Probably. But she decided to go for looking strong and silent, so she shook her head.
“Okay then. Dave will come and get you in ten minutes to carry you to the burial ground.”
“Thanks.”
Rose’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not very talkative.”
She shrugged. It was true. But she couldn’t think of anything to say. Everything was so fucked up, it was unbelievable. Talking about it wouldn’t help.
Rose patted her arm. “Everything will work out.”
Was she crazy? How the hell could everything work out? Leila and Brandon were dead. So was the colonel, though that wasn’t such a bad thing, even if he had saved her life. The time machine was gone. The bad guys had a bomb that they were very likely going to use to blow up the world. And she’d told Kane she loved him, and only hours later, he’d completely shut her out.
She wanted him so badly, her chest ached. It was becoming a permanent thing.
How could anything work out?
So she just glared, and Rose gave her another pat and left the room. “Ten minutes,” she called back.
Kaitlin was ready when Dave arrived, but only just. If getting undressed had been hard, getting dressed had been almost impossible. And then she’d made the mistake of looking in the mirror. One side of her face was bruised and swollen. It looked like she’d been on the losing side of a boxing match. Her lip was also split, and blood crusted at the corner. Ugh.
She’d wiped a damp cloth over her face. That would have to do.
Dave carried her outside. The burial site was about a hundred feet from the house, a flat area surrounded by a fence. It held maybe a dozen graves, each with a wooden plaque. And three newly dug holes.
Dave deposited her on the only chair and patted her head. Christ, it was like she was six years old or something. She must look really pathetic. Kane was nowhere in sight. With no other option, she sat back and let the sun warm her through.
Finally, they came, carrying the bodies wrapped in simple shrouds.
Kane led the way, no doubt carrying Leila’s body. He didn’t even look in her direction but just kept his gaze straight ahead.
Jake and Imogen came next—that would be the colonel. Christa walked behind them, her head down, though she glanced up as they passed Kaitlin and gave her a wan smile.
And finally, Stefan and Dave with Brandon’s body.
The others walked behind; Rose, Josie and Steve, Finn, Chase, Imogen, Dexter, Connor, and Ryder. It was all of them, except for Sadie, who was in Australia, and Quinn, who was God knows where. Hopefully, he was safe in some unknown future. No one had been left to guard the perimeter.
There was nothing left to guard.
No words were spoken, either out loud or in their heads, as the bodies were laid to rest. Kaitlin kept her own mind blank.
After it was over, Kane finally turned in her direction. She could see the grief in his eyes, and she hurt for him. Even without going into his head, she could sense his despair. She wanted to hug him, but he was giving out “keep away” vibes so strong, they hovered in the air between them.
He came over and stopped in front of her, shoving his hands in his pockets. “How do you feel?”
Stupid question. “How do I look?”
A faint smile flashed across his face but was gone as quickly as it had come. “Like crap.”
“There you are then. How about you?”
“Like crap.” He exhaled. “There’s a meeting. We need to decide what to do next.”
“What do you want to do?”
“Right now, nothing comes to mind. I can’t see past this.” He waved a hand at the fresh graves behind him. “It’s strange. I’d convinced myself that I was doing the right thing. Turning my back on the mission—”
“You weren’t turning your back,” Kaitlin said. “You were just keeping an open mind.” She’d never seen him like this—so lacking in confidence. He’d always been certain of the way forward, that his chosen direction was the right and only one. She’d often found his total self-confidence annoying. Now she wanted it back. He seemed lost.
