Gramadea sighed. “Much as I want to go in and ask him a few things, it’s you he’s been asking for. I’ll wait for you here. Take your time, there’s no hurry, and if you manage to get any answers–”
“Look, I really don’t mean to be difficult,” the nurse interrupted. “Kellan is in a bad way; I’m only looking out for him. Marching in there and assaulting him with a bunch of questions won’t do him any good. I don’t want him stressed in any way. We brought him into the private wing at Alfred’s request, bypassing all the hospital bureaucracy, or the police would be up here asking questions as well.”
“I’m not going to do anything to upset him. I promise.” I wasn’t. I just wanted to see him.
She nodded. “Follow me. Mrs. Darley, there’s a cafeteria–”
“That’s okay. I’ll wait here,” Gramadea replied curtly.
I slipped through the door the nurse held open for me. She didn’t follow me in. I paused for a moment when the door shut behind me, getting my bearings. The room was dark apart from the stream of moonlight coming through the half-covered window.
I made my way to the bed and looked down at the face bathed by the moonbeams. He was lying on his left side, his eyes closed. I wondered if that was from the swelling or because he was asleep. An IV needle was poking out of his hand. I gently brushed the tips of his fingers with mine, then looked at his face again. Even in this light, I could make out the bruises. A big bandage, much like the one Ali had worn after her nose job, covered his nose.
I thought I felt his fingers move under mine, so I held my hand still. His moved again, rubbing mine.
“Kell?” I whispered softly.
“Shrimp,” he rasped hoarsely. “Come closer.”
I slid as close as possible with my thighs right up against the frame of the bed.
“Closer. Come sit by me.”
I looked down, wondering exactly how to do that without asking him to scoot over–I couldn’t very well ask him to do that, not with that IV tube there. “Not sure I can. I don’t want to knock the IV out of your hand.”
“Slide under it, my hand I mean.”
I was flummoxed.
Slide under it
? How? I decided I better give it a try before he got worked up. I gently lifted his right hand–the one with the needle sticking out–and crept under it. And I was now sitting on his left hand. Awkward. And probably very painful for him. So I tried sliding off it without moving his other hand too much. I placed it on my waist, and before I knew it, I was half-sitting, half-lying on the bed next to him. Not a great position.
Then I heard a faint snicker.
I giggled. “Are you having fun? I bet I look like an idiot, and I’m going to fall off the bed at any moment, so prepare to turn that sad little snicker into a full-blown chuckle.”
“Put your feet up on the bed and your head on the pillow. I’ll make sure you don’t fall.”
I hesitated for a moment, but then did what he asked. After all, it was that, falling, or getting off the bed completely. I tried to be as gentle as possible, but I felt him flinch as I bumped my knees and feet against him. At least, I managed to get my head onto the pillow without smushing into his nose.
“Better?” he asked.
“Yeah, much. My bottom’s still hanging off the side of the bed, but as long as you hold onto me, I’ll try to stay on.” I giggled.
His grip around my waist tightened, sending a tingle through me, and I trembled. My body was so close to his that I could feel his muscles tighten.
“Kell, how are you feeling?” I asked, trying to rescue my thoughts from my body.
“Better now that you’re here,” he said in a surprisingly leery tone.
I cracked up laughing. “Been reading
Little Red Riding Hood
again? Big bad woolfie! Be serious, Kell! You look awful. How are you feeling?”
“Gee, thanks, you sure know how to make a guy feel awesome.”
“Oh, you know what I mean! Quit stalling.”
“I feel better than I look. My nose hurts the worst. It was broken, so they had to reset it. The painkillers help. I think I might be due another dose soon.”
“Do you want me to get the nur–”
“No, no. I’ll be fine for a bit longer. Just stay here with me.”
“Sure. Do you want me to be quiet or do you want to talk?”
“Quiet, just for a bit. My head hurts.”
I brought my fingers to his temple and rubbed it gently in circular movements. He sighed in approval. After a couple of minutes, I blurted, “What are you thinking?”
“Ah, the famous Arizona Darley question,” he mumbled. “I was thinking that I could lie here like this forever as long as you keep rubbing your fingers over my forehead. That feels so good.”
“Kell, can you open your eyes, or are they too swollen?”
“I can, but it hurts. Do you mind if I keep them closed?”
“No, of course not. Who did this to you?”
He winced, and I immediately regretted my question. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“It’s okay. I know you need to know. It was mainly Dan, under Raj’s orders.”
“Who’s Dan?”
“You still don’t remember anything?”
“No.”
“So lying here next to me must feel kinda weird for you.”
“Not really. I mean, we’ve shared a bed lots of times while camping. But wait… would this not be awkward if I remembered?”
“So this
is
awkward?” he persisted.
“No, not really. Well, kind of, but I’m not sure how. I almost feel like it’s totally normal, but it’s kind of weird, isn’t it? I mean, Gramadea would flip out if she walked in right now. Anyhow, I’m good. I like being here next to you; I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now. Anyhow, who’s Dan? And why should I remember him?” I remembered back to what David had told me and Kellan confirmed it.
“Dan and Sophie work for Raj. They were both helping him get the portal blueprints from your mom. How is she, by the way?”
“The same, I think. Continue.”
He chuckled. “Yes, ma’am. Dan is Raj’s henchman. He’s
big
, giant big. I never thought he was violent, though. Not until he got started on me.”
“Why did they do this to you?” I stared at his lips, happy that his eyes were closed, or I’d probably weird him out with my close inspection. They were so puffy and dry, with dried blood still encrusted where they had split. I had a sudden urge to lean forward and kiss them better. How many times in the past had Kellan done that for both me and Ella–kissed our boo-boos better?
I brushed my lips gently against his. He gasped in pain, and I hastily withdrew. He opened his eyes. They were watery and blood shot. “I am so sorry, Kell. I was just trying to kiss you better.” I gulped, fighting my tears from welling out. What a stupid thing to do!
He shook his head and suddenly leaned forward and brushed my lips with his. My stomach twisted with so many emotions I couldn’t place any of them. He didn’t linger, but tightened his grip around me bringing my body closer to his. He moved his face away so I could see him again. I couldn’t speak. I had no idea what to say.
“Shrimp, I’m fine. That kiss was just what I needed. You just took me by surprise. Here, look at me. I’m okay. Really.”
I met his gaze, but remained silent. Nothing I could say would dig me out of my emotional pit.
“So, you want to know why I got beat up?”
I nodded.
“I’m not clear what exactly happened, but I can tell you what I remember. I was unconscious for parts of it.”
I felt a lump in my throat.
“Madison, a Sigma-W-Pi, one of Potomal’s staff, grabbed me and transported me from the Casino in Vegas after David rescued you. She brought me to Raj’s motel room–after a short break at some house–and left me there with Raj, Dan, and Sophie.”
I wanted to interrupt to ask more about Dan and Sophie but decided not to.
“I guess I was a bit sarcastic when Raj asked me some questions–I can’t even remember what they were anymore. I just remember them getting very frustrated, and then Dan punched me. So, I went at him, which in hindsight was stupid, but I couldn’t help myself. So he laid into me until I blacked out.
“I woke up when someone hit my face with water, twice. I didn’t let on and pretended to still be out of it. I heard Raj, Dan, and Sophie discussing what they would do with the
video
. They decided Dan would take it to my dad to get the prints from him.”
I cringed. Well, that plan would have been doomed to fail. I guessed they didn’t know that Larry was in the hospital. I wondered if Kellan knew. I wasn’t about to share that with him now.
Kellan coughed.
“Kell, do you want something to drink? Water?”
“There should be some ice behind you. Could you reach over and pop a couple of pieces into my mouth?”
I turned carefully, trying not to bump him too much, and found the ice bucket. I picked a couple out, they were melting fast, and turned around. Kellan, his eyes closed again, had his lips slightly apart. I gently slid the bits of ice into his mouth. He squeezed my waist appreciatively.
“Where was I?”
“You were saying something about a video and Dan taking it to your dad.”
“Yeah. Then they talked about Dan transporting out with Madison to do the deal. I vaguely remember the door opening then, and more people coming into the room, but I must have blacked out again….”
“Do you remember anything at all after that?”
“No, the next thing I knew I was here, in this room. How did I get here? The only one I’ve talked to is the nurse, and she doesn’t seem to know anything. The doctors aren’t very chatty and haven’t said anything apart from stuff to do with my injuries. Does Dad know I’m here?”
“I don’t know if your dad knows. I’ll make sure to get a message to him once I leave here.”
“Thanks. Do you know how I got here? Who rescued me?”
“My dad did. Sheesh, Kell, so much stuff has happened. You wouldn’t even believe half of it!”
“Try me. Your dad? How?”
“Do you remember that my granddad was the Sigma-W leader?”
“Yeah, I remember everything from before I got beat up.”
“Okay. When Rowena was murdered, he had to resign.”
“Did Simla kill her?”
“We think so, but we’re not sure yet. Anyhow, when Granddad resigned, Dad took over as the leader of the Sigma-Ws.”
Kellan’s eyes opened wide in shock.
“Yes, it wasn’t an easy decision, I’m sure, but he seems to have settled into the role like he was made for it.”
“What did your mom say?” he spluttered.
“She doesn’t know yet; she’s still in a coma.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. Anyhow, Dad got a team together that included Trina. Come across her before?”
“No.”
“Well, she’s a piece of work, but she seems good at her job. They tracked you down and got a rescue troop together. I, of course, insisted on coming. David came as well.”