“Kate,” he said, “the doctor needs to talk to you.”
I heard the words. Each had a definition I understood. But it wasn’t worth the effort to analyze the collection of vowels and consonants and turn them into actions. I wanted to stew in the blissful numbness. That liminal space between what came before and what would be. The place where I could pretend this was all just some sort of horrible dream.
DannyDannyDannyDannyDannyDanny …
I squeezed my eyes to shut out the memories that threatened to rush forward. My body rocked back and forth to ward off the intrusion of reality.
The sharp scent of ammonia hit my nose like a punch. I reared back, shocked out of my haze. I blinked and saw Pen standing over me with a vial in her hand.
My eyes snapped open and my brain snapped back into the matrix of reality. “What the fuck, Pen?” I supposed I should have been glad she hadn’t slapped me, but the ammonia stench of sal volatile wasn’t much more pleasant.
She crossed her arms and the frown between her brows was so deep, soldiers could set up residence in the trenches. “Enough, Kate. Pull yourself together.” She raised a hand and pointed a finger toward the closed door next to the waiting area. “The doc needs your permission to provide treatment.” She leaned down and got in my face. “So you’re going to get off your skinny, white ass and make sure that boy gets the help he needs.”
I stared up at her but it was like looking through a plate glass window. Beyond Pen, Mez and Morales stared in open-mouthed shock. Shadi leaned against the far wall looking as if she couldn’t decide whether she was mad at Pen or respected the hell out of her. Gardner’s expression was unreadable, but she didn’t move to step in.
I witnessed all of these things as an observer more than as a participant. Which meant I also suddenly got this image of myself, slumped and surrendered on the chair, while my baby brother lay alone and broken in the next room.
“What’s it going to be?” Pen arched a brow in challenge. “You going to sit here and feel sorry for yourself, or are you going to get up and do the damned thing?”
I cleared my throat, sat up straighter, and looked her in the eye. “Were the smelling salts really necessary?”
My best friend smiled and held out her hand to help me up. “Nope.” She shot me a shit-eating grin that did little to disguise the dark circles under her eyes and worry brackets around her mouth.
The door to Danny’s room was ten feet away, but it felt more like miles. I glanced uneasily at Pen. “Will you come with me?” I whispered. Everyone else suddenly pretended they had more important things to do or talk about.
Pen put her arm around my shoulders. “Try and stop me.”
* * *
The next couple of hours were a blur of medical jargon, sympathetic looks, and endless forms. Luckily, I was still officially on the BPD health insurance plan. Unfortunately, I’d signed up for the plan that had a sky-high deductible for any medical care that required the assistance of a medical wizard. At the time I thought I was being smart since I kept Danny away from magic. Guess the joke was on me.
“Katie?” Pen stuck her head in the door. The incessant beep of the heart monitor and the hush-thrush of the breathing machine were momentarily drowned out by voices from the hallway. She’d exited earlier to take a call from the principal at her school. The entire administration was scrambling to find out what had happened and cover their asses. I didn’t blame the school. I didn’t blame Pen, either—even though she seemed determined to assume some of the guilt.
I blamed Bane. Period.
“Katie?”
I looked up, thankful for the interruption. For the last half hour I’d been alone in the room with Danny. He was too quiet, too still, too … absent from the shell that lay on the bed like a sacrifice to the gods of Big Magic. Tubes and wires jutted from his mouth and nose, arms and chest. His face was calmer in repose, but the Gray Wolf was still in his system, leaving his features mangled and deformed. Combined with the medical equipment, he looked like a modern-day version of Frankenstein’s monster.
Bane’s monster.
My teeth clenched and a hot rush of blood coursed through my veins at that thought.
“Kate?” Pen again, more insistent.
“Yes?” I said, rising. I assumed she’d come to tell me she needed yet another set of forms filled out.
“Your friends are asking if they can come in.”
“Which friends?”
She pursed her lips and cocked her head. “Your team. They’ve been here for hours.”
“Oh right.” I shook myself. “Yeah, okay.”
“I’ll give you a second to clean up.” She winked at me.
Thankful to have something to do other than stare at my brother, I went to the sink. The small mirror over it told a sad tale of a woman who’d been through the shock of her life. Blood smeared her cheeks and chin. The dark circles under her eyes were a combo of lack of sleep and mascara tracks. A bandage glared harshly white on her neck.
I wet a towel and scrubbed my face. The rough nap of the fabric felt like burlap and the water was cold as a slap. When I finished, the skin was flushed, but all the blood was gone.
Another knock.
“Come,” I called. The quick glance toward the bed was reflexive. I could have invited a brass band to play in the room and Danny wouldn’t have stirred.
The door opened to reveal a solemn crew. Gardner came in first, naturally. Morales followed. Pen came in after him and leaned against the counter with her arms crossed. Her expression resembled a bulldog’s, as if she was ready to kick their asses out if they upset me.
“Where are the others?”
“Shadi’s helping the BPD.” Morales shared a tense glance with Gardner. “Mez is back at the lab.”
“Has the BPD been able to identify any of the other people who attacked us?” I said.
Gardner’s expression went tense, like she’d hoped I would have forgotten about that. “Not yet.” Her tone was subdued. “They’re hoping some of the fingerprints taken off the deceased will provide clues to their identities.”
“What’s taking them so long?” I demanded.
“Kate, listen, maybe we should talk about this later—” Morales began.
I swiped a hand through the air. “Later? You mean after Bane’s gone totally underground and we lose all hope of finding him?”
“There are some complications,” Gardner said. “The media got wind of the raid and Mayor Owens is crawling all over Eldritch’s ass.”