The NDA Dragon

Chapter 4: The Worst Case Scenario

A couple of hours later, I woke up in a hospital bed that wasn’t in my tunnels and away from human eyes. I couldn’t feel my Neutarian Tanzanite necklace around my neck, and I started to panic. I couldn’t feel any people I knew near me. I start trying to pull my iv out. Then I hear the door open, and I grab the knife hiding in my right leg cybernetic. I point it towards the person who enters. “Shina, careful it’s just me, Jack.” He walked by my bed and opened the drawer near me, and pulled out my necklace. He gently put it on me while still pointing the knife at his throat because I couldn’t understand what he said. The medicine that was being infused into me has dulled my senses. 

“Shina, please put the knife away. It’s me, Jack. I mean no harm. Please put the knife away.” I slowly lowered my blade and tucked it back into the knee cap of my cybernetic. It disappeared like it never existed. “Where did that go, Shina? Do you always carry hidden weapons on you, and why do you?”

“Jack, I’m sorry I pulled a knife on you. However, that’s a dagger, not a simple knife. Yes, I always carry extra weapons on me, and it’s for protection from male prospects who wish to harm me. Unfortunately, I have a few enemies who wish me dead, and being in this place allows them to harm me under the guise of healing me. That’s why, as Chizbit probably told you, I refuse to go to hospitals when I think something is wrong. This medicine they have me on is dulling my senses and causing me to panic even though I look calm and collected. I’m on high alert because of this place, and when you walked in, I thought you were going to hurt me and attack me, so I pulled out my dagger to protect myself. I hope you don’t take that as a reason to stop dating me.”

Jack hugged me tightly. “Only if you hurt me, but you didn’t, so we’re good. Jim is worried about you, Shina. I’ve been going to work while you've been unconscious for three days. He never expected you to be that sick, and you never told him. He would have sent you home earlier than he did. He came to see you a couple of times while you were out, and so did the rest of the team. Jim brought you this.” Jack holds up a dragon sculpture. I just shake my head. Jack laughs slightly. 

My stomach loudly growled, and I felt lightheaded. “I guess I would be hungry after being out for three days. Could you get me something to eat, Jack? Sorry for being like this. I don’t mean to sound demanding. Thanks for being here for me.”

“Sure, I’ll get you something. Would sushi and some hot tea be delicate? I was going to get myself some sushi tonight. What’s your favorite sushi so I know what you like so I can get it for you. Also, try not to kill anyone when I’m gone. Also, if you pull the dagger out on someone, they might arrest you if you’re not careful. So be careful. Not everyone would be understanding. Also, you might want to get some rest. I’ll be back in an hour.” 

I tell Jack what my favorite types of sushi are, and if they have a steak bento box, I would rather have one of those than just sushi. I could feel Jack rub my horns slightly before walking away. “Your horns are cute. You should let them show more often. I’ll be back soon. Rest well, Shinatin.” Surprisingly, when Jack rubbed my horns, I felt relaxed and not threatened by it, which is unusual. Maybe it’s Jack‘s non-threatening body. From the moment I met him, his aura was childlike.  Full of innocence and hope. Both things I never really got. My innocence was stolen before I was hatched, and the idea of hope just lies. You tell yourself that tomorrow will be better than today when real life doesn’t work that way for anyone. 

Somehow I fell asleep. I was awakened by the smell of food and Jack’s voice. “Hey, Jack. How are you? Thanks for the food.” 

“I’m good, Shina. Here’s your dinner. Sorry it took a while. I had to convince the nurse to let me bring this to you. She wanted you not to eat this and only the poor hospital food. The crap they serve here is garbage, while this is way more nutritious than they think, and it is cooked with less oil than what Americans cook with. I’m sorry if it’s kinda cold. That was my fault. But I can see if someone can warm it up if you want me to. Sorry I should let you eat.” He hands me the bento box and some cheap bamboo chopsticks.

I open up the box and look at the food. There were three dragon rolls, some octopus, some eel, steak med rare, rice, dumplings, and a salad. It looked and smelled delicious. I used the chopsticks to eat the salad first and then the dragon rolls. After that, I eat the rice and the steak. Finally, So, when, I finish off with the octopus, eel, and dumplings.

Jack sat down beside me and talked for hours until the hospital announced that visiting hours are now over. Jack packed up his stuff and kissed my forehead before leaving. He told me during our conversation that I was unconscious for three days, and during that time, the director got mad at Jim because that I must have quit like a weakling because why else would I not show up. Until Jim showed him a picture of me being hooked up to machines to keep me alive, he didn’t believe I was in the hospital. I was slightly upset at Jim for taking the picture, but I was pissed off at the director even more. I thought someone like me would quit. But, So, when I never give up nor back down, no matter what.

This job is what I live for. There is nothing I do that I don’t fulfill 100 percent on. Plus, this case is what I have longed for since I was honorably discharged from the Marines. That is the thrill of taking down people who are too dangerous to be out in the free world. I needed this job more than most people would have understood. It was about time I moved on and found love once more. I used to say I was married to the military, and that love was a distraction I couldn’t have in my life. Well, that was until Soshi, who was someone like me, and I found out love was more than a distraction but the whole existence of life.

I was happy for the first time when I met Soshi, and his family was so sweet and generous. I wasn’t expecting that, considering most royals were stuck-up snobs I had met in the past. But Soshi’s father, the king of Nigeria, was the most down-to-earth human royalty I ever met, and it was a nice change. I also learned more about my parents from Soshi’s mom Silina.

It turned out she was very closed to my parents and was even there to help my mom lay mine and my twin sister’s eggs. She told me that my parents knew they would be killed by my uncle and the men he will sneak onto the planet and that they told her to return to earth. So, she did and started living in the palace in Nigeria, and that’s how she met Soshi’s father, Sijuwade.

Sijuwade, when he became king, he married Silina, and a few months later, they had Soshi. Because of Soshi’s Nuetarian side, his body matured much quicker than the human side, but because he was raised mainly by humans, they counted his age by human years. When I met him, he was around 45 to 47 years old. So, about a year and 15 months if we went by the Nuetarian calendar. But the Nuetarian calendar is confusing as hell, so sometimes it’s easier to count by the human calendar. Why Nuetarians count their age by every thirty human years makes absolutely no f*****g sense.

I was woken up in the morning by alarms going off in my room and Jack crying. I open my eyes, and it turns out I ripped out my iv in my sleep by tossing and turning during my trip down memory lane. Once the nurses put the IV back in. They left, and in a couple of moments, the doctor came in.

“I’m doctor Prescot. I’ve been looking over everything, and it appears you have injuries similar to someone who had been in a bad accident within a week—such as broken ribs, displaced hip, and a collapsed lung. Have you got in an accident recently or gotten in a car that’s too small for you? Also, we have noticed old signs of s****l abuse and previous signs of r**e that appear to be a long time ago. I do have a question for you, young man. How long have you been dating her?”

Jack gulp before finally saying he’s been dating me roughly for a week and didn’t understand how there could be signs of r**e. I shot him a look that we would talk about later at home. I think he understood what it meant because he dropped it.

“I had to drive a car that was too small for someone my height. It was no accident, but I was in an accident about 15 years ago and had a punctured lung during that accident. So, some of these injuries are older that have been triggered again by driving the car again.”

The doctor left shortly after, but Jack asked him how much longer I will be here. The doctor said that tomorrow I’d be discharged, and he wants Jack to monitor me when I get released because I can always relapse and need to come back here immediately. I could hear Jack sigh with relief. He came back and sat next to me.

“Shina, please be honest with me. What did he mean you have signs of s****l abuse, and it looked like you’ve been r***d before? I don’t mean to be rude, but I need to know, you know, so I don’t hurt you because I don’t want to hurt. Shina, please.”

I took a deep breath to gather my emotions and thoughts before I start telling him. This subject was always challenging for me to talk about, considering I had just lost my son and husband, and it was traumatic to me, and it makes me fear my kind.

“So, Jack, I’m from a race of dragon people called Nuetarians. I am only half Nuetarian because my mother was a light elf, and my father was a Nuetarian, but when they first met, Nuetarians were called Dragoniods or Draconians. The latter was used more often than the first. Well, I married a Nuetarian human hybrid named Soshi. When Nuetarian hybrids have kids, it’s a 25% chance of being an elf, a human, a full Nuetarian, or a half-elf. Nuetarian Genetics are weird. So, Soshi and I had a half-elf son that just had a couple of small scales on his body that was hardly noticeable to most people. Our son’s name was John. So, on John’s 7th birthday, Soshi had to take John out for his birthday by himself because Nuetarian morning sickness is awful, making it hard to get up. When the movie was over, they were supposed to come home and eat the chocolate raspberry cake that I spent most of the night I made. But they never came home, and they never would again alive and together. Well, a week passed, and male Nuetarians started showing up and attacking me, hoping to r**e me and force me to marry because I’m not just a normal Nuetarian; I’m the Nuetarian High princess. So, these male Nuetarians thought if they could get me pregnant and r**e me that I would marry them. I killed them instead or ripped off their wings and tails so they would lose their identity and rank in Nuetarian society. To add to the trauma, Chizbit kept telling me I should have married one of those monsters and that I should have been submissive to them. That all humans are monsters and that half breeds and human-like creatures would do way worse than what those Nuetarians did to me, and he didn’t have to tell me what they would do because I know more than he knew.”

Jack hugged me. I showed a large number of scars on my body. I had also started to cry. I hate reliving those events, even if it’s just telling anyone about it, including my therapist, so I refuse to talk about it, and I don’t know why I even told this small human man who has shown me nothing but kindness and love, but I did.

I felt relaxed, and I laid back. I don’t know why but I want Jack to kiss me. It could be that I am high on drugs that the hospital was pumping through me. I don’t know why Jack stayed with me throughout this whole thing. No human or Nuetarian has ever cared about me like this except Soshi. Maybe this is how love should be instead of what I’ve received from people since I was born. I slowly realize that people have lusted over me because of my rank, power, or money. Once they find out I’m a princess, they treat me differently because people think they can get something from me. So I’ve started denying it in my heart that I’m not royalty because I don’t wish to be treated differently. But Chizbit constantly reminds me that I’m not a mortal or a commoner. I’ve always been exceptional. One of my earliest memories was when I was a baby. I turned into a nine-tailed white fox girl, and I was covered in white fur. I’ve tried to suppress that memory because the monks raising me started treating me like a god. And I hated it. 

“Jack, I have something to tell you. Sorry, these meds are messing with my head, and I’m not thinking clearly. So I’m a princess from a realm called Nuetaria. And I love you. I hope you don’t treat me differently.”

“Shinatin, I know you are a princess. Chizbit told me that day you passed out. I don’t think he likes me or any humans, and I know why you hate Nuetarians. I won’t hurt you ever. I don’t want you to feel pain anymore. I also know you haven’t had the best luck with humans treating you nicely. You haven’t been able to feel comfortable with any species in a romantic relationship. I completely understand why you kind of turned away from my affection last week. I shouldn’t have tried to kiss you that soon, especially since everything you've been through. No one should ever feel like that. I’ll try to be everything you need me to be, Shina. Tomorrow when you get released, come by my house. I've been working on something for you that I hope you will like.”

The announcement of visiting hours has ended. Jack kissed my forehead and gently rubbed my horns before leaving. I didn’t want him to leave, though, because I wanted more affection. I laid back and tried to get some sleep. I fell asleep and woke up the following day. 

I got dressed and packed my bags. I checked out of the hospital, and I was glad to be out of there. I hate to say it, but it was nice that Jack was there by my side the whole time. I want more affection from him. Jack was waiting out front of the hospital to take me back to his place. 

“Jack, thank you for everything. I’m ready to head home. You said you’ve been working on something while I’ve been in the hospital.” I kissed his cheek. “Sorry, I don’t know why but lately I’ve been craving affection, and I hate it, but I don’t either. It’s just been a while since I’ve had genuine affection from another living being. For the longest time, I thought I was doomed to be alone for all eternity. Destiny hasn’t exactly been on my side since I was born. I hate my life so far. Everyone treats me like I am a fool, treats me like I’m special, or they just avoid me at all cost. So, in the end, I just avoid having meaningful relationships and overall avoid people.”

“I know, and we are home.” So we were. I was too busy talking to realize we were at Jack’s home. Jack got out and opened my door for me and led me inside the house. Inside, the house was beautiful. The first time I was here, it was dark, and I missed a lot. Jack showed me into the spare bedroom, and It was decorated with a color scheme of black and blood red. “Jim, help me make the platform bed and the balances. I didn’t know if you even like canopy beds, but I hoped you did. Also, chizbit brought over some of your clothing, so if you ever wanted to spend the night, you would have clothes and a bed and bathroom just for you. I would love to take you out shopping for torties later today or tomorrow. Jim is also giving both of us a week off of work to destress and relax because I learned that my cancer is back and very aggressive this time, and it spread to my blood. So I was already at the hospital when I was visiting you for aggressive chemotherapy. Healthwise, I am not in a good state. The doctors don’t think I will make it this time. If it was any other type of cancer, they could cure it, but you know brain cancer isn’t that easy.” I nod and hug Jack tightly.