by Zoey Derrick
Thank stars. It took you long enough.
“Now, now, young angel. I was giving you a chance to rectify the situation yourself, which you had obviously started to do so well. Not the images I would have chosen to use to calm myself, but it worked nonetheless. Now to settle those wings of yours.”
My head flies up and my eyes open. After I removed my shirt, I became more interested in calming my erection than the possibility that my wings were coming out. I lean forward slightly so that I can see over my shoulders, and I can instantly see what she’s talking about. Coming from my back are the white tips of feathered wings. My eyes widen in shock as I watch them slowly retreat. Once my back becomes flat again, I feel a light clicking within my body. A lockdown on my back.
Thank you again.
“In due time you will learn to manage this yourself. I’m rather impressed that you were able to stop the full spread from happening. Though I would imagine the time is coming where we need to work on letting them out and locking them down, provided you want to stay where you are.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You will need to learn to control your emotions, not allow your inner angel to get the best of you. If you don’t, you will expose yourself to the world and to the demonic ones who surround you. One thing to remember is that instances of heightened emotion – whether it is happiness, sadness, or carnal desire – will cause your body to react differently.” I watch in the mirror as my eyes flash to black and back to their normal greenish-blue again.
“Relax, young angel. They cannot harm you unless you expose yourself to them.”
Knowing that certain highly emotional situations could bring about this kind of reaction will help me better understand what can trigger an unexpected response. Knowing this will help me be more conscious of my reactions.
The thrum in my back flares and settles just as fast.
“Your doctor friend is coming,” Seraphina adds, and she quickly retreats.
I take a big, long breath and reach for my shirt.
Twenty-Four
I step out of the bathroom to find Dr. Alston and Amanda looking over Vivienne.
“Hi,” I say and try to smile as Dr. Alston looks up.
“Hey, Mikah. We’re just checking her vitals and making some notes. Amanda tells me that Vivienne is responding to your touch?”
I blush. “My voice too, I think.”
Amanda lets out a snort. My head turns in her direction and then follows her line of sight to the monitor.
“I’ll say.” Amanda retorts. “That is by far the strangest thing I’ve ever seen. What makes it even stranger is that you hardly know this girl and vice versa, and she has this completely subconscious reaction to your presence. But it also means that things are not as damaged up there as we first thought.”
“What does that mean?” I ask.
“It means that we could probably bring her out of the coma right now and yield a pretty positive result.” Dr. Alston says very matter of fact.
“So why don’t you?”
She smiles back at me. “Well, two reasons. One, the coma is keeping her in one place and allowing her shoulder, lung, ribs and wrist to heal better. And two, I think we should wait at least another twelve hours, run a CT and make sure that we’re not jumping the gun on the swelling.”
“Alright,” I say. I heard what she said, but I’m not sure it is registering properly. I want Vivienne to wake up sooner rather than later, but it really needs to be on her terms. But I also feel a little relieved that, with any luck, she will be awake sometime tomorrow. “What else can I do for her?”
“Well, nothing really. Sit here and talk to her. Or go home and get some rest.” Seeing me scowl at that second option, Dr. Alston adds, “Or eat something, take a walk, or find something to read or talk to her about. Regardless, if she is having that kind of subconscious reaction to your presence, I wouldn’t recommend leaving. It’s obvious that it is helping her.”
“I feel so helpless though.”
“That makes two of us. All we can do right now is wait. It sucks, I know, but all her vitals are good, and the baby is doing great, all things considered. Some more time to heal is all she needs right now, and that is something we can all give her.”
I nod in agreement, though I’m not sure this conversation has made me feel any better.
After a couple more minutes, they finish up. Dr. Alston and Amanda are leaving the hospital for the night, but the nighttime nurses have specific instructions to call immediately if anything changes. I’d honestly be surprised if Dr. Alston is really leaving the hospital instead of taking up residence in her office.
Once I make up my cot, I look dubiously at the basket Red brought in and decide that I can’t really eat anything right now. The idea of having a meal, here in Vivienne’s room without her, is unsettling.
I sit back down in the chair next to her bed. Resting my head next to hers, I start to play with a strand of her hair. I start thinking about the last time we were here. And how we got here.
I don’t know what came over me that day, but something kept nagging at me to get her to a hospital, have her checked out, make sure she was okay. I try not to smile at the memory. She is like a kitten that thinks she's a tiger, and it is one of the many things that attracted me to her.
I never expected her to kick me out that day. Again, my need to protect her overcame any other rational emotion, and I pushed too hard.
The minutes that followed killed me. I paced around the emergency room, hoping that maybe she would ask me to come back. Then I saw Alston and a couple other nurses running toward her room. When I got back to the door, a nurse stopped me from going in. I paced. I hadn’t a clue what was going on.
Eventually Dr. Alston emerged and explained what happened and what they were going to do at that point. I felt better knowing she was doing better, but guilt quickly set in because I realized that I was the cause of that. I don’t know what set her off – whether it was a trigger or me leaving.
“I’m here. I’m not going anywhere,” I say as I lift my head and gently kiss her forehead. “I miss your baby-blue eyes. Come back to me. Please.”
Twenty-Five
I stay by her side for another minute or so, kiss her forehead once more, then grab my phone from the bedside table and go sit on the cot.
Turning my phone back on – I’d turned it off when I came into Viv’s room – I silence the ringer and check my email. There are several emails from Jack, ranging in subject from video footage to other, non-Riley related information. There’s one from my assistant, letting me know she’s cleared my calendar for the next three weeks, and an email from Sydney – who is not only one of my business partners but also a very good friend – letting me know she’s got things covered in my absence.
A second email from Sydney captures my attention. The subject line reads Elton Bennett.
Mikah,
Elton is on a warpath – he’s attempting to destroy MSBE. We’re choosing, at this time, to maintain a low profile and let him run his mouth in hopes that he digs his own grave. I have John and Phil working on maintaining our relationships with our top clients. The remaining managers are working on the rest. The general consensus among our top companies is that Elton is an idiot. However, we’ve prepared our own team to defend at a moment’s notice, and legal’s working on a defamation suit against him.
Will keep you updated as more develops.
Regards,
Sydney A. Harper
Sr. Vice President
M.S. Blake Enterprises
Minneapolis, MN
I shake my head. Elton is a ruthless businessman who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Right now, what he wants is to save his own ass. Without MSBE, the bulk of the funding for three very large, very expensive condo projects in Minneapolis is gone.
His phone call earlier today proves that he’s pissed and will do whatever it takes. But does that include murder? Is it reall
y possible that he is behind his son in all this mess?
I shake my head. I don’t want to think about all that right now.
I put down the phone and look over toward Vivienne lying in the bed, seeming peaceful. I wish I knew whether or not she is resting comfortably.
I’ve been tuning out her ventilator, but now it catches my attention once again. I look over towards it. It’s an innocent machine, but I have an image of something that looks a little like a cloth accordion lengthening and contracting as it presses air in and pulls it out. The sound is mesmerizing, and before I know it I’m lulled into a trance-like state, dreaming once again.
Twenty-Six
The air is shifting around me, light and gentle across my overly sensitive skin. I open my eyes to find myself back in the white room, looking through a tall, narrow window at a man with tanned skin, black hair and electric blue eyes.
On his back are a massive pair of pure-white, feathered wings in full extension. The wingspan alone has to be eight feet, if not more. The right-hand side of his chest and his right shoulder and arm are covered in an intricate black tribal tattoo, similar to the one I saw previously.
I stumble backwards as I realize it’s not a window. It’s a full-length mirror, and the winged, tattooed man is me. I watch my reflection try to regain its balance. The weight of the wings on my back finally registers, and I’m briefly knocked around as I try to stabilize.
“Easy there, angel. You’re alright.” This beautiful voice coming from behind me can only belong to one person. I feel my knees buckle again. This time, I’m a little more prepared for it and I don’t lose my balance.
“What’s happening to me?” I ask, but she doesn’t answer.
I flex my shoulders and the wings shift. I try, for curiosity’s sake, to pinpoint the muscles in my back where the wings are. I find them, push them downward, and instantly the wings follow suit. They’ve gone down enough that I can see Vivienne standing behind me. Instinctively I shrug, and the wings come back up, taking her out of my line of sight. She giggles behind me and I smile. Repeating the same motions as before, I lower them again and pull inward, and the wings fold in. Vivienne is looking at me appraisingly for the work I’ve managed to accomplish. I smile at her.
Her face lights up and I start to turn toward her, but she stops me by saying, “No, no. Keep facing the mirror. Keep practicing.”
My heart sinks. I want to hold her, to touch her, but instead I do as she’s asked and turn back toward the mirror. I push the wings back out, marveling at the fluid motion and at the force of air that comes from them.
“Can I fly?” I ask her.
“Yes, in time.” Her voice is soft, approving, and much closer than before.
Then it happens – so fast that I’m not entirely sure what’s happened – but my wings shiver, sending a rapid pulse of pleasure through my body. “Ahh!” I moan. And the sensation comes again. My wings go limp, and through hooded eyes, I see Vivienne standing behind me. She is smiling, happy.
She strokes my wing again. I don’t know how much I can hold back and I moan again. She moves away - I feel the air shift in her wake - and I’m lost and empty without her touch. I close my eyes.
A warm, soft finger trails along my jaw. I lift my chin. Her touch has left a searing desire in its path.
“Keep them closed,” she says softly.
“But I need to see you,” I say, hoping the need in my voice conveys the feelings running through me. Each emotion, every sensation, is heightened beyond anything I’ve ever felt before.
I feel a whoosh of air go past me. My wings? But they’re in the same position, still unmoving.
“Open your eyes, Mikah.” Her voice is sweet and warm. I attempt to obey, but I can’t seem to bring my eyes to open.
“Mikah.” I feel a nudge at my shoulder. “Come on, Mikah, wake up.”
Still I can’t open my eyes. “Mikah.” A deeper tone.
Twenty-Seven
My eyes fly open to see Red standing over me, and I jump and slide away from him. Sweat rolls off my forehead.
“It’s alright, lad, it’s just me.”
I plop back down onto my pillow. “You really need to stop waking me up,” I grumble.
He laughs. “Interrupting a good dream?”
“Yes.” I groan.
I want to shout at him, but it seems that this dream is going to continue until it draws to its conclusion, so eventually, when I close my eyes again, with any luck it will come back.
“Sorry. Dr. Alston will be here in a couple of minutes. You’ve been sleeping like the dead, it’s nearly ten in the morning.” Holy shit. I can’t believe I’ve been asleep for nearly twelve hours. “They’ve already taken Vivienne for a CT and some additional tests and brought her back again. The doctor will be here soon to talk to you.”
“Shit.” I climb out of bed quickly, looking in Vivienne’s direction as I stumble to the bathroom.
When I come out a few minutes later after having freshened up as best I could with cold water from the sink, Red has made up the cot, so I take a seat on the end of Vivienne’s bed.
Red hands me a travel mug and I take a sip.
“Thanks for the coffee.”
“Any change?” Red asks, gesturing toward Vivienne.
“Not that I’m aware of. They didn’t wake me, so I’m assuming no.” I take another sip of coffee. “What time did you get here?”
“Around seven. I figured you wouldn’t have slept much last night and that you would be awake. It was a few minutes after that they came for Vivienne and took her for tests. I stayed because I figured if you woke up you’d likely panic, and I didn’t want you freaking out the staff. They only brought her back about thirty minutes ago.”
I let out a soundless chuckle and bob my head. “You do know me well, don’t you.”
My back buzzes quickly and calms just as fast, just like it did yesterday when Dr. Alston was coming. Let’s see if it is the same as before.
After a few heartbeats the door clicks open, followed by the clacking of heels on the linoleum floor.
“Good morning, Mikah. Red.” She is wearing a black dress, black nylons and black heels.
I cock an eyebrow at her.
“I had a private appointment this morning and haven’t changed.” She laughs a bit.
I smirk at her and she smiles a little wider.
“So what’s the verdict, Doc?”
“Well, the swelling in her brain has completely diminished, which is beyond what we thought would happen. Also, her lung and her shoulder look great. I’m a little perplexed about her wrist, though.”
I raise my eyebrows at her. “How so?”
“Well, there seems to be very little sign of swelling underneath the brace she’s in. It’s not normal.” She shrugs like it’s no big deal.
“Maybe she’s a fast healer.”
She snorts. “Maybe, but this is beyond fast healing.” She just shrugs again, and I make a mental note to ask Seraphina about Dr. Alston.
“Ask me what?” It’s not Dr. Alston speaking now.
Where’d you come from?
“I’ve been here the whole time. I came in sometime around the time Red showed up.”
How’d you not hear my question then?
She sighs. “Because I wasn’t paying attention.”
Alright then, give me a minute.
“So what now, Doctor?”
“Well, we are going to pull back on her sedation and bring her out of the coma slowly. We will keep her on the ventilator until all the sedation medicine has stopped, which will take a couple of hours.”
“Why so long?”
“We want to make sure that she doesn’t come out of it too fast, it can cause undue harm or stress to her and her body. Doing it slowly allows her a better chance to come out of it on her own. When she’s ready.”
I nod slowly at her, trying to process all of this. “So now what do we do?”
“I’m going to go pus
h a few buttons, and we wait,” she says with some hope in her voice.
“What are the risks of bringing her out now instead of waiting a little longer?” I’m not sure I want to know the answer to this, but I have to ask.
“Minimal. But there is still a chance she might not come out of the coma for a couple of days, and...there is still a very small chance that she may never come out of it at all.”
Twenty-Eight
My heart starts racing and my palms start sweating.
“Relax, Mikah.” Dr. Alston and Seraphina say in unison. It’s rather obnoxious and I have the sudden urge to yell jinx.
Seraphina laughs.
“I’m trying.” I take a few deep breaths as Dr. Alston goes to work pushing buttons.
“I’m going to have Amanda come in with some new fluids and take some vitals in about twenty minutes, then about every thirty minutes or so after that. We will also be monitoring for signs of discomfort. If she is in pain we may see her heart rate spike, and as she becomes more conscious, we’ll see little things like finger twitches or a furrowing of her brow. If you see this, press the call button and we’ll come in. Okay?”
“Okay,” I say breathily.
“I have complete faith that she’ll be alright. If I didn’t, I would not be doing this now.”
“Alright.”
She grabs my shoulder as she passes and squeezes.
“You alright, sir?” Red chimes in. Jeez, I forgot he was here.
I turn to look at him. “Yeah, I think so. Listen. The other apartment downstairs, the one Celeste isn’t using?”
“Yeah, the one across from me?”
“Right. Look, get in touch with Rusty and get them in that apartment. Make sure that everything is working properly, get the water turned on...you know the drill. She’ll need a place to stay when she leaves the hospital and I’m no longer giving her a choice. Once we have a better idea of when she’ll be released, we’ll get it stocked up. Oh, and one last thing. Send Celeste on a shopping spree. Vivienne is going to need some new clothes, towels, linens, etcetera.”
