by Martha Carr
“What?” Ember’s small, weak laugh sounded both exhausted and hopeful.
Cheyenne sat again and crossed her legs beneath her. “Just say it already, Em. I didn’t come here to judge you, but you’re talking about everything else except what actually happened, and it’s kinda making me dizzy.”
“Dizzy, huh?”
“I’m gonna try not to fall out of this chair. So spit it out.” Holding back a laugh, the half-drow scanned the hospital room. “What could you possibly have to hide from me right now?”
Ember wrinkled her nose. “Probably not as much as you’re hiding. Like, what the hell happened to your shoulder?”
The smile disappeared from Cheyenne’s face, and she shot her friend a deadpan stare. “Nice try. You first.”
“Fine.” Ember searched the ceiling for whatever was so hard to say. “Dr. Andrews was in here with me for a long time this morning to talk about how the surgery went, what they’re seeing in my recovery, blah, blah, blah. And then he laid out some really great treatment plans. You know, like recovery at home when I get out of here. Rehab. There’s some new program that I guess already has a really good track record for getting people with the same issues back on their feet.”
Both of them realized the double meaning at the same time and shared a wry laugh.
“Yeah, and literally, too,” Ember added. “I mean, I don’t have any delusions about running a 5K or anything. And by ‘pretty good track record,’ we’re talking like a twenty percent chance or something, the way Dr. Andrews described it. So it’s a really big maybe, but I’d at least have a chance of being able to mostly move around on my own again. Like with a cane or something.”
“Hey, you would rock a cane.” Cheyenne’s grin seemed to spill over onto Ember too until the other woman huffed in defeat and let out an overwhelmed groan. “You totally would. I’ll get you a badass top hat to go with it.”
“Oh, awesome. Thanks.” Ember playfully rolled her eyes, but the joking obviously wasn’t helping enough. “It’s kinda pointless to start planning for all that right now, though.”
“Why? Because you’re still in this super-comfy bed?”
“No, because it’s not gonna happen.” Ember shrugged. “Hope’s great and everything, having a positive attitude, or whatever. But there’s hope, and then there’s straight-up denial.”
Cheyenne scoffed. “You’ve never let your dad’s total lack of faith in you stop you from doing anything. Not that I know of.”
“No, I know. I don’t give a shit about what he thinks I can do, but he doesn’t even—” The fae without magic grunted and thumped her hand on the sheets. “Now that I’m talking to someone else about it, it sounds so ridiculous. I’m lucky to even be alive right now, and that’s only because you were there that night to bring me here.”
“Well, we already called it good with that one.”
“Doesn’t mean I’m not grateful.” Ember gave her another small, strained smile.
Do I seriously have to claw information out of everybody today?
“And you’re welcome.” Cheyenne scratched her head and looked away from the tears barely forming in her friend’s eyes again. “Still, I missed the part where you wanting to go with this rehab program to help you walk again is ridiculous. Because it’s not. It makes more sense than anything else you’ve said.”
Ember closed her eyes and muttered, “My insurance doesn’t cover it, Cheyenne.”
“Oh. Shit.”
“Yeah. It barely covers me being here right now, and I’m pretty sure I have to be out of here tomorrow if I don’t want to start racking up a bill for a thousand dollars an hour just to sit in this bed. So I tried to get some help.”
“Oh.” The halfling nodded. “That’s why you called him.”
“Yeah, and he was a total dick about it. He said he’s barely keeping his business above water right now, and he’s expecting that to change with some big new deal or whatever. Then he told me I must be on too many pain meds if I thought he had enough to spend on rehab when he couldn’t even afford a plane ticket to come see me.”
“He actually said that to you?”
“Yeah. And trust me, that’s like number five on the list of Wesley Gaderow’s worst lines actually said out loud to his daughter.” With a bitter laugh, Ember rubbed the back of her neck and stared at the long lines of her legs stretching out in front of her beneath the hospital sheet. “So now I’m the idiot for thinking he even had it in him to at least pretend to care. And the therapy and rehab are off the table. So is the whole list of stuff Dr. Andrews laid out that would help me get back to life again, even just in my apartment. I’ve missed a week of classes, and they don’t call it kicking me out, but if my insurance won’t pay, one of those nurses is gonna wheel me out of this place any day now and just leave me out front.”
Another laugh of disbelief burst out of the fae, but at least she didn’t start crying again. “I don’t know how the hell I’m gonna make this work, Cheyenne.”
The halfling settled her hand on Ember’s wrist, which now lay limp and defeated on the mattress. “You shouldn’t be worrying about that right now.”
“I know that. You think I don’t know how nice it would be to not have to think about it at all?” Ember closed her eyes and shook her head. “Sorry. I’m not trying to drag you into anything—”
“I’d like to see you try to drag me anywhere.” The halfling snorted. “Don’t apologize for this.”
“Still. I feel like an idiot for making such a big deal out of it. You obviously have other stuff going on. Crazy shoulder stories. I really don’t wanna bother you with my ‘fae who can’t do magic or walk’ issues.”
They shared another wry chuckle because that was the best way to handle any of this.
But what she really means is she feels stupid for talking about money issues with me.
“You’re not bothering me.” The halfling gave her friend’s wrist a gentle squeeze. Ember tilted her head and didn’t look up from the sheets, but at least she pulled her hand back to give Cheyenne’s fingers a squeeze in return. “And don’t let all this crap bother you either, okay?”
“Way easier said than done.”
“Yeah, I know. You’ll have plenty of time to freak out about it later. So let’s make a deal.”
“A deal.” Ember chuckled. “Okay, let’s hear it.”
“You need to focus on getting better. Maybe ask that doctor if you need to worry about how many tissues you used today. Seriously.”
Puffing out a breath, the non-magical fae leaned her head back against the pillows with a smirk.
“For real, though. It’s a little concerning. And then just keep focusing on getting better, and by the time you’re outta here, I’ll have the most badass cane waiting for you when you get home.”
“Oh, jeeze. I won’t even be able to use it.”
“Nah.” Cheyenne grinned and slapped the side of the bed. “You will. However it works out. Just think about that instead, okay? Badass cane.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“Yep. And you’re gonna look so cool.”
“Ha. Not as cool as you think you look, running around with all the flesh wounds.” Ember nodded at the halfling’s shoulder. “What the hell did that to you, anyway? A giant vampire?”
“Weirder.” After a quick glance at the two holes still surrounded by bright-red, raw, swollen skin, Cheyenne shrugged. “Kind of a cool story. At least the part about what happened to the guy who did this to me.”
After staring at Cheyenne, Ember jerked her hands up. “Seriously, you can’t give me all that crap about ‘just spit it out already’ and then sit there and not tell me what happened. Go.”
“You sure you wanna hear it?”
“Don’t be dumb.”
Hissing out a laugh, the halfling cocked her head in realization. “You know what? You might be the only person I can talk to about all this who won’t either lose their shit or try to use it against me.�
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Ember grinned and spread her arms. “Major points for the fae best friend, huh? Even if I can’t use magic.”
“Okay, fair warning, though.” Cheyenne wiggled her eyebrows. “This is top-secret stuff. I think.”
“Yeah, sounds real professional when you put it that way.”
“Very funny. Seriously, though. The FRoE and Border reservations and other messed-up stuff you won’t be able to forget after you hear it.”
Ember’s grin was wide and genuine and made her look like her old self again. “This is the best thing I’ve heard all day. But if you’re gonna tell me, hurry the hell up. I’m obviously really busy, with a lot to do right now.”
“I’ll see if I can cram it all together to fit into your schedule.” Laughing again, Cheyenne pulled her knees up to her chin in the armchair. She couldn’t wait to see the look on her friend’s face when Ember heard about Rez 38, Rhynehart, Sir, and how completely her mom had kicked the man’s ass on the veranda with only sophisticated etiquette and a meticulous working knowledge of criminal law.
Chapter Seventy-Three
“And then they just left?” Ember pulled her hand away from her mouth in shock, then pressed her fingers to her lips again.
“Nobody steps into Bianca Summerlin’s house to try manipulating her into anything.” Cheyenne grinned. “It’s one of my favorite memories now.”
“Your mom should run for President or something.”
“I think someone tried to make that happen once.” The halfling shook her head in amazement. “But she wouldn’t go for it. Honestly, I think she gets bored if she’s in the spotlight for longer than like an hour.”
“Crazy. So what happens next?”
“What do you mean?” Cheyenne sat back in the armchair, trying not to look like she wanted to skip that part.
“I mean, you still have that burner phone, right?” Ember pushed herself up a little straighter against the elevated hospital bed, her eyes shimmering with excitement. “And those idiots clearly still need you. So what’s next? Come on. They had to have asked you to do something else for them.”
“I mean, Sir told me he’d call that stupid phone again. That if I answered, he’d know I was willing to put up with them for a little longer. And he tried to dangle my dad over my head like some dark-elf carrot on a stick.”
“Oh, then he definitely knows your dad. Or at least where he is.”
“Maybe. I can’t really trust anything he says at this point.” Cheyenne shrugged.
“But you’re at least gonna give it a shot and see where it goes, right?”
“No, I’m done.”
“What?”
“Hey, I’m not all that excited about being the FRoE’s little halfling puppet who handles all the problems they probably made worse for themselves in the first place. If Sir knows where my dad is, great. I’m a hundred percent positive I can find the guy on my own without having to wear a Special Forces leash. It’ll take me a little longer, probably, but at least I won’t be dragged through anyone else’s shit first.”
With wide eyes, Ember blinked once and leaned so far over Cheyenne thought she might fall off the bed. “Cheyenne, the guy gave you a one-way ticket to finding out about the one person who knows what you’re going through. Okay, or at least your dad knows about the drow parts. You might even get to meet him, and all you have to do is get into a Jeep with some secret magical military guys and rough up a total scumbag here and there. Why the fuck wouldn’t you agree to that?”
“Em, they put a tracking device in my shoulder.” The halfling almost stabbed herself in said shoulder with how forcefully she pointed at it. “They used it to find me at my mom’s house and tried to…I don’t know what. Guilt-trip me? Scare the crap out of me? Piss me off? They only managed that last one, but I don’t have to keep taking their shit. We made a deal, they broke it. That’s it.”
Shaking her head, Ember looked like she was about to start screaming. Instead, she took a deep breath and spoke pretty calmly for how tightly she’d clenched her fists. “You’re right. You don’t have to keep taking their shit. You don’t have to do anything. If this was just like a really insane job or something, then yeah. Absolutely. Give ‘em the finger and walk away.”
“I’m doing that anyway.”
“Don’t.” The fae held her friend’s gaze and dipped her chin. “I’m serious, Cheyenne. You’re not gonna have another opportunity like this just laid out in front of you. It’s not like what those FRoE people want from you is all that hard. And you get answers out of it, and I promise, if you don’t take them up on it, you’ll end up regretting it.” Ember sucked in a sharp breath through her teeth and grimaced. “And that’ll taste a lot worse than another FRoE ride-along.”
Cheyenne raised an eyebrow and shot Ember a sidelong glance. “You’re really invested in my secret double life.”
“Come on. Look at me.” The other woman snorted. “Your secret double life is the most action I’m gonna be seeing for a while. Seriously, though, beyond that, you need to do this. Answer that stupid phone when it rings, go blast some magicals giving everyone else a hard time, and then get everything you want to know about your dad. And I’d be really surprised if you didn’t find someone along the way who can tell you a lot more about that weird box thing. Like, oh, I dunno, your dad?”
“Okay, okay.” The halfling lifted both hands in surrender with a chuckle. “You made your point.”
“Only if you actually do it.” Ember tried to keep back another laugh, but neither of them was very successful at it. “And then come find me and tell me all about it. This is better than Netflix.”
“Not a lot of bingeing, though.”
“Just do it, Cheyenne.”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll think about it.”
A short, firm knock came from the door to Room 317, and both grad students turned fading smiles toward Dr. Andrews, who stepped briskly in from the hallway. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“Nope.” Ember shot her friend a knowing glance. “You conveniently missed all the exciting stuff.”
The man readjusted his glasses, glanced at Cheyenne too, and smiled. “Bummer. Maybe I’ll have better timing next time.”
Cheyenne leaned back in the armchair and wrapped her arms around her knees.
“Well, I won’t take up too much of your time.” Dr. Andrews scanned the monitor beside the hospital bed, then tapped the tablet in his hand and stuck the thing in the huge pocket of his white coat. “Just wanted to make a quick stop and see how you’re doing. Pain levels. Appetite. The whole deal.”
Ember gave the man a patient smile. “Pretty much the same as when you came by this morning.”
“Good. Glad to hear it. And having a friend stop by is always a plus.” It seemed like he eyed Cheyenne again for a little longer than a polite acknowledgment. There was no way he didn’t recognize her after the handful of conversations they’d had about Ember before she woke up. And she had one of those hard-to-forget faces, plus the piercings and the Goth-chick getup. “Okay. Well, I’m gonna go over your chart before I head home for the night. Make sure everything looks good, and then we can talk again tomorrow about where things are headed moving forward.”
“Yeah.” Ember wrinkled her nose. “That’ll be a pretty short talk. I’m not gonna be able to—”
“Say anything right now,” Cheyenne finished for her. She shot Ember a critical look, then shook her head. “Are you? ‘Cause you’re just sitting back and focusing on getting better right now. Remember?”
Ember snorted. “Okay. You win.”
“I’m guessing I missed something,” the doctor interjected with a crooked smile. “Which is fine. I barged in on your visit. Any other questions for me, though, before I head out?”
“No, I’m good. Thanks.”
The man nodded at both of them, then turned slowly toward the hall again, pausing briefly like he wanted to say something else.
“Actually, I have a question
for you. If you don’t mind.” Cheyenne plastered on what she thought an innocent smile was supposed to look like when Dr. Andrews turned back toward her and tilted his head.
“I don’t mind at all. And I’ll try to answer.”
Cheyenne gestured at her arm. “I got in an accident yesterday. My shoulder’s not doing very well, and I’m pretty sure I’ve got something stuck in there. Would you mind taking a look?”
Dr. Andrews blinked and unnecessarily adjusted his glasses. “That’s something you should go to your provider for. Hospital policy frowns on seeing patients without checking them in.”
Ember’s hospital room fell silent, and Cheyenne bit her lip. “I know. And I get that. I just… I don’t trust doctors. You were pretty cool about me hanging around when Ember was still… After her surgery and everything.”
The doctor eyed her shoulder, but she’d turned toward him in the chair just enough that he couldn’t get a good view of it from where he stood. “You get shot too?”
Ember barked a laugh and clapped both hands over her mouth.
Cheyenne smirked at her friend. “Nope. I promise there isn’t any kind of local police procedure for handling what I got myself into. Look, it’s either you checking out the damage for me, or I’ll just end up going back home and digging around in these holes again myself.”
“Again?” The man’s eyes widened, and sighed. “I know I don’t have to tell you why that’s not a good idea.”
“Yeah, well, those are my options right now. I don’t think I’m gonna be healing the right way anytime soon until I get whatever it is out of my shoulder.”
“I really shouldn’t.”
“I’ll pay you.” Cheyenne shrugged. “I don’t have a problem with that. Just with the paper trail and the waiting and all the questions, you know?”
“Well.” Dr. Andrews dipped his head. “I appreciate your willingness, but I don’t think—”
“Hippocratic Oath, though, right?” Ember stared at her doctor as both he and Cheyenne looked at her like they’d forgotten she was there. “Do no harm. I’m pretty sure that includes turning someone away after they threaten to hurt themselves.”