“It does,” Loviel nodded in answer. Then he continued, “she didn’t know. Marie has been retired for some fifty years.”
Like a weight had been lifted off of him, Ravin sagged. “I guess fifty years isn’t much for an angel. Probably feels like he retired yesterday…” He sagged against the nearest wall. “He showed up damn fast,” he observed.
“He may be retired, but he will always watch over her.” His honey-colored eyes clouded as he thought about those words. Always for him was always going to be short…
It was hard, but he would try his best to imagine everything would be okay. It had to be. “Do you want to sit and rest until they come back to get us?”
Ravin tiredly bobbed his head. “Yeah…” Taking the time to relax a bit would be nice. There was no point in losing his mind while Michelle recovered. He just had to have some faith. Not in a higher power, but in the abilities of his girlfriend's mother, and apparently her angel. They would keep her safe and well. He just had to trust that they would do their job.
“Maybe we could get coffee or something.” He rubbed the back of his head and then glanced over into Loviel’s eyes. He wanted to make sure he wasn’t being entirely selfish in such a stressful time. Loviel was affected just as much by this as he was. At least they weren’t alone.
Ravin turned to seek out a place to get a beverage. He didn’t know the hospital well enough to know where to go immediately. Luckily, there was a fine assortment of signage with helpful moving arrows to direct lost individuals. There were a few arrows directing to bathrooms, a cafeteria, and at the bottom was the holy grail: “Warm Hearts Coffee.”
The cafe was not far from the waiting room. It was a quaint little place with decadent-smelling drinks and rich-looking pastries. It was the perfect stop for a stressed out family member. Loviel and Ravin weren’t the only ones seeking comfort in the Warm Hearts coffee shop.
“I would like a small coffee,” Loviel said to the barista. “Black, please.”
“Sure thing, sugar. Anything for you, sir?” The girl behind the counter smiled as she grabbed a paper cup.
Ravin peered over the menu and took a few moments to consider his options. There were so many different variations, with an almost infinite number of combinations available. “Uh, I’ll take a mocha with cinnamon.” The richness of the chocolate, and the heat of the spice would revitalize him. Maybe it would make the time go faster, too.
“Coming right up.” She gave both of them a smile as she got to work, her movements graceful as she went through a well-rehearsed dance. First out was Ravin’s, then she poured Loviel’s so it would be as warm as possible. Then, she handed them a rather large cookie to share. “That’s on the house. You two look like you need a room, yourselves.”
She tapped into the register and a number flashed on the screen. “That’ll be 4.50.”
Loviel gave Ravin an apologetic look. “I don't have any money, Michelle generally….” His honey-colored eyes clouded with sadness.
Ravin held up his hand. “I’ve got you.” He pulled out his credit card and passed it over to the girl. “Here you are.” He gave a tired smile. He made the decision to tack on a nice tip. It would be more than the cookie cost, but she deserved it for being sweet.
As they left, Loviel took a sip of the warm and delightfully bitter drink. It felt good, soothing even. Their path took them back towards the waiting room. At length, Loviel asked quietly, “What is a Care Pod, exactly?”
The demon took a quick gulp of his beverage. “It’s one of the miracles of modern medical technology,” he began. “It’s a specialized bed that is optimized to help patients reach homeostatic stability. It does everything: it regulates temperature, has a higher oxygen content, and even gives medicine in the correct dose at the correct time. It’s like this… capsule.” He gestured out the general shape of the device. There were Aqua-Care Cisterns for patients who needed even more intense care than Michelle. Those patients were designated as Critical Care.
“So, it’s a really good thing.” Ravin bobbed his head. “It means she’s not in the worst situation she could be in, but it also means she’s in the best environment for healing.”
Relief found its way into Loviel’s heart. “I am glad to hear that.”
“Me too…” Ravin gulped down about half of his drink. It scalded his throat all the way down, but he swallowed it nonetheless. “I just hope she gets out soon.”
“Has she made any sort of decision yet?” As they got back to the waiting room, Loviel sank into one of the many flower-printed seats. “I should go see if Cleoph has any news.” This scare was enough to light a fire underneath the angel. They had to do something, and soon, or they risked Michelle’s safety. If Ravin hadn’t acted as swiftly as he had, would Michelle have made it? Now every moment felt even more critical than the last.
Ravin shook his head. “No, she hasn’t yet.” It meant that there was still time to urge her to make the best choice available. “You really should check. If she says that they can move forward, then we should tell Michelle.”
“And if Cleoph doesn't have an answer yet?” Loviel pondered aloud.
An array of feelings rushed through Ravin’s mind. “Then I suppose we have to talk to Sin.” He would accept it over her dying. They would just have to do their best to help manage her.
“So, now we wait.” Loviel made himself comfortable in his chair. It was going to be a long and stressful night. There was no telling when they would be allowed to go back and see Michelle. The only comfort that they had was the knowledge that she was in good hands. It did little to quell the anxiety bubbling up like tar inside.
More than anything, Loviel just wanted the whole ordeal to be done with. He wanted Michelle to be safe from herself. The waiting game was beginning to get more difficult as with every day his partner wilted away. It was a long drawn-out wait in the agony of uncertainty. How many hours would go by before they heard word from any of the staff? Surely Marie would not leave them in the dark.
She must know how hard it was to be left without knowing Michelle's status.
Ravin reached out and placed his hand on Loviel’s. The same pain he could see on the angel’s face, he felt inside. It was impossible to do this alone, but neither of them had to. At the very least, they could freak out at each other. The only thing that would fix their problem was time, but it was also their greatest enemy.
He squeezed the solid, warm hand beneath his. The burning in his eyes increased as tears began to build up. “We’ve got to stay strong,” he murmured, “for her.”
The demon rested his head on the angel’s shoulder. He closed his eyes as Loviel laced their fingers together. Between the warmth of his drink, and the angel’s soft skin, Ravin was lulled into a light doze. It was a time of quiet in which he could find some peace.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw Marie coming out of the hallway.
Marie wandered over to the boys and gave them a tired smile. She had been working without pause since she had been abruptly awoken. She let out a sigh, but there was a peaceful look about her. “Michelle is stable. We’re going to keep her in the Care Pod for a couple of days so we know that we won't have another scare.”
A big yawn splintered her words, and she rubbed her eyes. “I can take you to her room if you would like. She woke up for a few minutes and asked about you, but she’s back asleep, gathering strength.”
Ravin rose to his feet and pulled Loviel up with him. “Yeah, I’d like to go see her.”
With a nod and a gesture, Marie led the them back and up the elevator to the seventh floor. Marie flashed her badge and they were admitted into the CP unit. It was quiet as the patients rested and the nurses kept watch over their vitals. As Marie passed with her charges, they all gave her sympathetic looks.
Not paying them any mind, Marie slid open the door to room CP715. Inside waited a resting Michelle. She was sleeping peacefully—though there was a bit of discoloration to her lips.
“I’m going t
o grab some rest in the bunk,” Marie explained. “If you need anything, call Esriel. He will get me immediately. “
Ravin bobbed his head. “You’ve got it, Doc Mom.” He looked down at the pod that Michelle was being held in, and his heart clenched. If he didn't know any better, he’d think that nothing was wrong with her. It just looked like she was sleeping, but he knew better than that. How long she would remain resting, he didn’t know.
Chapter 23
The sun was ablaze, and the sky was a vivid blue. Kazun couldn’t remember it ever looking that spectacular. It could have just been his mood, though. Things just seemed better with Lian around. For starters, he didn’t have to follow around after Ravin as he dropped items all over their apartment at random. Lian’s level of tidiness surpassed his own. It was a huge relief, to say the least. Even Zier did his part and kept his messes to a minimum. Kaz almost felt spoiled now.
Zier was big on providing good food for Lian and always prepared an extra portion for Kaz. Some part of him suspected it wasn’t out of the goodness of Zier’s heart. At least once, Lian had expressed to him that she felt uncomfortable eating around people who weren’t also eating. Kaz was content with the outcome of preventing his girlfriend’s anxiety.
Kazun was happy to accept pity food.
He stretched and took a few more moments to look at the beautiful world outside. Maybe he would ask Lian if they could go to the park; he couldn’t imagine spending the day cramped up indoors.
He changed into his clothes for the day and stepped out of the room. The kitchen was devoid of food. Well, he had some skill at cooking, so he decided to fill the void on his own. He did his best to make something for Lian. He was pretty good at breakfast; it was his specialty.
He quickly had eggs, bacon, and toast ready on a plate. Gently, he knocked on Lian’s door. “I made breakfast,” he announced with a big smile on his face. He hoped that she liked it. Zier always provided breakfast. Now it was Kazun’s turn to prove himself.
“Lia?” He tilted his head as he heard both Lian and her guardian Fallen Angel speaking in hushed tones.
Zier was talking quietly, too softly to make out anything other than the calming tone.
Worry rose in his throat. What was going on? Why was Zier calming Lia down? Had something happened? Kaz opened the door, and nearly dropped his plate of food. “Lian, what’s wrong?”
Lian was rushing about her room, tossing clothes in the general direction of her bed where a duffle bag was splayed open. She grabbed a shirt from her drawers and tossed it on the pile. When she heard Kaz’s voice, she turned and rubbed her puffy red eyes.
“Michelle’s in the hospital,” she whimpered as another bout of tears exploded from her. Immediately she hid her face in her sweater sleeves. Despite the summer day, Lian was cocooned in her comfort hoodie. The ends where her wrists escaped were tearstained.
Her voice was muffled through the fluffy pink fabric; the individual fibers were standing on edge as if laced with static. “I have to go home.”
Kaz quickly set the plate down and put his arms around her. “Do you want me to come with you? I can help you pack if you need to.” He gave her a gentle squeeze and the cold, damp material soaked into his shirt. He couldn’t believe that things had gone downhill so fast.
His breath caught in his throat. He knew what it was like to lose a family member. The pain was still fresh whenever he thought about it. He silently prayed that the hospital would have Michelle right as rain soon. He couldn’t see Lian go through the same loss he had. His father had died, and the grief had lead Kaz to sell his soul to bring his dad back.
“A-are you s-sure?” She stuttered into his chest. “Y-you have hoc-ckey and stuff and—” Sobs degraded her words into gibberish as the wave of emotions overtook her. Michelle was stable, which was great news. The fact was that every day it was getting harder and harder to pretend like everything was okay.
Shocks of energy snapped at Kazun’s bare skin.
Kazun rubbed Lian’s back. “Shhhhh,” he urged. The fine hairs on the back of his arms stood up, along with those on the back of his neck. It was hard to not let it bug him, but he chose to ignore it.
“I’m sure,” Kaz tried to comfort her. “If I need to come back, I can just ask Zier or Ravin for a lift.” It would be easy. He had a feeling that Zier would be a better choice. Ravin had a lot to deal with as well.
“I want to go with you,” Kazun assured her. “I’ll get my stuff.” He glanced over at Zier.
The Fallen Angel was quiet now, and staring right at Lian. His expression was utterly unreadable. Kaz couldn’t begin to understand what was going on behind those bright purple eyes. He’d become accustomed to the strange, vivid contacts that Zier liked to wear. Yet he couldn’t begin to fathom why he did so.
At last he spoke. “I’d be honored to help you,” Zier intoned in a low voice. “When you are both ready, I can bring you home.” All the while, his eyes never left Lian.
Feeling slightly reassured, Lian calmed and the energy died away. In the back of her mind, she could hear the whispers of Fenriel, just out of reach. As she calmed, the foreign words ceased and she sighed and tried to rein in her emotions.
Being a wreck wouldn’t help anyone at the hospital. She didn’t want to be more of a burden on her family and friends because of it. Everyone had so much to worry about.
“Thank you both,” she sniffled and looked over at her now neat bag—Zier must have organized it with his mind. Lian was more than grateful to him. Ever since she had received the news from her mother, he had been bending over backwards to assist her and to ease her through the process. “I couldn’t get through this without you guys.”
“That’s what we’re here for.” Kaz slipped his hand into hers. “I won’t take long, and then we can head out. We can see Michelle in no time at all.” He wanted to tell her that everything would be okay. But, he couldn’t lie to her. There was no guarantee that Michelle would be okay, in fact, from what they’d told him, she wouldn’t be. They had to leave now.
Kaz leaned over and kissed her head. Without another word, he rushed back to his room to pack. He wasn’t sure how long they'd be gone. Either way, he’d be prepared. A few shirts, some pants, underwear, and socks. He rushed to the bathroom, leaving his bag behind. There, he snatched up the other essentials: dental supplies, skin care, a bottle of shampoo. That would be enough, right? He hoped so.
By the time he made it back to his bag, Zier had already arranged it and even made the perfect space for the toiletries. Zier tucked them in, then slung his bag over his back and returned to Lian with Kazun in tow.
“Okay,” Kazun declared. “I’m ready.”
Lian nodded. “I have one stop to make before the hospital.” She hid in her sweater again, then brushed her bangs from her eyes. “I need to talk to Jo and let her know what’s going on.”
Her heart fell a bit more. She hated to be the bearer of bad news, especially to one of her best friends. The lump in Lian’s throat began to grow, and she did her best to stifle a fresh wave of tears. While she knew her sister’s condition wasn’t currently life threatening, anything could change at the blink of an eye.
Michelle’s body could go into shock again, without warning. If one medicine didn’t sit right, her bones could turn to dust. Maybe Lian was being overly anxious. It was just a scare. It wouldn’t be their first, and she refused to believe it would be their last.
“I can take you to Jo’s apartment,” Zier offered as he rose to his feet. He held out his hand to Lian. “If we need to, I can take her to your sister’s side as well.”
Lian murmured into her sweater, “I would like that”
Zier bobbed his head and placed his hands on the two human’s shoulders. “Close your eyes,” he instructed them. When they had complied, he let out a breath. With a pop of energy, they all disappeared. “You may open your eyes again,” he informed as he released them.
For a few moments, Kaz was disoriented. It
was fundamentally different from how Ravin teleported. It wasn’t better or worse, it was just… different. In some ways, it was more gentle.
“She is waiting inside.” Zier glanced at the door. “Marius is in there as well.” He would take all four of them if that was necessary. Teleporting four people was nothing. All he needed were the subjects in question. He suspected that they would all be eager to come. They were all struggling with the reality of mortality.
Lian leaned on her big, muscular, intimidating-to-the-rest-of-the-world guardian. She nodded, feeling comforted knowing he was there. Even though she was getting used to Marius, her social anxiety was amped up due to the stress. She lifted her hand and pressed the doorbell.
A moment later, the door cracked open, and Jo poked her head out from behind it. Her bright smile faded the moment her eyes landed on Lian and saw her current state. “Oh, Lian.” At once, she hugged her friend close. “Is she okay? What happened?”
Jo wanted to everything she could to help. She would do anything. In her strong Amazonian arms, she held Lian in a comforting embrace.
“She’s in the hospital,” Lian clarified, as she hugged Jo. “Mom said they had her in a Care Pod, and that Mischa was stable and everything. We are about to head that way.” At length, she released her friend and shuffled her foot apologetically. “And I’m sorry if I made you worry.”
Jo held Lian at an arm's length and looked her in the eye with a serious expression. “Don’t you apologize for a thing, Lia. I told you before. Marius and I are here for you. Do you want us to come with? If anything, we can be your go-fers.”
Struggling to hold back tears, Lian nodded. “Yes, please.”
“Marius, we have to go,” Jo called over her shoulder as she turned. Even though he had Elf training, she knew he wouldn’t mind missing it for something this important. She knew Letvan would understand, as well.
Marius jogged over. He had a determined look on his face. “I’m ready to go.” There wasn’t even a moment’s hesitation. He glanced over at Zier, who he easily identified as their mode of transport. “Let’s head out.”
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