Forging Day (Crucible of Change Book 1)
Page 30
Leo gave her a really weird look. “Tell me more about Olivia’s cat later. Are you positive about that patch? Would you know it if you saw it again?”
“Of course I’m positive, Leo,” said Cordie. “When have I ever not been positive?”
He undid a tiny pin from his collar and handed it to her. “Did it look like this?”
She examined it closely. “Yes. Where did you get this?”
“It’s my unit insignia. The VM stands for Vehemens Mestitia. It means ‘furious misfortune’ in Latin. Give me a minute.” He pulled out his phone and tapped out a quick text. He didn’t look happy. “I want to know how they knew when and where we were going to be there. There’s no way this was a coincidence. I have a pretty good idea, but I’ll need to confirm it.”
It wasn’t long before his phone beeped with an incoming message. “Skeeter wants to know if my hot sister with the dark hair is currently dating anyone, and he’s sorry he only had time to toss in the saw. He wasn’t allowed to do more.”
“Skeeter? Seriously? And no, I’m not dating anyone.” Cordie turned kind of pink. “He said I was hot?”
Leo tapped away again. This time the beep was immediate. “He’d like your permission to ask you out next time he’s in town. He says you look feisty. He likes that in a woman. He also promises to treat you with all due respect so as to not make me kick his ass.”
“Skeeter, huh? Tell him okay. But he’d better not be wearing greasepaint.”
“Leo, why is he called Skeeter?” I wanted to know, even if Cordie didn’t.
“Skeeter comes from Louisiana in the Bayou. He swears he was raised by mosquitoes big enough to wrestle grizzlies and win.”
“So, do you have a nickname too?” I asked.
“Um, yes,” he said, but didn’t elaborate.
“What is it?” asked Cordie.
“You know how guys are. It’s really not important.”
“Now I really want to know. Don’t make me hobble over there and tickle it out of you,” I told him.
He mumbled something.
“I didn’t quite hear that, Sergeant Mitchell. Could you repeat it?” demanded Cordie.
“I said, they call me Casanova,” he finally admitted.
“Oh, Leo, you bad little heartbreaker, you.” I felt a real smile for the first time in days.
Cordie laughed too, playfully punching him in the shoulder. “Casanova. Somehow I was guessing Thor.”
He tried to put on his serious face. “Thor was already taken.”
The nurse came in while we were all laughing. She shook her head and smiled a bit. “It is after hours. You have to keep it down, or I’m going to shoo you all out of here, and send you back to your own room, young man.”
“We’ll be quiet ma’am. We promise,” said Leo.
“See that you are, Casanova,” she said, and winked at him as she left the room, pulling the door closed behind her.
Cordie got quiet, and she got those worry wrinkles in her forehead. “Leo, can you tell us what happened in the basement? I don’t know how, but that other prisoner was still alive when they moved us outside to the dog run.”
“It was a clusterfuck. I went down with two guys from the SWAT team. We saw the person on the floor and he appeared to be breathing. We did a quick check for other hostiles, and then approached the victim, telling him he was safe now. He erupted off the floor and did the fastest change into a werewolf I’ve ever seen. He tore out the one guy’s throat and threw him at us.
“We both started firing. The SWAT guy’s bullets didn’t work. Mine did. The bastards unhooked the gas line before they came outside, but the stench was so bad down there that we didn’t smell the gas in time. I don’t even know which one of our shots caused the explosion. The one officer and the werewolf were already down, so I grabbed the other guy and got us both the hell out of there.”
My eyes were so heavy, I thought I’d just rest them a minute while Leo filled her in. I snuggled Kat’s hand against my cheek and finally relaxed into sleep.
Report 12: The Rules
Memo
To:General Dxxxx
From:Major Parker
As ordered, I am submitting the following addendum to my rules of operation.
#84—I am not to suggest at the morning briefing that we “hug it out”.
#85—I am not to distribute “weird happening” Bingo cards prior to mission briefings, and I am not allowed to call “Bingo!” during said briefings.
#86—I am not to entice the captured werewolves to do tricks for bacon treats.
#87—I must not give the captured werewolves flea collars and chew toys.
#88—I must not give the captured werewolves custom-made silver licenses with matching silver rabies tags.
#89—I am not allowed to require the captured werewolf subjects to wear spiked leather dog collars, even if they do look really butch.
#90—I will not taunt the werewolf subjects with promises of a trip to the vet to have them tutored.
#91—I will not provide the werewolf subjects with furry porn as reading matter.
#92—I will not require the captured werewolves to dress in sheep costumes while in Human form.
#93—Red Riding Hood costumes, Little Bo Peep costumes, and inflatable sheep are all banned from the holding area.
#94—If any proposed interaction with the werewolf subjects causes snickers from me or my team, that interaction is to be automatically added to this list.
Chapter Thirty
The Day After
I wasn’t sure what time it was when the nurse woke me up. Kat was asleep in the big chair next to me and Cordie had grabbed another chair from somewhere. She was awake and watching the door.
“Morning, sis. Didn’t you get any sleep?”
“You’re not the only one worried about werewolves,” she said.
“I’m Dolores, and I’ll be taking care of you this morning,” said the nurse. “It looks like you get to leave us today. You finished your unit and meds overnight. Doctor Kingston had us watching closely for any signs of reaction to the antibiotics. You handled them fine. He’s written up some special notes to go with your discharge paperwork. He said he’s documented some of the quirks of your physiology, and that you should keep his note with you, just in case.”
“Thanks. Do you know if my brother, Leo Mitchell, is getting discharged also?”
“I don’t know, but I can check when I finish rounds. Do you have his room number?”
I didn’t, but Cordie did.
“Your breakfast will be here soon, Ms. Mitchell. If you need anything, here’s the call button.”
“Berto and Mikah are home,” said Cordie. “I talked to Mikah this morning, and he and Berto are going to pick us up in the van. He’s bringing Grammy’s wheelchair for you. Since the van has tie downs and a lift, we won’t have to transfer you to get you in and out of the car. I wasn’t quite sure what we’re going to do for clothes for you, so I had him just bring your robe for now. You can wear it off the shoulder until we figure something out.”
“Hey. When did you get clothes?”
“I had Kat bring me a pair of your sweats when she came last night.”
“What about Leo and Tessa?”
“Leo can still wear his old clothes. Tessa… I’m not sure exactly what her status is. She was hurt pretty bad, and Berto said he wasn’t able to heal her. We haven’t been able to get any information because we aren’t her next of kin.”
“We can’t leave Tessa here. If they figure out what she can do, they’ll never let her go. Can I borrow your phone?”
She handed it to me. At this point I had Vivian’s number memorized. She picked up immediately. “Oh joy. It’s a Mitchell on my caller ID again. Which one are you?”
“It’s me, Olivia. I’m borrowing my sister’s phone. Colby’s buddy destroyed my phone.”
“Olivia, darling. How are you? Is there anything I can do?” She suddenly oozed with concern.
“Anything, my dear. Just ask.”
I could hear someone else talking in the background. I wondered if she was already having another press conference. “My friend, Tessa. She got hurt by Colby. She’s here at the hospital but we can’t get any information because we aren’t next of kin. The problem is she doesn’t really have any next of kin. She lives at our house, so we really are the closest thing to family that she has. Is there any way you can find out her room at least, so we can check on her?”
“Of course, darling. I’d be glad to help. Let me make a few calls and I’ll call you back at this number.” Once again, she hung up without saying good-bye.
Cordie persuaded Kat to go down to the cafeteria, and I was finishing breakfast when Leo sauntered in. “I’m officially discharged. They told me they needed the bed for an actual sick person.”
“Good. I’m expecting a phone call, and then you can do a little recon mission for me.”
Cordie’s phone rang and I snagged it off the bed. “This is Olivia.”
“Here is the room number, and I mentioned to the administrator that you and she are distant cousins. Good luck.” Vivian ended the call before I could thank her for the information.
“Here’s the deal, Leo. We need to get Tessa out of here. Vivian got me her room number and told someone that we were distant cousins. You need to find out how she’s doing and if we can take her home.”
“I’m on it, sis. Never leave a man behind.”
I’d finished breakfast and was surfing the television when Cordie and Kat got back. “Leo’s loose.” I told them. “I sent him to find Tessa for us.”
We were chatting, without any sign of Leo, when Doctor Kingston arrived. “I must say, you’re looking much better today, young lady.”
“Thanks. I’m feeling better, other than the whole pain thing.”
“I’ll have a prescription for you with your discharge papers. I’d like to ask you something, and I hope you’ll agree. I, and my colleagues, have been trying to gather information on the new Changed races. Your reaction to the morphine last night proves just how important it can be for us to learn enough about you that we can treat you if the need arises. I’d like you to consider bi-monthly visits to my clinic downtown so we can measure the rate of your recovery from these injuries, and let us do blood draws so we can study your blood chemistry over time. You don’t have to answer me now, but I’d like you to think about it. My card will be in your papers. Of course, there would be no charge to you.”
My first inclination was to say no, but he was right. We don’t really know much about what makes Dark Elves tick. A little knowledge might be helpful. “I’ll think about it, Doctor Kingston. It sounds reasonable, but I need to talk about it with my family.”
“Fair enough.” He examined my shoulder, and checked around my cast. “I’ll get the nurse started on your paperwork. Try to stay out of ERs for a while, okay?”
“Top of my to-do list,” I told him.
Leo came in just after the doctor left. He had to have been waiting in the hall. He had that relaxed, rumpled look that I remembered well from all the times he snuck in late when he was in high school. “Seriously, Leo? In a hospital?”
“She said she needed energy for healing, and the orderly hadn’t been enough to top off her tanks. She’s not fully healed, but she was able to change back to Human form at least. Kat, I need your car keys and an idea where you parked. She says she can get out of here now, and drive herself home.”
Kat tossed him the keys. “Why don’t you drive her home? She probably doesn’t know her way around town as well as you do. Mikah and Berto are coming to get Olivia and Cordie anyway. I’ll ride with them.”
“Thanks, Kat. You’re awesome. See you at home.” He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before he left, grinning.
I was expecting Dolores when the door opened again, but instead it was Sharon and a distinguished-looking man from the police department wearing a fairly fancy uniform. Sharon actually looked a little nervous, as though she expected me to say something inappropriate for some reason. “Olivia, this is Commander Danielson.”
I didn’t have enough fingers to count all the things I’d done in the last month or so to get me in trouble with the law. I hoped I was still getting to go home, and wondered how Kat would like visiting me in jail.
“Ms. Mitchell, I’m pleased to finally meet you in person. The stories have not done you justice.”
I was confused. That didn’t sound like the opening remarks to being arrested. “Um, it’s nice to meet you too, sir.”
“Please, there’s no need to be nervous. I came to thank you for your assistance and personal sacrifices in the resolution of this matter. I’ve been in touch with the District Attorney, and I wanted to assure you that the state will not be pursuing any charges against you in relation to this case. Mister Green’s death was clearly a case of self-defense.”
I hadn’t realized I was holding my breath until I let it out in relief. “Thank you, Commander. That takes a weight off my shoulders.” It hadn’t occurred to me that anyone might press charges over Colby before Sharon and Commander Danielson had shown up in my room just now.
“There was one other matter I hoped to discuss with you, briefly for now. The news crews captured indisputable footage of you spraying water into a fire with your bare hands. Lieutenant Clark and Officer Curtis have shared how helpful you were with your research into werewolves. I was hoping you would be willing to make yourself available to consult with the department, as needed, for future unusual cases. Not, of course, before you’ve had a chance to heal from your injuries. ADA Vivian Davis has also spoken very highly of your abilities. She vouches personally for your integrity and discretion.”
“You’ve given me a lot to think about, sir. I’ll want to talk to my family, but I think I’d be very interested in working with the department in the future. I think it would have made my dad very happy.”
He carefully shook my uninjured hand. “I look forward to hearing from you, Ms. Mitchell. I’ll leave you my card. Call when you’re ready.”
“I’ll talk to you when you’re home,” said Sharon, and followed him out the door.
Of course nothing moves very fast in the hospital. I was still waiting for Dolores to take out my IV when Mikah and Berto arrived. “Berto!” I reached for him. “Come give me a hug on this side.”
He hugged me as if I were spun glass, and gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek. “We owe you everything, Olivia. I’ll never forget what you were willing to sacrifice to save me. We’ll never forget.”
“I love you, Berto.” I hugged him back with my good arm. “You know I wouldn’t have left anyone with that monster. How could I not rescue you and my sister?”
I guess Dolores decided it was getting crowded in here, because she popped in right after them and got things moving. Cordie got all of my discharge papers, and my IV was out in no time. Berto introduced himself as a nurse, so Dolores pretty much went over all of the wound care and follow-up instructions with him. That was fine with me, because I didn’t want to know the ugly details about changing my dressings. I duly promised to make follow-up appointments with my primary care physician, and a wheelchair was summoned to carry me to the front door. Mikah hurried down ahead of us to bring the van around.
* * * *
Kat’s car was parked in the driveway when we pulled up. I wasn’t surprised that Leo and Tessa had made it home before us.
I was ready for some serious pain medication by the time they got me in the front door, and couldn’t believe it when I saw that Grammy’s chairlift was reinstalled and working. “How did you get them to fix it so fast?” I asked Mikah. “I thought I’d be sleeping on the couch for the next week or so.”
“I know Mindy, the installer’s girlfriend,” he said.
&nb
sp; “So?” said Cordie.
“I also know, Jane, the installer’s not-quite-ex-wife,” he added.
“Oh… It’s good to be the lawyer,” I told him.
Peekah barked her silly brains out at the wheelchair until Kat finally shooed her away.
I was ensconced in the library with iced tea and my best friends, when I felt something staring at me. I looked up, and Imhotep was on top of a bookshelf, watching my every move. “About time you got home” he said decisively, and appeared in my lap.
“Thanks for getting that padlock off the cage,” I told him. I cautiously petted him, expecting a trick, but he settled himself down and leaned into my hand, faintly purring.
“Oh, yeah” he said. “That’s the spot. Pet it like you mean it.”
Tessa bounced down the stairs, followed more slowly by Leo. She was wearing a pair of my old jeans and one of Leo’s T-shirts. I was beginning to be impressed by Leo’s stamina, when Henry and Frank appeared too. I swear Leo was blushing. I wished I could have gotten a picture. Frank’s cheeks looked a little darker green than usual too.
“I feel marvelous,” said Tessa. “Trolls are simply exquisite”—she grinned at me—“but I could use a little something sweet for dessert. I wonder what those little Green Elf boys are up to. I think I’ll give them a ring.” She blew me a kiss. “Welcome home, Olivia. Thanks so much for inviting your brother to visit.” She threw him a wicked smile. “Better have some orange juice, Olivia’s brother. You wouldn’t want to get dehydrated.” She sauntered toward the door, and then stopped and blew Gracie a kiss. “You’re cute. Leave a spot on your dance card open. Laters!”