Daniel set the gift-shop roses he’d just purchased on the nightstand, sat down, and took Suzanne’s hand in his. The roses didn’t do anything to cover the antiseptic hospital smell. And, as if the harsh, florescent lights weren’t hard enough on the eyes, their buzzing made me want to cover my ears. I spent enough time in hospitals, I’d would have thought that I’d be used to it.
Daniel spoke to his daughter about how beautiful she looked, how excited he was, and how she was going to come back to him. I took the other seat, closed my eyes, and listened to the timbre of his voice without hearing his words. It washed over me like warm water, calming my nerves.
I heard Dr. Amnet’s footsteps, heavy and quick, as he entered the room. “I’m sorry, am I late?”
I opened my eyes. “No, Doctor, Airmid hasn’t yet arrived.”
The doctor brought in another chair and took a seat. Then Shirley, the nurse I’d met the first time we visited Suzanne, peeked in the room.
“Is there room for another?” she asked.
I nodded and motioned her to come in. I knew Airmid wouldn’t mind another witness. Anything that brought her people who believed in her, she would welcome.
She dragged in another chair and placed it next to mine. “I hope you don’t mind, I really want to see it.”
Daniel turned to her and smiled, the pain of the accident that had just happened loosening its hold on him. “You’ve taken such good care of her; it’s only right that you get to actually meet her.”
Chimes rang softly, and Airmid appeared behind Daniel, close to the windows.
I stood. “Well met, Airmid,” I said before I curtsied.
“Well met, Amanda,” Airmid said.
Daniel stood and bowed and Airmid inclined her head at him, a quiet smile on her lips. I introduced the doctor and nurse to her and they took turns shaking her hand. I noticed that Airmid was getting better with the American greeting of shaking hands.
Daniel offered her his chair. She sat and pulled a container from her cloak. When she opened it, the room filled with the scent of mint and menthol and a touch of pine. It contained a substance the consistency of petroleum jelly. Airmid smoothed the jelly over Suzanne’s forehead and rubbed it into her scalp. She raised Suzanne’s head so she could get to the back side. When she was finished, she laid her head down gently, closed the container, and placed it back inside her cloak. Then Airmid put her hands on Suzanne’s head and began to sing a low tune. The small hairs on the back of my neck rose and my scalp tingled at the sound as if to dance to it.
Airmid moved her hands around Suzanne’s scalp and continued to sing. The song continued long enough for me to grow restless, and I shifted in my chair to alleviate the strain in my lower back. Finally, her voice held the last note and then faded away. She stepped back and motioned Daniel to come forward and sit down. He perched on the edge of the chair, practically vibrating. Within a few minutes, Suzanne’s eyes blinked rapidly. Then she opened them. She squinted and closed her eyes again, rubbing them. The next time she opened them, she gazed outward, looking around the room at each of us and finally resting on her father.
“Daddy?” she said, then wrinkled her nose at the smell of the ointment and ran a shaky hand through her hair. She pulled it back and looked at it. “Eww!”
“Suzie. Oh, my sweet Suzie.” Daniel’s voice cracked as he gathered her up into his arms. He was crying and laughing at the same time. Suzanne’s eyes were wide, and she peered over his shoulder.
“Airmid, is there a waiting time before any tests should be run?” I said.
“The usual day should suffice.”
I curtsied, then relayed this information to Dr. Amnet.
He nodded as if he couldn’t speak.
“Would you and Shirley like to discuss any of this with Airmid?”
They both nodded. I turned to Airmid and she nodded her assent. I left Daniel to be with his daughter and followed them from the room, stepping into the waiting room partway down the hall to get a cup of something that would pass as coffee.
I knew I should just leave. I wanted to get back to Ethan and Sean, but I couldn’t just walk out without seeing his face one last time and saying goodbye. Suzanne looked at me as I entered the room.
“Hi. I’m Amanda.” I stuck out my hand. She looked at me for a moment and reached out hesitantly. “I work with the goddess who healed you. Do you have any questions?”
Her brow furrowed. “Has it really been three years?” she said.
“Yes.”
“What was wrong with me?”
“I think you had an injury to your brain your body couldn’t heal. The goddess was able to and, so, you’ve come back.”
“How did she heal it?”
“I don’t know.”
I let a silence stretch out before I spoke again. “Any other questions?”
She shook her head.
I rummaged around in my purse and pulled out one of my cards. I handed it to her. “If you have any questions, you can call me.”
She nodded and took the card from me.
I turned to Daniel and looked into his eyes, memorizing how the flecks seemed to float in their depths. I wanted to give him a hug or take his hand or something. Instead I grabbed my own hands, giving them something to grip. “Thank you for your protection. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.” I wanted to say more. I wanted another night with him. I wanted to feel his lips and his body against mine again. But I was standing in front of his daughter and she probably didn’t even know her mother died in the accident.
I stuck out my hand. It was a woefully inadequate goodbye, but it would have to do. As much as I wanted to feel his arms around me one last time, my time was gone; now it was Suzanne’s.
“Thank you for bringing my Suzie back to me.” He stood and kissed Suzanne on the forehead. “Give me a minute to see Amanda out.” He straightened, but hesitated and reached out and touched a finger to her cheek. Then he turned, and I followed him from the room to the waiting room down the hall.
After we crossed the threshold, he pulled me into a crushing hug. Half of me wanted to struggle for breath and half of me reveled in the contact.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion.
“Thank you,” I said, barely holding back tears. This was harder than it should be.
In one quick motion, he loosened his embrace, curled his hand behind my neck, and brought his mouth down on mine. It was a desperate kiss, and I returned it. Far too quickly, the kiss ended, and I reached up and set my hand gently on his cheek. I sternly reminded myself not to cry, and my eyes burned with the effort.
He pulled away from me and took a deep breath. “I don’t want you to go.”
“I don’t . . . well, I do want to get back to Ethan, but I don’t want to leave you here,” I said. “And Suzanne needs you.”
He nodded. “She does. I wish . . .”
“Me too.” I touched his cheek one last time and forced myself from the room, the hospital, and Sherman, Texas.
I decided to rent a car from a local company instead of calling a cab, so I could be alone. Crying in a car was only second to crying in the shower, but before I went there, I needed to hear a friendly voice. Someone who loved me. I called Miriam.
“How are you holding—oh, honey . . .” she said and fell silent.
“Holding up after the Rick thing?” I finished her original question; some of us not-telepaths could still tell what others were thinking.
“Actually, the Daniel thing.”
Okay then, I was not so telepathic. “I’m an idiot. I knew it wouldn’t go anywhere. Helheim, I’ve had so much bad luck with relationships and even things that weren’t relationships . . . I wish I could just turn off this damned desire.”
“What? To connect with another person?”
I nodded. I knew she couldn’t see me, but I also knew she was reading my mind.
“We’re all human. We all want connection. We all want to
be loved and accepted.”
“Sometimes I wish I weren’t so damned human. Gods, Miriam. I don’t know what else to do. I suck at relationships. I suck at flings. And one-night stands are a complete disaster.”
She fell silent, which was a sure sign she was contemplating whether or not to share something.
“Spill it.”
“Now’s not the time.”
“Now’s the best time.”
She paused, perhaps taking a moment to gather the right words. “Maybe a full-fledged relationship would better suit you than the other options.”
“They all end, one way or another. And I’m tired of being both the breakee and the breaker.”
“Not all of them end.”
“Well, death pretty much ends the relationship and all of us die.”
“Yes, but wouldn’t it be worth it?”
“Worth what? Name one couple who’ve had an excellent marriage. Sure, we hear about them in books and movies and the extremely rare true story. I don’t buy it until I can actually see it myself.”
“What about your marriage? You had some good times.”
“Some . . . until he snapped, but you remember how contentious we were together. And then there was . . . never mind that; it doesn’t matter anymore. Anyway, I wouldn’t have called it an overall success.”
She fell silent again. Well shit, I’d been so wrapped up in my own disaster that I’d not even thought about her. She’d never been married, but she dated frequently in hopes that she’d someday find that magical love that filled her heart and soul. “I’m sorry. I get so damn maudlin at the end of these once-every-few-years-or-so things.”
“It’s okay. I believe I’ve done it to you on many an occasion.”
“Thank you for keeping me this side of sane.”
“I’m not always convinced that we are. Maybe we’re completely looney.” She made a ridiculous noise, and I laughed, nearly crossing the line into crying.
“We still need to plan that night out,” I said, for something to say.
“Call me when you’re back in town and we’ll schedule something.”
“You got it.”
I turned on the radio and surfed until I found something I could listen to. I had eclectic tastes, so it didn’t take too long. I made it halfway back to Dallas before I started crying.
Why are we crying?
It’s a release.
Why then did we try to not cry?
Sometimes it makes things worse and not better.
How do you know the difference?
It’s only clear afterward, when you either feel worse or better.
So, we are feeling sad then? Isn’t this the term for the emotion that accompanies tears?
Sadness, yes. Also, confusion, fear, loneliness.
What are we feeling about Daniel?
I don’t know how to define it.
Is it love?
I don’t know.
Chapter Forty-eight
I split my time between working at a nearby coffee shop and the hospital. The doctors planned to bring Ethan out of the coma within two days, depending on how he was healing.
So, when I wasn’t at his bedside reading to him or praying to no god, I lost myself in work. It took me hours to get through all the emails I’d had. Dr. Amnet sent me a few. He had started contacting relatives of all his patients in long-term care. I had some emails from a couple of veterans who were referred to me by others Airmid had helped. Still more were from random pagan and new age groups. Finally, there was one from Mr. Wesley. He wanted to discuss the case and had an unrelated question. His email included instructions on how to sign up for a free web video conferencing service and his video call contact information; it seemed he wanted to try it out. He said he’d make himself available anytime during business hours.
I found Mr. Wesley’s contact information on the video conferencing site and placed a call. He picked up and came into view on my computer screen. He looked small. I thought the conferencing site should have something to give a reference to size, like the L-shaped rulers used by crime scene investigators. Only for Mr. Wesley, they’d have to use something larger, like a Buick.
“The trial is scheduled to begin in five days,” he said.
“What? I thought it was going to take more time than that. What happened?”
“It seems Mr. Bradley’s health has worsened. And he has friends in high places.”
“Oh.” I slapped my forehead. “I should have called you.”
“I never like it when a conversation takes this kind of a turn.”
“The man who kidnapped me tried again.”
“When?”
“The evening after we met in Las Vegas.”
“What happened? Where is he now?”
I scrunched up my face. “He’s dead.”
“And you’re just telling me this now?” Mr. Wesley pinched the bridge of his nose.
“It didn’t occur to me to tell you.”
“Do you realize you’re named in a lawsuit?”
“I’ve been dealing with a lot the past few days,” I said.
“There shouldn’t be anything more important than this, barring a family emergency.”
“Oh, let me see,” I said, leaning forward, “I damn near got my throat slit by the man who kidnapped me. Only, he didn’t because my bodyguard shot him. I’ve been dealing with a god I pissed off because I’ve been working with his daughter. I worked out a deal with a few gods so one of them could heal my bodyguard’s daughter, who’s been in a coma for three years. Add to that, let me see, a family emergency. Ethan was shot when we got him away from Mr. Bradley’s goons, and he’s in a medically induced coma.”
Mr. Wesley pinched the bridge of his nose again. “Perhaps the police would have been a better option.”
“Not helpful.” I gripped the edge of the table. “If we’d called them in, he’d be dead now and maybe tortured for the sheer pleasure of that twisted man.”
Mr. Wesley dropped his hand, shook his head, and met my eyes from hundreds of miles away. His face softened. “I’m sorry, that was callous of me.”
“Thank you,” I said and took a deep breath, releasing the table and leaning back. I closed my eyes for a moment. “I’m sorry too. It should have dawned on me to call you at the time.”
“The day after would have been fine.” Mr. Wesley half smiled at me.
The smile and quip reminded me so much of Miriam; I smiled back at him without thinking about it. “A detective in the LVPD questioned me. I think his name was Landry.”
“I’ll contact him.”
“I’ll book another flight out, assuming everything goes as planned with Ethan. If it doesn’t . . .” I raised my eyes to the ceiling, trying not to blink. I wouldn’t cry in front of my lawyer, dammit.
“I’m sure I can get a continuance if the need arises.”
I nodded. “It shouldn’t take too long, and assuming Ethan comes out of everything okay, I’ve also got something to follow up on in New York.” I needed to meet Maria Lopez’s mother, Rosa Lopez, to see if she had created the curse. I hadn’t forgotten about the Fates’ warning. I’d still follow their lead, but they would damn well wait until I knew how Ethan was, and if I needed to get a deity involved.
“Has this anything to do with deities or disasters?”
“It has to do with the balance of the universe.”
“Well, if that’s all, then by all means. Let me know in the next four days if we need to file for a continuance.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I’ll do that. Your email said you wanted to ask me about something else.”
“Yes. I’ve got a client. He claims to have been in particular places at particular times and it would be helpful if we could get some video footage to support that. I need to hire someone to track down cameras so I can request it, and I thought if the person who helped you was available, I could hire them. They had complete information down to the time stamp.”
; “Uh . . . I can check with them,” I said. “Hypothetically, if you hire someone to do a job for you and you are also their attorney, does what they say to you fall under attorney-client privilege?”
Mr. Wesley pinched the bridge of his nose again. I seemed to have that effect on him. “In that case, I may end up in a situation whereby I have a conflict of interest, so it’s a gray area. If this person is using illegal means to obtain information, I’m not at liberty to use it.”
“I don’t believe the person is using illegal means to obtain anything. That said, the current laws don’t reflect the recent changes in psychic phenomena.”
“More legal gray areas.”
“I’ll contact the person about the footage and let you know.”
Chapter Forty-nine
I didn’t try to hold back the tears this time. They poured down my face until I had to wipe them away. It didn’t do much good, as they were replaced quickly.
Sean stood beside me. He would appear stoic to most, but I knew him better than that. He was damn near vibrating with emotion. I could see the colors of the emotions swirling around him, mimicking much of what I was feeling, but I didn’t need them. His posture alone let me know how hard he was holding it all in. A dam with a pinhole leak. He’d drop dead before he showed how much this affected him.
I bent down and hugged Ethan again. I hadn’t stopped touching him since he’d come out of the coma. Pushing back his hair. Hugging him. Holding his hand. Petting his arm. I think I didn’t quite believe he was still here. And whole. Thank all the gods in the universe. And bless his soul, he hadn’t once complained about me hovering; I don’t think I could have stopped if he had.
I was half in denial about him being conscious. Part of me was skating on air. The other part was afraid of the hope, afraid by some nefarious magical balance of the universe, it would send another disaster his way. One he wouldn’t survive. I let out a shaky breath and hugged him, trembling with the effort to not crush him to me. He was okay. He had to be okay.
Chapter Fifty
Rosa Lopez was a large, beautiful woman. Her features were soft and perfectly proportioned. Her hair was midnight black and her eyes were such a deep brown they almost matched the color of her hair. She smelled of rose water. I introduced myself and she let me in.
Power Play (Amanda Byrne Book 1) Page 29