GUNPOINT | 2

11.| Unsolved Problems II

"I overheard the conversation...it's gonna be a no.", Natalia says frustrated as she fails in every attempt to connect the two parts of the necklace.

Keith looks at Noah and nods, giving him the cue to leave before slowly approaching her from the back. He towers above her with his warm breath flowing down the back of her shirt, causing all the little hairs across her spine to rise.

"Mind if I help?", he says with a small grin.

Natalia's elbows and shoulders drop in an exhausted sigh before she gives the control of the two parts to Keith.

"How exactly are you planning on helping me?", Natalia asks sarcastically.

Within a few seconds, Keith managed to quickly get the tiny hook through the tiny hole and released the necklace, allowing it to droop down Natalia's neck.

"How much of the conversation did you overhear?", he asks seriously with his grin faded as he turns Natalia around.

"Everything...From the moment Noah left the room to when he came back to you."

Keith sighs and retracts his arms as he lets them fix his hair nervously before he motions Natalia over to the couch in front of the large window. They both get seated on the couch and Keith begins to look around the room in search of words.

"There's no other way Nat, even Shacks said so-"

"There is! Leaving my arm right where it was intended to be.", Natalia cuts in stubbornly.

"Do you enjoy all the weekly tests Shacks would run on you? Do you enjoy the pain?"

"I've felt worse pain, Keith. This isn't that bad."

"Your complaining doesn't think so. Your tears don't think so. Your body itself doesn't agree. Nat, WAKE UP! This is dangerous! I don't want to lose you again!"

Natalia sighs before digging her elbows into her knees and cupping her hands over her face. While Keith leans back into the couch and crosses his hands over his chest disappointed. After a tensed moment of silence, Natalia speaks up.

"I'm not getting my arm cut off. And that's my final answer.", she says before standing, suddenly noticing her phone on the table near the hospital bed, and giving Keith a questioning look, "Weren't we supposed to be at Carson's house by 7 pm?"

"You already heard?!", he asks shocked.

Keith leans his elbows against his knees as he rubs his head irritated.

"Sit. Down. Now!", he orders.

Natalia looks at him in disbelief before crossing her arms over her chest with a challenging glare. 

"Nat, I'm not leaving until you agree.", Keith says deeply, making direct eye contact with Natalia. 

"Your sibling's lives are on the lin-"

"And so is yours!", with that said Keith stands up and pushes Natalia towards the couch a bit too rough causing her to whiplash back at him with an incoming fist.

Keith quickly dodged it and twisted his arm around her right arm which resulted in a painful hiss from Natalia's behalf. As his grip pressured her injured; and now sore, arm he pulled both arms back where he settled himself with his mouth just above her right ear.

Natalia struggled under his clutch but the pain was something she never witnessed before, it began to corrupt her whole body. Every limb fell weak to the presence of it and she couldn't do anything about it but hiss and attempt to wiggle away from Keith.

"Nat, knock off the sass or it's gonna get you killed!", Keith whispers in her ears sternly as Natalia calms down.

In her stubborn state of mind, there was no possible way she was going to admit Keith and Shacks were right or that the poison was wasting all her life energy.

"What are you going to do in a situation such as this?"

After two seconds of Natalia straining with her arms twisted backwards she finally begins to give in. Although she knew she could easily fight Keith off, right now was not the right time. She was still under the drowsy dose of medicine that weakened her muscles to the point where it made her feel useless.

"Fine!", Natalia spits before Keith releases her arms and allows her to step away from him.

She rubs her aching arms angerly when Noah enters the room, disturbing her thoughts. Noah called Keith over before he began with his surgery-related topic. Keith almost seemed fazed out by guilt as his gaze remained peeled to Natalia who was obviously avoiding eye contact with him; sitting herself back down on the green couch.

"Do I still have enough strength to knock out someone with just my right hand?", Natalia asks Noah without looking up.

Noah and Keith exchange glances, Keith quickly shakes his head but Noah goes against Keith's advice and responds. 

"Yes, until a limit."

After a moment of silence, Natalia looks away from her arm and alternates her gaze from Noah to Keith.

"I'm not getting my arm removed now."

"Excuse me-", Keith begins furiously before Noah puts a hand on his chest, giving him a hint to stay out of the situation for now.

"Not until it gets injured to the point where we can't fix it.", Natalia states as she stands and begins walking towards the table on the other side of the bed with her phone.

Noah retracts his arms as he turns around with a pondering face. Natalia grabs her phone and walks up to the riled up Keith with a mischievous grin as she holds up her aching right arm with the visible black veins. With a slight move, she softly punches Keith in the gut. The blow was enough to cause him to take a couple of steps backward and later lean against the wall in order to regain his balance.

"That's for an attempted torture.", Natalia says with a grin before Keith intimately stands with his back straight and begins walking towards Natalia with a grin of his own.

Noah on the other hand completely fazed out on the two adults acting like foolish kids. Instead, he seemed to be one of the only people who was doing something useful. He overlooks the results on the computer before nodding with a small smile and turning around to catch Natalia jumping off the bed with Keith sliding right onto it.

"What in the name of heaven is going on here?", he almost screams.

Natalia and Keith look at him dumbfounded, acting as if the chaos that had just occurred in the room wasn't their fault.