Finding Valor (The Searchers Book 2)

by Ripley Proserpina

  “Yeah?”

  “Of course.”

  Seok’s phone chirped, and he sat, reaching in his pocket for it. “I need to make a call,” he said, reading the message.

  Nora stood. “I want to check on Cai, and then I’m going to start dinner.”

  Raising an eyebrow, he glanced at his phone again. “It’s only two o’clock.”

  “I want to make a crockpot something. This is late for crockpot cooking.” She leaned over, kissing him. “Okay?”

  “Okay,” he agreed. “Wait!” He called when she got to the door. “What’s wrong with Cai?”

  “Fever, cough, sneezing.”

  “We better clean.”

  “I’ll take care of it.” She rolled her eyes. It was a cold, not the end of the world.

  After closing the door, she paused. She’d been honest with Seok. Really honest, not brutally honest, but she’d explained how she felt about things from the job interview to their intimacy to Dr. Murray’s study.

  When she thought about what she’d said and how she’d said it, she couldn’t help feeling proud. And right. She’d taken something she’d learned from Dr. Murray’s study today, and she’d applied it to her life. This study, while difficult and mind-fucking at times, could actually help her in the long-run.

  * * *

  Cai slept, mouth open, head tipped back. His face was flushed, and when she put her hand to his forehead, he was still warm. She scooted downstairs, filling a water bottle with ice and a little water, knowing as the ice melted he’d have nice cool water for his throat. She dug through the cabinets, looking for cough drops or throat sprays, and carried it all to his room. After organizing the items for easy access on his bedside table, she kissed his forehead and left him.

  Matisse met her as she came out of the room. His eyes were red-rimmed, and his arms crossed over his chest. “Hey, cher.”

  “Hey.”

  Opening his arms in invitation, he snuggled her into his chest. His body was warm, like he’d just woken up from his nap. “How are you?”

  “Tired.”

  She smiled, making a sound of agreement. “You stayed up all night.”

  “Last hurrah, friends left town for a while. The weather turned, wasn’t great for biking.”

  Thinking about the way the motorcycles skidded out of the parking lot earlier today, she nodded. “I met your friends today.”

  “Huh?” He pulled back, gazing at her in confusion. “You did?”

  “Yes, the ones on motorcycles? I saw you on my way to the lab this morning, and when I left, they were still there. I wanted to see if you were, too. They knew who I was.”

  “Yeah.” He shivered a little, goosebumps lifting on his arms. The hallway was cold, and Matisse was only in a t-shirt and boxer briefs.

  “I caught you on the way to the bathroom, didn’t I?” she realized. “You’re not up yet.”

  In response, he yawned. “No, not really.”

  “Go back to bed; we can talk later.”

  Rather than argue, he shuffled toward the bathroom, stopping before going in. “Were they nice to you?” he asked, suddenly.

  “Yes.” She nodded. “You told them I was your girlfriend?”

  His face was sheepish. “Yes. Was that okay?”

  It was hard for her not to leap at him and show him how entirely okay it was. “Yes,” she said. “It made me really, really happy.”

  He walked back, dipping and kissing her. “You make me happy,” he said, righting her and leaving her smiling like a loon.

  This really had been the best day.

  TWENTY-THREE

  Burning Up

  CAI WOKE, HIS throat burning. It was dark in his room, but what light there was hurt his eyes. He needed water and sat up, waiting for his head to stop spinning before he attempted to get out of bed. A bottle of water on his bedside table dripped condensation onto the wood.

  Nora.

  The cool water soothed his throat, and he took gulp after gulp. His phone was plugged in next to him, and he grabbed it, staring at the time. It wasn’t the middle of the night like he thought. It was barely dinner time, and he’d only been asleep a few hours. He tried to push himself off the bed, but his body broke out in a cold sweat, and he shivered. Finally giving up, he lay back down.

  God, his throat hurt. He took another drink of water before noticing the throat lozenges and spray on the table. Despite his pounding head and sore throat, he smiled. She was taking care of him, plugging in his phone, making sure he had water. He loved that girl.

  The words echoed in his mind, and he suddenly remembered saying them as she tucked him in. After placing a lozenge on his tongue, he burrowed under the covers again. He was glad he’d told her how he felt and she’d responded. Her voice sounded in his mind; she loved him, too.

  A tiny knock sounded on his door. “Come in,” he said, his voice a croak.

  “Cai?” Nora’s form was silhouetted against the hall light. She came inside a bit more, closing the door behind her. “How are you feeling?”

  The bed dipped beneath her weight, and her hand touched his skin. When she moved to take her hand back, he held it there, pressing her cool skin against his. “That feels good.”

  “Are you thirsty? Hungry?”

  “I just had water.” Talking hurt his throat again, so he reached for the bottle. She got there before him, handing it to him and watching him take a sip. “I’m not hungry,” he went on.

  “I wish we had a thermometer. Should I bring you to urgent care? Or the ER?”

  “No.” He shook his head, chomping the lozenge still in his mouth. Anticipating his move, she got him another one, unwrapping it and placing it in his hand.

  “Thanks.” He closed his eyes and felt her move away, but he stopped her. “Don’t leave yet. Keep me company?”

  “Okay,” she whispered. Her feet shuffled across the carpet, and then she curled herself next to him. As soon as she was situated, she ran her fingers through his hair. He nearly groaned. Her fingers lightly raked his scalp, easing the tension he felt from his neck to his forehead. He must have groaned because she chuckled. “Okay?”

  “Very.”

  “The guys are downstairs,” she told him. “Well, except for Matisse. He went back to bed. But Ryan and Apollo and Seok. I made lasagna.”

  “How was it?”

  “I think it’s going to be too soggy. I think pasta in the slow cooker is a bad idea.”

  “You put it in the crock pot?” Each word out of his mouth hurt his throat, and he took another sip of water.

  “You don’t have to talk,” she said. “Do you want me to be quiet?”

  He liked the way she filled him in on the action in the rest of the house. It made him feel like he wasn’t alone, even sequestered away like he was.

  “Let’s see.” Her fingers continued their gentle movement through his hair. “Oh! I got a second interview at a comic book store downtown. Seok’s going to help me do comics research. Did you know he has a collection of She-Hulk books? The series is called, Savage She-Hulk, and she’s a lawyer.” Her hand paused at his forehead. “Are you sure you don’t need me to take you to the doctor?”

  He shook his head.

  “Ryan offered to come with me to the soup kitchen.”

  Cai groaned. He and Nora’d made an longstanding date to serve dinner at one of the churches downtown on Wednesday nights, and he hated to miss it.

  “You can’t sneeze into people’s macaroni, Cai.” She kissed him, resting her cheek against him. “I’m worried about you,” she whispered.

  “I’ll be fine. Not the worst I’ve felt. Had measles once.”

  “How?” But she interrupted him before he could speak. “Never mind. Tell me when you’re better. You’re all caught up on your vaccines now, right?”

  He was. The series of shots was the first things he’d done when he left his family.

  “I was older, too,” she said. “My first vacs came when I was taken from my mom,
but then there was a gap when I went back to her. She didn’t finish some of them, so I had to start all over again.”

  Cai opened his eyes, turning over to stare at her and forcing her hand away from his hair. He entwined her fingers with his. Her words showed him how much the two of them had in common. It was getting harder to keep his eyes open, but he wanted to hear more about her. “Keep going,” he said, but his throat closed on the last word, and he coughed. Reaching across him, she grabbed his water and handed it to him, watching him drink.

  “Tomorrow,” she said, taking it back from him and easing off the bed. “I’m going to get you more water.”

  She edged to the door, opening it. The light hurt his eyes, and he had to look away.

  “I’ll be right back,” she said and shut the door, leaving him in darkness.

  Closing his eyes, he listened for her footsteps in the hall, hoping it took her no time to fill up his water and return. He’d forgotten how lonely it was to be sick. When he was younger and ill, his mother would check on him from time-to-time, but she was so busy with the rest of his family he often lay for hours alone.

  The door opened, and she snuck inside, closing it quickly behind her before the light could bother him. “Here.” She placed an icepack wrapped in a dish towel against his head and handed him his water and two green capsules. “I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but this is worrying me. You can’t swallow, and you have a fever. If you’re still sick in the morning, we’re going to the doctor.”

  It felt like he had a golf ball stuck in his throat that he needed to swallow around, so he nodded. If he was still feverish in the morning, he would go. Her hand replaced his on the icepack, moving it from the back of his neck to his forehead. The whole time, she kept up a steady stream of conversation about innocuous things. Mostly She-Hulk. She seemed very fascinated by She-Hulk.

  “It’s interesting, you know? The Hulk, he loses his intelligence when he changes, but not She-Hulk. And they’re cousins! I love it. I’m going to read Seok’s comics tonight. Then I’m going to do research tomorrow about vampire comic heroes. I took the Vampires in Literature class at Brownington. Matisse made fun of me, but whatever.” She chuckled and leaned down to kiss him.

  The pills did their job. Drowsy, nose no longer running like a faucet, he focused on Nora’s voice. He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them, he was on his back, Nora curled into his side.

  If it was possible, he felt even worse than when he’d gone to sleep. His entire body ached, and when he reached for his water, his eyes were swollen and dry. The bed shifted, and a small hand reached over him for the water.

  “Cai!” Her hands were suddenly on him, touching his face, his neck. The bed bounced beneath him as she scrambled out.

  “Apollo! Ryan!”

  He tried to squeak out that he was fine, he only needed sleep, but his eyes were too heavy.

  Deep voices, their words hard to make out, reverberated through the room. He kept his eyes closed; even with the lights off, it was too much work to keep them open.

  Apollo’s voice was in his ear, and then a t-shirt was shoved over his head. Hands moved his body into position, dressing him like a doll while his head lolled about. Nora stepped between his legs, and he let his head drop to her chest. Her hands stroked his neck, and then she stepped away and the guys were there, wrapping arms around his shoulders and hefting him to his feet.

  Somehow, he walked downstairs and into the night to be loaded into the car.

  “He’s fine,” a deep voice said. No. It was a voice he never wanted to hear again. So familiar, yet still it had the ability to terrify him.

  Shocked, he searched for its source. The car interior was blurry. Nora and Apollo had been there a moment ago; where had they gone? Why had they left him?

  “I said he’s fine.” The voice said again. “Leave him.”

  “No!” His voice came out a croak. “No!” It was his father. How had he gotten here? I’m not fine! I’m sick! I’m not faking! Lashing out desperately, he tried to push away the hands pulling him. His father would put him in the basement and lock the door. He’d be stuck down there on the dirt floor with nothing to keep him warm.

  “Cai.” Two small hands cupped his face. “You’re okay. You’re at the hospital.”

  Blinking to clear his vision, her dark face suddenly came into view. As she tipped her head, her forehead brushed his. “You’re okay,” she whispered again. “You’re sick, but you’re okay. We’re all here.”

  The world shifted, and her face receded from his. He wanted to call out, but he couldn’t. As if she knew what he needed, she appeared again, holding his hand tightly in hers. “I’m staying with him,” she said.

  Locking eyes with him, she repeated, “I’m staying with you.”

  TWENTY-FOUR

  Red

  RYAN JUMPED OUT of bed at the sound of Nora yelling for them, and jetted into the hallway, nearly crashing into Apollo, who barreled out of his own room like an elephant. They pushed against each other, jockeying for position to fit inside Cai’s room.

  Nora’d turned the light on in his closet, and her hands hovered over his body. “He’s sick,” she choked out when they got inside. Her nose was red, and tears streaked down her cheeks. “He’s burning up.”

  Taking a step forward, Ryan examined Cai. His face, neck, and chest were covered in raised bumps, like hives or a rash. Ryan touched his forehead; she was right. His skin was hot. Why hadn’t he checked on him when Nora first told them Cai was sick? There was no excuse for brushing off her concern.

  “We need to get him to the hospital.” Apollo’s voice was measured and calm.

  Sniffling, Nora reached for Cai’s phone. “Shouldn’t I call an ambulance?”

  “We’re two blocks away,” he replied. “We can get him there faster. He’ll be fine.”

  Seok tossed a t-shirt at Ryan, who bungled the catch. Numb, he fumbled with the clothing briefly. Finally, with Apollo’s help, he pulled Cai to seated.

  “Get his wallet,” Apollo called to Matisse, who then scanned the top of his dresser.

  “What can I do?” Nora asked. Every so often she would reach out a hand but then pull it back when it was clear she would only hinder their speed.

  “Boots?”

  Matisse found them first and grabbed them, kneeling in front of Cai to shove his feet in. Ryan turned for a moment, and Cai’s body slumped. Stepping forward quickly, Nora caught him, cupping the back of his neck and holding him against her chest. “I’ve got him,” she whispered.

  He tried to hide his fear, but Cai didn’t look good. His eyes were nearly swollen shut, and when he’d touched his skin to dress him, he’d found it hot and coated in sticky sweat. When Nora had told them at dinner that he was sick, anxiously describing his symptoms, they’d brushed her off. It sounded like a cold. She’d given him cold medicine, tucked him into bed. It would run its course, and he’d be better in a day or two.

  This was not a cold.

  Ryan had never seen a rash like this before, and he couldn’t remember the last time Cai had been sick. Even when they’d taken him to get his teeth fixed and implants had to be screwed into his jaw bone, he’d gone to work the next day. Swollen, yes, and grumpy at all of them, but he’d gone.

  “On three,” Apollo said, shaking Ryan from his memories.

  “We’re taking you to the hospital, Cai. We’re going to help you to the car.” Nora’s low voice was calm and even, as if she’d heard Apollo earlier and was mimicking his tone. Her face, however, was pale and her eyes wide and scared. She stepped out of the way so they could help Cai to his feet.

  His body flopped, but somehow he put one foot in front of the other. Running ahead, she met them at the door, closing and locking it before running again to the car to unlock it.

  They stuffed him as gently as they could into the back seat, Ryan’s stupor making him slower than he meant to be.

  “I’ll be right behind you,” Matisse
said, nodding at Seok, and the two of them ran to Matisse’s car and waited for Ryan to pull out in his.

  “Go with them,” Apollo directed Nora, but she shook her head, so he turned his attention to Ryan. “You okay?” he asked him, and he shook his head. No. His friend was sick, and he should have cared enough to be certain he was well before he’d curled up in his own bed.

  Voice hard, Nora interrupted his dark thoughts, “No, I’ll stay with him. Make sure he’s fine.” Her voice trembled suddenly, but she bit her lip. She was determined to come with them, and he wasn’t going to argue with her; he couldn’t have found the words if he’d wanted to.

  She ran to the driver’s side, getting in the back next to Cai, pulling him into her arms and talking quietly to him. As he pulled out, he could hear her soothing voice repeating, “You’re okay. You’re fine.”

  “He’ll be fine,” Apollo assured her again as Ryan pulled onto the quiet main street leading to the medical campus.

  Cai’s body suddenly jerked, and he cried out, “No!”

  With his eyes glued to the road, Ryan couldn’t look back, but he didn’t miss the sound of flesh hitting flesh and Nora’s pained cry. The sound woke him up. Everything became sharper, clearer, more urgent.

  “Son of a bitch!” Apollo yelled. “Hurry up, Ryan!”

  Her voice, when she spoke again, sounded strangely muffled. “Is he having a seizure?”

  “No,” Apollo answered, “I don’t think so.”

  “No!” he heard again and then a hiss of breath.

  Turning completely in his seat, Apollo whipped off his seatbelt and reached into back.

  “Apollo, what’s happening?” Ryan glanced quickly over his shoulder, but speeding as he was to the hospital, he could only catch flashes of action in the backseat.

  “I’m okay,” Nora said again and then, “You’re okay, Cai. You’re sick, but we’re going to the hospital.”