do with whatever Gem did to sooth his mind in Peoria nine months ago. Sometimes
when we’re in adjourning motel rooms, I’ll feel the familiar rise in Tarren’s
aura through the wall, that jagged intensity that speaks of impending night
terrors. And just as swiftly as it started, the spikes of fear will be gone,
washed away. I’ll wonder if he’s dreaming of the picnic I planted into his mind
with Gem’s help as a ward against the nightmares. Tarren never talks about it,
and I’m not about to ask and earn the scowl of a lifetime.
Rich and I both hear the steps from
the other side of the operating room at the same time. His ears perk forward,
and I jump to my feet as the door swings open. Francesca pulls down her mask.
The light sheen of sweat on her olive skin makes her even more beautiful …because
apparently that’s possible. The spike in Gabe’s aura as he sits up seconds my
opinion.
She gives us a big white smile.
“We’re done. He’s stabilized, ready to move.”
“Will he ever walk again, doc?”
Gabe asks in a melodramatic voice as he expertly fits his lucky hat backwards
on his head.
That brilliant smile fades just a
little. “He will walk again,” she says.
“But…” I keep the tremble out of my
voice.
“It was a bad break,” Francesca
says, and her voice is soft and kind, just like it should be when delivering
bad news. “Dr. Lee says it’s too early to tell if he’ll recover 100%.”
Chapter 6
While Francesca wipes down the
operating room, I carry Rain back to the jeep. Getting him inside without
banging the shit out of his poor, concussed head is a lot harder than they make
it seem in the movies. Especially when his loopy aura laps gently across my
skin, reminding me that it’s been a full day since I’ve last fed.
I place him on the back seat, very
conscious of the fact that his pants are gone, and he wears only a pair of
Gabe’s boxer briefs, blue and stamped with a pattern of shiny golden lightning
bolts. His lids crack open, and his eyes are soft and brown, fringed by short
black lashes.
“How are you?” I whisper as I lean
over him to pull the seatbelt across his frame.
“Is Tarren okay?” Rain’s voice is rough
and slurry. The welt on the side of his temple throbs an angry red.
“Yeah, he’s fine. How do you feel?”
I reach out, press my fingers through his pale aura, and brush his bangs out of
his eyes.
“Smells like…piss,” he mumbles.
“Probably shouldn’t point any
fingers, but that was all you.”
Rain looks at me with huge eyes.
“Hi.” The small smile that follows flicks on every single light switch in my
body.
“Hi.” I grin back at him.
Gabe gives a short,
sharp whistle from the front, and I know what that means. I’m a little less
gentle as I lash the second seatbelt over Rain’s legs. He doesn’t seem to
notice. His eyes blink, then close, and his aura becomes smooth once again.
Gabe shoos Francesca and Dr. Lee
out of the building. I raise an eyebrow at him.
“The lady vet just walked in.
Probably to check on Rich and the other animals.”
“Well, then you might have a
problem.” Gabe follows my gaze to the big, dumb, satellite dish-headed dog
sitting at his feet, tailing wagging.
“Shit, Rich! You were supposed to
stay inside.” Gabe blows out a breath and looks behind him at the door. “I can
get him in.”
“You sure? We can’t afford any
alarms.”
“We can do it, right Rich?” Gabe
pats the dog on his side and quietly opens the door.
“Was the operating room clean?” I
turn to Francesca. She holds a small, bulging trash bag in one hand and a tired
expression on her face.
“I did the best that I could. We
moved the machine back, washed the equipment. Cleaned the table. But…”
“They’ll noticed the screws and
plates missing,” Dr. Lee says. “Eventually.”
The door eases open, and Gabe slips
out on nearly silent steps. “Close one,” he says softly and then grins.
when we’re in adjourning motel rooms, I’ll feel the familiar rise in Tarren’s
aura through the wall, that jagged intensity that speaks of impending night
terrors. And just as swiftly as it started, the spikes of fear will be gone,
washed away. I’ll wonder if he’s dreaming of the picnic I planted into his mind
with Gem’s help as a ward against the nightmares. Tarren never talks about it,
and I’m not about to ask and earn the scowl of a lifetime.
Rich and I both hear the steps from
the other side of the operating room at the same time. His ears perk forward,
and I jump to my feet as the door swings open. Francesca pulls down her mask.
The light sheen of sweat on her olive skin makes her even more beautiful …because
apparently that’s possible. The spike in Gabe’s aura as he sits up seconds my
opinion.
She gives us a big white smile.
“We’re done. He’s stabilized, ready to move.”
“Will he ever walk again, doc?”
Gabe asks in a melodramatic voice as he expertly fits his lucky hat backwards
on his head.
That brilliant smile fades just a
little. “He will walk again,” she says.
“But…” I keep the tremble out of my
voice.
“It was a bad break,” Francesca
says, and her voice is soft and kind, just like it should be when delivering
bad news. “Dr. Lee says it’s too early to tell if he’ll recover 100%.”
Chapter 6
While Francesca wipes down the
operating room, I carry Rain back to the jeep. Getting him inside without
banging the shit out of his poor, concussed head is a lot harder than they make
it seem in the movies. Especially when his loopy aura laps gently across my
skin, reminding me that it’s been a full day since I’ve last fed.
I place him on the back seat, very
conscious of the fact that his pants are gone, and he wears only a pair of
Gabe’s boxer briefs, blue and stamped with a pattern of shiny golden lightning
bolts. His lids crack open, and his eyes are soft and brown, fringed by short
black lashes.
“How are you?” I whisper as I lean
over him to pull the seatbelt across his frame.
“Is Tarren okay?” Rain’s voice is rough
and slurry. The welt on the side of his temple throbs an angry red.
“Yeah, he’s fine. How do you feel?”
I reach out, press my fingers through his pale aura, and brush his bangs out of
his eyes.
“Smells like…piss,” he mumbles.
“Probably shouldn’t point any
fingers, but that was all you.”
Rain looks at me with huge eyes.
“Hi.” The small smile that follows flicks on every single light switch in my
body.
“Hi.” I grin back at him.
Gabe gives a short,
sharp whistle from the front, and I know what that means. I’m a little less
gentle as I lash the second seatbelt over Rain’s legs. He doesn’t seem to
notice. His eyes blink, then close, and his aura becomes smooth once again.
Gabe shoos Francesca and Dr. Lee
out of the building. I raise an eyebrow at him.
“The lady vet just walked in.
Probably to check on Rich and the other animals.”
“Well, then you might have a
problem.” Gabe follows my gaze to the big, dumb, satellite dish-headed dog
sitting at his feet, tailing wagging.
“Shit, Rich! You were supposed to
stay inside.” Gabe blows out a breath and looks behind him at the door. “I can
get him in.”
“You sure? We can’t afford any
alarms.”
“We can do it, right Rich?” Gabe
pats the dog on his side and quietly opens the door.
“Was the operating room clean?” I
turn to Francesca. She holds a small, bulging trash bag in one hand and a tired
expression on her face.
“I did the best that I could. We
moved the machine back, washed the equipment. Cleaned the table. But…”
“They’ll noticed the screws and
plates missing,” Dr. Lee says. “Eventually.”
The door eases open, and Gabe slips
out on nearly silent steps. “Close one,” he says softly and then grins.
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