Page 73 of Into The Green

I couldn't wait for Jasper or Doyle. Even if they broke into the human realm, the chance of them being in the same small town as me was slim to none.

Oh, God. Jasper and Doyle. I didn't even know if they were okay. I felt safe in believing Jade made her way to Baba Yaga. Onyx would have done everything in his power to get her there. But I hadn't even caught sight of Jasper or Doyle on my way out. Were they hurt? Were they still alive?

I doubled over at that idea, a searing pain working its way through my stomach and chest until it felt like it was a real, physical wound, until I was sure if I didn't hold them tightly, all my organs would pour out.

"Excuse me, dear?" a voice said at my side, something I was vaguely aware of as I rocked slightly to try to ease the pain inside me. "Are you alright?" the motherly voice said as she moved closer. "Dear, what happened to..." Her hand landed onto my shoulder, making my hand shoot out, too accustomed to dangerous situations, hands that meant me harm, to realize this person did not. "Ouch," she said, snatching her hand back from where I snagged it at the wrist. "Oh, you shocked me. It's okay," she soothed when I pulled my hand back, inspecting it with a small bit of horror. There was no visible field, but I felt the heat. I had shocked a woman outside of The Green. What the hell was wrong with me? "My name is Lily and I was just wondering if maybe you would like to come with me and get cleaned up. You're bleeding, dear," she informed me and I looked down, brows furrowed, to find she was right. I must have sideswiped trunks and branches as I ran because there were scratches all up and down my arms, openly bleeding.

"Oh," I said, straightening suddenly, embarrassed.

"It's okay. It's alright. We have a doctor right in town. He can stitch you right up, okay? And maybe you can tell him what happened to you. Only if you feel up to it," she added, reaching for my hand and pulling me along.

I followed behind in a haze of uncertainty about my situation as a whole, and shock at human kindness after such open displays of fae cruelty. She was right. I needed to get cleaned up. I wouldn't be any good dying of infection from the stupid cuts on my arms. From there, I needed to get clean and changed. Then I needed to see if someone would help me with money for a train or bus or something back home so I could figure out where all my stuff was, get some money, and plan my next steps.

Whatever the hell they were.

But one thing at a time.

I was led to a small house at the edge of town with Dr. Robbins on a sign out front. Going in, I realized that calling it a doctor's office was perhaps a little generous. It was obviously also Dr. Robbins place of residence. As Lily went straight into the back to, I imagined, relay what she thought was a delicate situation to the good doc, I grabbed a newspaper off the desk, checking the date. June third.

Christ.

I had lost so much time.

"This is Dr. Robbins, dear," Lily's kind voice said soothingly as she walked out with a man who was seventy-five if he was a day, all slicked back gray hair, giant glasses, and thin frame. But he had kind and intelligent brown eyes and a lab coat on. Hell, I had been putting freaking yarrow leaves on my feet. Any kind of medical treatment would do at that point.

"I'm Cece," I said as he stretched his hand out for me to take.

"Well Cece, it looks like you are a little banged up. How about you come back into the exam room and my nurse, Milly," he said, waving his hand to a woman behind him in cheery yellow scrubs with a pleasantly round frame and a sweet face, "and I and we will get you all fixed up."

"Thank you," I said, tongue tripping clumsily over the phrase, having gotten used to it being forbidden.

Millie led me into the room first. "I have to ask, Cece," she said, her tone tentative as she reached for a hospital gown.

"I wasn't raped," I said firmly and she visibly relaxed. "I don't need a rape kit or to talk to a sheriff or anything like that. I just need a shower and maybe some triple antibiotic."

"Well," she said, smiling, and opening the door again. "We can certainly help you there. There is a shower right down the hall. Feel free to use anything you need. Take your time. We will be waiting for you to fix you up when you get out."

With that, I was shown to a small bathroom with a stall shower I wasn't sure I could even turn around in, but even so, I almost wanted to cry at the idea of getting clean. I was handed the gown, a towel, and a washcloth and left alone.

I really should have expected what I walked back out into. In the hall was the good doc, Millie, Lily, and the sheriff. Of course.

They wanted my story, so I gave it to them. I left out the fact that the man chasing me was actually multiple men and that he was fae, but I gave a vague description that seemed to satisfy all involved parties. Then I was led into the exam room where my arms were cleaned. Some of the cuts just got some cream. Two on my right arm needed stitches, just six for one and eight for the other. Nothing crazy. My feet were mostly healed, just a few blisters from all the walking. My ankle was given a brace. I was given a pair of bright pink scrubs and flip flops from Millie who waved off my saying I would pay her back as soon as I got back home and got money. The doctor too waved off my offers to reimburse him.

"If we can't heal someone who really needs it every once in a while, what's the point of getting into medicine? It's not about the money, dearie."

From there, I was dragged to a diner by mother hen Lily who stuffed me with the very limited amount of vegan food on the menu before the sheriff came in his beaten down old cruiser and brought me to the train station, paying my way with a wave of his hand, well wishes, and promises to investigate my case.

I sat back on the train with a clean body, a full stomach, treated wounds and I had never been more thankful for humans before in my life. Despite what I was programmed to believe growing up about the frailty of people, about their weakness, their selfishness. Despite the horrible violence accosting me on the evening news, I realized something I had always missed before. There was an innate goodness to people. There was a need to rally together, to do the right thing, to help when they could. After so much selfishness and cruelty in The Green, having basic kindness made me need to press the heels of my hands into my eyes to keep myself from losing it on public transportation.

I fell asleep twice on the ride, both times the nightmares coming back stronger than ever before, like my acknowledging them for what they were somehow made them more vivid, more haunting. I woke up each time on a scream, eyes all around me watching me like the homeless man screaming on a street corner, like I was unhinged and possibly dangerous.

When I finally pulled into the station six blocks from my old apartment, I was a mess of nerves. I wasn't naive enough to think our things would still be there. One missed rent payment and they were probably boxed up and shipped out so new people could move right in.

"Well well well," Jo, the slimy as hell creep of a super said after dragging his disgusting ass out of his recliner to answer my knock. "Look who it is. I was wondering what happened to you girls. Where's blondie?" he asked, looking past me as he sucked on his toothpick.

"Not here."

"Shame. What can I do for you?"