Paradise

Jian had held her hand last time through the takeoff and landing as well. Looking at the sight of his hand wrapped around hers, Chang felt warm inside, he was always there when she needed someone.

"What are you thinking about?" Noticing her gaze was locked onto their hands, Liang JianAmal leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"Lots of things, like, where are you taking me?"

"You really cannot be patient and wait to find out?" Squeezing her hand, Jian teased her.

"No." Tapping on her chin for a moment as if it was hard to decide, Chang looked back with both her eyebrows raised.

"Haha. Fine I will tell you. I am taking you and your mother to my grandfather's country, my mother's father. You could call it paradise."

"Your grandfather's country?!" Chang turned to Jian, shocked, she had heard only a handful of things about him. He was a ruler of his own autonomous country, which he built after seizing all his brother's inherited lands, an oil tycoon, as well as being a major exporter of several precious stones mined in his country. In a gesture of good faith to seal a deal years ago, he had married off his only daughter to Jian's father. Truth be told Chang was slightly nervous to meet such an important person, he seemed imposing, his father alone had been...

"Yes, my grandfather's country, 'Ard rueat la nazir lahat." Jian continued, continuing the last part smoothly. As he spoke he rubbed his thumb across her the back of her hand. They were almost at cruising altitude and the worst of the plummeting feeling in her stomach was over.

Chang had no idea what he had just said but it sounded pretty, his hand was distracting her. "Ard rue-ey ought what?" She coughed, embarrassed, she knew she had butchered it but wanted to know how to pronounce it correctly.

"'Ard rueat la nazir lahat. Lahat for short. The Republic of Lahat." Jian pronounced the name out slower for her this time so she could grasp it. He then put his other hand on her chin and gave her a kiss on her cheek before settling back in his seat looking pleased with himself.

"What was that for?" Chang cupped her hand to the warm spot on her cheek, trying to control her blush.

"Do I need a reason?" As he gave her a cheeky grin in response, Chang felt like she was losing the battle against herself. As soon as they reached cruising altitude, Jian released her hand and unbuckled both their belts before pulling Chang over onto his lap.

"Hey!" Protesting Chang tried to hold herself at arms length looking over at her mother with wide eyes. "My mom is right there!"

"So?" He mumbled against her forehead while stroking a hand along the side of her shoulder.

"What do you mean so? Let me go! It's embarrassing. " Chang lowered her voice further, both her mom and Jin Ying were sitting just on the other side of the aisle.

"Shhhhh just stay still, let me hold you and sleep for a while."

"Didn't you sleep last night?"

"No, I was too busy watching you." Looking away, Chang could not believe he had just told her that with a straight face.

*cough*' God, what do I even say to that?!'

"We've got a long way to go. There is a private bedroom in the back, we could go there if here isn't fine." He inflected the end of the sentence as if it was a question he was leaving up to her.

"Here is fine," Chang replied quickly and lay her head against his shoulder obediently. 'Truth be told this feels really nice, embarrassing, but nice.' The warm feeling bubbled up in her chest again and she rubbed her head a little against his shoulder. 'Here is actually more than fine.'

Liang JianAmal gazed at the woman nuzzling his shoulder and felt the soft warm feeling in his chest grow. Leaning his seat back so it would be more comfortable, he swept the arm that had been stroking her up to the back of her head. Cupping it, he sealed her in his embrace, enjoying the feeling of her soft body against his.

LiHua watched the interactions between the two with a smile on her face. A couple of times she had to look away as Jian, she was coming to find, was very passionate about her daughter. As they were ascending, LiHua felt splitting pain resonate through her skull as if someone had stabbed her. It instantly brought sweat to her face and she fell back against her seat, spine rigid, as the migraine came on. LiHua put her right hand over her mouth to cover any noise she made from the pain.

Hao Jin Ying instantly reached under her seat and pulled out her bag she had stored under it. Reaching into it she pulled out a small medical case she had brought with her. Turning her back to across the aisle to block the view Hao Jin Ying grabbed Li Hua's left arm. Quickly and efficiently Hao Jin Ying tied a band above the older woman's elbow and lightly tapped the vein in the inside crook. She grabbed a fresh sterile needle from a package before filling it with a clear liquid in a vile in the kit. Without wasting a movement Hao Jin Ying slowly inserted the needle and slowly pressed down on the hammer, gradually releasing the medicine into Li Hua's system. It took less than a minute for her to do all that, but already Li Hua had become ashen from the pain intensity, it took only a few mere seconds for it to take effect, but Li Hua sighed in relief when it did.

Hao Jin Ying quickly drew out the needle, placed it in a sealed bag, and applied a small gauze pad. Holding the pad with her left hand she dexterously untied the band with her right, storing it back into the medical case, which she dropped back into her bag. Hao Jin Ying then placed her right hand over the gauze, acting as if the two women were merely deeply immersed in a conversation. Hiding the evidence in case Chang saw. Hao Jin Ying inwardly fretted as she sat there, the attacks were coming much more frequently and were becoming more severe.

"Are you sure you want this to be kept hidden from Chang?" Looking over her shoulder first, Hao Jin Ying leaned closer and whispered to the woman beside her.

LiHua wearily opened her eyes and adjusted herself to see her daughter cuddling in her husband's arms. She could not see Chang's face, but she could see the look of blissful tranquility on Liang JianAmal's as he held her.

"Yes, she will find out soon enough, for now I just want to see her smile and be happy." LiHua smiled bitterly as tears rolled down her cheek. 'That's all I want now, for however much time I have left.'