normal occurrence.
"Why didn't you help us before now?" Nicole demanded.
"And do what?" Sarah asked. "How would I be any help to you if I blew my cover and got myself killed?" She had a point.
"How did you not know Mom was dead?" I asked, turning to James. My head was fuzzy. The grogginess that had been stealing over me since the wave was starting to make my thoughts lag.
"I knew she was dead. I didn't know when."
"We don't have time for this," the other woman said. "We need to get her patched up and then we need to figure out what to do with all of you."
The others weren't totally convinced by Sarah's explanation, but I was past caring. It was probably stupid, but James' verification that he had Mom's blessing was enough for me. I wanted to pass out.
I was moved into the kitchen where they laid me upon a long marble counter in the middle. The woman shooed everyone but Mouse and Sarah away before hovering over me, running her hands over my limbs.
"Dislocated," she murmured to herself, as her gentle hands brushed over my shoulder. "What's your name?"
Mouse answered for me when I didn't reply—my head throbbed painfully. "Kayla. Michaela."
Sarah drew a large first aid kit from below the kitchen sink, opening it and withdrawing a sterile set of hypodermic needles. She handed them to the woman.
"Are you trained to use those?" Mouse asked, eying the needles.
"I was an emergency room doctor before I met James, but we can't settle anywhere long enough for me to find a job in that field. James finds plenty of use for my skills though." She looked like she expected us to understand her comment, but it confused me more. I could hear a hint of sadness in her voice as she spoke about her past career.
"Okay, Michaela, I'm going to start with your shoulder. The longer we leave that, the harder it's going to be to reset. This is a muscle relaxant. It'll make this easier and less painful for you."
Mouse took my uninjured hand and held tight. I squeezed my eyes closed, the muscles in my face protesting against the sudden movement. I tried to keep my shoulder relaxed, knowing it was supposed to hurt less, but it didn't settle my breathing.
"Calm down," Mouse whispered, running her thumb back and forth over my wrist.
I couldn't help it though. My breathing came faster and faster until the woman withdrew the needle. She slid it from my arm smoothly, taking care not to snag the tip.
The woman—who eventually told us her name was Julie—gave the muscle relaxants time to kick in. When she deemed it appropriate, Sarah and Mouse helped me to sit upright.
As Mouse and Sarah held me, Julie positioned my arm so it just hung there. She bent my elbow and rotated it, first into my stomach, then out again. It hurt, a lot, but the sharp pain subsided immediately as the shoulder popped back into place. The relief was immediate, but I was still too exhausted to move as they lowered me back onto the cool marble. I sighed when the smooth stone came into contact with my hot back.
Julie set my arm in a cast, having somehow determined I'd broken my wrist. The cast reached from my elbow to the base of my thumb. She cleaned and patched the rest of my injuries before she and Mouse helped me bathe.
"Why do you have so much equipment?" I managed to mumble. The subject had fleetingly crossed my thoughts earlier and for some reason, it felt important to know.
"You aren't the first person James has brought home in bad condition, nor the worst. There are more of you than you think and most can't use public hospitals."
"Why can't they go to a hospital?"
"To begin with, most of you have no documentation. As far as the government's concerned, you don't exist. Second, they're all hiding, too. They don't want to take the chance that they'll be found. And last, not all of them appear completely human."
The last part caught my attention.
"Like the creatures that have been on the news?"
"No, not at all. They're exactly like you, except some of the gene
"Why didn't you help us before now?" Nicole demanded.
"And do what?" Sarah asked. "How would I be any help to you if I blew my cover and got myself killed?" She had a point.
"How did you not know Mom was dead?" I asked, turning to James. My head was fuzzy. The grogginess that had been stealing over me since the wave was starting to make my thoughts lag.
"I knew she was dead. I didn't know when."
"We don't have time for this," the other woman said. "We need to get her patched up and then we need to figure out what to do with all of you."
The others weren't totally convinced by Sarah's explanation, but I was past caring. It was probably stupid, but James' verification that he had Mom's blessing was enough for me. I wanted to pass out.
I was moved into the kitchen where they laid me upon a long marble counter in the middle. The woman shooed everyone but Mouse and Sarah away before hovering over me, running her hands over my limbs.
"Dislocated," she murmured to herself, as her gentle hands brushed over my shoulder. "What's your name?"
Mouse answered for me when I didn't reply—my head throbbed painfully. "Kayla. Michaela."
Sarah drew a large first aid kit from below the kitchen sink, opening it and withdrawing a sterile set of hypodermic needles. She handed them to the woman.
"Are you trained to use those?" Mouse asked, eying the needles.
"I was an emergency room doctor before I met James, but we can't settle anywhere long enough for me to find a job in that field. James finds plenty of use for my skills though." She looked like she expected us to understand her comment, but it confused me more. I could hear a hint of sadness in her voice as she spoke about her past career.
"Okay, Michaela, I'm going to start with your shoulder. The longer we leave that, the harder it's going to be to reset. This is a muscle relaxant. It'll make this easier and less painful for you."
Mouse took my uninjured hand and held tight. I squeezed my eyes closed, the muscles in my face protesting against the sudden movement. I tried to keep my shoulder relaxed, knowing it was supposed to hurt less, but it didn't settle my breathing.
"Calm down," Mouse whispered, running her thumb back and forth over my wrist.
I couldn't help it though. My breathing came faster and faster until the woman withdrew the needle. She slid it from my arm smoothly, taking care not to snag the tip.
The woman—who eventually told us her name was Julie—gave the muscle relaxants time to kick in. When she deemed it appropriate, Sarah and Mouse helped me to sit upright.
As Mouse and Sarah held me, Julie positioned my arm so it just hung there. She bent my elbow and rotated it, first into my stomach, then out again. It hurt, a lot, but the sharp pain subsided immediately as the shoulder popped back into place. The relief was immediate, but I was still too exhausted to move as they lowered me back onto the cool marble. I sighed when the smooth stone came into contact with my hot back.
Julie set my arm in a cast, having somehow determined I'd broken my wrist. The cast reached from my elbow to the base of my thumb. She cleaned and patched the rest of my injuries before she and Mouse helped me bathe.
"Why do you have so much equipment?" I managed to mumble. The subject had fleetingly crossed my thoughts earlier and for some reason, it felt important to know.
"You aren't the first person James has brought home in bad condition, nor the worst. There are more of you than you think and most can't use public hospitals."
"Why can't they go to a hospital?"
"To begin with, most of you have no documentation. As far as the government's concerned, you don't exist. Second, they're all hiding, too. They don't want to take the chance that they'll be found. And last, not all of them appear completely human."
The last part caught my attention.
"Like the creatures that have been on the news?"
"No, not at all. They're exactly like you, except some of the gene
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