t help.”

“But I left ten minutes ago,” he mumbled, more to himself. She groaned, her face pale and sweaty.

“Leo, we have to go,” she whimpered. He nodded sadly and slowly picked her up, Isabella cringing from pain. She rested her head in between Leo’s neck and shoulder, a comfortable spot.

“Are you okay?” he asked, opening the passenger seat of the car. He pulled the seat back, but she shook her head.

“Not the back,” she pleaded. “Can you put me in the passenger seat, baby?” He smiled faintly, resting her in the front seat. He closed the door and stepped into the car, dreading the short drive to the hospital. Leo would have wanted to go as slow as possible, but he didn’t want Isabella to be in pain for much longer. He kept one hand on the wheel and the other around hers.

The pain in Isabella’s stomach had decreased. Her breath steadied and she no longer needed to clench her fists. Leo raised his hand, with hers, to his lips, kissing hers. His breath warmed her cold hands.

They rode without speaking. The only noises were the engine and the heater. Isabella’s foot started to throb, and Isabella noticed that only the right side of her body, apart from her stomach which was in the middle, was in pain. First her stomach, then her arm, and now her foot.

They arrived at the hospital, Isabella’s heart beating fast as they walked through the hallway. Her foot hurt whenever she stepped on it. Isabella was terrified that something would go wrong, and she would never have the chance to apologize to Simon or see Leo again. Stop, Isa, she thought to herself. You promised Leo. She tried not to think about Simon or Will or anything negative; only the soft roughness of Leo’s hand and the thought that her pain would be over soon. She hadn’t realized that they had signed in until Dr. Schenk walked into the room.

“Welcome back,” he said. “What happened?”

“We were back at the house and I was in the kitchen when my stomach started to hurt, worse than it ever had. I took a pill, but it didn’t help. Eventually it went away, but it was… unbearable pain.” Dr. Schenk only nodded, jotting down notes on his clipboard. “And my foot started throbbing in the car. Yesterday it was my arm.”

“Which side?” he asked.

“Right for both.”

“And do you have any pains right now?”

“Only my stomach and my foot.” He nodded, his pen scribbling against the parchment.

“And you want to do the surgery today?” he asked, not looking up. She couldn’t look at Leo.

“Yes,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

“Okay, you can follow me,” he said, walking into an emergency room. He gave her a blue hospital gown. “Would you go put this on? Bathroom’s right there,” he said, pointing to a door in the corner. “The surgeons will be here in five minutes.”

He left and she went into the bathroom. As she changed, she started to worry again. She only had five minutes with Leo until they would be separated for who knew how long. It could be a day, five days, a month, or never…

She stepped out of the bathroom, putting her clothes on a chair.

“Are you okay?” Leo said. She looked at his pained expression.

“Yeah,” she responded. “How about you?”

“I’m… fine.” The moment of hesitation was so brief that Isabella almost missed it. Almost.

“Leo, you don’t have to do this. You could go home,” she suggested. He took her hands in his.

“I’ll never leave your side,” he whispered, joining his lips with hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he held her waist. The scent of cinnamon returned, and Isabella tried to get as much of it as possible into her lungs, trying to document it into her memory. His lips were amazing and kissing them made her forget about the surgery, only focusing on him and the fact that he was hers. Her fingers inched their way up his neck, tangling in his hair. The only sounds she could hear were their lips moving in sync, and the quiet, short breaths each of them took at the same time.

Leo started to pull away. She didn’t want to go back to reality, to the operation. She wanted to stay with him forever. But she knew that if she wanted him to be happy, it would be without Liam. And in order to get there, she had to do the surgery. So when the surgeons came into the room, Isabella had stopped kissing Leo, and they were only hugging, Isabella’s head cradled in the space between his neck and shoulder like before.

Isabella looked at all of the doctors, seven in total. Their faces were covered by surgical masks, their bodies were covered by the blue hospital gowns identical to hers, and their hair was covered by head covers. The only way she could tell them apart was by eye color: four browns, two blues, and a light green. She was faintly reminded of Liam and her stomach tied into knots. It’s not the same shade, Isa, she thought. Leo turned to go.

“I love you,” she said. He paused at the door.

“I love you more,” he replied, blowing her a kiss. She lied down as they attached all of the tubes to her body. The only part of her skin she could see were her bare stomach and arms.

“Give her more anesthesia,” one doctor said.

“We can’t. It’s already too much, Gait,” another replied. The surgeon named Gait sighed.

“We have to go through her stomach,” he said, changing the subject. “It’s too dangerous if we operate near her heart.”

“Are you sure it will work?” a third asked. A millisecond of hesitation.

“Positive.” She took a deep breath. It’s fine. They know what they’re doing.

Gait sighed, grabbing a tool she didn’t recognize. The doctors thought they had waited long enough for the tranquilizer to sink in, but they were in a rush and didn’t have time to wait. Gait started to cut through her stomach.