I just hoped Josiah’s healing had enough left to get him over this last hill and fix his leg. I didn’t dare move him for fear of his leg falling off. The tissues were growing together, but the connection looked tenuous at best.
After five more minutes, the muscles had grown completely around the bone and I could no longer see it. That seemed like a good sign. I reached out my hand and felt for some veins on his ankle. It took me a minute, but I did feel a pulse. That meant that at least some of the blood vessels had been repaired.
Definitely a good sign.
I used my snare to lift him off the ground and took extra care to keep his wounded leg wrapped and supported. I’d worked too hard to have his leg just fall off now.
The journey back to the cathedral took a lot longer than it had taken us to get to Thuanar. With Josiah’s leg still healing, I didn’t want to risk the kinds of pressure and force that a full run would generate so I had to walk.
With each step, Josiah’s leg continued to heal a little bit at a time. It was different from how normal people healed – and much better. There was no scabbing or bruising, the skin and muscles simply regenerated layer by layer. By the time I was halfway back, the skin had completely grown over the muscle. His leg was still emaciated and it looked like he hadn’t used it in years, but it did seem strong enough that I could run without damaging him.
Once I was able to run again, in a matter of minutes I was back to the cathedral.
Shing and Miguel had laid Rhys and my dad side by side. I was extremely relieved to see that Rhys was awake and most of the large chunks of flesh taken out of his face and arms seemed to have filled in and healed.
But my dad wasn’t moving.
I gently set Josiah down and then knelt by my dad. I reached out and grabbed his hand. I had never really touched a dead person before and his skin felt warmer than I had expected.
Then I noticed his chest moving.
“He – he’s...” I couldn’t finish the sentence. I so badly wanted him to be okay that I could hardly get the words out of my mouth.
“He’s still alive,” said Rhys. He reached out a hand and I took it.
“How much longer does he have?” I asked.
Rhys squeezed my hand. “By all rights he should already be dead.”
“So maybe he’ll be okay?” I asked.
"Maybe," said Shing. "There's no way of knowing yet."
“He seems to be stable,” said Onaona, “but he’s unconscious and not responding.”
"We need to get him to a hospital," I said. "He needs a doctor."
Rhys nodded at Josiah. "It seems like more than one of us does. What happened to him?"
"Thuanar bit his leg off."
Rhys looked at both of Josiah's legs. At this point the severed leg had almost completely healed and with the exception of it being a bit thinner and paler, didn't look much different than the other leg.
He turned back to me and raised a questioning eyebrow.
I didn't feel like going into detail and reliving the grossness of reattaching his severed leg. There would be time for that later. For now I shrugged and simply said, "It got better."
Chapter 9
Loyalties and Priorities
The next several hours were a whirlwind of activity and emotion. The creepy-hoodie-guy assassin had woken up and snuck away while Josiah and I had been chasing down Thuanar. Given the fact that no one seemed to think I should track him down, I suspected that the others had let him go for fear of what I might do when I got back.
I guess after what I had done I couldn't really blame them. Besides, I was pretty sure hoodie-guy was just a hired gun who didn't know who was paying him or why they wanted me dead. Chasing after him would be purely for vengeance and would delay getting my dad the medical attention he needed.
We rushed back to Mexico City where Miguel helped us get dad into a hospital. The doctors were able to stitch up his shoulder without much difficulty. They ran a series of blood tests to see what kind of substance had been on the knife, but when the results came back the doctors were just as baffled as before. They had never come across this particular chemical, and were at a loss to explain what it did or how to stop its effects.
We couldn't exactly tell them what we knew, so there wasn't much they could do besides fix his shoulder. Once Dad was stable, we arranged to fly him back home.
I breathed a deep sigh when we landed in the Portland airport. It felt great to be back home again. I had spent so much time traveling over the past few months that I was really looking forward to spending some time sleeping in my own bed for a change.
To explain to my Mom why Dad was unconscious, we told her Dad had contracted some sort of parasite while we were traveling. I felt awful lying to her, and feeling her body shake as she sobbed into my shoulder only made the guilt worse. I had to remind myself that we were protecting her and that telling her the truth wouldn't change the outcome or help Dad.
We checked Dad into the hospital even though we knew there was very little the doctors could do for him besides keep him on an IV and make sure his basic bodily needs were taken care of. That would have to be enough for now.
Through it all, Rhys stood by me. I honestly wasn't sure how I would have gotten through this without him. He had completely recovered from his wounds within a few hours, but he was still not feeling quite himself and continued to get repeated headaches. I was also worried that he seemed more tired than usual. It was only a few months ago that he was this endless source of energy, but now he seemed exhausted all the time.
What, exactly, was wrong with him? It was hard for me to tell the extent of the problem because Rhys was so darn noble or stubborn – I hadn't decided which it actually was – that he would never let me know when he didn't feel good. Sometimes I could tell by watching him, but it was still mostly guesswork on my part.
Was he sick? Or maybe sick of me? Either option struck genuine horror into my heart. I had come to depend on Rhys. He was my best friend and my one love. I know it sounds like a ridiculous school-girl fantasy, but I really felt like he was my soul mate. He was what got me through the tough times and kept me grounded while I tried to navigate this new world of power, uncertainty, and death.
I also needed to do something about the state of my relationship with Amy. Over the summer while I had been hunting Margil, she had sent me many texts, emails, and left voicemail telling me all about what she had been doing over the summer and how much she missed having me around. I, however, had a difficult time talking with her since I really couldn't tell her much of what we were doing. I had to make it sound like we were traveling for fun when most of it had been tracking down Thuanar. Not exactly best-friend discussion fodder.
The situation was awkward and made me feel extremely uncomfortable. Amy was a perceptive girl and pretty good at knowing when I was lying to her. So over the summer I had let more time go between returning calls and texts and my comments became more vague as well.
I was certain Amy could feel something was wrong, and I was afraid that she was taking it personally. I was so afraid that I avoided the situation and let even more time pass without talking to her. Which of course just made everything worse.
Sometimes I even amazed myself with my genius self-sabotaging behavior.
Sigh.
So, I wasn't surprised when on the second day we had been back Amy sent me a rather snotty text asking if I was ever going to let her know I was back in town.
That was the problem of living in a small community – people talked. A lot.
Clearly someone I knew had spotted me over the past two days and mentioned something to Amy. I had fully intended to call her, but with the way things had been going, it just never seemed like the right time.
I texted her back and tried to soothe her hurt feelings, by explaining that my dad was having health problems. I couldn't blame her for being upset. I had been a pretty crappy friend over the past few months. It's kind of hard to keep friendshi
ps going while you are in the middle of trying to save the world from monsters they don't even know exist.
We set up a time to meet at my house later that afternoon. Dad was obviously still in the hospital and Mom didn't want to leave his side, so I would have the house to myself for several hours. A perfect place to rekindle my friendship with Amy.
I left Rhys and Shing at the hospital watching my dad while I went back home to meet Amy. Rhys understood that I needed some time with Amy, and Shing refused to leave my father's side. There was something going on there that I didn't quite understand. It seems that there was a time when my Dad had saved Shing's life and he felt indebted to him. That was several hundred years ago, but now that Dad's life was in jeopardy, Shing was honor-bound to return the favor.
I had just finished eating lunch when the doorbell rang. It was a half hour before Amy was supposed to arrive. I opened the door and instead of finding Amy, Josiah stood on the porch.
What was he doing here?
He held his cowboy hat in one hand, his head slightly bowed and a semi-embarrassed look on his face.
"Can we talk for a minute?" he asked.
"Uh, sure," I said. "My friend Amy is supposed to come by, but I've got a few minutes before she gets here."
I didn't feel comfortable bringing him in the house when no one was home so I stepped out on the porch and we sat down on the front steps.
"I, uh, just wanted to say thank-you," he said. He stared at his hands, and seemed rather nervous. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have both my legs."
"No problem," I said. "It's no big deal. I've done this kind of thing before."
Josiah looked up at me, an expression of surprise on his face. Then he saw the grin on mine and realized I was joking. He grinned back.
"Yeah, that's the life of a Berserker," he said. "Reattaching limbs and slaughtering hordes of monsters."
"Well, it's not quite the Hollywood A-list celebrity lifestyle," I said, "but on the plus side we get to save the world and don't have to worry about critics panning our work."
"True."
Josiah took in a deep breath and turned to face me. When I saw the look in his eyes, I realized what was going on.
He liked me.
I guess I should have expected this. Let's face it, I really am the only potentially lasting relationship in the entire world for a Berserker. Josiah had about as close of a near death experience as a Berserker can have without actually, you know, dying. It is only natural that would examine his life and priorities and wonder if there was something more out there.
Which meant me.
I did my best not to let out an exasperated sigh. Rhys and I were together. Not because I was the only girl who would live long enough to be with him, but because we really loved each other. We had built a relationship and strengthened it through all the shared experiences we've had together.
And I couldn't tell anyone about it.
"Madison," he said. "I've been thinking a lot since Thuanar almost killed me."
Dang it. Decision time.
It couldn't be any more obvious where this was going. Did I stop him now and let him know I wasn't interested, or did I let him get everything off his chest? The first option was a bit more harsh, but it saved him potential long-term embarrassment since I would stop him before he could actually say any words he would regret. Letting him get everything off his chest would be awkward for both of us, but I could do my best to let him down easy.
"You know what life's like as a Berserker. The danger. The travel. The loneliness." He paused and looked at me meaningfully.
Ok, it was time to stop this. It was the only humane thing to do.
"Listen, Josiah, I hear what you are saying. It's a harsh and lonely life."
"Exactly!" he said, a bit too eagerly.
"But..." I let the word hang in the air for a moment, giving him the opportunity to get out of this gracefully.
"I know," he said, taking the out. "But that's just the reality of our lives." He looked away and I saw the red flush in his cheeks.
Before either of us could say anymore, Amy pulled into the driveway. She was still my Amy, but she just seemed to be growing up and maturing faster than me. She looked older than when I had last seen her. More confident and poised. The summer had been good to her.
She wore a short skirt, cute sandals with just the right amount of heel on them and a bright blue blouse that brought out the color in her eyes – and showed off her favorite assets.
I saw her eyeing Josiah while she walked towards us. She deliberately ignored him and gave me a big hug.
"Madison!" she said. "It's so good to have you back!" She let go and turned to face Josiah. "And who is your new friend? I don't believe we've met." She flashed him a flirtatious smile.
Before I could make introductions, Josiah bowed deeply and took off his hat, revealing his dark curly hair. "Josiah," he said. "Josiah Smith. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Amy's flashed me a mischievous look while Josiah's head was lowered in the bow. She mouthed the word "wow". I guess I could understand her reaction. He was sort of cute if you liked modern-day cowboys. What Amy didn't realize is that this wasn't just a cultural thing. Josiah was the real thing – a genuine cowboy from the old days.
She held out a hand and he shook it. "My name's Amy," she said. "Amy Patterson."
"Amy's my best friend," I said.
"Madison and I go way back," Amy said. "How do you two know each other?"
I paused for a moment. I hadn't expected this and didn't have a decent cover story in place.
"He's my, uh... cousin," I finished lamely.
Josiah smirked at my lame cover story, but went along with it. "That's right. We don't get to see each other very often, but we managed to have some family time this summer."
"That's great," said Amy. "Were you with them on their eight billion month world tour?" She was clearly still a bit bitter about not seeing me.
Josiah gave me a meaningful look. "For part of it," he said and gave me a wink. "Anyway, I had just stopped by for a moment. I need to head out."
He once again took off his hat, gave us a small bow, and took off in his car.
Amy watched him go, with that predatory look she always got when she saw a cute guy. Once he was out of sight she put a hand over her heart.
"I swear, Madison you know the cutest boys!" She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the house. "It's like some sort of superpower."
Something like that.
***
Amy and I talked for hours. Having Josiah there to break the ice had been a lucky thing. She focused on boys and how cute he was rather than giving me the queen mother of all guilt trips that I had been expecting.
I told her about the places we visited and the sites we had seen. I left out the monsters I fought, the Havoc I bound, and limbs I had reattached. Listening to myself talk, it certainly sounded like I had a great trip. Too bad I couldn't have experienced the world the way I described it to Amy. My actual experience was colored by the pressure of finding a Havoc and constantly having my life in jeopardy.
After getting out the bare minimum to appease her, I steered the conversation back to Amy and asked about what she did and how things were going with her.
"Josh and I broke up," she said. "Not that we were officially an item. We went out a few times while you were gone, but after that earthquake at Prom things were just never the same. I don't know, he seemed somehow shook up about it. Weird, huh?"
Actually it wasn't weird at all. Josh had stayed behind with Ginger while I had fought Osadyn and bound him. He knew it wasn't an earthquake, and I was sure he was probably suffering from PTSD or something. I couldn't really blame him. Being up close and personal with a Havoc was not pleasant for a Berserker. I could only imagine how terrifying it must have been for him to see the monster and realize he was completely powerless to stop it.
But I couldn't tell Amy that. Instead I managed a lame, "Yeah, that is w
eird."
Eventually the topic turned back to me, and I told Amy about my dad. Well, the made up version where he got sick and was in a coma.
Amy gave me a huge hug, and I started crying. It felt good to have her support again. I had really missed her over the past few months. Yes, I had Rhys and the other Berserkers, but I had only known them for a short period of time. Amy had been with me for most of my life. There was a power that came with that kind of lasting relationship that there was no shortcut to building.
After that, I told her I needed to get back to the hospital to visit my dad.
"Do you want me to come with you?" she asked.
I considered it for a minute, but ultimately decided it would be better not to let her get so close to the situation. Who knew if the people who had tried to kill me were going to come back to finish the job?
"I'll be ok," I told her. "My mom is there, and so is Rhys."
Amy gave me a knowing smile. "Rhys is there? Say no more."
***
When I got back to the hospital, I could tell something had changed.
"What's going on?" I asked.
Rhys and Shing looked at each other for a moment and then turned back to me. They both looked very somber. Well, that wasn't too much of a change for Shing – he very serious by nature – but seeing that look on Rhys' face scared me.
"The council wants us to report back to them on what happened with Thuanar," Rhys said. "In person."
"Fly back to Hawaii?" I asked. "Now? With my dad in the hospital? With Thuanar and Margil both free?"
Rhys slowly nodded. "That's what they want," he said.
I took a deep breath. This was really too much. There was no way I was going to leave my dad for that long just so I could make a report to the council.
"Everyone else can go," I said, "but I'm not. I'm not leaving my Dad for a report. Josiah, Miguel, and Onaona can tell them what happened. They don't need all of us."
Bonds That Break (The Havoc Chronicles Book 3) Page 12