out.
Taurus groans.
***
It’s repeating over and over in my mind--the view from Ditto’s eyes. Liz had looked so scary from Ditto’s eyes. She’d been like an avenging angel, about to kill--for me. I don’t know what I’ve ever done to deserve something like that. I...
“Emily? I’ve brought Firefly,” a nurse says, peeking in. I’m almost scared to see her, I realize abruptly. What if she looks like she had when facing Skystep? I don’t think I could handle it--
“Em? Sweetie?” Liz asks, peeking in shyly. “Can I come in?”
She looks like Liz, I think with relief. Tears escape me, pouring down my cheeks as I hold out my arms. She crosses the room, pulling me into a hug so tight that I let out a little squeak of my own. “How is Ditto?” she asks as she finally pulls back. “Is she okay?”
“I... think?” I admit. “I haven’t tried summoning her yet.”
“Please try,” she says, looking serious as she pulls back. I nod, looking to the right of her--
Nothing happens. A tiny frown of worry pulls at my lips and I close my eyes, picturing Ditto. Still nothing happens. I open my eyes, but just as I thought, Ditto isn’t there. “I--I think I’m just stressed,” I say, looking down. I feel sick to my gut. Did she die? Can a doppelganger die? I’m starting to get scared. “I just need to calm down--I mean, it’ll be fine, right?”
“Yeah,” she says, but there’s a strained, worried look in her eye. “It’ll be fine in a day or two. You had quite a scare, right? It’s probably messing up your concentration.”
“Yeah,” I say, unable to keep looking her in the eye. I feel a shiver race through me, then another, until suddenly I’m bawling like a baby, loud and obnoxious. The door opens but I don’t even realize it until both Trent and Liz are hugging me from either side of the bed. Liz is sobbing, too, though.
“Shhh,” Trent says, pulling both of us into a hug. “It’ll be okay. Ditto is going to come back, you’ve just had a bit of a traumatic moment,” he says, rubbing my back. “When Aubrey gets back she’ll help, okay?”
“Ye--yeah,” I say, sniffling. It’s pathetic. This is the second time today that I’ve cried like a baby in front of him. He’s probably getting sick of me.
No, I’ve got enough stress with Ditto being gone as it is. I’ll worry about the pathetic girlfriend problem later.
***
Flint steps into the room, hesitating as a nurse walks past him with a chart in her hands. “Please keep quiet,” she says, “she’s still recovering.”
“She’s got S-class healing, though,” Flint says, frowning as he looks over at the still form on the hospital bed.
“She does, which is the only reason I’m even allowing you to come in,” she says, “it’s also the only reason she’s still alive.”
He nods, heading in as she leaves and stopping next to the bed. He can literally see the healing happening, he thinks as he watches Skystep. “I won’t say I’m happy with all the crap you’ve been doing lately,” he tells the unconscious woman as he sits down in the chair next to her bed. “You hurt a lot of the crew back home. Then you chase me all the way back here, and then you go after Firefly. Why in the world did you pick her to attack?”
“She...” he looks up, realizing Skye is awake, “seemed... like fun.”
“Well you learned better, didn’t you?”
“Why is a mini...” she takes a deep breath and he almost feels guilty, “Melody... here?” she asks, turning shining, tear-filled eyes on him.
“She’s her daughter. She’s going to my nephew’s school for capes,” he says.
“She... had a... daughter?”
“Yeah. They had a daughter.”
The tears start to fall silently and he reaches out, patting her hand. There are no words, they would just bring up things that can’t be changed.
***
“I
Taurus groans.
***
It’s repeating over and over in my mind--the view from Ditto’s eyes. Liz had looked so scary from Ditto’s eyes. She’d been like an avenging angel, about to kill--for me. I don’t know what I’ve ever done to deserve something like that. I...
“Emily? I’ve brought Firefly,” a nurse says, peeking in. I’m almost scared to see her, I realize abruptly. What if she looks like she had when facing Skystep? I don’t think I could handle it--
“Em? Sweetie?” Liz asks, peeking in shyly. “Can I come in?”
She looks like Liz, I think with relief. Tears escape me, pouring down my cheeks as I hold out my arms. She crosses the room, pulling me into a hug so tight that I let out a little squeak of my own. “How is Ditto?” she asks as she finally pulls back. “Is she okay?”
“I... think?” I admit. “I haven’t tried summoning her yet.”
“Please try,” she says, looking serious as she pulls back. I nod, looking to the right of her--
Nothing happens. A tiny frown of worry pulls at my lips and I close my eyes, picturing Ditto. Still nothing happens. I open my eyes, but just as I thought, Ditto isn’t there. “I--I think I’m just stressed,” I say, looking down. I feel sick to my gut. Did she die? Can a doppelganger die? I’m starting to get scared. “I just need to calm down--I mean, it’ll be fine, right?”
“Yeah,” she says, but there’s a strained, worried look in her eye. “It’ll be fine in a day or two. You had quite a scare, right? It’s probably messing up your concentration.”
“Yeah,” I say, unable to keep looking her in the eye. I feel a shiver race through me, then another, until suddenly I’m bawling like a baby, loud and obnoxious. The door opens but I don’t even realize it until both Trent and Liz are hugging me from either side of the bed. Liz is sobbing, too, though.
“Shhh,” Trent says, pulling both of us into a hug. “It’ll be okay. Ditto is going to come back, you’ve just had a bit of a traumatic moment,” he says, rubbing my back. “When Aubrey gets back she’ll help, okay?”
“Ye--yeah,” I say, sniffling. It’s pathetic. This is the second time today that I’ve cried like a baby in front of him. He’s probably getting sick of me.
No, I’ve got enough stress with Ditto being gone as it is. I’ll worry about the pathetic girlfriend problem later.
***
Flint steps into the room, hesitating as a nurse walks past him with a chart in her hands. “Please keep quiet,” she says, “she’s still recovering.”
“She’s got S-class healing, though,” Flint says, frowning as he looks over at the still form on the hospital bed.
“She does, which is the only reason I’m even allowing you to come in,” she says, “it’s also the only reason she’s still alive.”
He nods, heading in as she leaves and stopping next to the bed. He can literally see the healing happening, he thinks as he watches Skystep. “I won’t say I’m happy with all the crap you’ve been doing lately,” he tells the unconscious woman as he sits down in the chair next to her bed. “You hurt a lot of the crew back home. Then you chase me all the way back here, and then you go after Firefly. Why in the world did you pick her to attack?”
“She...” he looks up, realizing Skye is awake, “seemed... like fun.”
“Well you learned better, didn’t you?”
“Why is a mini...” she takes a deep breath and he almost feels guilty, “Melody... here?” she asks, turning shining, tear-filled eyes on him.
“She’s her daughter. She’s going to my nephew’s school for capes,” he says.
“She... had a... daughter?”
“Yeah. They had a daughter.”
The tears start to fall silently and he reaches out, patting her hand. There are no words, they would just bring up things that can’t be changed.
***
“I
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