Go!
The tentacles writhed as she slept.
46
When she revived,when the shroud slowly lifted and her eyes opened, her two guys were before her. Mo was stuck to the ceiling above, and she lay on her side on something soft and padded—a table, judging by the height. A bar ran above the edge, probably to stop people rolling off.
Vargr and Rutger sat a few feet away on shiny steel chairs.
“Comfy?” she croaked.
“Oh hell.” Vargr startled, almost jumped off the chair. “You’re back, babe.”
Rutger inhaled deeply then slowly stood. Was that the shine of tears?
“Babe… is okay,” she said through her numb mouth and tried to smile.
“Huh.” Vargr squatted before her, picked up her hand and kissed her fingers.
Fingers.She blinked at them. They didn’t seem as if they were hers.
“She’s still sick if I can call her babe.”
“Today, only, asshole.” When her tongue ran over her dry lips, those too, tongue and lips, seemed to belong to somebody else.
Squinting, Rutger muttered, “That’s our girl.”
“I feel good just… tired?” She moved, lifting her head off the pillow, letting sound into her ear, and was all too aware that nothing was hurting.Yay team.
This place smelled of that raw alcohol you get swiped with at doctor’s surgeries, just before an injection.
“Good is a big advance.” Rutger rose and strode to the door, which was a few yards down this tunnel-like room. He whistled. “Maura! Willow. Vincent! I think she’s going to be okay.”
“You’d better be okay. We have been waiting so bloody long to hear you talk.” Vargr played with her hand.
“How long?” She swallowed the gunk in her throat, feeling as if she should cough but not sure it was possible, yet.
“Three days. I can fill you in, if you want?”
“Sure. Though if you keep being so cute and wimpy, I may throw up.”
“You already did that. Loads. They had you on oxygen and fluids. The last of what Big D had in supplies. There’s a needle still in that arm.”
“Oh.” So that was the one last hurt. She checked out the arm on top of her body. “Did it happen? Could you fix me? I feel like I’ve been in Lalaland or hell.”
“We think so.” Rutger returned and he pulled his chair closer and sat. “Would you like to sit up? Can she?” He asked Vincent that as the rockman filled the door.
To allow Willow and Maura to enter, Vincent inched in then went to the foot of her table. The two women looked both cautious and curious as they came over to her. Had she been that ill?
Locke was outside and had obviously decided to stay there. She smiled at him.
His nod was grim, as if he wasn’t sure she was alive. The room suddenly closed in on her, as if about to eat her. Her heart rattled out a higher pace.
“Fuck this. I’m sitting up.”
Someone lowered the railing, so that by the time she swung her legs over and dizzily sat upright, there was only the soft edge. Standing was next. Before anyone could think to deny her, she slipped off, landed on her feet, then pretty dramatically collapsed all over Rutger. The tubing that ran to her arm whipped about.
“What the hell,” she spluttered. “Who took my legs?”
