I better not be in hell.
“Any changes?” It’s Mama.
Mama! Mama!
“No.” It’s Devlin! His deep voice is rumbling in that sexy velvety way it has. But he sounds raspy, tired. A pressure releases from my hand, and I realize that he’s been holding it. “Nothing has changed.”
What are they talking about? Why don’t they hear me? Why can’tIhear me?
Now that I think about it, I can hear more than just their voices. I hear beeps, and I feel something inflating on my arm—a blood pressure cuff. Wow. That thing’s really tight, like cut-off-your-circulation tight. Someone should adjust that.
I’m in a hospital—a human hospital. Things must be bad if they’ve brought me here instead of having a healer take a look at me. Then again, maybe a healerdidlook at me, doing what they could before sending me to this hospital.
“You need to go home, Devlin, get some rest,” Mama says, her voice full of concern.
I’m here,I try to say, but it’s impossible to break through. My mouth doesn’t open; the sound isn’t being created in my throat.
Oh my gods, I’m in a coma. I’ve read about this—people in comas can hear what’s being said, but they can’t respond. They’re trapped, just like me.
My heart falls. I can’t reach them.Impossible. I love Devlin. I haven’t waited ten years to be with him only to have this ripped away. I’ve got to try.
“I can’t leave,” Devlin tells her. He sounds so, so tired.
“You’ve been here for a week straight. You’ve got to go home, even if only for an hour.”
“Yes, son.” My dad, now.
I hear a chair’s feet scraping across the floor. “Please sit, Clara,” Devlin says.
“I’m okay. Has there been any progress?”
“No. And the doctors…” He chokes up. Why is he choking up? What about the doctors?
Mama sniffles. Dad exhales. Devlin swallows down a sob.
I’m here,I scream.I’m right here.
There’s a pause for several minutes as if no one wants to broach whatever topic followsthe doctors.
Mama stops sniffling, lightly blows her nose and says, “How’s your head?”
Devlin sighs, I imagine he’s plowing his fingers through his hair. “It’s fine. Storm didn’t do much damage to me, and he’ll be in jail for a while once the judge hears everything.” His voice comes out shaky now. “If he hadn’t hit me, I could have stopped this. I could have saved her.”
His voice cracks and my heart is breaking.
So Storm attacked Devlin when we were outside. That’s the only thing he can mean by saying that he could have saved me. That jerk Storm was hanging around, waiting to get back at Devlin for influencing him.
This could have been avoided. The future could have been changed if it wasn’t for Storm. But then again, he was probably in this future all along.
I’m glad that he’s in jail. It’s the only good thing about this situation.
“Have you eaten?” Mama asks.
“I’m not hungry,” he says.
There’s a pause before Mama sighs. “I need to check in with Chelsea and see how things are going at the bookshop.”
“Better than last week, I hope,” Dad says.
