by Leesa Birch
I was hoping for a little more. I already knew that Griffin’s men had taken her. I had seen some of her capture on video at the auction. It hadn’t been shot in here. Maybe she had managed to get free and make a run for it. The place where she had killed some of Griffin’s men and was captured finally was a little more out in the open.
“There was this one man who came looking for her. Small like she was. He didn’t say anything, just looked around and left. Strange eyes too.” I guessed Griffin wasn’t the only one looking for her - sounded like another siren had come to take her home. He’d been too late.
I turned to face the bearded man eating the Twinkie. “Did she leave anything behind? A map or papers?” The man shook his head. This was a dead end, there was nothing here. I got up to leave.
“Is she coming back?” I heard through a mouth full of sponge. My stomach turned.
“No, she won’t be coming back.”
I left the apartment and leant against the wall. I kept wondering if there was something I could have done to save her from The Collector. I wiped away a tear and headed back downstairs.
The rain hadn’t let up by the time I’d reached the ground floor. Looking out into the night, I shuddered. I had no way of getting a cab out here. I would need a phone-box for starters. I’ve been told many times by friends that I should carry a mobile but technology just didn’t seem to work for me. I barely managed to keep the right time with my watch.
I didn’t want to spend the night out there so I headed out again into the downpour. As no one was around I tried to bend the rain around me.
I felt my eyes change and I concentrated on moving the water either side of me. I think it was working; I was still too wet to tell. I tried drying myself at the same time. I felt a slight vibration within me then ‘poof’. A fine mist evaporated from me. I wavered a little on the rain but managed to keep it off me.
So here I was, dry, and walking in the rain. It felt weird. I wasn’t sure how long I could keep this up for. I used energy I didn’t know I even had in my fight with Luke. I shuddered at the thought and a few drops of rain broke through my dry arch. I thought Grogan would be pleased at my concentration though he’d never have said.
I turned several corners, only to find I was becoming more lost. I was starting to get very tired weaving the water from my body. Another gunshot, a lot closer than the last, broke my wavering concentration. The cold rain covered me instantly. It was getting late and I still hadn’t found a phone-box.
Cars screeched in the rain not far away. They came hurling round the corner, speeding past. The rain that had collected in the gutter splashed all over me. The two cars carried on their chase ahead, turning out of sight at the end of the road.
Looking down at myself, I wondered why I always ended up in the mud or covered in dirt. It didn’t matter. The noise of the cars sounded like they were coming back for another round.
I moved slightly closer to the wall of the buildings but kept up a moderate pace. The sound of gunfire came from behind me. I turned to see a man hanging his arm out of a car window. A flash in the night and something stung my cheek. Touching my face, I backed away as fast as I could. Tyres screeched as the car stopped next to me.
The men got out, yelling at me in Spanish. I tried to run but one of them, somehow, had got in front of me. He didn’t speak. He just threw his fist at me. He hit me hard in the stomach and I went down. As I lay there on the ground, rain pouring across my face, I saw them go through my bag. Then I lost consciousness.
The water in the lake was cooler than usual. The sun was hiding behind a large cloud overhead. I was here for a reason but I couldn’t remember why. The hands around my waist were not my own. The man circled me until he came into view. Kane stood facing me in the deep of the lake. He smiled as he curled my hair around my ear. His hands were cooler than the surrounding water. He moved closer towards me and stopped. Something moved past my legs in the water. His face turned serious for a moment then he pushed me away.
My body started to ache. I didn’t know what was happening. Kane turned from me and began to wade deeper into the lake. I tried to reach for him but I couldn’t move my arms. I tried to walk but my legs were held firmly in place. The water had reached his neck now. He wasn’t stopping. The storm clouds broke overhead. Strong winds blew me backwards in the water. I looked back to find Kane but he was gone. The wind pushed me further onto the embankment as lightning struck nearby. I had to get back into the lake; I had to find him. As I forced a step towards the shore, the lightning hit me. I was thrown backwards, hitting the ground hard. Pain surged through my body like liquid fire. I had never felt such agony.
I woke in bed, thrashing with pain. Through a blinding light I could see where I was. My God - I was in a hospital. The onslaught of everyone’s pain forcing their way into me all at once was just too much. I must have been screaming because several people surrounded my bed. Their mouths were moving but my ears were pounding so hard.
Their pain consumed me as my body convulsed on the bed. I wanted to pass out - I needed to pass out. I felt like I was losing myself in this torture. Several hands tried to hold me down as a mask was pulled over my face. My convulsions settled into shaking. My eyes grew heavy, the pain not once letting up. I closed my eyes and waited for the torment to be over.
My eyelids were heavy as I struggled to open them. The room was bright and cheery. Lifting my head, I felt dizzy. Looking down at my arms, I could see they were strapped down.
“Hey!” I giggled. Not sure why it was funny though. A warm hand lay my head back down on the very soft pillow. A face appeared above me.
“Hey I know you.” My words came out sluggish. The blonde, curly haired man shushed me gently.
“Glad you could join us, Ivy. How do you feel?” I thought about it for a long moment.
“Blake, what are you doing here? Not that I mind. Oh, the question. I feel really nice.” He stifled a laugh beneath his hand.
“Are you ready to go home?” He started to undo my restraints.
“With you? Absolutely. What’s this?” I pulled at something sticking in my arm.
“No, no, Ivy, don’t touch that. I’ll take it out when we leave, okay?” I sat up on the bed. The room spun a little. I could hear other people talking while Blake sat on my bed holding my hand. I leant my heavy head on his shoulder.
“You smell like your brother, you know.” He stroked my hair gently.
“Look, all I know is, she was brought in last night with superficial injuries. She had bruising on her stomach and a bullet had grazed her cheek. She was lucky someone called us out there. It’s not the best neighbourhood to be left unconscious in. Anyway, when she came to, she started convulsing, hence the restraints. Since then, we’ve had her sedated. We’ve had to adjust the drip several times throughout the night. You could knock a rhino out with the amount of morphine running through her veins,” said a woman across the room.
“How is she, Blake? She said anything?” I knew that voice too. I looked up from Blake’s arms.
“Hello, you.” I tried to touch him but my arms wouldn’t co-operate.
“She’s a bit high. I don’t think we should remove the drip until we’re outta here, Kane.”
I giggled. “You’re outta here,” I pointed. I was shushed again.
“Are you ready to leave, Ivy?” Kane whispered.
“I’m going with him. He has really soft hands.” I leant back into Blake. I felt a twinge in my stomach. I looked around, confused. No one had touched me. Kane unhooked a clear bag of liquid and handed it to me. Somehow, I thought it should have had a goldfish inside.
“Where’s the fish?” I asked.
Blake lifted me in his arms and we headed through the ward.
“Where are you going? You can’t just take her out of here!” The lady sounded really mad about something.
The hospital gown was draughty. A breeze blew up the back of it as we went outside. Where were my clothes? I shifted
in Blake’s arms. He really did smell like Kane. We stopped by a red truck. I was loaded in carefully. Kane and Blake climbed in either side.
The truck pulled away sharply. “I think we can take that out now. Ivy, hold still.” Kane pulled the thing out of my arm. It didn’t hurt. He took the clear bag off me and threw it in the back. I was tired. A blanket was tucked around me and I leant against someone. I couldn’t tell which brother, my eyes were closed.
My head was pounding when I woke up. The daylight was just a little too bright. We were still in the truck. I sat up straight and looked at both men. My stomach turned.
“Pull over!” The truck jerked right off the road, screeching to a halt. I clambered over Kane and out of the door. I managed to get about six feet before I threw up. Not a pretty sight.
“Ivy, your gown isn’t tied at the back,” Blake yelled. I’m glad they found this funny. Gripping the flimsy hospital material behind me, I continued retching on the side of the busy road.
When I finally stopped, Kane handed me a bottle of water. I took it without turning round. After rinsing my mouth out thoroughly, I drank the rest slowly.
“How did you find me this time?” I asked, as I made my way back to the truck. My legs were a little shaky and I tried not to think about where I’d just been.
“Doctors found your ID in your bag and called Agatha. They freaked when they found out that you were in a hospital. You wanna talk about it?” I shook my head. Bad idea. Kane steadied me against the truck as I lost my balance. “I don’t think Nathan was happy about asking us to fetch you though. Lucky they had some half breeds on hand.” I didn’t much like that term but I was thankful for them anyway.
I sat in the back seat of the truck for the rest of the journey.
“So what happened this time? I take it you didn’t find the sirens.” I shook my head. The necklace! I emptied the bag that had my dirty clothes and bag in. Waylena’s necklace was still in the pocket. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“I was robbed. Some guys with fast cars and guns.” I touched the cheek that felt tight. “I guess I was shot a little bit too.” Both men frowned in the front. So, we weren’t at the ‘we can all laugh about this’ stage yet.
“There are some clean clothes in the other bag.” Kane sounded exasperated. “You know, Ivy, you need fitting with your own alarm system.” Blake sniggered. Great, now the ganging up was beginning.
I pulled out some clean clothes and changed in the back seat. Not exactly private, but it was this or at the side of the road.
“How bad was the hospital for you? I mean, before the morphine.” I fiddled with my fingers nervously. The pain had been indescribable. Now I know first-hand why we steered clear of medical rooms. Then there was the weird dream where Kane pushed me away and walked into the deep.
“I don’t want to talk about it, Kane. Not right now.” I just wanted to forget about it.
I was still a little nauseous when the truck hit the familiar dirt road to the lake. I thanked Blake as he dropped us off by our cabin. I wasn’t sure when it had become ours. Kane pretty much stayed here most of the time when he wasn’t at the ranch. Grogan was sitting on the porch waiting for me.
“I know. I’m a menace. How much trouble am I in this time?” He rose from the old rocker and looked me up and down.
“Is that it?” He pointed to my cheek. “They said you’d been shot. You had us all worried. Again.” He touched my face lightly and his eyes shifted. I felt my cheek soothe then relax. My stomach felt better too.
“Thanks, Grogan.” He looked like he wanted to ask me something. “Okay, spill. You weren’t sitting on my porch just to heal my graze and upset stomach.” Grogan ushered for us to go inside.
I dumped my dirty clothes in the laundry basket and sat on the couch facing Grogan. Kane leant against the sink, arms folded, waiting for the coffee to finish.
Grogan looked at the both of us. “There’s no easy way to ask. Ivy, in the hospital, how did you survive it? The pain should have driven you mad. I don’t understand.” I tried not to think about the pain.
It hadn’t even felt like pain it was so bad. I still didn’t want to talk about it though, so I made light of it.
“Morphine, I guess. I don’t really remember much.” I looked at Kane. I could tell he wasn’t buying it so I turned my attention back to Grogan. He patted me on the knee. I don’t think he believed me either.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Ivy. There’s something I need to discuss with you.” With that, he rose and walked out of the cabin.
Kane took my coffee into the bathroom. “I’ll run you a bath. You should try and eat something, though.” Mmm…food. I hadn’t eaten since yesterday. I grabbed some fruit off the side. It was all I had the energy for. The hospital hadn’t been much fun for me and I wasn’t sure I could keep much down thinking about it.
I joined Kane in the bathroom. My bath was full and my coffee was on the side. I smiled. I still wasn’t comfortable just stripping off in front of him. Taking a step towards me, he brushed the cheek that Grogan had just healed, inspecting it.
“Enjoy your bath, Ivy. I’ll be in the other room if you need me.” He leant in to kiss me. I stepped back suddenly, covering my mouth.
“I really need to brush my teeth.” Pictures of me throwing up on the side of the road sprung to mind. I playfully pushed him out of the room, pulling the door to.
Five minutes of repetitive teeth brushing, flossing and mouthwash later, I was satisfied enough to get into my bath. The water smoothed over every part of me. I was so relaxed. The coffee tasted a little minty after the brushing but I didn’t care. Kane leant his head into the room, smiling.
“I suppose you can tell me why you were all over my brother at the hospital.” I sat up choking on the coffee, spitting it into my bath. Kane let out a hearty laugh and went back into the lounge. How embarrassing; I was hoping he’d forgotten about that.
I wondered if Blake had told Sylvia. She would probably find it amusing. I had to go and see how she was. She hadn’t fully recovered after Luke tried to kill her - well technically, he did. She hadn’t managed to concentrate enough to use the water to call yet. I looked at my coffee-coloured bath water and decided that was enough for now.
The TV was on low when I entered the lounge. Kane looked inviting, as always. He was sprawled out on the couch in a very thin, clingy jumper. I walked over and he held out his arm, inviting me to join him. He pulled me down to him as I took his hand. Lying there, looking up at him, I decided that enough was enough. I was tired of getting into muddy, dirty and downright painful situations.
Kane loosened my towel while he kissed my neck. I held him tight, I felt safe in his arms. I liked the way it felt too. I was tired of the running and chasing. I was going to see if I could stay full-time at the lake.
Sitting up suddenly in bed, I held onto the quilt tightly - my knuckles white with tension. I’d forgotten where I was. I was home, not in the hospital. I guessed that it would take a while for me not to wake up in a panic.
“Ivy, you okay?” I had woken Kane again.
“Yeah, fine,” I said, breathlessly. At least no pipes had burst. He sat up behind me, brushing my shoulder with his lips.
“Ten more minutes,” he whispered. He knew that whispering in his southern drawl wasn’t fair on me. I lay back down next to him as we held each other close.
Ten minutes came and went. I could’ve stared into those big blue eyes all day but I would never have got anything done. Reluctantly, I peeled myself off him and got ready to see Sylvia.
The trees had started changing into their autumn wardrobes. Red, auburn and gold leaves surrounded me on my walk. All was quiet. No pain and no stress. As the lake came into view, I noticed quite a few people out on the water. They were being watched by a small group of people accompanied by an Elder. On closer inspection, they weren’t people at all. They looked like selkie. They had no need to hide their true skin colour here. It was unusual seeing them but I gu
essed I should get used to it. The Elders and the selkie leaders were trying to reconnect. It’s not like we could visit them - fear of death mainly.
Sylvia was pottering in her garden when I arrived.
“Morning Sylvia. How’s the garden?” She jumped a little when I spoke. Not a good sign. I supposed it would take a while.
“Ivy! You’re back. Not causing too much trouble, I hope.” Her blonde hair shone in the morning light.
“I don’t think so this time. I came to see how you were doing. See if you needed any help.” I sat down on her bench and watched her work. She was always happiest with her plants.
“Blake’s inside if that’s who you’ve come to see.” He did tell her about the hospital. She held her serious face for as long as she could before laughing. Great - I could see we were going to be mature about it.