The Place You Could Call Your Own.

One of the amenities of the central hospital's VIP wards was a separate entrance, an elevator and enhanced security.

David walked into the elevator and climbed to the right floor, Elena was sitting near Corey's ward and waiting for him to arrive. Noticing her husband, the woman got up and went towards him. The warmth of his body and strong arms were the best comfort for her.

"How are you?" David tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her on the forehead, his hand was pressed to her cheek, and the man gently stroked her skin with the thick of his thumb.

Elena closed her eyes and covered his palm with hers and pressed her cheeks against his hand. "I'm fine, I was just very worried. They did all the procedures for Corey, she had carbon monoxide poisoning, the doctor said she would soon come round. Daniel is at the medical screening with Ashley."

"Don't worry, everything will be fine with them," David smiled, and Elena's mood was a little better. "I brought clean clothes for Corey and Ashley. I did not go to their house, because there was little time, so I took Ashley's clothes that we had, and one of your dresses for Corey."

"Thank you very much," Elena lightly kissed her husband on the lips, his attentive attitude to close people admired her more and more every year. He even brought sets of clothes for girls, although she did not ask for it.

"Uncle David, hello!!!" A ringing childish voice made David turn around, Ashley was sitting in Daniel's arms with a beaming smile on her face. "Look what I've got! The doctor took blood from me, and I didn't even cry, can you imagine?"

"I had no doubt!" David took the girl in his arms and kissed her cheek, "Our brave captain will not be afraid of any injections!"

Ashley giggled, "Where's Sean? He did not come?"

"No, he is still in kindergarten; he will be at home in the evening. If you want, come with your mom to visit us. We will just have to make sure whether the doctor will let her go home today," David answered the girl's question.

"Okie, it seems to me that it's time for us to check if your mother has woken up. Anyway, if she's not awake yet, we will wake her up with a magical kiss, agree?" Daniel suggested to Ashley, and the girl supported his idea with great joy.

. . .

Rick walked over to the woman's bed and began looking at her sleeping face with interest. He did not understand what he was still doing in the hospital, although he should have returned to the base a long time ago. If he stays even longer, the Master will definitely have questions.

Although logic told him one thing, his desires were directed at something completely different. The man stopped next to Corey's bed and raised his hand, a strand of blond hair fell over the woman's face, closing her sleeping eyes. Rick lifted the strand and put it back, the girl's eyelashes quivered. And as soon as he managed to take his hand off, at the same instant the girl's eyes opened, and she looked at him.

Rick felt a lump in his throat and he could not even breathe, her gaze was so intent and piercing that he was numb in place, completely captivated by her blue eyes.

Corey looked into his eyes for a few seconds, not taking her eyes off, and then, as if falling back into sleep, her eyelids slowly dropped and only then Rick could breathe. He looked around hearing the noise outside the door, but instead of leaving this place, he decided to hide in the room so that he was not visible.

'What are you doing?! Are you out of your mind?!' He mentally reproached himself for his recklessness, but he could do nothing with the desire to be near this woman for a little longer.

The ward was spacious and looked like a small apartment. Separate bathroom and toilet, a soft sofa, a TV and a comfortable bed - everything was adapted for the maximum convenience of VIP patients.

Rick was standing around the corner, next to a small kitchen, from which everything happening in the room could be seen.

Four people came into the chamber- two men, a woman and a child. He immediately recognized the girl and mentally had a sigh of relief that everything was alright with her. He again caught himself thinking that his behavior becomes irrational as soon as this girl comes into his field of vision.

And this awareness made him think more and more that something in this situation was wrong. He had never reacted to other people as he had reacted to this woman with her daughter since their first meeting at the banquet.

Even if he did not see them, his thoughts were constantly returning to them, as if they had cast a spell on him that he could not get rid of.

These feelings frightened, annoyed him, but also aroused the interest and desire to learn more about them. Could it be that he was in some way connected with them? But how is this possible if the place where he first woke up was thousands of miles away, on the other side of the ocean, on another continent?

A man and a girl came up to the woman's bed, and Rick noticed how he took her hand in his hand and began stroking it with tenderness. A wave of irritation began to flare up somewhere inside, Rick clenched his fists but did not look away.

The girl leaned over and kissed her mother on the cheek, "Mom, wake up!" Corey opened her eyes, waking from a deep sleep, and looked at her daughter. A smile appeared on the face of the woman and her eyes shone with joy, thank God that everything was all right with her baby.

"Hey, sleeping beauty, how are you feeling?" Daniel asked in a whisper and stroked Corey on the cheek.

"Hmm, ok, I think," Corey answered in a still hoarse voice. The headache made itself felt, her vision was a little blurry, but gradually it was returning to normal. "Where is the doctor? Already gone? I wanted to ask him when I could be released from the hospital."

"Which doctor? It seems no one came inside, we were in the corridor next to the ward," Elena asked. She was always close to the door, waiting for the return of Daniel and Ashley.

"Well, he was in a black uniform. I think I saw him before you came," Corey replied and thought that maybe it only seemed to her.

"Doctor in a black uniform? How is that possible? My dear, I think you haven't woken up yet," Daniel replied jokingly and kissed the woman on the cheek.

"Hmm, you are probably right. Most likely I saw it in a dream," Corey sighed, and she herself at that moment thought it was strange that the doctor was wearing a black mask.

Rick, having heard the woman's question, looked at himself, as if he himself did not know what he was wearing. And, making sure that he really was all in black, he realized that she was talking about him. So she saw him? Did she notice him? From these thoughts, his heart pounded faster, and incomprehensible emotions of warmth and something else filled his chest. Something that he could not understand.

But this warmth was immediately followed by annoyance when that man leaned over to kiss the woman Rick had kept his eyes on. He clenched his fists even more, closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. He learned everything he wanted. This girl and her mother were fine, which means that he had no reason to linger here.

He looked at them again, these people were smiling and looking like a happy family. The family which has never had a place for him. The family which he will probably never be a part of. If at all, there was a place that he could call his own. The man turned away, closed his eyes and disappeared into the air.