Matt Archer: Blade's Edge (27 page)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

I
leaned against the wall in
the hospital early Saturday morning, staring at the doors across from me. The sign said “Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.” Immediately after the delivery, a team of five people in green scrubs hurried out of Aunt Julie’s room and raced down the hall, pushing a glassed-in cart. Uncle Mike staggered out after them. Not knowing what to do, I followed, stopping when the doors closed behind the crowd. Now I waited. Mom and Mamie were flying in later today, but it was up to me to keep watch until they arrived.

It was deathly quiet outside the NICU. While the main hallways in the maternity ward were full of families hugging and laughing, no one talked outside the double doors to the NICU suite as the minutes dragged by. I didn’t even know my cousin’s name. All I knew was “just over four pounds” and “aspirated amniotic fluid” and “on a ventilator.” According to the nurse who came out to update me on Mike’s behalf, Baby Tannen had been blue when she was born. She hadn’t cried or moved at all, so they rushed her to the NICU. Poor Aunt Julie didn’t even get to see or hold her little girl before the doctors whisked the baby away. It wasn’t fair.

The double doors swung open and Uncle Mike came out. He still had on a pair of scrubs, complete with a green hat, and looked like he’d aged years in the last few hours. When he saw me, he nodded and headed my way.

“How is…” I couldn’t finish the question.

“Not good, Chief.” Mike took a long, shuddering breath. “She can’t breathe on her own. The doctors say that babies usually fight their way through this, but her lungs were really full of fluid, so they’re more concerned than normal, especially since she’s so small. The biggest worry right now is infection.”

“I’m sorry, Uncle Mike. Really sorry,” I said. “So, uh, what’s the baby’s name?”

Mike rubbed his eyes. “Kathryn Marie Tannen. We’re calling her Kate.”

“Baby Kate—I like that,” I said. Knowing her name made her more real. “Um, what now?

Uncle Mike leaned against the wall next to me. “Julie’s parents are with her and she wanted me to stick close to the NICU, to be here in case Kate needs something.”

A few minutes later, the doctor asked Mike to come with him to Aunt Julie’s room so they could talk about the baby’s condition. My uncle looked back and forth between the NICU door and the doctor about six times, like he wasn’t sure it was okay to leave. I’d never seen him so indecisive; his world was totally rocked by the four-pound baby inside the nursery. Finally, I said, “I’ll stay, Uncle Mike. Go on—I can keep an eye out.”

He nodded, seeming relieved that I’d stand guard in his place, and left with the doctor. I leaned against the wall again, unsure of what I’d really volunteered to do. When the nurse I’d spoken to earlier left the nursery, I flagged her down. Mike would want a status, right?

“Uh, my cousin…is she okay?”

The nurse smiled. “The Tannen baby? You want to see her?”

Whoa, that wasn’t exactly what I’d asked. “Um, well…”

“Come with me,” she said, too fast for me to back out. I followed her, sick to my stomach. After everything I’d been through, you’d think I’d have more guts, but the thought of helpless, sick little babies scared the crap out of me.

The nurse was in her thirties, with short blond hair and a brisk attitude. She walked me through scrubbing my fingers raw at the sink outside the nursery, then made me douse my hands with antibacterial gel. She even covered my “nasty cast” with plastic wrap.

Once I was degermed enough, the nurse took me inside. The dimly lit nursery was almost as quiet as the hallway outside and people huddled around plastic cribs, watching tiny babies covered with wires. Whirs and beeps from the machines keeping the little boys and girls alive were the only noises above a whisper. My skin crawled. What was I doing in here?

We stopped at a crib in a darkened corner. Under a soft glowing lamp, Baby Kate was stretched out. She had stickers on her chest with wires attached, a tube down her throat and a mask covering the lower half of her face. Her tiny head, covered with only the barest hint of brown fuzz, easily would have fit in my palm.

Kate’s pale arms and legs were splayed, held flat by soft restraints. My heart sped up, demanding I find a way to escape so I wouldn’t have to see any more. “Why is she tied down like that?”

“To keep her calm, honey,” the nurse said with an understanding smile. “She’s sedated, and we have to keep her limbs still so she won’t startle herself awake. We can’t swaddle her because we need to be able to monitor her condition.”

I nodded, feeling my throat close. Strong, I could be strong for Uncle Mike. I forced myself to take a closer look at my cousin. Kate’s skin was translucent; I could see the veins tracing their way through her body, and her little chest jerked as the machine breathed for her.

“Can I touch her?” I asked.

“Yes—you can hold her hand or pat her foot. Just not for long, to keep her from getting stressed,” the nurse said.

I reached out to stroke the baby’s ankle. Her skin was softer than anything I’d ever felt and her leg was only as wide as two of my fingers stuck together. So small, but so perfect, too. A strange new thought hit me right between the eyes as I bent over her crib. In a way, I’d be like her big brother, and it was my job to help take care of her, no matter what. Even if that meant locking down my own demons, leading other people into danger, just to keep her safe.

“Kate? I’m your cousin, Matt. I’d do anything to see you get better,” I said. “Anything.”

Her blood is strong, like yours,
the knife-spirit said.
She’s deserving of your care...and mine.

I wasn’t sure what that meant, or if I should be concerned, but I agreed the baby deserved every bit of protection I could give her.

“Now, Kate, there’s one thing you should know about me. I’m not above bribery,” I whispered. “If you promise not to give your parents any more trouble, I’ll buy you a pony when you turn six.”

The nurse chuckled behind me. I didn’t care that she heard.

“Your nephew’s in here,” the nurse was saying. “I think Kate likes her cousin quite a lot. He’s been with her for half an hour, and her vitals have stayed stable the whole time.”

“Really?” Uncle Mike said, sounding surprised as he rounded the corner. He nodded my way. “So?”

“We’re just fine.” I gave Kate’s foot a little squeeze, wondering if the baby was stable not because of me, but because she had a little unearthly assistance. The knife-spirit chuckled softly, then withdrew.

Mike closed his eyes, turning his face up to the ceiling. “Thank God. They’ll be bringing Julie down soon, and I was hoping to have good news for her.”

“I think Kate’s going to be okay,” I said. “She has badass parents. Stands to reason she’d be up for a fight.” I grinned at him. “Besides, I kind of promised to buy her a pony if she pulled through.”

For the first time since I’d arrived in D.C., Mike laughed, really laughed. “You can buy her eight ponies for all I care.” He bent to kiss Kate’s hand. “And Daddy’s going to buy her the moon.”

“Man, she has you whipped already,” I said.

Mike snorted. “Look who’s talking, Mr. ‘I’ll buy you a pony.’”

“Yeah,” I said, not the least bit embarrassed to admit that Kate held me in the palm of her itty-bitty hand. “I meant that about the pony, you know—I can afford one now, with my military money. You guys will have to get a house with a big yard.”

“Julie did say she wanted a bigger place.” He looked up at me, his eyes shining with tears. “I don’t know what we’d do without you, Matt. I’m so glad you’re here.”

I managed not to look away and gave him a quick guy-hug. Sometimes you just had to deal with the emotional stuff. “Me, too.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“M
arguerite Anise Archer!”

Mrs. Stevens smiled broadly as Mamie took her diploma in shaking fingers, and Mom, Brent and I shouted and waved from the stands when she moved her tassel from left to right. I couldn’t get over how great my sister looked. The black gown with the blue honors stole suited her perfectly—she looked like a college professor, especially with her hair hanging down her back in waves instead of done up in her usual pigtails.

“Oh, my baby girl’s all grown up,” Mom said, crying a little. “She’s a college girl now.”

“I’ll tell you this much,” Brent growled, “any frat guy puts the moves on her, I’m beating him down.”

I nodded emphatically. “I’ll take you up on your offer to help with the beatings. I’m pretty good in a fight, you know.”

Brent snorted, but gave me a fist bump anyway. It was nice to agree on something for once.

We sat through the next three hundred and eighty names, sweltering under the sun. Why did we have graduation outside in the afternoon? The seniors had to be roasting in those robes. When it was over, we peeled ourselves off the bleachers and I went in search of Mamie.

I found her standing off to the side as the seniors hugged and cried and took pictures. None of her classmates, save the few friends who had watched from the stands, were here with her. She looked lonely, so I hurried over.

“Congrats,” I said. “You feel all grown up? Mom seems to think you are.”

Mamie glanced wistfully around the football stadium. “I guess. It’s hard to believe it’s over.”

I couldn’t believe it, either, but telling her how much I’d miss her didn’t seem like a good idea at the moment. “This part, sure. Now you start something else.”

She picked at a loose thread on the sleeve of her graduation gown. “I’m just not sure what.”

This seemed like more than the post-graduation dumps, and it worried me some. “What’s wrong?”

“I have this feeling we’re on the edge of something, and that if I make a wrong move, or tell you the wrong thing, we’ll all fail,” she murmured, giving the stadium one last look.

Stunned because Mamie wasn’t much for doubt, I asked, “Do you need my help with something?”

But she was already shaking her head. “I’ll be okay. Let’s go home.”

I didn’t tell Mom about Mamie’s blues, and my sister did a good job of pretending to have a good time as we ate piles of food and cake. She even smiled while she opened our gifts—the new laptop from Mom, the small TV Uncle Mike and Aunt Julie had ordered for her, and the talking alarm clock from Brent.

“I can’t get up for class unless mine’s screaming, ‘wake up, loser’ at full volume. Trust me, it works,” he said.

My gift was less practical. I’d spent some of my hard-earned Army money to buy a pair of sapphire earrings. It was a total impulse buy—Mamie didn’t go for flashy jewelry—but the look on her face when she opened the box made the expense worth it.

“It’s not enough of a thank you for all your help,” I said. “I hope you like them, though.”

“I love them,” she said.

Mamie put the earrings in, and didn’t take them out again. Like her pigtails, they became a permanent fixture.

So worth it.

Will pointed to the south. “It’s inbound.”

The Blackhawk’s rotors were faint, but definite. Colonel Black had called us up two days earlier than planned, telling us to be suited up and ready to fly out as soon as we got to Fort Carson. The disappearances were escalating, and Parker hadn’t had any luck pinpointing the source. They needed me right away, which is why we got the full military transport treatment, including a helicopter ride to Colorado.

As soon as the Blackhawk came into view, Mom and Mamie mauled me, and I endured much kissing on the cheek and teary-eyed hugs. Ella stood to one side, shifting from foot to foot, with her arms crossed tight across her chest. I broke free of the Archer family love-in and went to her. Wanting to say goodbye without an audience, I took her by the hand and pulled her around the side of the metal building next to the helipad. Once we were alone, I put my arms around her waist and leaned my forehead against hers, knowing it was going to be really hard to let go.

Ella traced the name-patch on my BDUs. “I’ve never seen you wear these.”

I puffed out my chest, totally aware of how well they fit—custom made for me, knife pocket and all. “What do you think?”

“You look…right,” she said. “Like a soldier.”

I hoped so. I’d put some effort into making myself over. Ever since I’d gotten my cast off, I’d restricted myself to a strict diet of protein, vegetables and whole grain carbs. No sweets, no sodas, and—this was the worst part—no Cap’n Crunch. Will kicked my butt in the gym, too, and I’d put on five pounds of muscle in two weeks. I was as ready for this as I’d ever be. Spending so much time getting ready for the mission meant seeing less of Ella than I liked, but I did it so I could come home to her safe and sound for once.

I squeezed Ella tighter. “BDU’s are pretty comfortable to wear. Maybe I should get you some.”

That got a laugh and she snuggled close. “Only if you include the combat boots.”

“Deal.” I rested my chin on her head. The helicopter was getting too loud too fast. “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too.”

We only had time for one last kiss before the Blackhawk landed. Will poked his head around the corner. “Ride’s here.”

I put my hands on either side of Ella’s face, trying to memorize how she looked. “I’ll see you soon, promise.”