That could only mean that Blake was regaining consciousness, and it wasn’t going well.
As she entered the lab, she heard an almost inhuman scream and the rattle of chains.
Trahern!
Dr. Crosby, a technician, and some guards surrounded his bed. There was no sign of Devlin Bane, and Dr. Young was across the room on the phone, watching the chaos around Trahern with worried eyes. Brenna cautiously approached the table, trying to see past the white lab coats and uniforms. When she attempted to force her way between two of the guards, they refused to budge.
“Let me through!”
Dr. Crosby spotted her. “What’s she doing in here? Someone get that woman out of here now!”
When one of the guards started to carry out his orders, she moved away to avoid his grasp. “I’m not leaving this spot! Dr. Young promised me I could be here when Blake revived.”
“Well, she’s busy right now, and I’m telling you to leave. This is no place for civilians.”
A guard on each side of her managed to catch her arms and all but dragged her to the door. She fought them every inch of the way. What would they do to Blake if she wasn’t there to protect him? Tears burned down her face as she tried to break free.
They tossed her out into the hall and then closed the door. She pounded on it with both fists. “Let me in, you bastards! He needs me!”
A shadow fell over her—Jarvis, with Devlin Bane right behind him. She’d never been so glad to see anyone in her life.
“It’s Blake. I don’t know what they are doing to him, but he’s been screaming and they won’t let me in.”
Laurel Young stepped out into the hallway. “You’d all better get in here before they do something we’ll all regret.”
The guards tried to block the door. “Nobody in. Doctor’s orders.”
The combined strength of Jarvis and Devlin sent the two guards flying. Laurel motioned Brenna to follow her while the two men dealt with the guards.
“Dr. Crosby, what is the current status of my patient?” She sounded calm and professional.
Dr. Crosby looked up from the chart he’d been writing in and glared at the commotion near the door. “It’s my shift to be here, Dr. Young. There’s no need for you to concern yourself with this.”
“I beg to differ with you, Dr. Crosby. Blake Trahern is my patient, no matter what city he happens to be in. Now if you’ll catch me up on his condition, I’ll take over.”
Reluctantly, the doctor handed over the chart, clearly not happy about his authority being usurped once again. “Judging from his behavior, Dr. Young, it’s clear that he’s too far gone to save. If you want the privilege of putting him down yourself, fine. I was just trying to save you that heartache.”
Another bloodcurdling scream cut through the room, leaving everyone quiet and shaken. If Brenna didn’t know better, she would have thought someone was being tortured.
Dr. Crosby walked away from the table, saying over his shoulder, “I will be making a full report, Dr. Young.”
“Do whatever you think is necessary, Doctor. And you can take your techs and guards with you.”
Jarvis and Devlin ushered everyone out and then guarded the door.
Brenna was finally close enough to see Blake. Crosby had taken away the blankets, leaving him exposed to prying eyes. She hurried to get another warm blanket to cover him, then took hold of his hand. With her other hand, she gently ran her fingertips down the side of his face and whispered his name.
“Blake, it’s me, Brenna.”
At first there was no response. Then his eyes flew open, looking wild and unfocused. There were flecks of odd colors in the irises, and whatever he saw must have been horrible, because he screamed again and struggled against his chains. His wrists and ankles were already scraped and bleeding.
“Keep talking to him, Brenna.” Laurel’s voice was calm and controlled, but fear was there in the set of her mouth and in her eyes. “Maybe you can get through to him.”
“Blake, concentrate on my voice. It’s me, Brenna. Remember? You’ve been protecting me from that evil Regent, the one who killed my father.”
That set off another episode of chain rattling. He struggled to raise his head, the veins in his neck standing out in sharp relief. “My fault, my fault!” Blake cried. “I killed the judge.”
Brenna put her hand on his chest. “No, Blake, you caught the man who did it. It wasn’t you who planted that bomb. You’ve fought to keep me safe.”
He turned his face toward her, those strange changes in his eyes worse than before. “Let me go. Let me go. Let me
go!”
He yanked against the restraints with all his strength.
“No, Blake. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you go.” She deliberately misunderstood his meaning. “I love you, Blake Trahern. I’m not about to let you walk away from me.”
A movement on the other side of the table caught her attention. Dr. Young was preparing an injection. Tears streamed down her face as she held the syringe up to check the dosage.
“What’s that?”
“He’s suffering, Brenna. I care too much for him to let that go on.” Her hands trembled as she drew back on the syringe a little farther.
Laurel’s words hit her like a blow. “You can’t kill him, Dr. Young, not yet! You haven’t even given him a chance to make it back!”
Devlin interceded. “It’s his eyes, Brenna. No one’s ever come back from this point. When they change like that, nothing can be done.”
“You
have
to give him a chance. Give
me
a chance to get through to him. I know it’s bad—even really bad. But I’ll never forgive you or myself if we don’t try.”
She met Laurel’s gaze. “Please. He calmed down for me before. I know this time is worse, but there has to be something we can try.”
Laurel slowly nodded and set the syringe down, close by in case she needed it in a hurry. “Dim the lights, will you, Jarvis? And Devlin, go get some chocolate. He has a sweet tooth; maybe the familiar scents will help.”
“Make that snickerdoodles if you can find some,” Brenna said. He loved them when he lived with us. Our housekeeper always made them specially for him.”
“There’s a bakery in town. I’ll go.” Looking relieved to have something to do, Jarvis disappeared out the door.
“What now?” Devlin asked.
“We wait.” Laurel dragged a chair over to Brenna. “You’re going to need to conserve your strength. This could be a long haul for all of us.”
The light over the table cast the rest of the room in shadows, lending a feeling of intimacy, and Brenna caressed Blake’s face.
“Blake, I need you to come back to me. I love you, and can’t imagine the world without you in it.” She kissed his cheek, then his lips. “And your friends Devlin and Jarvis, they need your help to get to the bottom of this mess. We’ve made progress, but rooting out one corrupt Regent may not cure the problem.”
She talked until her voice was all but gone. Then she laid her head against the table and held his hand, gently stroking the back of it with her fingertips. Was it a good sign that he’d been calm for so long? Or had the madness retreated to reappear later, stronger and more violent.
She hardly noticed when Jarvis came back. He gently tapped her on the shoulder. “Here are the snickerdoodles. They were just taking a fresh batch out of the oven.”
“Bless you, Jarvis.”
She took the bag and opened it. The scent of fresh baked cookies filled the air as she held it near Blake’s nose.
“Blake, remember that scent? Nothing is better than snickerdoodles. Maisy used to bake them just for you because she liked you so much.”
“I’m going to eat one now.” She bit into the rich cookie and savored the taste of sugar and cinnamon. “I wish you were awake so I could share.”
His head moved restlessly, but his eyes didn’t open. “There’s only a dozen cookies, Blake. If you don’t wake up soon, they could all be gone.” That was a lie. She’d make sure there were cookies left for him no matter what.
“We’re all here, Blake. All your friends—me, Devlin, Laurel, and Jarvis. Come back to us. Please.”
“Brenna, you’ve been at it nonstop for almost two hours. Take a break. I can talk to him for a while.”
“I can’t leave him, he’s been calm since I’ve been here. I think he knows I’m here.”
“At least get something to eat. You need your strength, and he needs it, too. We’ll stay here, I promise.”
Jarvis joined in. “Come on, Brenna. The kitchen’s nearby. We’ll be gone twenty minutes tops.”
Her stomach rumbled noisily at the thought of food. Maybe they were right. “All right, but don’t leave him for a second.”
Laurel had already taken Brenna’s seat and was murmuring something about cookies. Devlin stood right behind her, his hands on her shoulders.
Content that Blake was in good hands, she allowed Jarvis to lead her to a small kitchen. He gently shoved her toward a table and started rummaging in the refrigerator.
“Mayo or mustard?”
“Mayo.”
“American or Swiss?”
“American.”
He threw together a couple of sandwiches, and then joined her at the table. “Brenna, no matter how this turns out, I appreciate what you’re trying to do for Trahern. We all do.”
“I haven’t done anything yet.” The sandwich felt like a lump stuck in her throat. “I’m so scared.”
He reached across and put his big hand on hers. “We all are. Devlin and I know that we’ll both end up strapped to that table someday. But if you can save Trahern, then there’s hope for all of us.”
“And if I can’t?”
“Then at least you eased his passing. That means a lot.”
“He deserves better. You all do.”
“We all play the hands we’re dealt, Brenna.”
They quickly ate and returned to the lab, where Blake was fighting his chains again.
Brenna ran to his side. “Blake, please stop. It’s okay. I’m back and you’re safe.”
She laid her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his struggling body as best she could. “Blake, please rest easy. I’m here.”
To everyone’s relief, he immediately relaxed. Brenna listened as his heartbeat gradually slowed down. When he seemed once again to be at peace, she sat in her chair and took his hand in hers. “Sleep all you need to, Blake. I’ll be here when you’re ready to wake up.”
Then she squeezed his hand and rested her head against his arm. Gradually, she slipped into a light doze. She was vaguely aware of Laurel and the others in the room, but if they spoke it was in whispers.
An hour later, or maybe a little longer, something touched her hair. She froze, waiting to see if it happened again. When it did, she thought her heart would leap from her chest. Blake’s fingers were stroking her hair.
Slowly, she lifted her head and looked up. Silver gray eyes, a bit sleepy but otherwise clear, gazed down at her.
“Blake?”
“Brenna?” His voice was rough.
“Oh, thank God, Blake, you’re back.”
He tried to lift his hand, but the chain prevented him from moving very far.
She caught his hand and squeezed it. “Hang on, big guy. We’ll get the chains off.” She called out, “Laurel, bring the keys. I need to unlock the chains.”
Laurel and Devlin, who had stretched out on the bed in the other room, came at a run.
“Trahern?” Devlin stood over his friend with relief and wonder on his face. “I didn’t think I’d ever see your ugly face again.”
Laurel checked the readings on the machines hooked to her patient. As she recorded the numbers, she started smiling.
Trahern blinked up at her. “Doc, what are you doing here?”
She beamed at her patient. “I always take care of my guys, Trahern. You should know that.”
Jarvis joined the party around the table. “Leave it to you, Trahern, to have two beautiful women fussing over you.”
Blake turned his head toward his old friend. “Did we get the bastard?”
“Yeah, we did. He hasn’t told us much, but I’ll bet he’ll start chatting away when he hears that you’re back.” Jarvis’s grin was positively wicked.
“How long was I gone this time?”
“Long enough to worry your woman, but she fought for you every inch of the way. She helped run off Dr. Crosby, and not even the guards dare poke their noses in here now.”
Brenna blushed. “I didn’t do much.” Then she realized that no one had moved to unlock the chains. “The keys, Laurel?”
“I can’t for another hour at least. We have to make sure these readings are stable before we turn him loose.”
“Just one hand? Please?”
Laurel hesitated only a second before handing the key to Brenna. “Just one.”
Brenna released the lock. “I hate these things.”
Trahern gently squeezed Brenna’s hand. “It’s okay, Brenna. That’s how things are done. I can wait.” As long as she was close by, he could put up with it.
“Hey, Doc, before you start poking and prodding, can I have a couple of minutes alone with Brenna?”
Laurel nodded. Jarvis and Devlin stepped out of the lab, no doubt guarding the door, and Laurel disappeared around the corner to Dr. Crosby’s desk.
Brenna was still holding his hand for dear life.
“Did I scare you?” he asked.
“A little.” The truth was there in the dark circles under her eyes.
“I’m sorry you had to see me like that.”
She gave him a weary smile. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”
He spotted the bandage on her arm and frowned. “Ritter shot you. Are you all right?”
Her smile warmed up. “I am now.”
He closed his eyes, remembering the nightmares. “I could hear you talking to me in the darkness. I was so cold—but then I’d hear your voice and feel warm again.”
“It was the blankets. They were warm.”
“That might have been part of it but not the best part. It was what you were saying that made me want to come back. Say it again.”
“Say what again?” Her expression said she knew exactly what he wanted to hear.
“That you love me.”
“I love you,” she whispered with a smile.
“Damn straight you do.” He reached over with his free arm and pulled her close. “That’s only fair, since you made me fall in love with you, too.”
Then he kissed her.
Several of the machines beeped at the change in his pulse and breathing rate, but he didn’t give a damn. With Brenna in his arms, he was feeling just fine.