Page 68 of In Your Light

“It’s open,” he murmured.

Ciaran and Sawyer walked in and stopped when they saw Hadeom curled up on the floor.

He was lying on his side, facing the fire, his eyes open but unseeing. Unresponsive.

“Is he...” Sawyer knelt down beside him. “Hadeom? Can you hear me? Hadeom, blink if you can hear me.”

Nothing.

“What happened?” Sawyer asked Fyn. He felt Hadeom’s forehead, then pressed his fingers against Hadeom’s neck.

Fyn shook his head, not sure where to start. “I brought him back here when the helicopter came in. He kept apologising over and over, and then he was crying, and he couldn’t seem to stop. Then he just kinda got all heavy and he lay down. I put my pillow under his head and got him a blanket, but he hasn’t moved. I don’t even think he’s blinked.”

Sawyer looked up at Ciaran. “Can you get Kellan? I think he’s catatonic.”

Ciaran disappeared out the door, and Sawyer leaned down to listen to Hadeom’s breathing. Then he pulled Hadeom’s hand out from under the blanket and pressed his fingers to Hadeom’s wrist. He seemed to concentrate for a moment before he rubbed Hadeom’s arm. “Can you hear me, Hadeom?”

Nothing.

“What’s wrong with him?” Fyn asked. His eyes burned, and his throat felt all thick.

“I don’t know,” Sawyer replied. “Kellan’s a doctor. He’ll know what to do.”

Ciaran hurried back inside, Kellan one step behind him. He had a black bag with him, and he was quick to kneel beside Sawyer.

“His heart rate is fast,” Sawyer said. “And he feels warm, but I don’t know what’s normal for him. I mean, what’s normal for a raven shifter?” Sawyer shrugged. “Well, an old god who can shift into a shadowy-raven-type thing. I mean, should he even have a heartbeat?”

“Of course he has a heartbeat,” Fyn mumbled, scrubbing away a tear from his cheek.

Ciaran clapped a hand on Fyn’s shoulder. “He’ll be okay.”

Then Hendrix and Dylan were there, along with Fray and Tobin, all looking on as Kellan shone a small light into Hadeom’s eyes, listened to his chest, and felt his pulse.

Eventually, he sat back on his haunches and sighed. “I don’t know,” he said, seemingly at a loss. “Like Sawyer said, we don’t know what his baseline is, so I can’t say if his vitals are elevated or what. I can only monitor from now on. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s a disassociation stupor episode, presenting as hypokinetic catatonia.”

“What does that mean?” Fyn asked. “Will he be okay?”

He looked up at Fyn. “It’s typically a reaction to extreme stress or trauma. Basically, his mind has shut down to protect itself. You said he was upset?”

Fyn nodded. “Very. He was sobbing, and he kept saying he was sorry, he was sorry for everything, and then he went to his knees, but even that was too much. Like everything was too heavy. Then he stopped crying and went all quiet.” Fyn couldn’t stop another tear from escaping. “I tried talking to him and then even shaking him, but...” He shrugged. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

“You did the right thing,” Kellan said. “Keep the fire going. Keep him warm.”

“I can try and see,” Tobin said, stepping forward. “Into his mind. If you think it will help?” He made a face. “I don’t know what good it will do, but I might be able to... see something? I don’t even know.”

Kellan shrugged. “It can’t hurt. Who knows, maybe it will wake him out of it.”

Fray made an unhappy sound. “I don’t like this.”

Tobin gave him a smile. “I’ll be fine. What’s the worst that could happen?”

He knelt down in front of Hadeom, and, taking a deep breath, he put his hand on Hadeom’s arm and closed his eyes.

Then Tobin’s face went slack, and he let out a tortured sound. He shot backwards, falling on his arse, gasping for air before he heaved out a sob.

“Tobin!” Fray said, rushing to grab him, hold him.

Tears streamed down Tobin’s face, and he looked like he’d been hit in the chest with a sledgehammer. He couldn’t seem to get his breath. “Holy fuck.”