“Who said I wanted them?” I swear I hear Remy pouting, but when I see his face, it’s confirmed. His full lips are turned down, and so are his eyes. His skin is a little sallow, and he’s lacking his usual healthy glow, but he also doesn’t look like a man who just had surgery, though his arm is in a sling resting on his chest.
My bottom lip trembles, but I swallow the lump in my throat and force a smile to my lips. “You may not want the meds, but they also control your food.”
Remy’s head jerks up when he hears my voice. There are shadows under his eyes, and his lips look dry. My façade cracks a little when he goes to lift his arms and winces, instead only lifting the one not in the sling. “Come here, doll. They were poking around in my insides, and I suddenly feel the need to apologize to you.”
A strangled half laugh, half sob bursts from my lips. Only Remy could turn this into a sex joke about the size of his dick. I don’t waste any time reaching the side of his bed and placing my forehead against his pillow right next to his head.
IF YOU SEE SOMEONE CRYING, ASK THEM IF IT’S BECAUSE OF THEIR HAIRCUT.
Ispend a long time touching Remy and rearranging his blanket to make sure he’s comfortable. Mostly, I’m trying to convince myself he really is okay. Felix and Gray each give him half hugs and layer on attention too.
“So what happened to Eugene?” Remy finally asks once we all settle.
“He’s in custody. Can you tell us what happened before we found you?” I don’t want to push him to talk about it, but I’m curious how he lured Remy from the house.
Remy drops his head back to the bed and rolls his eyes. “It was so fucking dumb. He showed up saying Aisling was missing again and asking for help. I thought it would be another chance to ask her about the ghost. I should have been suspicious when he led me right over to that shed, but it’s not like I thought the old bastard would Sparta kick me into a twenty-foot hole.”
“What about Aisling? Did you ever see her?” While I can selfishly admit Remy has been at the forefront of my mind, I haven’t forgotten about her.
“No.” Remy shakes his head. “She really is missing then?”
“I’m not sure. The MBI searched the house and didn’t find her. Wuornos is going to put Bursa through a truth probe, so he’ll find out what happened to her if they don’t find her on the property.”
“Bursa?” Remy looks between us with a clear question in his gaze. “The librarian’s ex? What does he have to do with this?”
“Everything. Bursa was Eugene the entire time. He used his illusion magic. That’s why he was so obsessed with my dad.”
“No shit!” Remy murmurs.
“Yeah. From the beginning, this was all about finding Belinda. He used Eugene and Aisling and fooled us all.”
“What about the real Eugene?” Felix questions from his place near the large window. I already admitted in the house that I thought he was dead, but that’s not everything.
“I won’t know for certain until we get some evidence or find Aisling.” I’m not giving up hope she’s alive. “But I think he might have been the entity that followed us home. He wasn’t haunting us. He was trying to get us to help his wife.”
“Bursa killed him.” Gray scrubs his palm over his face. I know how he feels. I wish I could erase the realization out of my head. It’s not easy to think about.
I nod with conviction. “It explains how he could have followed us to the house. His death was fresh, so he was untethered, and knowing he was leaving behind his wife to an unknown fate would have been enough to create the perfect scenario for a haunting.”
When I finish my explanation, I look over to see Remy’s eyes drifting closed for extended blinks. I rub my hand down his good arm a few times and his eyelids open, but his blue eyes are tired. It might be the meds, but I’m sure a good bit is just exhaustion. He tries to scoot over a little, making a face when he doesn’t get far.
“Bed’s too small. Let’s go home,” he mumbles, and I realize he was trying to make room for me.
“In a little while,” I promise and run my fingers gently over his face, steering clear of the few scrapes. His lips part, and his breathing deepens almost instantly.
For the next two hours, we barely speak as we allow Remy to rest. Felix is sitting in the windowsill with his back against the glass and his eyes closed, while Gray is in the only other chair in the room. I think he finally fell asleep too.
I’m perched on the side of the bed, thinking Remy’s words are true—this bed is too small. I catch myself taking extended blinks and leaning occasionally to the side, but I fight to keep myself upright and awake.
The nurse enters the room slowly and looks around before bringing her finger up to her lips in a hushing gesture then tiptoes into the room. I go to move when she comes to my side, thinking she’s trying to check on Remy, but she lays her hand on my shoulder and whispers, “There’s someone here who wants to speak with you.”
I nod and follow her out of the room. The hallway is bright compared to Remy’s room, so I squint and wipe my tired eyes. Nash is near the nurses’ station with a sad smile on her face. “Hey, I’m so sorry to bother you, but I wanted to check in and make sure everything was okay and see if you guys needed anything.”
I rock my neck around on my shoulders. “We’re fine. Sorry I haven’t called anyone.”
“You’re fine,” she scoffs, dismissing my claim.
“Remy’s going to be okay,” I tell her, and I almost want to cry again. “He had some internal injuries from the fall they fixed. We haven’t talked about the long-term effects this might have on him. He still needs surgery on his leg and his arm is…broken too, I guess. I think that just needs to be casted though.” I’m stammering and struggling with the fact that I know I brought this into their lives, and I need someone to talk to about it.
