I said, “I’m fine, I just pass out sometimes when I panic, honestly, it’s normal.”
He nodded and patted my arm.
If I wanted to prove I was fine I should get up, but I didn’t want to get up. I threw my arm over my face. “He’s going to live,” I said. It wasn’t a question; it was an order to the universe. “I need him to live, I can’t do this without him.”
Aenghus’s voice cracked. “He has tae, lass. He’s goin’ tae be our king.”
Torin, I need Torin to live.
Aenghus squeezed my shoulder.
Ryan looked ten years older than he had yesterday, weak, old, beaten. “We almost had Rannald, niece. Another thirty seconds and Torin would’ve taken his head. We were so close.”
I swallowed hard. “I don’t even care about any of that, I only care that Torin and Max and Charlie don’t die.”
I sat up on the stretcher, my eyes settled on the chair where I should have gone instead of sinking to the floor. My knee was sore, come to think of it. I rubbed it and then dropped off the stretcher and Aenghus wordlessly gave me an arm to lean on and steered me to the seat.
I sank down.
I would be here, staring at those doors, just like last night staring down the road at the woods.
Claray sat beside me and took my hand in both of hers.
Ryan remained standing. He stared at the surgery doors like he could will them open by sheer fury, then he paced, then he stared.
Aenghus sank into a chair. “Ryan, ye ken, yer pacin’ won’t make it happen faster?”
Ryan took a couple more steps. “What I don’t understand is how we keep having such bad luck, is it ill-gotten, how do we stop it…? It just keeps going south.”
Aenghus glanced at me, then said to Ryan, “We daena need tae speak of the past, ye ken, brother, we need tae put all our prayers tae this moment. When our brothers-in-arms pull through,thenwe will discuss how our plan went tae shite and how we are once again on our back foot.” He shook his head. “Och nae…”
Ryan said, “I don’t know how we get on top of it…”
Aenghus said, “Tis neither the time nor place, we will speak on it later.”
Ryan paced.
Minutes bled into an hour. Nobody spoke. The only sounds were the distant hum of generators and the occasional muffled raised voice from the other side of the door.
Claray finally whispered, “They’re Campbells. They’re too stubborn to die.”
I managed a tearful laugh that sounded more like a sob.
Aenghus said, “Tis true, a Highlander’s heart canna stop until he decides the fight is over. Max haena decided it yet.” His throat caught, and he cleared it as if that was the issue and not being overwrought. “Revenge is a poor reason tae live but if it keeps him here, we will be grateful for it.”
Ryan gave a tired nod. “Charlie can’t leave me to fight this on my own?—”
Aenghus growled, “Ye arna alone, ye hae me.”
“You know what I mean. He’s my brother.”
Aenghus said, “I ken what ye mean, I ken, I am just verra angry and daena want tae be reasonable. Rannald has been takin’ our brothers one by one for years, we hae tae see him in the ground.”
“Charlie has been threatening to haunt us if he dies before it happens.”
Aenghus moaned. “Och nae, I am haunted enough, I daena want another ghost.”
“Me neither.”
