crossbow bolt is an everyday occurrence."
"They don't have to know what wounded you." Luis gave Andrew a passing glare as he returned with the chair."Tell them some children were playing with bows and arrows and got out of hand."
Andrew's face turned as red as his hair, but he didn't respond to the taunt."Do you need help?" he asked me.
Gwen came running up, her bouncing red curls not quite as brassy as Andrew's. My normally cheerful, upbeat roomie was all business as she pushed her way into the car beside me."What happened?"
We explained and I said,"I don't want Shade for this. Can you take care of it . . . discreetly?"
She frowned."I have to use the resources here at the hospital, which means you'll have to be seen by a doctor. Is there anything . . . unusual about your blood or anything?"
"I don't know. Probably."
Andrew nodded."Definitely."
Crap."And you'd better make sure it's a female doctor. If a guy gets too close . . ."
Gwen's mouth rounded in an"o" of realization.
"Don't worry," Luis said dismissively."I shall ensure no one remembers anything unusual tonight."
Gwen glanced at him curiously but didn't ask how or why. That was only one of the many things I loved about her.
"Okay," Gwen said decisively."I'll make sure she gets help." She eased me gently into the chair and glanced at Fang."I'm sorry, but he can't come in."
My best friend couldn't be by my side? Then I wasn't sure I wanted to go.
YOU CAN STILL REACH ME MENTALLY, EVEN IF I STAY OUTSIDE.
He was right. I hated hospitals, so I was just trying to delay the inevitable. Sighing, I thought back at him, Okay. I nodded at Gwen and she turned to Luis."Can you deal with the paperwork?"
He frowned, but obviously didn't want to admit there was something he couldn't do.
"I'll get the info from Micah," Josh said."Do you want me to call anyone else? Your family?"
Lord, no."Anyone calls my mother and they're dead meat. Got me?" I did not want her hovering over me, trying to act all maternal and caring when it probably wasn't serious.
Josh looked surprised, but everyone nodded, so Gwen whisked me inside. I had an impression of light tiled floors, white walls, ugly harsh white lighting . . . and the distinctive hospital smell that had the blood draining from my head. If I wasn't sick before, that smell would do it every time.
IT'S PSYCHOSOMATIC, Fang told me.
How do you even know those kinds of words?
BEFORE I MET YOU, I DID A LOT OF PEOPLEWATCHING AND SAW A LOT OF TV THROUGH WINDOWS. HAD TO ENTERTAIN MYSELF SOMEHOW. AMAZING WHAT YOU LEARN.
I guess. But psychosomatic or not, being here made me feel worse. I liked it even less when the doctor came in to work on me.
A couple of hours later, I was bandaged up and woozy from the medication they'd given me. The doctor must have noticed something odd because she wanted to run some tests, but Luis, who pretended he was my brother so he could be by my side, used his mind-control mojo to persuade her otherwise.
When she left, I turned to Gwen."Did she talk to anyone about my strangeness? Is there anything written down?"
"She only mentioned it to me," Gwen assured me."And your . . . brother," she glanced askance at Luis,"took care of the lab techs who tested your blood. Josh helped me find all your records. There's nothing weird in them."
"Good."
I fell asleep on my way home. When I woke, I was in my own bed, Fang curled up beside me, and practically everyone I knew was standing around—Luis and his two troublemakers had been joined by Shade, Alejandro and Micah. They were all chatting quietly at the foot of my bed. Gwen must have gone off-shift, because she was standing over me, checking my pulse. Made me feel a bit like Dorothy, with Gwen playing Auntie Em and Fang as Toto. Guess who the two brainless scarecrows were?
SHE'S AWAKE, Fang announced. BUT I THINK SHE'S DELIRIOUS.
No, just feeling a little goofy."What's going on?" I said aloud. I lifted myself up onto my elbows, wincing. Note to self:
"They don't have to know what wounded you." Luis gave Andrew a passing glare as he returned with the chair."Tell them some children were playing with bows and arrows and got out of hand."
Andrew's face turned as red as his hair, but he didn't respond to the taunt."Do you need help?" he asked me.
Gwen came running up, her bouncing red curls not quite as brassy as Andrew's. My normally cheerful, upbeat roomie was all business as she pushed her way into the car beside me."What happened?"
We explained and I said,"I don't want Shade for this. Can you take care of it . . . discreetly?"
She frowned."I have to use the resources here at the hospital, which means you'll have to be seen by a doctor. Is there anything . . . unusual about your blood or anything?"
"I don't know. Probably."
Andrew nodded."Definitely."
Crap."And you'd better make sure it's a female doctor. If a guy gets too close . . ."
Gwen's mouth rounded in an"o" of realization.
"Don't worry," Luis said dismissively."I shall ensure no one remembers anything unusual tonight."
Gwen glanced at him curiously but didn't ask how or why. That was only one of the many things I loved about her.
"Okay," Gwen said decisively."I'll make sure she gets help." She eased me gently into the chair and glanced at Fang."I'm sorry, but he can't come in."
My best friend couldn't be by my side? Then I wasn't sure I wanted to go.
YOU CAN STILL REACH ME MENTALLY, EVEN IF I STAY OUTSIDE.
He was right. I hated hospitals, so I was just trying to delay the inevitable. Sighing, I thought back at him, Okay. I nodded at Gwen and she turned to Luis."Can you deal with the paperwork?"
He frowned, but obviously didn't want to admit there was something he couldn't do.
"I'll get the info from Micah," Josh said."Do you want me to call anyone else? Your family?"
Lord, no."Anyone calls my mother and they're dead meat. Got me?" I did not want her hovering over me, trying to act all maternal and caring when it probably wasn't serious.
Josh looked surprised, but everyone nodded, so Gwen whisked me inside. I had an impression of light tiled floors, white walls, ugly harsh white lighting . . . and the distinctive hospital smell that had the blood draining from my head. If I wasn't sick before, that smell would do it every time.
IT'S PSYCHOSOMATIC, Fang told me.
How do you even know those kinds of words?
BEFORE I MET YOU, I DID A LOT OF PEOPLEWATCHING AND SAW A LOT OF TV THROUGH WINDOWS. HAD TO ENTERTAIN MYSELF SOMEHOW. AMAZING WHAT YOU LEARN.
I guess. But psychosomatic or not, being here made me feel worse. I liked it even less when the doctor came in to work on me.
A couple of hours later, I was bandaged up and woozy from the medication they'd given me. The doctor must have noticed something odd because she wanted to run some tests, but Luis, who pretended he was my brother so he could be by my side, used his mind-control mojo to persuade her otherwise.
When she left, I turned to Gwen."Did she talk to anyone about my strangeness? Is there anything written down?"
"She only mentioned it to me," Gwen assured me."And your . . . brother," she glanced askance at Luis,"took care of the lab techs who tested your blood. Josh helped me find all your records. There's nothing weird in them."
"Good."
I fell asleep on my way home. When I woke, I was in my own bed, Fang curled up beside me, and practically everyone I knew was standing around—Luis and his two troublemakers had been joined by Shade, Alejandro and Micah. They were all chatting quietly at the foot of my bed. Gwen must have gone off-shift, because she was standing over me, checking my pulse. Made me feel a bit like Dorothy, with Gwen playing Auntie Em and Fang as Toto. Guess who the two brainless scarecrows were?
SHE'S AWAKE, Fang announced. BUT I THINK SHE'S DELIRIOUS.
No, just feeling a little goofy."What's going on?" I said aloud. I lifted myself up onto my elbows, wincing. Note to self:
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