And the Creek Don't Rise

by R. M. Gilmore

  Yet. “Yeah. Yeah. I just… I don’t like hospitals.” My name echoed through his radio, so low I wondered if he heard it himself. The jig was up.

  I wrapped my fingers around the tube in my arm and jerked. Pain whizzed up my arm. White specks were back. Bare legs swung off the edge of the bed, my head swimming.

  “Miss, sit down, you’re going to fall, now.” The officer’s face washed white.

  “I’m fine,” I growled. Legs wobbled.

  “Miss Russell. You’re back.” The handsome doctor flashed his white California grin. “And just as quick to leave.” His dark eyes moved to my arm.

  I clamped my hand over the stream of blood that leaked from the new hole I’d made. “Just wanna get out of here, Doc.”

  He nodded at the officer to leave us alone and pushed the door shut behind him. “Let’s just have a seat so I can check your vitals and you can be on your way.” The doc laid a warm, reassuring hand on my shoulder.

  I huffed—not nearly as menacing as the beast—and slid back onto the bed.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Mm.” He listened to my heart, watching my face for every terrifying second. He’d hear her in there, my beast. I knew it. Maybe he’d missed her the first go round, but there was no way I’d get out free twice.

  He lifted my shirt, touching my back with a cold instrument. “Breathe deep.” Not a mention of the new, fully healed ink I’d acquired since he’d seen me just days ago.

  I pulled in a gulp of air and winced.

  “This happen today?” Gently, he prodded the bruise on my side.

  He’ll know if you lie. “Yeah.”

  “Looks painful.”

  Should’ve seen how it started. “I’ll be fine.”

  “So you’ve said.” He leaned close, looking at my eyes with a penlight. He smelled like molasses and sunshine. “Having vision problems?”

  Fuck. “Nope.” I wouldn’t call it a problem.

  He nodded. “Mhm.”

  “Can I go now?” Sticky blood dried in the crook of my arm.

  “So eager to get away from me?” Shining grin flashed again and he ran his hand through wavy dark hair. A gesture that burned my throat with guilty bile.

  “It’s been a long week.”

  “I’d say. From miracle to hero. You’ve been busy.”

  A smile crinkled the edges of his eyes, putting him closer to thirty than my twenty. Handsome, young doctor just a town away. Mama would’ve kicked me in the shin if she knew I was ready to walk away from such a catch.

  I breathed. “You have no idea.”

  He leaned against the counter. “Why don’t you tell me?”

  I slid off the bed. “You wouldn’t believe me if I did.” It slipped out. I hadn’t meant to say it. Secrets can only stay in for so long before they squeaked out. Like a fart that way, I reckon.

  His hand fell heavy on my shoulder. I shot him a look that I worried might’ve lit my eyes aflame. He blinked at me. “You’ll need to sign this release?” The doc lifted the stone at my throat—examining it before letting it fall to my chest. “And let me clean up your arm.”

  The clipboard he handed me had my information on it. “What’s this?”

  He swiped a cold cloth down my arm. “A release. Says you’re leaving against medical advice.” A cotton ball pressed to the spot, he pulled a bright cartoon bandage across it. “And when I call you later, you’ll answer.”

  That’s a good man, Lynnie Russell. Mama’s voice rang in my head. But Rusty Kemp had my heart and it ached to imagine another man taking over.

  “I’m out tonight.” Every night.

  He sighed, sucked his teeth. “Well… a deputy had offered you a ride to your vehicle.”

  “Where’d they take my truck?” I’d been in no state to drive and got to the hospital riding passenger in a cop car.

  “I’d assume it’s where you left it.” He stepped close enough only I could hear him. “They didn’t realize who they had when they found you.” Glad he couldn’t hear my racing heart anymore, I stared at him. “Odd, right? A little thing like you…,” he repeated the officer.

  “I need to be getting on, now.”

  “Let me take you.” He raised his brows. “I assume you’d rather not sit in another police cruiser for the ride home?”

  He assumed right. “I’ll call for a ride, thanks.”

  Dark curls bounced on his head. “No time.” I glanced at the clock. “The sheriff is on his way here now. He’ll be here any minute.”

  I stepped back. “Why are you helping me?” The beast perked up.

  “I’ve never met another like you.”

  That’s an understatement. “It’s likely you won’t.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  “How are we getting outta here?”

  “Let me deal with that.” He pulled a small white pill from his pocket. “I brought you a pill and not a needle. You’re welcome.” I looked at it, then at him, and back again. “It’s for your side. It hurts like hell, right?” I nodded. “This will make it all better.”

  Nothing could make any of this all better. “What is it?”

  He handed it to me and poured water into a small plastic cup. “I’m a doctor, Lynnie. You can trust me.”

  “Not as far as I can throw you.”

  “He’s a good man, Lynn,” Rusty’s voice warbled through the ether.

  Deep brown eyes sparkled. “Good girl. I’ll make you a hot deal. You take that, and we can leave right now.” Heavy boots and police radios echoed through the door. “It’s a simple painkiller. To take the edge off.”

  “Trust him.” I spun around, expecting to see my boy leaning against the wall in his faded blue jeans.

  Voices whispered my name outside the door. I turned back to the doc, pinched my lips between my teeth. “Shit.” I popped the pill in my mouth and swallowed it back.

  The doc shoved me toward the closet and pushed me in, closing the door.

  “Sheriff Crocker,” the doc said, voice muffled through the thin wood.

  “Doc. Where’s our girl?” His voice was gruff, and the way he said girl made the beast roll over twice.

  I breathed heavy, sucking up the oxygen that small space allowed. My heart should’ve been pounding as fear tickled along my skin, but it slowed. Beating sloppily in my chest.

  “Ah, just missed her. Off in imaging.” Long, awkward pause. “But I think there’s someone else you’d like to meet. Hope is out of surgery. Grace and her parents are with her on the second floor.” Their voices moved away. “Let me take you there.”

  Ear pressed against the flimsy wood, I waited for the door to shut. “Rusty,” I whispered and waited in breathless silence for his response. “Rusty?” My voice caught in my throat, squeaking at the end. “Come back,” I breathed, forehead pressed against the closet door.

  Church bells in the distance chimed six o’clock. Time was quickly running low.

  On suddenly wobbly legs, I shoved from the closet, nearly falling to my knees. The world shifted, turning crooked then back again. I blinked it away, steadying myself.

  I looked down at my bare legs. “Pants,” I slurred.

  They’d been mostly shredded when I changed, but they were enough to cover my ass so I could make my great escape without drawing too much attention. I tore through the blankets, in the closet, under the bed.

  “What in the—” I swayed.

  The door popped open. “Ready?” My grinning doc stood behind a wheelchair. A pair of blue cotton pants folded neatly in the seat. “I’d suggest you slip into these.” He tossed them my way and I missed them completely. “Oh, that’s fun.” His grin widened.

  I leaned against the bed for balance, sliding my numbing legs into the pants. “Where’s the sheriff?”

  Doc held my arm, helping
me to the chair. “Don’t worry about him. Let’s get you out of here.”

  My head flopped back and I watched his Adam’s apple bounce when he said goodnight to the nurse at the station. He wheeled me to the elevators and right out the front door.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked, clicking the seat belt into place.

  I giggled, looking him in the eye an inch from my face. “I’ve been building some thoughts and I’m thinkin’ there just might be something wrong with my head here.” I patted my head, smashing my wild hair. “What’s wrong with me, Mr. Doctor?”

  A dimple dug deep into his cheek when he grinned. “Puck.”

  “What now?”

  He shut the door and walked around to the driver side. “My name is Puck.” The engine roared to life. “Not Mr. Doctor. And I do believe that’s the medication taking effect in your system.”

  I breathed through my nose, heavy and loud. “You said… I just took that.”

  “The effects of the sedative I gave you typically take thirty minutes, or roughly the time it takes for it to metabolize. In humans.”

  Breath ceased. My gut dropped right to my ass. Sedative? Humans? “If I ain’t human, then what am I?” I laughed like I wasn’t filled to the brim with terror. “An alien?” I rolled my heavy head to the side, watching his dark eyes.

  Mr. Doctor Puck didn’t look away from the road. “An alien you’re not.” My chin quivered. “You’re no angel either.” Vomit bobbed in my throat. “You’re not a miracle or a hero.” Don’t say it. Don’t say monster. “You’re death.” A painful breath burst from my lungs. “You are Cu Sidhe.”

  What’s up, Doc?

  Trees whizzed by out the window, spinning my already swimming head into a tizzy. Words came in jumbled letters, a tornado of senseless lines and curves.

  “Who…?” Blood whooshed in my ears, slow, thick, an engine desperate for fresh oil.

  “Who am I? I am an ally. A friend.”

  Friends don’t secretly drug each other. “Drugs….” Forcing my eyes to stay open, I fought sleep—refused to let myself be taken without a fight. It was a losing battle.

  “How’s the side?” Ironically, pain free. “I’m so very sorry about the ruse.” He gave no more explanation.

  My eyes closed against my will. I fought the drugs dragging me deeper into darkness. Focus. Feel. Search for the beast. She was there, waiting, trapped in my fog. I needed her. Needed the magic that bound us. Without it I was just a little thing.

  Falling jarred me awake; my limbs jerked. I blinked the world into focus. Puck leaned into my window; his ridiculously white smile glowed in my face.

  “Good morning, sunshine. Welcome back.”

  Wordless grumbling proved I wasn’t quite back.

  He opened my door and unclipped my belt. “Let’s go. We’re here.”

  Regardless of what the deputy may have said, I wasn’t that little, but Puck hauled me from my seat and tossed me over his shoulder like I was. He pushed the door shut with his foot. I watched helplessly as the car got smaller and smaller, bouncing against his shoulder while he bounded up steps.

  Cedar, sharp and pungent. Wood floor. A cabin. “Where?”

  “My home. For now.” His voice showed no sign that he had a hundred-some-odd pound woman slung over his shoulder. “Here we are, a nice comfy place to relax.” He laid me down gently on a couch with a scratchy cushion that reminded me of home. “You’ll be feeling more like yourself soon, I’m certain, so let’s get this show on the road.”

  Puck sat at the end of the couch, lifted my limp legs and laid them across his lap. My blue cotton pants—property of Danville Hospital—clashed with worn leather boots. Mystery stains marked the front of my white shirt. He pulled my boots off, exposing sweaty feet tipped with month-old blue polish.

  Strong hands squeezed my toes together and stopped. “Hm, let’s just dry these off for you,” he said, wiping a wool blanket over them and between each toe.

  Weak, I lifted my hand and raised a middle finger.

  “I like your enthusiasm.” He worked his thumbs into my arches. “Now, time is of the essence, so I won’t waste it.” Fingers pinched and wiggled each little piggy. “I need you. And if you’re honest with yourself, you need me too. I think the fact that you’ve already got the attention of local law enforcement proves that theory.”

  I couldn’t keep my eyes open. If he wanted me conscious for this chat, he’d need to stop rubbing my feet. Even the beast had mellowed.

  “I’ve been waiting a long time for you, Carolynn Russell.”

  I groaned. “Lynnie.”

  “Cute. One of the most powerful beings on Earth… Lynnie.” He sighed. “You and I are alike, Miss Russell. It wasn’t chance running into each other. I knew you were coming. It was just a matter of time.” I needed my voice, trapped inside a chemical cocoon. So many questions. “Not like Percy. That, my dear, let me tell you, was the work of serendipity.” Percy. “Nice fellow, but not what I needed. Human, I’m sure you know. He did the best he could under the circumstances. They are not built for even temporary immortality. There is definitely a reason the universe made them finite.” A quiet sigh and silence. “Anyway, I waited and you came. I didn’t know it would be a beautiful blonde. I’m going to call that a win.”

  One eye opened a slit. “Bite me,” I slurred.

  “Maybe later. Right now, I need you to hear me. We belong together.” No, I’ll bite you. Hard. “Not a sex thing—unless you’re into that—but a partnership. Two immortals—mostly, on your end—doing the best they can under the circumstances.”

  I shook my head once. “Nope.”

  “I can teach you how to control it.” I swallowed. “It’s confused. Right?” How was I supposed to know? “Coming out at sunset? Rumbling, pacing, clawing to be free? Not quite yours and not quite its own.” Nod. “Cu Sidhe is fae. A beast not fit for man. It’s spent decades trapped, sharing a human existence. Bound by the lunar cycle like some meager werewolf. You are where it belongs. It’s home.”

  Huff. “She.”

  “Yes, right. Silly me. She is remembering who she is, learning who you are. Give her time. And my help.”

  I smacked my dry mouth. “I’m listening.” Not that I had a choice in the matter.

  “You need a friend, Miss Russell, and I am here to fill that position.”

  I had a friend. Hattie. And Garret. Nana. Even if they all knew my secret, how would they ever understand? How could I expect them to?

  “Let me help you.”

  Gulp. “Why?”

  He ran his hand up my pant leg and squeezed my calf. Tension released, warm tendrils swirled under my skin.

  “Because we are the same. Fantastical beasts so far from home.”

  “Be happy.” Heavy lids popped open, scanning as far as my eyes would reach for him. For Rusty.

  “I can help you keep them safe.” I looked at him, waiting for him to say his name. “Your family. Your brother. I know what you fear. And rightfully so. Garret means so much to you.”

  Adrenaline cut through the fog, zapping the magic that swirled inside me. I sat up, pulling my feet from him. “How do you know about my brother?” My fears?

  He rested a hand on my leg. “I’ve been around for a long time. Longer than your beast even. I know of fear. I know too how to read a patient file.” His head dropped into my lap and he looked up at me, white grin shining. “I have a feeling you’re going to learn to love me.” He booped my nose and I jerked away in slow motion.

  “I have a feeling night is coming and you’re about to get real dead real quick.”

  He chuckled. “I’m fairly certain—at least I hope—that Xanax I gave you will keep your beasty at bay for a little while longer.” Long fingers twirled my hair. “Quicker in, quicker out. That hardy fae blood. You can thank your human parents for the recepto
r.” He laughed.

  I flopped back against the couch. “A fairy doctor,” I garbled. “What’s next? Leprechauns?”

  He stood up. “We are not going there.” Hand on his hips, he leaned over me. “It’s all part of the game, babe.” He winked. “Mr. Doctor.” One loud bark of a laugh burst out and he planted his hands either side of me. “You need me. You need what I am. What I do.”

  Wind kicked the door open to the wall. I jumped. He dropped his head and inch from mine and groaned. “Fuck.”

  His hair flittered around my face. Soft brown curls twisted together. Wailing echoed off high ceilings and up the stairs to the second floor.

  White sheer fabric billowed in through the doorway, flapping against the jamb. Long, wet snake-like tendrils whipped in spiraled pieces.

  “Damn, Bean Sidhe, mind your affairs,” he grumbled, still leaned over top of me.

  Avery’s contorted face, mouth stretched into an oval, eyes white, shimmered, shifted, and morphed into the blue-eyed girl I remembered.

  “Padraic O’Kain,” she said, her thick accent rolling his name like a perfectly executed smoke ring.

  He closed his eyes, breathed deep, and stood. “Yes, Satan?”

  She scoffed. “Right. Come, Lynn, you don’t belong here.” A slender hand reached for me.

  He cupped a hand around his ear. “I think I hear a Milesian taking his last breath.” And shooed her with both hands.

  Her eyes flashed white. “After all this time, you still think you can tame this beast? She is not yours to toy with.”

  Puck let out a rumbling huff. “Neither yours.”

  She stepped closer. “For generations I’ve been charged with guiding the Cu Sidhe through the transition. For generations I’ve protected it from the likes of you. It is not my toy. It’s my duty.”

  “Ha! Duty? It didn’t take long before Percy—the human—was out in the world all alone. This duty is your punishment. Don’t pretend it’s anything more.”