Chapter 20 - Robyn

Fever dreams never made sense to me. Why was it that when my brain felt cooked by a fever, it wanted to give me nightmares? It wasn't like they served a purpose other than to scare me to bits. What made it worse was the way it felt like I was trapped inside a giant puzzle. Nobody could get in, and I couldn't get out.

Ahead of me was a rustic red horizon with a round white sun and clay dust kicking up in random spots. Standing out from the void sky was a tall structure covered by an old cloth. As I reached for it, the ground beneath my feet began to quake. I took several steps and swatted the air. I should have been able to reach the object by now, but it seemed to stay in place while I moved backward.

But all I wanted to do was move forward .

My legs ached. The void sky ripped in two, the edges seared like burnt paper. I saw a popcorn ceiling, an old chandelier from the seventies with mustard yellow and firetruck red stained glass, and a set of chain-links to turn on the lights behind the colorful glass.

I blinked. "Sydney?" A door creaked. Soft footfalls reached my ears. "Cliff…?"

"Princess…Oh, Darling…"

I felt his hands first, strong palms rough with callouses from physical labor and roughed up from fighting off Jillian. My eyelids snapped open wide, and I sat up. "Jillian!"

He caught my chest and forced me back. "Hey, easy."

"I need to see Jillian. Where is she? Did she get hurt?" I grabbed his wrist and dug my nails into his flesh. "Tell me where she is!"

"Hey, easy ," he hissed while peeling my fingers off his wrist. Crescent moons puffed up like dented imprints in raw dough. "Princess, you've been poisoned. I need you to drink this." He held up a small porcelain cup painted the color of a gorgeous beachy sky. "It'll get rid of the rest, so don't be surprised if you—"

Blagh .

He exhaled slowly through his nose, nodded, and then reached for something out of view. "Faye said you might throw up."

"I'm sorry, Cliff."

"Any other time, I wouldn't allow you to act like this. But right now…" He wiped up the mess on my blouse—which thankfully wasn't much—and set aside the soiled towel. "Right now, I know you're coming out of a small coma."

"I'm sorry."

He shushed me. "Don't worry about me. Worry about you."

"But Sydney…"

"She's in the kitchen. I didn't want her to bother you."

I sat up again. This time, he supported me by placing a hand on the small of my back. "I want to see her."

He smiled and tapped his boot on the floor twice. Excited huffing raced toward me in the form of my daughter wearing her favorite rabbit pajamas with a pink tutu. Mr. Charles was tucked safely in her arms. And now, she was safely in mine.

Cliff wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Everybody good?"

"Good," we all agreed.

And we were good. That was all it took, my daughter sprinting in here and climbing under my arm with her daddy. I stared at the popcorn ceiling and the fan blades spinning lazily. "Tell me about Jilly. Don't sugarcoat it."

"But Sydney is here."

Sydney popped up and leaned on her hand. "I'm fine, Daddy."

"I just don't want you to lose sleep again," Cliff admitted, "like you did earlier. Sonya said you were restless."

Sydney sighed as she returned to my bosom. She cuddled Mr. Charles harder and let out an irritated huff. "No, I didn't."

"Grumpy," I joked. "Sounds like we all need a nap."

"Sleep will be your best nurse right now," Faye chimed from the foyer. "How are you feeling? Okay?"

I rubbed my right temple. "Head hurts."

"Yeah, Wolfsbane is a tough one."

"But it's all gone, right?"

Faye appeared over the top of the couch with a grin. "I knew you two would come together. I dreamed about it. Did Cliff tell you that?"

"You dreamed about it?"

Cliff blushed when I cast him a curious look. "I mean…"

I laughed. "I knew you were a witch, but I didn't know you could predict the future."

"With unfortunately startling clarity."

Cliff cleared his throat. "I didn't think it was that big of a deal."

I pushed on his arm, noticing the IV in my wrist. I frowned. "Ew."

"Oh, let me get that for you," Faye offered, and I turned away as she removed the IV from my arm with careful precision. I barely felt anything when she patched up the wound.

I smiled. "Thanks, Faye."

"My pleasure. I'll go make a fresh batch of tea."

I burped. "Maybe not the same time that Cliff just gave me."

Sydney flung her tiny arm over my stomach. Nausea threatened to make me dry heave, but I settled in once Cliff started massaging the base of my scalp. The faucet ran in the kitchen. The sound of teacups clanked next. Soothing sounds. Normal sounds.

We needed a little normal to get through this challenging time. "Where is she?"

Cliff rested his head on my shoulder. "Downstairs. She's safe."

"Do you have any idea who the demon is and how much damage it caused so far?"

"No, I'm afraid I'm not sure yet. But Faye is working on it."

I let my attention wander to the wall across from us. "I'm sorry I didn't call you. I'm sorry I got mad at you for not calling me."

"Hey, don't do that."

"Do what?"

He stroked my cheek lovingly. "Don't start doubting yourself. You did what you had to do to survive."

"I'm just…" I glanced down at Sydney, who had fallen asleep. She looked so content in my arms, so happy to be with her family. I didn't want to ruin it. "I'm doing what's best for you."

"And what's best for you?"

I shrugged my right shoulder, the one that wasn't holding up a child's drooling face. "What's good for her is good for me."

"Okay, sure. But what about what you need, Princess? What about what you want?"

"I want to do things without being given the third degree about it."

He leaned back an inch. "Excuse me for trying to take care of you."

I closed my eyes. "I don't want to fight."

"I'm sorry. I know you're not feeling well. Here—" He removed his arm and replaced it with a fluffy pillow. Then, he tucked the faux fur blanket tighter around my legs. Just the way I liked it. "I'm sorry, baby. Forgive me."

"No, forgive me."

"If you two keep apologizing, I might barf," Faye joked from across the room.

I hiccupped and covered my mouth. "Don't mention barf right now."

Faye carried a tray with a teapot and cups to the coffee table. I sat up a little more, being careful not to wake my daughter who was probably in need of a lot more than just sleep right now. She needed stability. She needed certainty that the future wouldn't be filled with evil chaos again.

Everything was so fragile right now.

Once tea was served and Sydney was set up in a snug area near me without using my shoulder for a pillow, I took a long breath in. "The exorcism should be easier with a witch present, right?"

"On paper, yes," Cliff agreed. "Practice might be a different story."

I sipped my tea. "She needs to survive, Cliff. She's my best friend. She's been there through everything."

"You mean she was there when I wasn't?"

Faye averted her gaze while Cliff set his teacup down on the coffee table. I cradled my teacup on my knees, noticing the dirt and grime covering my jeans. My blouse had a barf stain. I looked like crap.

Yet Cliff hadn't said a word about the mess and hadn't judged me for it.

"Yes," I whispered, "she was here for us when you weren't here."

Silence stretched on for a few minutes. I kept looking at the pictures on the wall across from me, the ones Bill had hung up before his body had been invaded. Now that he was dead, we had to sort through those pictures and figure out where to put them.

Cliff rested his hand on my thigh. "I'm glad she was here when I couldn't be."

"I thought that would make you angry."

"No, that makes me happy. I mean…" He sniffled and then chuckled lightly. "I'm definitely kicking myself right now, Robyn. But I still feel good that someone was responsible for you."

I nodded. "She's been a last-minute babysitter more times than I can remember."

"Then, she deserves the greatest care we can give her." He turned to Faye. "Have Hector call in a few nurses to share rotating shifts. Do you think you can do some kind of divination for the demon name?"

Faye nodded obediently. "Yes, I can look through my most recent books."

"Great. If you can get to that today, please do."

"Are you two hungry? Can I make Sydney a snack?"

I smiled gratefully. "No, I can handle it from here. Why don't you get some rest?"

She waved. "I'm fine. I promise."

"You sure?"

"Spears endure." She patted my shoulder with a comforting smile. "You'll learn the same about Cliff."

Cliff avoided my inquisitive gaze.

"Yeah?" I teased. "Are you sure it's not because you're stubborn?"

"I detest that notion," Cliff joked with a smirk, "but I'll forgive you because I love you."

I bashfully nipped my lower lip as heat flushed my entire body. "Shush."

"No, I won't." He crawled over the couch and planted a firm kiss on my lips.

Goddess , how long had I suffered since the last one? In the background, Faye distantly chuckled. The floorboards creaked. Hinges squealed like they were about to chuck the door off the frame. Everything just seemed so far away while Cliff caressed my lips.

He paused with a contented sigh that gave me a rush. "I know you love me, too."

I opened my mouth only to shut it just as fast. Painful flashes of guilt detonated in my stomach as I swallowed the knot in my throat. Instead of disappearing, it bobbed back into place like a buoy perpetually floating on the surface of a rocky sea.

Silence stretched past us, though it didn't make me forget the statement. I licked my lips and opened my mouth again. Take two. Action . "I'm not sure I can say it again."

His expression dipped, but his posture remained confident. "That's okay. Take your time."

I fought against a wave of grief. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. You're making me sick with the sorries." He took my chin to still my body, a movement that I hadn't sensed until he forced me to stop. "Hey, look at me."

My gaze met his with a fierce bashfulness. "What?"

"I said, it's okay." He stroked my chin with his thumb, long lines that cast goosebumps in every direction. "It's okay…"

He said it until I closed my eyes. He repeated it until I rested my head against his chest, inhaled his tobacco scent, and held his hands.

It's okay .

Yeah, but would it stay that way?