Minutes.
“I need you to come back, Ken.” Sawdust in my throat, choking me, blurring my eyes. “I can’t live this life without you.”
When the shadow falls over us, my grip tightens. “Not yet.”
Oscar drops to a crouch. He brushes the back of his fingers over Kenny’s cheek. “They won’t let us back in if we mess this up. You know that.”
I catch his eye. “Be honest. They’re not letting us back in here anytime soon either way, Oz. They’ll say it didn’t make a difference. They’ll tie us up in paperwork for another fucking year, and she’ll be left in here,alone.”
It’s becoming clear that this isn’t a place that has her best interests at heart.
I just can’t work outwhy. I glance up at Max and Jake as they appear at his shoulder, keeping my voice low. “If we walk away from her with nothing to show for it, we’re not coming back in. We have to show that something is changing.”
A mechanical voice sounds. “One minute. Please wait by the doors.”
Slowly, Oscar nods. Small enough that I nearly miss it. His eyes meet mine. “Let’s get her on the bed.”
Jake catches my eye as I get up. He glances up, and I follow his gaze. The cooling system. They use it to knock her out. Nodding, I shift Kenny, placing her carefully down on the bed and stepping back to give them space while I count back in my mind, pulling off the shirt and placing it back in her spot.
She’s normally out for around forty minutes, give or take.
Twenty minutes for her care.
Fifteen minutes for us.
Wake up early, Ken. We need you.
“Please stand by the doors.” The voice sounds again, sounding slightly irritated. “Immediately.”
Max and Jake press their lips to Kenny’s forehead. Oscar shifts closer, an order in his voice. “Make it count.”
We all move over to stand by the doors. Jake lingers, glancing over his shoulder when the door opens. Then Max, hanging back and doing the same.
Oscar does the same. And then he turns in the doorway.
He takes a breath.
And slams it shut.
Spinning, I head back for the bed and lean over her. My hands press to her cheeks, tilting them. “Ken? Baby?”
The mechanical voice sounds again, but I block it out. I block everything out, except for her.
“Wake up,” I whisper. I stroke her hair, her face. “Wake up, Kenny. Please.”
I have no idea how long they’ll be able to hold the Center off. My voice grows stronger, dropping in tone. Gravel and pain and pleading. “Wakeup.”
Beneath her eyelids, I spot movement.
And then they spring open.
There’s no deep pool of brown. Only that intense red looks back at me.
Calm. Keep it calm.
This could go so fucking wrong, for all of us.
“Hey,” I breathe. Her lips part. She doesn’t say anything. “It’s me, Ken. Theo.”
