“Hi, Darius,” she said, breaking eye contact and ducking her head, letting the fall of her hair partially obscure her face, but not before everyone in the room got a glimpse of the torment in her violet eyes.
“Dr. Byrne,” he replied stiffly around the tightness in his jaw. It was a version of him I had not seen before, and I was startled by his icy manner.
Chrismer snorted in the corner of the room, her bright red lips curving into a smug smile though her eyes didn’t leave the small screen of her phone, her fingers continuing to dance across the keys in a blur.
Fidgeting on the cot, I wished there was some way I could excuse myself from the gathering tension, even as Chrismer seemed to drink it in.
At least someone’s enjoying this.
“Did you have something to say?” Holbrook asked, his green eyes narrowing as he glared at the Day Servant.
“Oh no, don’t mind me,” she replied in a sultry purr, a single manicured hand waving absently in our direction. “I’m just an innocent bystander.”
“You don’t have an innocent bone in your body,” I muttered, my comment drawing her gaze up from her phone. The glint of silver in her eyes making me wish it hadn’t.
“Innocence is overrated, Cray. Innocence gets you killed,” she replied, her voice full of dark intent. And then the darkness was gone, her eyes returning to their usual icy blue, lingering on me for a heartbeat before the chime of her phone drew her focus back to the glowing screen.
I let my held breath out slowly, rubbing a hand over my face in an attempt to erase some of the weariness. Wincing, I fingered the swelling in my cheek, wondering if I looked as much like a steaming pile of crap as I felt.
“What I wouldn’t give for a shower,” I said around a wide yawn, effectively breaking the tense atmosphere. “I feel like I’m covered in at least ten layers of crud.”
“You, uh, hungry?” Holbrook asked, the stiff set of his shoulders leading me to believe that it was taking an immense effort to ignore the other women in the room.
“I’ve got a major craving for Chinese food,” I offered with a shrug as another string of rapid fire chatter emanated from somewhere below us, accompanied by the loud banging of pots and pans.
Nodding, Holbrook flashed me a weak smile as he patted the back of my hand before rising from the chair and stalking out of the room, ignoring the other two women. I listened to his retreating footsteps thump down a nearby flight of stairs, the sound screaming of tension and repressed anger.
So, not an amicable breakup then, I thought, risking a glance at Alyssa who stood on the opposite side of the room, looking fragile and wounded. I thought I saw the sheen of tears in her eyes, but when they rose to meet mine their violet depths were filled with warmth.
Crossing to the bed she set down the cup of juice and pulled a medicine bottle from her pocket, pressing it into my hand.
“These will help with the pain until you’re able to heal like normal,” she said, offering me a friendly, albeit, sad smile. “The stitches will dissolve on their own, but try not to do anything that will tear them out, okay?”
“Sure thing, Doc.”
I wondered what had happened between her and Holbrook, but with Chrismer still lingering in the corner of the room like an unwelcome apparition, I didn’t dare broach the subject. Instead I accepted the pills and murmured my thanks.
Perching on the edge of the chair Alyssa went about unhooking me from the IV, her touch light but lacking any of its previous pull. I ushered Loki off my lap so I could push back the covers and watched, a little surprised, when he immediately jumped into Alyssa’s lap, reaching up to lay a single paw against her cheek. Just as I had sensed an exchange between her and Holbrook, I was sure something passed between Alyssa and Loki, some kind of deep and unspoken communication that I couldn’t even begin to guess at. Silence stretched out for several moments and then Alyssa blinked slowly, the spell of their connection seemingly broken as if it had never existed.
Maybe I’m imagining things, I reasoned, attributing the illusion of their connection to the drugs she’d given me.
“That’s an interesting companion you have,” she mused, trailing her fingers through the fur behind his bat-like ears, her expression remaining distant for a moment. Arching into her touch, Loki purred at his usual freight train volume, delighting in her ministrations like the attention whore he was.
“He’s something alright,” I agreed, wondering if the day could possibly get any weirder.
Throwing back the hospital blanket and sheet I looked down at my pale legs, livid bruises marring my swollen and scraped knees. I had the feeling that stairs were not going to be a pleasant experience for a while. Using the frame of the bed for support I levered myself up to my feet, my legs shaking but thankfully holding steady.
“Well, I’ll leave you to get dressed,” Alyssa said, lifting Loki from her lap to deposit him on the bed. “There are some spare clothes I keep on hand in the cabinet above the sink. I’m sure there are a few things in there that will fit you.”