“I don’t mind. It will be all right,” I promised.
“Not until you get your present,” she demanded. “We can do that, at least. Marcus, do you still have it?”
“Yeah, of course.” Marcus must’ve conjured something, because I heard a bag rustle.
Ava pulled her hand out of mine to wipe her tears. “Thank the Great Spirit. We all pitched in.”
I reluctantly took the bag from Marcus, but I hesitated. My birthday was nothing special. We should be celebrating Ava right now.
Everyone’s watching, Oberi told me.Go ahead and open it.
I opened the bag and dug through the tissue paper, until my fingers curled around a small square item. I ran my hand over it and found several buttons. It reminded me of the voice recorder I used for recording lectures in class.
“What is it?” I asked.
“It’s a music player,” Ava said. “I got one to match the headphones I got you last semester. We’ve already downloaded a playlist for you, and a bunch of true crime podcasts.”
“It only took a month with the Institute’s shitty Internet,” Alistair added playfully.
“I know you want to be a supernatural bounty hunter, so I thought you’d like to practice solving crimes by listening to the podcasts and trying to piece cases together,” Ava rasped.
I choked up, and nearly broke down for the millionth time that day. Goddamn, it was such a thoughtful gift. Ava was the one person who actually supported my dreams and thought I could do whatever I wanted. Even lying all busted up in a hospital bed, she did her best to make things as amazing as she could for me. I didn’t deserve this woman. “Thanks, guys. I really don’t know what to say.”
The door opened again, and I heard a barrage of voices coming down the hall. “I told the doctors she’s awake,” Sophia said as she entered the room. “They’re coming to check on her.”
Suddenly, the room became so crowded I could barely move.
“How is this possible?” a nurse asked.
“It isn’t,” one of the doctors answered.
“Everyone out!” someone barked. “She needs space.”
Sophia placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “They might need my healing powers. I’ve got this, Charlie. You can relax now. She’s not going anywhere.”
“Thanks,” I said. In my heart, I knew Sophia was telling the truth. In my brain, I feared I might lose Ava again.
But if I wanted her to stay, I had to let the doctors fix her.
“It’ll be okay, Charlie,” Ava said, before she let out a short gasp, and she let her true feelings slip across our bond. I winced as I felt a small sting of agony ripple over my middle. I knew it had to be a hundred times worse from her point of view. I didn’t want to leave, but her comfort was more important than mine, and she needed some pain relief.
“I’ll be right outside the room,” I told my wife before leaving. Oberi remained behind on the bed.
My friends went to the waiting room, while I sank into a chair right outside Ava’s hospital room. I could hear the doctors unhooking Ava from the machines, but otherwise, the hall had gone silent. My head spun as I caught up with reality. Everything had happened so quickly.
I must’ve been sitting there a long time, because Marcus stopped by to ask if I wanted to go get food. I didn’t, and I told my friends to go without me. Doctors came and went from Ava’s room, until I was left in complete silence.
Footsteps sounded down the hall, though I didn’t pay attention until someone said my name. “Charlie. I thought I’d find you here.”
I stood, suddenly alert. “Uh…”
He reached out and shook my hand with a kind but firm grip. I hadn’t been sure of his voice before, but his handshake was unmistakable.
“Professor Takahashi?” I asked.
“Yes. I have something for you. It can’t wait.”
Takahashi placed a hand on my shoulder. Something hard and flat touched my arm, and I realized he was holding a book. He guided me into the empty patient room across the hall. I went quickly, because whatever he had to say sounded important.
