CHAPTER 8

The next time awareness returns, I am able to open my eyes. The room is full of sunlight, and it hurts my eyes. Why do people insist on flooding a room with light all the time? I’ve never been particularly fond of waking up to sunlight. I even use blackout blinds and curtains at home. Dan doesn’t complain because when he’s on night shift, having a dark room to sleep in ensures he actually gets some sleep.

No one’s in my room, which is a rarity. The hospital room is a generic style you’d see in any hospital in any place in the US. If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. I’m hooked up to a plethora of machines, one of which measures brain activity. They were worried about bleeding and swelling. Reaching up, I check for bandages and thankfully find none. My brain must have calmed down enough they didn’t do surgery. That’s a bonus.

“You didn’t die.”

I nearly jump out of my skin with Kane’s statement. Why does he have to be so flipping sneaky all the time? It’s not fair.

“No, I guess not. Where is everyone?”

“Arguing.”

“Arguing?”

Kane nods, his dark, curly hair falling into his eyes. “The doctor said your brain had healed enough to wake you up, and your father is terrified you’ll start seizing at any moment. He wants to keep you under for a while yet.”

“I’m awake, and I don’t plan on going back to sleep.”

“I can see that.”

“Can you fetch my husband for me, please? Tell him I need water.”

“As you wish.” He vanishes, and I shake my head. I wish I could poof like he and Silas do. It would make things so much easier.

“Rhea.”

I simply say her name, and she appears within seconds. She looks around and frowns, not understanding why I am here. My mother is a beautiful woman. Her golden eyes match the color of her hair, which she’s put up in a very simple ponytail. Her sundress is a deep green today, making her eyes appear even more golden. She may not be my flesh and blood mother, but she inhabited Georgina Dubois’ body when I was conceived, ensuring I’d inherit all of her gifts. Then she abandoned me when she walked away. Still not quite over that and not sure I’ll ever get over it.

“Rose, why are you here?”

“I’m surprised you didn’t answer when Dan and probably everyone else under the sun called you.”

“I am not on this plane of existence, or even in this world, really. I wouldn’t have heard them since they are not my followers.”

“But you heard me.”

“You are my daughter. My heart will always hear when you call.”

“Where the hell have you been?” Zeke shouts as soon as he sees Rhea. “She has been dying, and you’re off doing whatever it is you do!”

“Papa.”

The censure in my tone is enough to make him finally look at me. There’s relief there, but the anger toward Rhea is not going to go away anytime soon.

“How are you feeling?” He hurries over to me and brushes the hair out of my face. I take note of how badly his hands are shaking. I scared him.

“Not bad.”

“Any headaches?”

“Yes, but I’m sure it wouldn’t be so bad if the room wasn’t a valley of light.”

Kane flips the lights off before anyone else can. He looks worried, too, which is odd for the reaper.

“Eli said she’s fine.” Dan comes to stand on the other side of the bed.

“Where is he?”

“Back at the apartment. Today is the first day he’s left your side for over a week. He said you’d be waking up soon, and now he could sleep.”

“A week?”

“You were seriously hurt, Squirt. If not for Eli, you’d probably have had to have brain surgery. As it was, you had your spleen removed and one kidney repaired. Normally, you’d be barely moving, but Eli healed almost everything. He had to do it in stages, as your body was weak.”

Eli and I have had several discussions on his ability to heal others. We both agree that latent ability woke up due to his other charge, Ella, who is as human as you can get and still be a living reaper. I have supernatural abilities that help me to heal. Ella doesn’t, so he became what she needed—a healer.

“How’s Carson?”

“He’s good. I have him staying with RJ right now. Evan put up wards to keep them both safe.”

“Did you catch the guys who hit us?” I remember them talking about the car crash, although the memory of it escapes me.

“No. The detectives want to talk to you about what you remember.”

“I don’t remember anything.”

He frowns. “But you asked how Carson was…I thought…”

“I heard you and Barney Fife talking about it.”

“You were unconscious.”

“My body might have been unable to do what I wanted, but I could hear every word you said.”

“Huh.”

Odd what a person who is unconscious can actually hear. I stopped questioning these things a long time ago.

“I’m buying you a new car,” Zeke declares. “One that will not be crushed in an accident.”

“Crushed?”

“The jaws of life had to be called to get you and Carson out of the car,” Dan explains. “It was…I nearly lost it, Squirt.”

His hands are shaking too.

“I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault.”

“Does Carson remember anything?” I take the water bottle Dan offers me and try to drink as much as I can before he pulls it away. I’m thirsty.

“You know better,” he admonishes. “You’ll get sick.”

“Why are you trying to put your papa in an early grave?” Zeke sits in the chair next to the bed. “I swear I’m not going to make it long enough to see your new brother or sister be born.”

“Don’t say that.” The words are harsh as they leave me, but he doesn’t need to put that out there into the universe.

“Now you know how I feel.”

“Calm down.” Dan’s hand grips mine. “Don’t stress. The doctor said she can’t be stressed out. Telling her crap like that is not helping. And where is the doctor?”

Papa’s face goes white. “I…I…”

“I’m fine,” I assure him as much as Dan. “Just a headache.”

And I instantly realize my mistake. Headaches equal seizures for Papa.

“She needs to be home with me in New Orleans. Both of you need to be home.”

“Papa, Dan needs to be here for work.”

“That doesn’t mean you need to be.”

“Yes, I do. He’s my husband. You wouldn’t want to be anywhere Nancy wasn’t, would you?”

“If it meant keeping her safe, you bet I would insist on her being somewhere she’d be protected.”

“I’m not leaving Chicago until Dan’s work is finished here.”

Zeke looks ready to murder Officer Dan.

“May I?” Rhea asks, and I know she’s asking permission to check my injuries.

I nod, giving in because I know it will distract Papa from wanting to kill Dan.

She gently maneuvers around my father and places her hand on my forehead. Heat floods through every cell in my body, and for once I’m blessedly warm, the cold disappearing.

“She’s perfectly fine,” Rhea announces after a few minutes. “Her Guardian Angel did his job well. There are no signs of any seizures, as you call them. She simply had a mild headache, which I’ve healed for her. If you want to go home tonight, you can.”

“I will determine that.” An older man enters the room, his gait slow. He’s limping. His Santa Claus beard moves with every tilt of his lips. “How are you feeling, Mrs. Richards?”

“Richards-Crane,” Papa corrects him.

He glares at my father.

“I feel just peachy.”

“Considering the shape you were in a little over a week ago, I’m surprised. I’ve just looked over your latest test results, and that young man did do his job well. You’re fine.”

I glance at Papa, and he nods. This must be one of the doctors who is in the know about the supernatural world and its people’s unique abilities.

“Are you sure?” Dan asks, his hand gripping mine tighter.

“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it, now, would I?”

People say a lot of stuff they don’t mean. But not doctors. At least I’ve never had a doctor outright lie to me, that I know of. They’re one of the few people’s opinions I trust.

“She’s going to need to rest for a few days, so we’re going to keep her…”

“Nope. If I’m fine, I’m going home. Unless I’m not fine?”

“No, according to your test results, you’re perfect. Doesn’t mean I don’t want to keep you overnight at the very least to rerun some tests.”

“She’ll stay until tomorrow,” Papa and Dan say together, their expressions daring me to argue.

“Fine, but I’m leaving in the morning. Not noon, not ten a.m. I mean bright and early like six or seven. So, if there are more tests you want to run, you’d better get on that. I’ll sign myself out if I have to.”

Dan and Papa both know how much I hate hospitals. Not only because of the ghosts, but I have bad memories associated with hospitals.

“You’ll stay until the doctor bids you to leave.” The harsh words are delivered right by my ear. Silas.

I turn to stare into his black eyes, and they’re snapping with fire. His long, chocolate brown hair is flowing around his shoulders today. Black slacks and a baby blue button-up dress shirt complete his outfit. He reminds me of a very posh British gentleman. His accent is British, after all.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Of course you’re here.”

Rhea looks flabbergasted. She hates Silas despite knowing how much the demon loves me. He is the reason I was created, and she won’t forgive him like I did. Yes, I might be a hypocrite because I forgave him and not her. But Silas had a reason for what he did. It was about getting justice for his family. I respect that. I would have done the same thing. And he protected me as best he could. He taught me how to survive killing a Fallen Angel. Rhea just left me without a backward glance or even a check-in to make sure I was well.

“Her Guardian and I worked around the clock to heal her. Where were you?”

Her lips thin. He has a point. If she hears me, she should make sure she can hear Dan, at a minimum.

“You helped?” I ask to try to defuse the situation.

“You had serious head trauma that required a delicate touch. The boy healed your other injuries, while I made sure you woke up with your mind intact and not scrambled.”

Crap. I was that bad?

Yes, Kane whispers in my mind, probably unwilling to say that out loud and upset everyone in the room. He’s gotten used to Papa.

“I didn’t know,” Dan whispers. “I thought Eli was the reason she didn’t need surgery.”

Silas shrugs. “What does it matter as long as she’s alive?”

Dan’s head bows, and he shudders. “Thank you, Silas.”

Silas looks shocked, but he shouldn’t be. Dan will always give thanks where thanks are due. It’s his way.

“How about we give her some time to rest?” the doctor suggests. “As fine as she is, she suffered through major abdominal surgery and a traumatic brain injury. She needs to sleep.”

And I am sleepy. Weird, because I’ve apparently been asleep for over a week. The body’s reaction to trauma makes no real sense to me. Never has and probably never will.

“All of you need to go back to your hotels or your homes and sleep. I’m tired. I want food and then sleep.”

The doctor clears his throat. “I’m only allowing you to have some broth until later. Your stomach has been empty for a while, and putting food in it right off the bat will only make you sick.”

I don’t like broth.

“Thanks, Doc,” Dan says before I can argue. “She’ll thank you later once she’s gotten over her temper.”

I glare at him. He’s right, but dang it!

Everyone says goodbye, and I’m left alone with Dan, who looks like I took ten years off his life.

He sighs and gently pushes me over so he can climb into bed with me. I cuddle into him without a word. His hand strokes my hair, and his cheek is pillowed on the top of my head.

“Why is it always you?”

“I don’t know.” It’s a question I’ve asked myself many, many times over the last few years.

“Gloria came by.”

“What did she want?”

“She offered to heal you, but everyone involved said no. I’m still not sure she didn’t do this so she could have a reason to turn you or link you to her in some fashion with her blood.”

“I would have been beyond pissed if you’d done that.”

“Never trust a vampire.” Dan’s sigh goes through me. “Except maybe for Aleric Rinaldi. I’m still not sure if I can trust him, despite his actions. Not after Kristoff.”

The very thought of Kristoff used to terrify me, but not anymore. It wasn’t Kristoff who scared me, really, not after realizing how easily I could kill him. What caused my fear is the state he put me in, that cold place that lives inside where I hide. The place that allows me to kill. The place where I murdered Mrs. Banks without a thought. I’ve worked through that trauma, thanks to therapy. I might not ever be truly okay, but I’m doing my best.

“I know the Blackburnes trust him, but I don’t think I can ever fully trust him either. I’m trying, though.”

“Does that mean I have to try?”

“Nope.”

We’re quiet for a while, just sitting there. It’s a nice silence. I’ve seen Dan go for hours without saying a single word when he’s focused on something that requires concentration. Silence used to bother me, but it doesn’t with him. I know he’s not slighting me in any way, shape, or form. He’s just busy.

My stomach growls, and Dan laughs. “Want me to go see when they’re bringing in that broth?”

I scrunch up my nose. “I’d rather have a double bacon cheeseburger.”

“Nope. Too greasy. If you hold down the broth, then I’ll find you something non-greasy to eat, and then I’ll have Zeke bring you breakfast from that place both of you like. That sound good?”

“Deal.”

He winces. I’m part demon. Making deals is built into my DNA. I stopped arguing with myself about that side of my heritage years ago. I embrace it and only allow small things like breakfast when it comes to deals. Silas grouches at me, but he doesn’t insist I take it further.

He kisses the top of my head and hops up to go find the nurse.

At least I’m getting food and I can go home tomorrow.

Silver lining to this whole mess.

I close my eyes and wait for food to feed Frieda, the bottomless pit that is my stomach.