Tarin had forced her to take the day off work. Why, Lee really wasn't sure, she didn't exactly work any more than he did after all. But the truth of the matter was that the apartment did need some work done in it, and there were a few errands that were a little over due being run. Such as laundry.

So Lee had taken care of cleaning the apartment up, and caught up with at least most of the laundry after Tarin had left for the shop. But it didn't take all day. And Lee couldn't simply stay in the apartment all day; without Tarin there, it was simply an energy drain to Lee. So she had left, but quickly found that her aimless wandering around the city, which had been so common, familiar, and normal for her a year earlier, was now boring.

Tarin would shoot her, Lee knew. He had told her to take the day off, to not worry about the shop, but here she was making her way there right now.

As Lee approached the door, she frowned. The blinds were drawn? She couldn't help but wonder why he had closed up so early. Yet...the sign was still on?

Pulling the door open, Lee froze, her eyes darting around for Tarin. This scene was far too familiar for her liking. It only took about two seconds for Lee to see Tarin, laying on the floor with a drying puddle of blood under him, unconscious, but it felt like forever. A second later, she saw a younger woman standing behind the counter, shuffling through papers.

"What the hell you you doing here?" Lee asked, walking into the shop. She was torn though; did she check on Tarin, make sure he was alright first, or deal with the possible threat this woman posed?

Lee's body made that decision for her, carefully and cautiously taking her closer to Tarin. Lee's mind was moving in a hundred different directions, at a thousand miles an hour, as she imagined what could have possibly caused what she was seeing. But Lee needed to know more, much more than she could possibly trust to find out from the woman.

Lee started focusing on her siphoning as she moved, feeling what was around her, who was around her. Lee could still feel the woman over by the counter as she looked down at Tarin, and she felt him, but that's all. Other than an occasional blip from a passerby on the street. But nothing else, no one else. So this wasn't a merge, Lee thought hopefully. She didn't feel any extra energy coming from Tarin like she had the last time he had been merged.

Kneeling down, Lee carefully reached her hand out toward Tarin, feeling for a pulse before carefully checking out the wound on his head.

Ghost heard the door and she looked up unsure of who to expect. She was met by a grumpy woman -well, who wouldn't be grumpy at the sight- who seemed to walk with an air of authority and familiarity about her. Did this kind of thing happen often in a Medium's shop?

"What the hell you you doing here?"

Ghost jumped and dropped the papers, realizing that the woman might think she wrecked the shop. Oh great. Not only had she not helped, but now Tarin's... uhm sister? friend? business manager? was here barking at her. The dark-haired woman seemed to think her not a threat, though as she chose to check Tarin's status before possibly breaking Ghost in half.

"H-He... I don't know. He's breathing, but the book case was on him. I didn't know what to--" Ghost took a hesitant step away from the counter. Her foot slipped on a slender rectangle of paper and the perfect and uncrumpled paper distracted her momentarily. She knelt slowly to pick it up. No sudden moves to threaten the lady.

It was a ... check. She did a double take and then a triple take. Her eyes bugged and Ghost quickly held out the piece of paper toward the older woman as if it were the plague. A million dollars from some guy to Tarin. Who left checks for a million dollars laying around? What kind of person just wrote checks for a million dollars? It was mind boggling. Mentally, Ghost burned the name into her memory. Would that name lead anywhere?

"I'm sorry I'm so useless in a pinch- all I could do was dig him out. Is there someone we can call for Mister Tarin?"

Tarin had a pulse, and though the cut on his head looked nasty it wasn't as bad as he had had in the past. That was a good thing, considering. And the woman behind the counter hadn't moved yet, so Lee kept her eyes on Tarin, checking him out for other injuries. His arm, laying out at an angle that didn't exactly look right, was bruised and swollen. That was something she knew she couldn't deal with on her own, they'd need a doctor to take a look at that. The question was, would they be able to afford it? Yes, they had a fair chunk of extra money, but that much?

They'd figure it out later. At that point, Lee felt the woman getting closer, and her eyes shot up to glare at her as she seemed to be explaining, what? That she had found Tarin like this, under a bookcase? So this woman had walked into the shop, found it like this, and started snooping around the counter?

Then she was kneeling down, moving slowly, and holding out a small piece of paper when she returned to her feet. "No, I'll take care of him," Lee replied, her voice clipped, as she took a step forward and took the paper the woman was holding without really looking at it. "Now, if you're done thinking about robbing us, get out."

"No, I'll take care of him," Lee replied, her voice clipped, as she took a step forward and took the paper the woman was holding without really looking at it. "Now, if you're done thinking about robbing us, get out."

Ghost wrinkled her forehead confused. Did she not hear her? Ghost scratched her head when the lady took the check as if it were a rag. The woman was angry, understandably so. Ghost feebly held out the only things she'd found behind the counter that might help: a kind of clean looking cloth and a small flesh colored band aid. "It's all I could find- sorry" she mumbled. This lady was going to kill her. Ghost slipped carefully back from Lee's immediate reach.

"I'd at least be careful with that check... uhm - you might regret losing it." She wished there were something more she could do, but some people just couldn't be helped. She seemed like a strong enough woman. There was no doubt that she could handle this situation better than Ghost could.

She gave a large berth to Lee as she carefully made her way toward the door. The dark-haired woman said to go, so Ghost was going.

Lee glanced down at what the younger woman was now holding out to her, apologizing that it was all she had been able to find. A cloth and a bandaid that she had bought, considering the fact that it was a plain, skin colour rather than something like Batman or Spiderman. Yes, Tarin might be in his thirties, but that doesn't mean he was mature. Sure, the cloth could be of help when she started cleaning Tarin's head up, though Lee would prefer something cleaner out of the closet, but the bandaid?

The words, and how she spoke, when the other woman brought up a cheque made Lee actually look down at the paper in her hand.

And she froze, her heart jumping into her throat.

One million dollars? Lee blinked at the paper she was holding in her hand. What the hell had happened in the shop that afternoon?

"What's this?" Lee asked, looking back up at the woman who seemed to be edging toward the door. "Where'd you find it?"

"What's this?" Lee asked, looking back up at the Ghost who seemed to be edging toward the door. "Where'd you find it?"

"It's... a check for one million dollars." Ghost replied slowly and dutifully, unsure if Lee actually meant something else or if her bulging eyes meant that she was so angry at Ghost that she couldn't see straight enough to read it. "I stepped on it. It was on the floor... perhaps a misplaced attempt at an apology? Ah-- it's a man's name. Not mine." She added quickly. She really didn't want the dark-haired woman to kill her today... Garrett probably wouldn't like that... Oh right! She was there on behalf of Garrett. If this lady was a regular she might know him or at least might know who to tell about his unplanned vacation.

"Uhm, it's probably not the best timing, but." Ghost bowed nervously. "I have a message to pass on to Mister Tarin when he wakes up, would you uhm... please let him know that Garrett has taken ill." She bowed again, still using slow movements around the crazy lady. "It is unclear when he will be able to leave the mansion as he is currently in our healer's care." Ghost resumed her slow edging toward the door. If needed, a few quick steps could get her there now. She could probably consider her message delivered now, right?

Lee blinked at the woman when she simply stated the fact that it was a cheque for a million dollars. Well, at least Lee knew she wasn't seeing things. But what the hell? Why was there a cheque for a million dollars in the shop in the first place, never mind made out to Tarin, who was currently passed out on the floor?

But then the woman continued speaking, apparently telling her the reason she was there at the shop in the first place. Lee had been wondering why their shop clerk, who had seemed so eager and excited about the job had suddenly stopped showing up. But other than the fact that he lived at the mansion, they had had no way of actually contacting the young man. But Garrett was sick. That explained things.

Sick, and in the healer's care?

Lee's eyes dropped down to Tarin again. At his awkwardly positioned arm. There was a lot of stuff that Lee was able to deal with and take care of, but she couldn't do everything herself.

A second later, Lee's eyes shot back up to the woman edging toward the door. "Are you going back to the mansion now?" She asked, a touch of urgent pleading in her voice as she folded the cheque and tucked it in her bra for safe keeping. "Would you be able to bring us with you? Tarin doesn't do so well in hospitals."

"Are you going back to the mansion now?" The crazy lady sounded panicked. Funny. Tarin laying unconscious didn't throw her as far as a million dollar check had. A million dollars was a lot of money... maybe Ghost should have held onto it for Mister Tarin. She hadn't thought about who the crazy lady was exactly. Just that she seemed very familiar with Tarin... and the situation. "Would you be able to bring us with you? Tarin doesn't do so well in hospitals."

Thoughts of money were immediately shut out of her mind as Lee explained about Tarin and asked if she might go with Ghost to the mansion. It was a definitive plan of action that would require her assistance. The dark-haired woman no longer seemed so angry or panicked, but rather desperate now.

"I wasn't planning on returning to the mansion just yet." Ghost admitted, her eyes darting to the slumped for of Tarin. "But I believe Tarin would do better after a visit with DocProf... and that is far more important than what I had planned." Ghost tilted her head for a moment. "I cannot carry you both. Apologies. I will phone for a cab."

Ghost Hopped spryly over the boards and general debris and slipped behind the counter where the phone was. The thought that Lee and or Tarin might be dangerous didn't even cross her mind. Tarin was in need of a healer. The mansion had a healer. Therefore Tarin and his dark-haired friend would go to the mansion. Ghost dialed the number for a cab. Luckily they all had easy to remember numbers. She told them their location and 'un'ed her assent for the rest of the conversation.

"Two to six minutes." Ghost reported to Lee before hanging up the receiver and immediately picking it up again to make another call. She pulled out her bus pass and referred to the numbers taped to the back. She dialed the one for medical emergencies.

"DocProf?" She inquired hesitantly. Silence and then a look of relief. "Sir, in approximately thirty minutes a Mister Tarin will be requiring a bed in your care." More silence. "No, sir. He has an open head wound that seems to have... coagulated?" She looked at Lee for confirmation that she had the right word and the right condition. She remained silent while the doctor spoke. "He may also have a broken arm?" Again Ghost differed to the dark haired woman for confirmation. "No, sir. Though a bookshelf was on him when I arrived." Ghost's eyes flicked to Tarin again. "Slumped." Another pause. "I don't know. How can you tell?" A short honk sounded outside from the street sounding the arrival of the taxi. "わかった. Ah... and Garrett?" A short pause. Ghost looked slightly disappointed. "Understood. See you." She hung up and turned to Lee, still in business mode.

"We are not to move his neck or twist his body if at all possible, in case of back injury." Ghost nodded. She felt better knowing that something definite was being done and she was on some level helping. "I could buoy him as he is, though I suspect it would be too rough. May I suggest we carry him together?"

Lee felt her heart drop below her stomach when the young woman reported that she wasn't planning on heading back to the mansion right away. Now what was she supposed to do for Tarin, Lee wondered, her eyes dropping down to his scarily still form again. The longer he remained laying there without moving, without waking up, the more worried Lee was becoming. If the mansion was out, an option she hadn't even realized was an option until just a couple moments earlier, maybe she'd have to take Tarin to a hospital. With all the death that occurred there, and the very few things Tarin had ever said about it, Lee knew it wasn't exactly the best place for him to be because of his mutation, but really, what choice did she have? She honestly had no clue how bad off he was.

The woman wasn't done speaking, though, and she seemed to change her plans saying that getting Tarin to whoever this healer at the mansion was seemed much more important than everything else she had planned to do that day.

Lee's eyes shot up to the light haired woman when she said that she'd call a cab for them. "Thanks," Lee said softly as she watched her moving over to the phone.

After another quick glance down at Tarin, Lee started moving. Into the back of the shop, Lee grabbed a towel, then a bowl of warm water. Especially if they were taking a cab, best to try and clean Tarin up as best she could before hand. Lee was just kneeling beside Tarin's still form when she heard the woman's voice again, slightly louder than it had been when she had been speaking on the phone, announcing that their cab would be there in two to six minutes. Lee nodded and set to work, she didn't exactly have a lot of time.

At least the cut to the head seemed to have clotted on its own. Yes, there was a tiny section, just in the middle of the cut, that was still oozing ever so slightly, but the rest had scabbed over, so Lee wiped the blood from around it away as best she could; she didn't want to disturb the clotting since that would be one less thing she needed to worry about when they tried to move Tarin shortly.

"Come on, hon," Lee pleaded softly as she rinsed the blood out of the towel in the water. "Wake up, Tarin. At least let me know you're alright." Then Lee heard the woman's questions about Tarin's injuries, and nodded as she continued to work. "It's not bleeding anymore," she answered, then nodded once more to the second question about his arm.

Far sooner than she was ready, long before Lee had finished cleaning up Tarin's head, never mind everything else, a horn honked just outside the shop. And a moment later the young woman announced that if at all possible, they were not supposed to move Tarin's neck or twist his body. As if this wasn't already going to be difficult enough with the comparatively little energy Lee currently had.

Shooting to her feet, Lee rushed over to the counter as she pulled out her keys. Grabbing a wad of bills out of the cashbox there, Lee shut and locked it, tucking the money in her bra to join the million dollar cheque. New York City cabs were expensive, after all. No questions and no police interference probably even more so.

"Probably the best plan," Lee said to the woman's suggestion they carry Tarin together as she returned to his side. "I could get him out to the cab, but not without moving his neck a lot, probably. You want to grab his feet, then?"

Hone comb colored eyes watched as Lee grabbed money from the register. Was this the other shop attendant Garrett had spoken of? Ghos was kicking herself now, running through names in her mind to see if they fit the woman's face as she could not remember what Garrett had called her. 'Evelyn? Eh. Vivian? Ehm... possible.' and on she went, flipping through names in her mind like note cards.

Ghost nodded in assent to Lee's question and moved gracefully to Tarin's feet. She took hold of him at the knee and waited for Lee's mark of when they were to lift. Together they were able to not only manage Tarin's weight, but in a somewhat stable fashion they were able to carry him through the glass shop door. 'Samantha? No. Tabitha? No.'

The crease between Ghost's eyes never smoothed as they navigated the limp frame into the Taxi. She slid in first to guide Tarin's feet steadily into the back seat of the cab. The dark haired woman set Tarin carefully down and stepped around to have some words with the driver. She then strode back to lock, yes she was locking, the Medium shop's door. This had to be the other shop assistant and business manager. That explained a heck of a lot. It also made Ghost feel better that she hadn't just carelessly trusted the check to the wrong person. 'Lilian? L's sound right for some reason... Leighanne?' Remembrance dawned on her face as the woman slid into the seat next to her, slowly and carefully picking her way underneath the drooping body.

Ghost settled Tarin's feet over her lap and gave the cabby the address of the school. DocProf should have something ready for them at the gate. "I'm sorry... about all of this. My name is G-" She hesitated for a second remembering suddenly what the medium shop did to make money. "Maya. Are you... maybe Lee?"

It took Lee a little longer to get ready to lift Tarin than it did for the other woman; she had to figure out a way to support his head and keep his neck from moving, after all. But finally she managed to slip her arms under Tarin's shoulders in a way that she would be able to lift him and at the same time so his head could rest on her arms as he was carried.

Why, oh why, couldn't she have had more energy that day? At least if she had, Lee wouldn't have been struggling to carry Tarin, with help, nonetheless, a mere ten feet to the curb. And why did she always have to be wearing heels and short skirts when things like this happened? Pants and running shoes would make things soo much easier. It didn't even cross Lee's mind at that point in time that she pretty much was always wearing skirts and heels of some sort.

Finally, they managed to manoeuvrer Tarin out the door and into the cab. After having a couple short, terse words with the driver when he started muttering and complaining, Lee turned and locked the shop up, then slid into the cab, carefully slipping under Tarin so he was leaning against her.

With the door now closed, the younger woman was giving the address they were heading to to the driver, and Lee turned her attention to Tarin, softly brushing the hair out of his eyes as she hoped he'd wake up soon, at least for a moment.

But then she heard the woman's voice again, and Lee turned to look at her once more. "Unless you were there or had anything to do with this, you have nothing to be sorry for," Lee told her with a shake of the head. It was true, Lee had far more to feel sorry and guilty about regarding Tarin than this woman had if her story about walking into the shop like it currently was was true.

And then came the introductions. After all the time they had spent in the shop together, all the talking and planning they had done, Lee was finally learning the younger woman's name. And she, apparently, knew her name already.

"Yeah, I'm Lee," she replied. "How long before we get there, do you think?"

Ghost tried to notice everything about Lee from the loving look in her eyes to the various emotions that seemed to fly across her face to the way that she nudged the clumped hair from obstructing Tarin's face. She was worried about time.

"It depends," she began softly and then cleared her throat and spoke loudly enough for the driver to hear. "when someone's life hangs in the balance, one would think the diver would know the meaning of urgency." Her threat was so mild that she didn't even feel bad for saying it. In fact, it probably wasn't even a threat at all. Cab drivers drove crazy and fast of their own volition all the time.

To Lee she tried to mumble something vaguely comforting like 'it won't be long' before turning to the window. Ghost kept her senses on high alert, but felt that Lee might need a some what private moment with Tarin. Garrett had spoken of these people to her often, though she'd never known their faces or their actual connection. Many interesting pieces were falling into place today.

Ghost watched the scenery pass by with a eating feeling of urgency. Lee just made her feel nervous for some reason. People did crazy things for love. Luckily the cabby was a genius at dodging traffic. He seemed to sense a tip of some kind if he were prompt enough and what should have been a half hour drive became something closer to ten minutes. When they slowed to a halt in front of the now familiar gates, Ghost ducked to see DocProf through the far window, Lee's window. He had a few capable and steady-handed assistants and a stretcher of sorts to strap Tarin in for a trip to the infirmary.

DocProf opened the door by Lee and introduced himself briefly. "I am DocProf. Hello. --And this must be Tarin." DocProf's hands moved surely around Tarin's face and neck checking vitals and various things. Ghost tried to comfort Lee in some way, though she wasn't a toucher. "Looks like you've done well, ladies. We'll get him inside and on the mend up immediately." DocProf nodded for the others to approach. With much awkward hefting and the help of many different hands, they were able to load Tarin onto the board. DocProf strapped him in so he wouldn't roll off anywhere during the moving process and then led the volunteer's he'd wrangled to help as they carried the board and Tarin in through the gates and toward the infirmary.

Ghost hung back as Lee shoved some green toward the driver to lead Lee to the infirmary just in case the medical procession got too far ahead of them. "He is a very capable healer." Ghost noted toward Lee, though whether she was heard or not was up for debate.

Rather than really answer the question about how long before they'd get to the mansion, the young woman, Maya she had said her name was, gave a slight threat to the driver. That definitely didn't help Lee's worry about the situation. Was it really that far away that she felt it was necessary to further press the driver for speed?

Rather than watching through the windows as they went, Lee kept her eyes on Tarin. He was leaning against her, she needed to keep his head from flopping around or hitting the door during the drive. Plus, Lee wanted to know the instant Tarin regained consciousness, and based on past experience, she wouldn't know that unless she was actually watching him.

But much sooner than she was expecting based on what Maya had said, the cab came to a stop outside the gate to a large building and her door was being opened. Almost as soon as the door was open, Lee heard the older man speaking, introducing himself as 'DocProf' and reaching his hands out to Tarin's neck.

And then began the very awkward getting Tarin out of the cab. But they managed, not seeming to have jostled Tarin around more than had been absolutely necessary, and settled him down on a stretcher they had nearby.

Only then did Lee turn back to the cab driver, pulling the wad of money she had tucked away out. Looking at the meter, Lee winced -- this was why she didn't take cabs normally -- and then counted out a number of bills, handing them over to the driver. "Remember what I said before I got in?" She asked. Waiting for the driver to nod, Lee passed another couple over to him before quickly getting out to follow the stretcher up to the building.

"He is a very capable healer."

Lee nodded, keeping her eyes locked on the stretcher ahead of them as she walked. "I just hope he'd wake up," she murmured. "I don't think I've ever seem him out this long unless I did it to him."

It would never stop being odd, being in one place, then opening your eyes and finding yourself in another. This time, Tarin had been in the shop, he was sure he had been in the shop...but now he was...tied to a table outside?

It was alarming, and there were people, people he didn't know hefting him through the light. His head pounded, and the sky spun over him and Tarin started to panic, he couldn't remember what had happened or why he was where he was. Another thought occurred to him and his eyes widened in horror as he realized he didn't know where Lee was.

"Lee?" he croaked, trying to sit up, then groaning at the pain in his ribs, head, and the sharp stab that shot through his arm. "Where's Lee?" he said louder, struggling against the bonds that were holding him as the people carried him.

Lee was walking along with Maya behind the stretcher Tarin was being carried on when she heard a voice. She couldnt't see him all that well because of the distance, how he was laying, and the person carrying the foot end of the stretcher, but she could hear the voice alright.

Her body tensing yet relaxing at the same time, Lee rushed forward, again not exactly the easiest of tasks because of the shoes she was wearing on the gravel drive. But Lee managed, making her way to Tarin's side as they approached the mansion.

"It's going to be alright, Tarin," Lee said softly, reaching her hand out to lightly touch Tarin's cheek as they moved. "We're at the mansion. They've got a doctor who's going to patch you up."

The relief at seeing that Tarin was awake faded slightly and a frown appeared on her face. "Did it happen again, or was it something else?" She asked. She had to know.