Lucas pulled his wife closer as they swayed out on the dance floor. Even though he felt like her tag along date for the night, he was really enjoying the time they had together and with their friends. It was their first true night off in a long time. Maybe since Allison had joined their family the year prior, but Lucas wouldn’t change any of it for the world. “I am not sure I’ve said it enough tonight, but you look absolutely beautiful,” he whispered.
AJ had been sitting with Elena for awhile now. She seemed as stable as could be in the middle of the woods while laying under pieces of the plane. He knew he needed to keep her focused though and talking. Where the hell was everyone else though? He was still trying to recall exactly who had been on the plane with them. “What was your favorite part of Doctors Without Borders and why did you never call me?” he teased as he leaned his head back. When was the pounding ever going to stop?
Darius waved and nodded his hellos as he made his way down the street. Having grown up here, he knew most everyone. There were new faces that he hadn’t met in town yet though. A moment later, he noticed a stuffed animal on the ground. Darius leaned down to pick the well loved friend up, and glanced around to see if anyone was searching for the bear. That was when he noticed a woman waking across the way with a stroller. He met her baby had dropped the toy. Darius tucked the bear under his arm and headed in their direction. “Hi! Good afternoon! Excuse me? I think you dropped this!”
“Hi. Good morning. I think I’ve gotten myself a little turned around,” Loretta admitted as she stood at the nurses station. She wasn’t looking for the locker room quite yet or the ortho floor, but she did need to find Christian. “Can you tell me which way the plastics department in? I’m looking for Dr. Christian Fields.”
A Magical Incident (an unpleasant birthday memory) -- BDRPwrimo #3
In which Hercules leaves India...
[tw -- nothing really]
The police were at the door.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! went the door.
“Who could that possibly be?” Elena, Hercules’ mum says, looking up from her book and removing her reading glasses.
His father, Darsh, is already crossing to the window from his spot at the family’s desktop computer on the opposite wall.
He peaks out of the curtain. “It’s the IPS.”
Hercules is frozen still where he sits on the couch, his own book in his lap. His heartbeat is going off rapid fire in his chest and his eyes fill with big, hot tears. He wants to disappear into the couch cushions. He should’ve hugged him mum more, even if he bruised her when he did. He wanted to crawl into his dad’s lap.
“What could they want?” asks Elena, closing her book now and standing to go to her husband’s side. Neither of them are looking at five year old Hercules. They don’t think he has anything to do with this. In later years, that would not be the case. When the police come to the door, they sigh, resigned. Sometimes Elena will cry. More wrinkles will be added to Darsh’s handsome face.
Right now, though, they know none of this pain that will come later.
Darsh opens the door, Elena standing just behind him, Hercules doing his best to blend in with the couch cushions. The open door lets in the hot, muggy air of midspring Mumbai. There is the sound of the highway in the distance, the car horns sound almost like geese. Hercules, at this point in time, has known no other home but this.
“Mr. Persaud? Mrs. Persaud?” The police asks gruffly.
Darsh nods. “What is this about?” he asks, his voice is not harsh or suspicious. He has a soft voice, a kind voice. It’s gravely and starting to get rough around the edges, like fresh sandpaper.
“Sir, we were called about a magical disturbance--”
Hercules’ heart is beating so hard, he’s pretty sure he’s going to die. It’s going to explode. His short, short life flashes before his eyes. His long, dark eyelashes are wet with tears and he squeezes his eyes shut tight. Lights burst behind them and it reminds him of the fireworks on Diwali and he thinks that’s not such a bad thing to see. Better than the disappointment in his parents’ faces.
“--concerning your son.”
“Hercules?--”
“--but he wouldn’t hurt a fly!”
There is a hiccup from the couch and then, silence. He hears the shuffling of his mother’s sarong as she crosses to him and kneels next to him. The next moment, her hand touches his hair and she croons softly to him in Hindi.
“Mr. Patel from house 32 up the street reported being struck in the head in the early afternoon with a football soaring through his open window. He was taken to the emergency room with high blood pressure and a concussion, as well as lesions to his face and shoulders from broken glass. Since the perpetrator is--underage.”
Hercules hears his dad scoff.
“He will not be arrested, but this is an warrant from the courthouse. You must vacate the good country of India by the end of the week, we have no tolerance for dangerous Magicks. Your son’s name has already been added to a registry and he has been removed from school. The University of Mumbai has been informed of your departure.”
“You can’t do that!” his dad snaps, his voice climbing higher and harsher than Hercules had ever heard it. He covers his ears with his hands.
“It’s already been done, sir. We suggest you leave immediately.”
The door closes. The other side of the couch dips. Hercules feels his father’s hand on his knee.
“Why didn’t you tell us, Hercules?”
Hercules gasps and his lip trembles. “B-because we’d have to l-leave. I-I hurted him and I w-was gonna getted arrested.”
Darsh smiles softly. “He’s going to be okay. He just has a boo-boo on his head, Herc.”
“W-we have to...go?”
“Yes,” Elena says gently and kisses Hercules’ temple. “Don’t worry, though, no one is going to take you away from us.”
Three days later, April 28th, Hercules flies on a plane for the first time. The captain comes over the intercom and the whole plane sings happy birthday, but Hercules barely hears them. He’s staring out the window, at all the fluffy white clouds and wonders what it is like to be one of them: soft and gentle, not hurting anyone at all.
