She wore an ungrateful expression and held onto her belief that Jewel would be okay. Without showing it, she was thankful for them for helping Jewel but disinterested in what the rescue workers had to say about her family. Confusion and anger boiled in her at hearing anything more than what the present circumstance called for.
Azure's partners seemed to forget who was the most in need as they made off hand comments about "how often one should call their parents." "Please shut up and do your job," was all she could think. She bit her lower lip and began to practice all of the breathing techniques she and Jewel learned together. It was calming and her eyes closed for just a moment.
Jaimie got out of her seat once more to kneel beside Jewel, giving her a kiss on the forehead. Lingering there for a moment, she imagined the energy from her mind and heart flowing into her friend's body by the simple act of touching. Continuing to breath slowly, she leaned up with her eyes still shut. Azure reached for her shoulder, sending energy in his own way, and nodded in her seat's direction. She knew it was dangerous to unbuckle during the flight but needed to be close and didn't want to breath if she knew Jewel couldn't.
Neither of them knew the severity of Jewel's head wound. Not even Azure had taken the time to inspect it. Being called upon by Jaimie wasn't usual, but when she did he knew it would be a life or death scenario. Jaimie was beginning to look as she did when first boarding the helicopter. Impatience was boiling within her and simmering with anger towards a fate she was unsure of. She sat shaking and imagining a reality without Jewel.
As soon as Jaimie lunged forward to give Jewel another kiss, the balance of the aircraft was thrown off. The pilot announced loudly, "we're landing, get ready to move" just after the movement. Azure removes his safety belt and moves to open the side hatch. The sound of the blades and wind overpowered everything as the group descended. The rescue center was just below them. Azure stood next to the opening with a strong grip on the handle above him. His left hand remained at his side until switching hands to turn and look at Jewel. Jaimie sat back in her seat, gripping the sides of it and ignoring Azure's caring eyes.
Everyone in the helicopter shifted slightly as it roughly landed on top of the building. Azure knew they were fifty stories off the ground and told Jaimie to watch her feet as she helped Azure's partner remove Jewel. Both of them held onto the gurney without wincing an eye and lifted Jewel out of the aircraft, through the double doors outside.
Two women with security guard uniforms held the doors and waited for Azure to take his partner's place carrying Jewel. The man saluted Azure without glancing at the others and climbed into the passenger seat of the aircraft. The pilot must have recognized Jaimie from his surveillance of Jewel. Boarding quickly, he nodded to Jaimie and gave a thumbs up with his protective gloves. The appearance of his hand in that glove was enough comic relief to get through this crisis, Jaimie thought. He mouthed "good luck" through the glass and they were already turning around to enter the building.
Jaimie chose to ignore the comment seconds later and moved swiftly to re-position her hand on the gurney. One with wheels appeared before them as soon they took the first left turn. A sign on the wall read "82" and in front of them a set of doors suddenly swings open. More uniformed women accompanied by doctors and nurses with their lower faces and name tags covered rushed through a set of armored double doors to examine Jewel for the first time.
In the haste of her actions, she was just now aware of the risk she took and the guidelines she ignored to bring Jewel here. Both would receive care and mental evaluations if they were to survive this endeavor. They continued pushing Jewel through secure door ways until they stopped at the 8th doorway. The doors were painted black and a keypad was mounted in the center where the doors split apart.
Everyone including Jaimie inhaled for a moment when coming to a stop at the doors. All eyes soon turned toward her. She understood she needed to breath and open the doors as fast as possible. Pressing one, zero, two, and seven illuminated the paint on the doors, turning white and then transitioning to light blue. The doors opened inward and the keypad fell to the floor, dropping like a heavy lock. Azure and Jaimie pushed Jewel's unconscious body into the glass walled room and it came to life with light.
Six seated men on the left side of the room side of the room stood to honor Jaimie and began examining Jewel from a distance. Six more women followed on the right side of the room, standing next to surgical tools and clean water. The nurses and doctors that escorted the three individuals stood together uniformly and bowed to the twelve surgeons. Dressed in white and behaving the same way, the six men bowed their head for a moment. Jaimie alone began pushing Jewel closer to the center of the room. The six women joined the men bowing their heads.
She reached the center and bowed, not as gracefully, turning slowly to give Jewel a small kiss on the forehead. Almost a minute later she backed away from Jewel. Nurses and doctors in uniform left the room without organization. Azure was now an arm's length away from Jaimie. He moved closer to her, hesitating at first, just to let her know he was still in the room. He hesitated again but acted nonetheless, giving her a grounded, comforting, and still concerned look. She did not see this gesture.
Azure started to mimic Jaimie's gaze upon Jewel. Both became entranced as they gazed upon Jewel and the work being done. A digital sounding "Om" began to emit from the walls of the room. Every ten seconds it repeated, over and over, matching the movement of men and women surrounding Jewel. The six men and women lifted their heads slowly, opening their eyes to reveal a calming blue light. Jaimie and Azure stood before them, gazing at the light now glowing upon Jewel.
The surgeons (half of the men and women) stood over Jewel and began scanning her for injuries and weaknesses. Light within their eyes tested Jewel for what seemed like hours, identifying all that had injured in the accident. Returning from different corners of the room, the other half of the surgeons attached small white circles to different parts of Jewel's body, all in symmetrical form. Monitors built into the wall came to life with each circle they added, rising to the ceiling until nothing was visible. Jaimie and Azure backed away and shifted direction until they could see Jewel's face from a distance.
Suddenly, the floor to the right gave way. Rising from beneath the floor was a midsize healing chamber that Jaime's family owned for circumstances similar to this one. They would not spare anything to save a life, especially Jaimie's. Fortunately for Jewel, Jaimie loved her very much and was willing to give her this chance.
The sound emitting from the walls put Azure in a daze, making the appearance of this chamber even more of an abstraction. Both Jaimie and Azure put some distance between themselves and the chamber when it rose.
Six women still illuminated Jewel's body with blue light as they finished placing the monitor connections. Azure put his arm around Jaimie as the men carefully transported Jewel from the gurney to the chamber.
Her uneasiness with being held in such a way was obvious yet a lack of strength allowed very little mobility. Azure's body was used to situations like this and she trusted him a little bit more as he helped her to correct her posture.
This particular healing chamber, to Jaimie's knowledge, had never been used. It was a solid black block full of illuminated wiring that appeared like human arteries. The top of the block was transparent and carved out in the shape of a human silhouette.
Surgeons with eyes aglow moved Jewel very carefully in a compatible position for the chamber. Jewel was placed upon the block, appearing like crystal with her atop it. The chamber was already connecting to Jewel's body, opening pathways for healing.
Three of the illuminated women calmly asked, "It is unknown how the chamber functions or how long one must be healed. Are you healthy enough to wait for her to arise?" All twelve of the men and women stood around Jewel, shining their eye's light upon her. The two friends looked at one another without sharing words. Standing at a distance from Jewel and the light, they bowed.
