236 Chapter three, 2017, old and new: 6 (2/2)

”Military treatment,” Ulf answered. ”Kyoko got stabbed and shot, and Amaya pulled rank. She's stable now,” he finished, and Christina didn't need an explanation to understand that it wasn't Amaya who was stable.

'Thank all gods! She's fine.'

Only after delivering the message Christina needed to hear, did Ulf rise from his chair and faced her in the door opening. ”I'm sorry I dragged you all into this,” he said. ”I missed you,” he continued. ”I want to hug you,” he finished and walked into her embrace.

Christina didn't need asking. ”I've missed you as well. I love you,” she said when she wrapped her arms around his back.

Inside his world, in those arms of his, always so strangely strong and confident, pressed against his body and holding on to him for all she was worth; now she could afford to let out all the fear she had carried with her since Ulf made that first call.

He didn't let her fall even a little bit towards the floor when she sagged, and then first sobbed, and when she felt secure, opened up the flood dams and wailed like a small child. She clung to him, cried her heart out, blew her nose in his chest, cried some more and attached even more snot to him, and all the while Ulf just stood there like a warm rock holding both her body and sanity above water.

How long she stood there she didn't know. In the end it was Ulf who loosened his arms around her and led her to a chair. After that he went for the bathroom, probably to clean up his stained sweater from all the unsightly things she had put there.

Christina got all the time she needed to study her surroundings, and as she did so she realised no matter how little or how much time she had it would have mattered very little. The waiting room defined the very word 'nondescript'. It took effort to create something as unmemorable as this.

She rose when he returned, and it was at that time she saw, for the first time, how worried he was.

”Ulf, is there something you didn't tell me?”

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He smirked, but his gaze didn't leave her eyes. ”It's Yukio. He got badly beaten up as well.”

'Your best friend got beaten up and you went to this clinic for my sake?' ”Ulf?”

”He'll be fine. A few fractures. Nothing compared to what happened to me.”

That Ulf downplayed Yukio's damages by comparing them to his own made Christina want to puke.

”How bad?”

”Not all that bad, I promise. In fact he should be on his way here as soon as they patch him up. A day or two at most.”

Christina sat down again. 'Do we keep the Wakayamas out of the loop?' was the first thought that struck her. Then she realised it wasn't important. At least not right now.

”Christina?” Ulf said, and she broke out of her thoughts and met his eyes. ”Amaya's really angry this time. I don't think I can stop her.”