The Hearts Laid Bare

Conrad opened his eyes, his heart still pounding.

He could hear the light buzzing of machinery playing in his midst as he slowly came back to his senses. Conrad slowly brought his hand up to his face, moving his fingers, trying to get accustomed to yet another new body. And then, in his mental haze, something gradually clicked into place for him. Why was he hearing the sound of machinery?

He turned to the side, and saw a tall woman in a lab coat standing on the other end of the room, looking over something on a computer monitor. Astonishment gradually took over Conrad's body. This was it, he was home. He was back in his body. Under normal circumstances, this would be a cause of great excitement for Conrad. He could finally see Nicholas and his mother again.

Then the fog finished lifting in his mind, and he remembered the end of his adventure with Nana.

Conrad bolted upright, his mind frantically trying to settle on a decision on what to do. As he sat up, the doctor across the room whipped her head around, looking back. Conrad turned and looked at her, realizing he knew this woman. It was Dr. Amour. His father had brought her in as a consultant before, and to run tests on Conrad's cognitive ability.

Dr. Amour almost screamed. Forcing herself to stifle the sound in her mouth, she bolted over to Conrad, placing a hand on is shoulder and looking him over.

"Conrad! Oh my goodness, you...it's been a year! How are you feeling?! Anything abnormal? Lie back down, I need to inform your father immediately and run some tests on you!"

Conrad frowned. So, time out here truly had passed in the same way that it had from Conrad's perspective in the book. He and Nana had hopped around the timeline of the last cycle quite a lot. But ultimately, one full year's worth of time and experiences had elapsed for both him and everyone out here. Conrad shook his head firmly, placing his feet on the ground.

"Dr. Amour, I don't mean to cause you trouble, but I can't do that. I have someone that I need to go speak with immediately."

"Yes, I know. I'll someone Nicholas as well, along with your father. Don't worry. Please just lie back down."

"Dr. Amour, I want to see Nicholas so deeply much. And I will. But before him, I need to go see someone else. And she's probably at that library I disappeared at. Please understand, I would not be heading there right away unless it was an emergency. Could you please drive me there, right now?"

Dr. Amour was absolutely flabbergasted. "You want me to take you to the library where this supposed goddess kidnapped you?! Without even giving you any inspections first?! Conrad, this is absurd! Please, lie back down!"

There was no time for this. He had to talk to Nana again, as soon as possible. He had no idea how he was going to stop her yet, but he knew the first thing he needed to do was see her. Conrad stood and moved around Dr. Amour, walking to the exit, in spite of her protests. Dr. Amour immediately pulled out her phone and called Deacon, desperately asking for help.

By the time that Conrad entered the foyer of the Walters estate, however, he realized that he wasn't going to be out of here as quickly as he had hoped.

"CONRAD!"

Conrad turned, and spotted them both. In spite of the severity of the situation, he couldn't help but feel a warm smile tug at the corners of his mouth. Nicholas was running towards him, shocked. Behind him, his father Deacon approached Conrad, his stride measured and steady. Nicholas reached Conrad, pulling him into a deep embrace, crying openly. Conrad had never seen his attendant show this much emotion in his life.

"My boy, you're really back! Please, you need to come with your father and I! Dr. Amour needs to take a look at you! Do you understand, Conrad?"

Conrad hugged Nicholas back, returning all of the affection that Nicholas was pouring into him. After a moment, he pulled back just enough to look Nicholas in the eyes, smiling and determined.

"Nicholas, I can't overstate how happy I am to see you. Thank you for staying here while I've been gone. I've got a lot to tell you about everything that happened inside that book with Nana. But first, I need to go talk to her again. I left some business with her unresolved, and it's a matter of life or death. Can you please drive me to the library we met her at so I can see if she's there?"

Deacon cleared his throat, standing next to the two of them. Conrad turned, and eyed him up slowly. There was no time for any of this. He wasn't even entirely sure if he'd still find Nana at the library, and he had to take action.

"Hello, father. Long time no see."

Deacon nodded. "Quite. There's actually someone else here to see you, Conrad. Someone who has been stopping by almost as frequently as Nicholas. She contacted me saying she's about to arrive."

Conrad's eyes widened, and excitement overtook him. There was only one person that could be.

The entry door behind them opened. There was silence for a moment, then she said it.

"Conrad?"

Conrad turned. His mother, Priscilla Walters, was standing front of him, tears immediately escaping the corners of her eyes. She stepped towards him slowly, as if still trying to convince herself she wasn't hallucinating. Conrad helped close the gap between the two of them, and they embraced. She clung to Conrad like a lifeline, sobbing uncontrollably, her head buried in the crook of his neck.

After a moment of this, Conrad pulled back to meet her eyes, speaking softly.

"Mom, I can't possibly know how much stress I caused you. I didn't even have time for one more visit to put your mind at ease before I got sent away. I'm so, so sorry. I was too excited about the prospect of being somewhere new. I didn't stop to think of you properly before I left."

"Don't you ever do that again, Conrad Walters!" Priscilla did her utmost to sound firm through her tears, but she still couldn't prevent herself from smiling, too full of relief and happiness over seeing her boy again.

Deacon approached and placed his hand on Conrad's shoulder next. "To Dr. Amour, Conrad. Let's go. Your mother and Nicholas can come along."

Conrad stared into Deacon's eyes, unrelenting. He turned to face Deacon directly, putting a hand on his arm and moving it off his shoulder.

"Once I've dealt with the problem at hand, father. I need to go back to that library and see the goddess that I met a year ago. She told me you would be made aware of the situation, so I imagine you realize I haven't gone mad."

Deacon's eyes narrowed. "Conrad. I cannot agree to this. We're going to see Dr. Amour. Once she's taken a look at you, I may be willing to entertain your requests."

Conrad snapped. "This is NOT a debate, father. If you don't let Nicholas take me there immediately, then you will never have my support in anything you have planned. I will not take your place as the head of the company, now or at any point in the future! Do you really want to throw away all the time and money you've poured into me over this?!"

Deacon grabbed Conrad by his shirt, pulling him in close, their faces almost touching. Deacon snarled down at him. "This is not the time to be throwing a tantrum, boy. You will allow the doctor to inspect you. NOW!"

Conrad grabbed Deacon's collar, pulling him in and matching his energy. "I don't have time to go over my resentment with you, father. I UNDERSTAND why you've made the decisions you have. And as tempted as I am to tell you otherwise right now, I DON'T hate you. I understand you want me here because you need a good leader to take over for you one day. But there's someone who I need to speak to who has even greater responsibilities as a leader than you, and she's about to make an absolutely terrible mistake!"

Deacon blinked. Nicholas, Priscilla, Conrad and Deacon were all utterly silent for several moments. Then, to Conrad's relief, Deacon's grip slackened. Conrad exhaled slowly. He could feel his own heartbeat practically shaking his body as he let his father go as well.

Conrad turned to Nicholas and Priscilla. "Please. One of you, take me to the library. I am begging you. I have a problem that absolutely must be resolved. And it affects every single person in the world."

Nicholas smiled slowly, gesturing Conrad and Priscilla to the door. "I'll drive, my boy."