URIAH

Stimulating

Chapter 21

since it has been a while since the last chapter went up, as an AN, I'll put a little resume of the previous events at the of the chapter if you want to check that out before proceeding to read

I push myself off the ground. Slowly, I make my way towards the tube. I place my hand on the glass thinking that my proximity will change something, but he does not move. He is completely out of it.

He is in nothing but his boxers, held up by a body brace. All his scars are completely exposed. His face, void of any emotion. They have taken the Nathan I know out of him.

Every scar on his body, somehow has its own story in my life. The one on his forearm reminds of when he came to see me in the middle of the night after Darren pulled him out of prison, before I knew about all of this Rodrigo crap, even before I was searching for a supposed Van Walters.

The one on his thigh brings back the memory of us playing cards in Rodrigo's kill room in his mansion. I chuckle remembering how I asked him to show me his scar. I had found him after so long, I didn't care where we were or how direct I was with him either. I needed to know he was okay.

I look at his pale face, noticing all the little marks he still has from his time in prison, when I notice the gauze behind his head perfectly hidden beneath his bed of thick brown hair.

"Why does he have gauze around his head?" I barely whisper.

"Pardon?" Tito asks walking closer to me.

I turn around facing Tito and every person in a white lab coat. "Why is there gauze around his head?"

Tito stays silent.

"Fine. Let me start with a warm-up question. What tests did you do on us and why?" I ask him a little more assertive as I show him my forearms.

"They were basic DNA sampling and blood tests," he finally answers. "Hair sampling, dermis collection, stuff you would not understand." His condescending tone irritates me to my core. Oh, how agism is still present on the other side of the ocean.

I scoff. "The dermis is the second layer of the skin, Tito. My scars are not that deep so what you did was an epidermic collection, you sampled from my epidermis."

I see a few medical doctors wear smiles and I can't help, but be proud.

Tito smirks. "I knew I'd like you," he says but you know he implies that he actually hates me for that same reason.

At that same moment, I see something move in the corner of my eye. Nathan's leg twitched.

I stare at him waiting for more movement. I plead for him to show signs of life. I am starting to lose the will-power to ask all these questions. I search his body for more answers, for further movement, but to no avail.

"Are you going to give me answers or not?" I ask, or rather beg him.

"What are you doing to him?"

He sighs obviously reluctant to answer me. "We are testing his nerves."

"You are testing his nerve stimuli before or after something? Because if it's after, I am going to kill you."