Consumed (12 page)

Rourk strode up to the medic after the ambulance had pulled away. “What do you think?”

The man turned wary eyes to Rourk. He was a lean, fit man; his uniform was stained with Tommy’s blood. He peeled off his blood-stained latex gloves as he said, “A friend of yours?”

“Yes.”

The man took a deep breath, closing his eyes momentarily before answering. “I think it will be a miracle if he pulls through. The chance of internal injuries is too high. Who knows what that head injury did, or the state of his spinal cord. I’m sure it will be touch and go for awhile. I guess it depends on if it’s his day to go or not.”

Rourk grimaced. He knew the man spoke the truth. “Can you drop me off at the hospital?” he asked.

“Sure. My truck is over there.” He pointed across the street to a large parking lot.

“Thank you.” Rourk shifted his rucksack to the other shoulder and walked off with the man. He wondered if Tommy could hold out until Emerald arrived.

They drove in silence. The medic pulled up to the emergency entrance to drop him off. “Sometimes it’s better if they don’t make it. I know that sounds harsh, but the things I’ve seen…”

Rourk nodded his head in agreement. He had also seen men walk away with injuries that made them wish they had died in battle. A car accident wasn’t quite a battle, but brain injuries usually didn’t end well. “Thanks for the ride.” Rourk slammed the door shut.

The man waved and pulled out. Rourk took a deep breath and walked to the entrance.

“Rourk.” The woman’s urgent voice came from his right. He whirled to find Emerald striding towards him. “Do they have him?”

“Yeah. The ambulance left us behind, so they got here pretty quick.”

She nodded. Her hair wasn’t brushed; her short ginger locks were sticking up as if she’d just rolled from bed. Rourk figured she had—Thaddeus had likely woken her up and told her what was happening. Emerald probably took just long enough to get dressed before she teleported.

“I won’t be able to get to him,” she murmured, watching as an older couple shuffled by on their way into the building. She turned her bright blue eyes back to Rourk. “I’ll have to find a quiet place. Go. Go in and check on him.”

Rourk turned and she followed behind. The doors opened, admitting them into the cool interior. The smell of hospitals always bothered him a little. There was just something unnatural about it.

He stood impatiently in line to ask where they had sent Tommy. He stood rigid as he heard the people in front of them ask ridiculous questions: Where was the bathroom? How much longer do they have to wait? Can they make an appointment to come back later? Rourk tried to calm himself. Finally it was his turn. “My brother was hit by a vehicle and has been admitted. Can you tell me where he is?”

The woman behind the counter looked tired. Her mousey-brown hair was pulled into a bun that was falling apart, and there was a large coffee stain on her blue scrub shirt. She glanced at Rourk with non-sympathetic eyes. “Last name?”

“Sanders.”

She tapped on her keyboard, the computer screen reflecting off her glasses. “He’s in surgery.”

Rourk’s heart thudded. “Already?”

“Yes.”

“Can you tell me what’s wrong with him?”

She shook her head. “Confidential.”

Rourk wanted to scream. Instead, he shoved his hand through his hair and took a calming breath. “What floor is he on?”

“Ninth floor.”

“Thank you.” Rourk and Emerald headed for the elevator. He wished Keegan was with him. He felt like he was about to unravel. He’d check on Tommy’s status and then give her a call.

“I’m going to the restroom so I won’t be disturbed. I’ll find you when I’m done.”

Rourk nodded and walked to the front desk. The nurse behind the counter smiled as he walked up. He leaned on his elbows atop the desk and said, “Can I have an update on my brother? Tommy Sanders?”

The woman stared at him for a moment. “That’s funny. Your name-tag says Kavanagh.”

Without missing a beat, Rourk said, “He’s my stepbrother.”

She nodded and pecked away at the keyboard. “He’ll probably be in surgery a couple of hours. You’re welcome to wait in the waiting area.” She pointed to a small glass room to the left.

“Thanks. Can you let me know when they bring him out?”

“Yes, I’ll have the doctor give you an update when they are done. Have you informed your parents?”

“Not yet. I was hoping to have some news before I freaked them out.”

“Standard procedure. If he has them in his file, they will be notified.”

Rourk nodded and moved to the waiting room. It was small and dimly lit. There was an old lady knitting in one corner as she watched the news; a stressed-looking young woman and a baby in another corner; and a middle-aged man who looked in serious need of sleep. Rourk couldn’t help but notice how far they’d each sat away from each other, as if they were worried the other’s bad luck would rub off.

Rourk slouched in a seat, dropped his head in his hands, and closed his eyes. He visualized Keegan. She was sitting in a classroom, her pen writing furiously on a notebook as she bit her tongue in concentration. He didn’t want to bother her in class—he’d call her when he knew more.

It was only an hour before his phone buzzed. It was Tommy’s mother. “Have you heard anything?” she asked anxiously.

“No, ma’am.” Rourk looked around the room. The sun was high in the sky outside the one small window. The baby had finally gone to sleep.

“We’re on our way. Our flight leaves at noon. Will you call me if you hear anything?” Her voice cracked over the sound of a loudspeaker in the background. They must have already been at the airport.

“Of course. Safe flight.”

Two hours and thirteen minutes later, a man in scrubs walked into the room. Everyone stood wide-eyed as he entered. “Sanders?”

Rourk stood up and walked into the hall with the doctor, his palms clammy.

“I’m Doctor Wilson,” the man said, offering his hand to Rourk. They shook.

“Your brother made it through the surgery,” the doctor said. He was a tall man with large hands and creases on his face from the mask that hung around his neck. He rubbed his thumbs on his forehead. “Something odd happened. We went in to stop the internal bleeding, but once we got inside, we couldn’t find anything. It just…vanished.” The doctor shook his head. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Rourk thought,
That’s because you’ve never seen an elfin healer
. “Does that mean Tommy will be ok?”

“He’s not out of the woods yet. We still have to worry about his brain. There’s swelling. We need to wait and see if the swelling goes down on its own or if we have to make a hole to reduce the pressure.” He paused and gestured for Rourk to have a seat in the uncomfortable metal chair outside the waiting room door. Doctor Wilson sat beside him, placing a hand on Rourk’s arm. “There’s also the matter of him regaining consciousness. In some cases, people never wake from comas.”

“Thank you for being honest with me. When can I see him?”

“We’re going to move him to ICU for observation. I’ll have a nurse come get you when he can have visitors. Are his parents on the way?”

“Yes. They’re coming from across the country, so they will be delayed.”

The doctor clapped him on the shoulder one last time, and then left.

Rourk went back to the waiting area. He called Keegan—he needed to hear her voice. He filled her in on what had happened.

“Do you want me to come?” she asked softly, her voice soothing as it came over the line.

“No. We’ll wait and see what happens. Your mom is here.”

“Oh. Good.” She was silent a moment. “I’d really rather come, Rourk.”

“Stay in school, Keegan. I’ll call you when I know more.”

They talked for a few more minutes and said their goodbyes. Rourk stared at his phone and realized he felt much more centered after talking to his chosen.

Emerald breezed through the door into the waiting room and wrapped Rourk in a hug. When she pulled away, she held tightly to his shoulders and asked, “How’s he doing?”

Rourk gave a half smile. “The doctors are baffled. They went into operate, and the internal bleeding had ceased on its own…”

“That’s great news!” She stepped closer, looking around the room. She pushed both hands back through her hair, then smoothed it, before she said quietly, “I don’t have as much control when I can’t touch the person.”

“They’re worried about the brain swelling, and the fact that he hasn’t responded.”

Emerald sat heavily in a chair, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. She looked tired. “I need to get in to see him.”

“He’s in the ICU so only immediate family members are allowed in. I’m still waiting for them to give me the go ahead to see him.”

Emerald smiled. “Brother?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, when they call you back just go along with what I say.”

They waited and waited, flipping channels idly on the small, staticky television until a nurse finally came in and called Rourk back. Emerald stood up and followed him.

The nurse held up a hand to Emerald and shook her head. “Family members only.”

“I’m a reiki master and also Tommy’s godmother. His parents contacted me and wanted me to get in a soon as I could to give him a healing. It will only take 15-30 minutes. I know many hospitals now use reiki before and after surgeries.” Emerald’s tone was no-nonsense and held just a hint of command. Rourk was impressed.

The nurse thought about it for a moment. Rourk could almost see the wheels turning: It was still against policy, but her eyes held belief in the new age side of medicine. She shrugged and motioned for them to follow. “This way.”

She led them to a service elevator at the end of the hallway, and pushed the button to go up. “When we get upstairs, you’ll need to scrub your hands with sanitizer and we’re going to give you face masks. We don’t want anything brought into the room that could harm Tommy.”

Rourk and Emerald both nodded, and Rourk answered, “Yes, ma’am. Absolutely.”

The elevator was dimly lit by a single bulb. After the fluorescent lights of the waiting room and hallway, it was a welcome break on Rourk’s eyes. They reached the 11th floor and the elevator dinged open.

After preparing to enter his room, Rourk and Emerald followed the nurse to an open, sliding-glass door marked by a number
10
and a clipboard with
T. Sanders
across the top.

“Twenty minutes,” the nurse said softly.

“Thank you,” Rourk and Emerald said in unison.

Tommy looked small and broken in the hospital bed. His body was stretched flat on his back and the bed was slightly raised so his head was higher than the rest. Several beeping machines were attached to him: one monitoring his heart rate which was slow and steady. There was a tube was coming out of his throat, and his eyes were closed.

Rourk took his hand, a lump in his throat. “You have to pull through Tommy. We’re in this together.”

Emerald moved to the other side of the bed and closed her eyes as she placed her hands lightly above the white gauze that covered Tommy’s head.

Rourk watched Emerald curiously. A healer’s magic was an incredible gift; they could heal almost anything, especially someone with the power of his chosen’s mother. He knew if anyone could help Tommy it was her.

Emerald moved her hands around different areas of Tommy’s head, her eyes closed. Her breathing was steady. She moved her hands down his chest—she would rest her hands in an area for a couple of minutes, then she would move to the next spot and repeat. She went over the rest of his body down to his feet, and then back to his head again.

The door opened and the nurse came in. “It’s been twenty minutes. You can come back once they transfer him to the seventh floor.”

Rourk was worried. He’d expected Tommy to wake up and be fine after the healing, but his eyes were still closed. Maybe it was his time.

As they walked towards the elevator, Emerald pulled Rourk into a half-hug. “I’ve done all I can, Rourk. I believe he will be fine, but we have to wait until he wakes up to be sure.”

“I know.” Rourk pushed the down button, then turned to face her. “I can’t thank you enough.”

The sound of the nurse’s voice broke the silence of ICU as she called out the door of Tommy’s room. “He’s awake! Get the doctor.”

Emerald smiled knowingly and patted Rourk’s arm. “I’m going to head back now. I left Warrick with Thaddeus. You know what a handful that little man is.”

Rourk smiled. “Thank you, though I feel like that’s not enough.”

“It’s more than enough. I’m glad I could help. That boy has a clear soul. The earth would be darker without people like him.”

Rourk watched as Emerald stepped into the elevator. She waved, and the doors closed. Rourk knew she’d be gone before the elevator opened on the next floor.
So much power in such a little body.

He called Keegan and gave her the good news. Rourk didn’t need to hear from the doctors; he knew Tommy would be fine.

Thankfully, Tommy
was
fine. A week later, he was released from the hospital with nothing more than a few bumps and bruises, and the OK to return to work. There was no apparent brain damage, and his memories were still intact, as well as has reasoning skills. The doctors were shocked at his quick recovery.

Tommy kept telling everyone that a redheaded angel had saved him. Of course, the doctors wrote it off as a side-effect of his head injury. Rourk kept the truth to himself.

Chapter 13