Heart of Their Jewel

Chapter 16

"That's right, pretty princess," Brandon smiled as he held her hand.

'There's so many' she thought as Axel introduced her to the man in the suit named Owen. He had pretty gray eyes and she noticed that he kept watching her. He seemed very adult and it made her nervous.

The doctor's name was Sean and she liked him, he was wearing purple doctor clothes. His eyes were green like pretty gems yet his hair was yellow like Corey and Brandon's. He seemed nice for a doctor.

The other man in a suit was Victor and he kept tapping his fingers like he was playing the piano. Hello Kitty played the piano, she wondered if he could or was it just to pretend.

The man that had glasses like Owen yet had green eyes like the doctor was Kota. Axel said he liked to read books so she wondered if he knew any Hello Kitty books. Brandon said he had a puppy named Max that she could play with once she was feeling better.

The man dressed in all black was North and he had tattoos like Raven. For being friends they looked at each other with mean looks.

She pulled on Raven's sleeve. "Da?" He asked curiously.

She leaned closer to him, making Jace huff in annoyance at messing up her hair but she didn't care right now. "Fwiend?" she whispered while pointing at North.

"Da," Raven chuckled. "South friend."

She frowned in confusion. "South? North?"

"My name is North," North shook his head, forcing himself not to glare at the Russian right now. "Crow just likes to say the wrong name to be silly."

"Bear name Raben," she tried to glare at North. "Nyet Crow, Yevbeanie but onwee me say special name. You say Raben."

Raven burst out laughing then kissed the top of her head. "Da, Little Treasure Gem, my special kitten. North I just play mean, nyet really mean each other, promise."

"I apologize," North nodded and when she wasn't looking flipped Raven off which just made Raven chuckle again.

"I'm going to have to watch you around Luke here, Doll," Axel smirked as he patted the blonde haired man that looked like pictures from magazines. "He likes to eat lots and lots of candy and he's as sneaky as a ninja."

"That I am," Luke nodded proudly.

The guy with fluffy red hair was Nathan and he had pretty blue eyes. Axel said he did ninja moves also but he wasn't as sneaky as Luke.

Corey said the X-man guy named Gabe liked to play with hair and makeup so he would be fun to play with when she felt better and he could probably make her hair prettier than Jace could.

"There, two pretty Hello Kitty bows in your pigtails," Jace sighed as he hugged her from behind.

"Fank you Bubba," she smiled as she leaned back into his hug.

"And our final friend is Silas," Axel said as he motioned over to the man that was leaning against the wall watching them. "He loves to go play in the ocean with Brandon so you have another mermaid friend to swim with."

"Yay!" she clapped excitedly.

"It's okay if you can't remember everyone's names right now, Pebbles," Brandon smiled. "We know it's a bunch of us right now. You'll learn eventually just like you learned ours."

Just when she was about to say something her stomach rumbled. "Shh tummy, I asks in a minsit. Jacey, I hungees," Jewel loudly whispered to her stomach then turning her head toward her brother. Not bothering to actually ask but inform instead. Chuckles could be heard around the room but she ignored them.

"Okay, what soup would you like?" Jace asked with a small smile on his face.

"Umms, chicky with puffy balls," Jewel exclaimed with joy thinking of homemade chicken and dumplings.

"Okay, how about I go get your favorite blanky and stuffy along with the food while you stay here with our friends and get to know them some more?" Jace questioned as a plan started to form in his mind.

"Bubba hurty," she pouted as she realized that her throat was starting to ache.

"I know," Jace nodded, "your soup will help." He patted her head, "Try not to talk anymore, it will help a little. I'll be quick." He climbed off the bed. "What does everyone want while I'm out?"

"Just get us the same thing," Owen said as he adjusted his tie.

"Here, I can tag along to help," Marc offered as he stood up from his seat.

"No need, I plan to just call it in and stop by my place while they make it. By the time I am done, it will be ready for pickup. If anything you can help when I return to bring it up," Jace placated as he gave a reassuring grin.

"If you're sure, then I'll leave it up to you," Marc murmured. Without another word, Jace left the room. "Well, now Princess, how about you let Dr. Sean here give you a quick checkup, and then we can either color or play a game?"

Jace walked at a leisurely pace till he reached the parking lot then briskly walked to his destination. Reaching his car, he threw the door open, took his seat, and slammed the door closed. "WHY! Why must it be her?!" Jace screamed in the confines of his car as he hit the steering wheel repeatedly.

Heaving as he stared down at his tight grip, tears cascaded down his face as images of the past flashed in his mind. "Well, looks like I will have to put that plan into action ahead of schedule. First a stop at home then food."

This certainly wasn't what he originally had planned but it was a good thing he could make decisions on the spur. Not nearly as well as Axel or Owen but this would work. His mind spiraled as he drove to a hotel he booked when he got the confirmation that the teams had rescued his sister. While he was grabbing what he needed, he placed the call for pick up and then looked around the hotel room. A fleeting moment of hesitation filled his mind before he shook it away. He knew what he was doing was the right thing for him and his sister.

A ping on his phone told him that the soups and drinks were ready for pick up so he grabbed his bags and headed back to his car. He pulled up to the restaurant and took a deep breath. Heading inside he paid for the food and then carefully carried it back to his car. Once everything was secure he pulled the lids off the soups and removed the vial from his pocket. It was time.