Awaken (Divine Hunter Series) (12 page)

Michael broke the awkward silence, thank God. “What are your plans for today Lacy?”

She thought for a moment. U
sually, Saturdays were what she classed as
lazy days
. She normally had a pile of assignments to mark over the weekend, and this one was certainly no different, but she always left them till Sunday in favor of trash TV and PJs. Not today. Present company had put a stop to that happening. She thought about the marking, but couldn’t face it.

“I’m not sure,” s
he said, at a loss. She hadn’t really thought about doing anything except visiting Nina later on. She was glad, in a way, that she had company as the thought of spending time alone with just her thoughts, the ones that had been so unexpectedly dragged back to the surface again, made her palms sweaty. “How about you two?”

She watched Evo’s brow lift as he turned to look at his friend. Michael heaved a sigh. “I still don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be alone until we figure this thing out.”

“I’ll be fine,” she quickly protested. She wasn’t fully on board with the babysitting. “He was probably just high or something.”

“We can’t know for sure so whatever you decide to do today, you’ll have me and Evo for company.” His smile looked almost apologetic.

She was about to object when her phone rang. She shot up from the table, forgetting what happened when she’d done that earlier in the bedroom, and winced at the pain in her head as she grabbed the handset from its cradle. “Hello.” she said, before a female voice spoke on the other end of the line.

“Hello. Miss Holloway?”

“Yes, speaking.” She opened a drawer in front of her and retrieved some Advil.

“Hi. My name is Claire Roper, I’m calling from Union Memorial Hospital about Nina Murphy.” In an instant, Lacy’s stomach sank. She’d asked for them to call her if there was any
news, but at this very moment she didn’t know if she wanted to hear it. She braced herself for bad news.

“Hello. Are you still there?” the woman asked after Lacy had momentarily gone silent.

“Uh. . . Yes. I’m here.”

“We thought you’d like to know that the doctors will be bringing Nina out of her coma this afternoon. She’s had a good night and the swelling has reduced significantly, although she’s still not out of the woods yet. We’ll have to monitor her closely and see how she responds. The next twenty four hours are going to be critical and we won’t know the full extent of the damage to her brain, if any, until she comes around from the sedation.”

Lacy’s vision went blurry as her eyes filled up with tears. She knew there was a long way to go and not to expect too much given the extent of Nina’s injuries but still. . . there was new hope.

“Would you like me to keep you informed of her progress? You seem to be the only person we can contact,” the kind female voice asked.

“Yes, please. Could I see her?”

“I’m afraid you won’t be able to visit until this evening. That’s if all goes well. We want to monitor her very closely this afternoon. Like I said I’ll keep you informed.”

“Thank you.” Lacy had planned on going to the hospital sooner, after what Michael had just said, this morning in fact. It would have been her excuse for avoiding being cooped up in her house with him and his slightly irritating friend, but, while that didn’t look like it would happen now, knowing they were bringing Nina around from the sedation today had lifted her mood.

After hanging up the
phone, she saw that Michael and Evo were looking at her, eagerly awaiting the news. “Hospital? How is she?” Michael asked.

Lacy nodded. “They’re bringing her out of her coma today.” She turned the faucet on and filled a glass of water, then went on to explain what the nurse had told her before popping the pills in her mouth.

“That’s good news.” Evo said after taking a sip from his mug of coffee. “They were just taking her down for assessment when I left earlier.”

Lacy looked up at him, confused. What did he mean?
Maybe he’d popped into the hospital before he’d come here
. Yeah, that must be it. Michael must have asked him to check on her because he didn’t want to leave Lacy on her own.

As if reading her mind, Michael explained. “I asked Evo to watch the hospital through the night. To make sure Jake didn’t show up again.”

Lacy felt a twinge of guilt over assuming Evo had been whoring himself all night. That’s why he was in the same clothes. He’d been making sure Nina was safe just like Michael had with her and yet she’d mentally scorned him. She looked at him with a grateful smile and a silent apology. “Thank you.” He looked surprised for a second before his expression changed into a cocky smile and he winked at her. Jeez, he was annoying.

She saw him look at Michael and then his face went serious. His eyes darted back to Lacy and between them again before he let out a sigh and got up from the table. “Damn, there’s too much tension in here right now. I’m popping out for a smoke,” he said as he strolled out of the kitchen door leaving it to slam shut behind him.

“You get used to him.” Michael said, as if sensing her annoyance.

She rinsed out her glass and placed it on the drainer. “He’s ok
ay, really. I’m just a little sensitive today.” She grabbed a small plate and contemplated eating some of the left over bacon, but still couldn’t, so she put the plate back.

“More coffee?
” she asked as she topped up her own mug.

“Not for me. I’m good thanks.”

She felt him watching her as she stood at the sink staring through the small window that overlooked her back garden. The silence between them was uncomfortable and just as she spoke, so did Michael.

“About last−”

“I was−” They both paused.

“You go.” Michael smiled.

She took in a deep breath and tried to dampen down the glow she could feel creeping back into her cheeks. “About last night. . . I wanted to apologize for what happened.”

Michael’s lips curled up. “You already did,” he said, reminding her of her slurred words after he’d pushed her off him.

“Yes, well, I wanted to repeat it now I’m sober. I’m just. . . it’s a bad time for me right now and I’m having trouble keeping my mind off something. I don’t normally behave like that. I was out of line. I’m sorry.” She stared into her coffee; too much of a coward to look at him, then heard the shuffle of his chair and the sound of his heavy boots approaching her.

Michael
placed his hands on her shoulders. “Hey.” He moved his head to her line of sight so she had no choice but to look at him. “It’s okay. We’re all entitled to get a little drunk once in a while.” His smile was genuine, and she liked the way it lit up his whole face.

She relaxed a little and smiled back at him, the feeling of comfort creeping back over her. It was nice,
but at the same time strange, to feel so close to him. It was like she’d known him a lot longer than she actually had.

He shook his head and laughed a little.

“What is it?” she asked, wondering what had tickled him.

“
Nothing. . . it’s just, well, maybe next time we should ban the alcohol.”

“
Oh. . . God,” she groaned. This was the second time she’d been alone with him and both times she’d drunk too much. “You must think I’m a total wreck,” she said covering her eyes with her hand and shaking her head in shame. She knew she had to get a grip on her emotions, but it was still hard for her at this time of year.

She opened her mouth to say
something, but hesitated.

Michael’s brow furrowed. “What?”

“Next Tuesday will be the anniversary of my sister’s death,” she explained, surprised to find herself opening up to him so easily.

Michael inhaled deeply.
“I’m so sorry. How long ago did it happen?” He led her back to the table and gestured for her to sit down and sat in the chair beside her. Just then Evo pushed the door open and she saw Michael glance up at him and give a subtle shake of his head. Then there was the sound of the door closing and a mumble as Evo walked away.

“It was a long time ago. S
ixteen years. I still have a hard time with it.” She was surprised when Michael’s warm hand covered hers on the table. It felt nice, comforting.

“How old was she? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“No, not at all. She was nine, three years younger than me.” Lacy couldn’t believe how much was coming out of her mouth. She never really spoke about it to anyone−her friends from work, not even her Grandmother when she was alive−so why did she feel she could tell him? All of a sudden it was pouring out of her. Michael sat quietly as she explained what happened all those years ago, including the truth about her mother’s so called career choice and how they were often left on their own. Michael sat quietly, his impassive expression welcome. If he’d shown her any sign of pity she was pretty sure she’d lose it, but he just listened.

She hesitated as she got to the part of the accident. Michael must
have sensed her anguish because he squeezed her hand gently, reassuring her that it was okay to go on. A tear broke free and rolled down her left cheek as she told him what had happened, reliving it all over again for the second time in less than twenty-four hours.

Micha
el moved his chair closer until their knees touched. Then he reached up to wipe her cheek with his thumb. Quietly he said, “It wasn’t your fault.”

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, her breath shook as she heard his words. She w
ished she could feel that way−that it was just an accident, but ever since that day her mother’s words, the first words that had come from her mouth when the doctors had told them that Beth had died, had played over and over in her mind:
“It’s your fault she’s dead! You were supposed to look after her. How could you let this happen to my baby?”
Then Sheila had broken down, sobbing into the strange man’s chest as he’d looked down at Lacy with what she knew now as contempt

Michael
’s brow lowered even further and his mouth tightened. “She had no right to say those words to you. You were a child left to fend for yourself and your sister. That should never have been your responsibility. It should have been her job. She’s the one responsible for what happened because she left two young children all on their own.”

Lacy was taken aback at the anger in Michael
’s voice. He shook his head and then reached up placing both his hands on her face. “It was bad enough that you had to witness what happened to her, but all of these years you’ve carried that unnecessary guilt around with you when it should have been your mother’s burden.”

Lacy could barely speak and she slowly moved his hands away from her face. It was hard for her to accept what he was saying. Nobody had said anything like that to her before. She had just always accepted that it was her fault
that her sister had run down that alleyway straight into the busy morning traffic. But something about his words hit her hard.

“That should have been her job.” “It should have
been your mother’s burden.”

He was right. She thought back to how she used to envy her friend
’s parents. The few times her mother had let her go to Sophie’s for dinner, she would sit at the dining room table and watch as her friend’s mother prepared dinner for them. It was much different to anything she’d seen at home and she used to imagine her and Beth sat at a table in their own house with their mother placing a plate full of home cooked food down in front of them both with a loving smile. Afterwards, Lacy’s mother would kiss their imaginary father on the cheek and join them at the table.

That
’s how it should have been.

She looked at Michael as a familiar feeling began to rise from the pit of her stomach.
Oh No! Not again.
This was something that hadn’t happened to her for a long time.
Just breathe,
she told herself as what little air she seemed to be taking in began to feel thick in her lungs.

Breathe, damm
it!

She
began to tremble as the panic attack began to rise from her feet all the way up her legs, reaching her stomach and rising up further until it hit her chest, washing over her as quickly as it used to. She tried to breathe slowly in an attempt to get it under control, trying desperately to remember the exercises her therapist had taught her years ago to calm herself down. But her mind refused to work; she couldn’t remember what to do.

She spoke to Michael, hardly noticing him now as she stood up from the table.
“I. . . I have to get some air.” She croaked as she reached for the lock on the French doors that led to her back garden. Her hands were shaking too much to turn the key.

Michael shot up from his chair and rushed to help her. “Jesus
! Lacy. You’re trembling. Are you okay?” He unlocked the door and opened it wide.

“Can’t. . . breathe!” she struggled to say as she placed her hand over her throat. Her breaths were getting shorter and shorter now and her vision began to swim. She felt Michael’s arm around her waist as he helped guide her out into the frosty morning sunshine.