Ascended (9 page)

“I’ll try. But I won’t risk taking any more energy from you
, Carter. You’re getting weak; even I can see it. I can’t—I won’t—allow you to put your own existence at risk for me any longer. I’ll hold on myself, for as long as I’m able,” she said.

“Agreed.
I just have one last request,” he said.

“And what is this reques
t?” Vivian asked, smiling.

“This,
” Carter said, taking her hand and transferring his energy into her body.

“Carter,
no!” she shouted at him, trying to pull her hand away from his.

“Sorry, just needed to keep that smiling face around a little longer until I can figure out what Luci
an wants. You wouldn’t deny me one last request, would ya, Viv?” he said, grinning at her.

“Well, I really didn’t have much of a choice in the matter now
, did I?” she tried to look stern.

“See
ya tomorrow, angel,” Carter responded.

“You know
, Carter, Vie was lucky to have you, even if it was only for a little while. I believe she’s watching over us, and I believe she will find a way to come back to you—with or without me here,” she said the words almost as if she knew they were true.

Carter left the room and
was surprised to find Tess sitting in the waiting area with flowers in her hand. “How long have you been waiting out here?” he asked.

“A few hours,” she replied. “I’ve been trying to work up the courage to go in
. I mean, I’ve been so awful to her, I wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t want to see me at all.” Tess bowed her head, ashamed.

“Tess, I have a feeling Vivian would be very happy to see you,” Carter said
with understanding.

Tess looked up at him and could see he was confident about his feeling.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” he asked her. “Get in there and say what you need to say to your friend.”

Tess opened the door and entered
Vivian’s room. An hour later she came out with tears in her eyes.

“That bad
, huh?” Carter asked, surprised by her tears.

“Worse than I
’d ever imagined,” she replied, wiping the tears from her eyes. “She was so wonderful to me; honestly, it made me feel worse. She forgave me for every awful thing I’ve ever done or said to her, and told me she understood better than anyone that jealousy was an ugly emotion that made good people do bad things.”

“She’s absolutely right,” Carter said. “You know
, Tess, it’s never too late to turn over a new leaf.”

“That’s exactly what Vivian said,” Tess replied
, still teary.

Carter lent her his shoulder
, knowing she really needed a friend to lean on, both literally and figuratively. While Tess had been in Vivian’s room, he’d been thinking about his own discussion with Vivian. The comment about a ‘sister’ had puzzled him.

Since Tess knew the family well, h
e figured he’d start his investigation by asking her about Lily, Vivian’s mother, trying to obtain any information from as far back as Tess could remember.

Tess told Carter that her parents
had been very close to Henry and Lily when they were first married. According to Tess, Lily had apparently had a troubled past, but when she met Henry everything changed. Lily moved to Newcastle to be with Henry and they started a family.

“In fact,”
Tess said, “My father was Lily’s obstetrician when she was pregnant with Vivian.”

That announcement registered a red flag within Carter
. He didn’t know why, but suddenly he had a feeling Dr. Montgomery was holding the key to the mystery he needed to solve in order to save Vivian’s soul. If Tess really wanted to turn over a new leaf and repay Vivian for her kindness, now was her chance.

“Tess, any chance you can do me a favor?” he asked.

“Sure, anything for you, Carter,” she looked happy to oblige.

“I need to see Lily’s medical records,” he said.
He knew it was a strange request, one that would require a much needed explanation.

“Why would you need to see them?” Tess asked curiously.

“Honestly, I’m not sure, Tess. If you can’t help me I’ll understand,” Carter said, letting her off the hook.

“Carter
, don’t you know by now that I’d do anything for you?” she confessed. “Of course I can help you. His office closes at 5pm but I have a key. We can go in after hours if you can wait till then.”

“Thanks
, Tess! You’re the best!” Carter said, kissing her on the cheek.
In three hours,
he thought,
I’ll begin my search for the truth
. He hoped the medical records would reveal something that would help him piece together the puzzle Lucian had created for them. There was something tugging at Carter whenever he thought about the records, and he felt sure whatever information they held would blow Lucian’s plan wide open.

“Well, since we have some time to kill
, would you like to hang out for a while?” Carter inquired.

“Here?” Tess asked
, looking around the dreary hospital.

“No, not here!
I was thinking we could head back to my place. My mom would love to see you,” he added. That seemed to please her.

“Sure,” Tess replied enthusiastically.

They left the hospital and
headed back to the Stone Ranch, finding Katherine at home and in the kitchen when they arrived. She was surprised to see Tess Montgomery standing with her son.

“Hey, what are you two up to?
” Katherine asked.

“Tess and I are helping each other with something,” Carter replied
, unable to lie.

“That’s
terrific. Can I get you kids anything?” she offered politely.

“No thanks
, Mrs. Stone,” Tess replied. Carter echoed her sentiments.

“Mom, we’re going to head upstairs
and get to work, if you don’t mind.”

“No, not at all.
It was good to see you, Tess. Tell your parents we’ll have to get together for dinner soon, all right?” Katherine said with a smile.

“Sure thing
, Mrs. Stone,” Tess said. They continued up the stairs to Carter’s room. Tess took a seat on his bed, and then her curiosity got the better of her. “So, what’s the relevance of Lily’s medical records? I mean, what is it you hope to find?”

“You must be thirsty
; I know I am.” Carter evaded her inquiries. “How about I get us some cold drinks?” He knew now was not the time to reveal anything to Tess.

“
Sure, Carter,” Tess replied suspiciously as he left the room.

What secrets are you hiding from me
, Carter Stone
? she thought as she looked around his room. Tess took the opportunity to search for her own answers as she rifled through Carter’s belongings. She opened his dresser drawer and found the very thing she was looking for: the Angel Blade.

Carter returned with drinks in hand and Tess quickly tucked the blade in her jacket.

“Here we are,” he said.

“You know what
, Carter? I just remembered I have something I have to do,” she said.

“What
? Now?”

“Ye
ah, it’s just this thing…for the cheer squad. It’s really important and I forgot all about it. I’ll call you later!” she shouted as she ran out of his room.

“Okay, that was weird
…” he said to himself, still holding the two drinks.

Carter thought her abrupt exit was strange
, but he needed to meet with Raphael anyway so he could bring him up to speed on what he was up to; rather, what Lucian was up to. He found Raphael waiting for him behind the gatehouse where they frequently met, and Carter filled him in on his suspicions about Lucian as well as his plan to uncover the truth.

Raphael seemed impressed with Carter’s discovery
. “Keep me posted, okay? Now let’s get busy.” They trained for several hours, and again he noticed Carter’s weakened state.

“Carter, I can see you ignored
my warnings,” Raphael stated.

“What?” Carter replied
, not as clueless as he wanted Raphael to believe.

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice? I know I’m no
t Gabriel, but come on,” he replied.

Carter remained quiet and Raphael found his silence
as good as an admission of guilt.

“Carter, does something
bad have to happen before you can see the danger in continuing with your reckless behavior? You cannot keep supplying Vivian with your energy to sustain her life! Do I make myself clear?” he lectured Carter yet again, with little result.

Raphael was becoming increasingly
concerned about the Chosen One and his stubbornness. He worried that if Lucian were to surface, Carter would be unable to defend himself against the Dark One’s powers. Raphael decided he needed to find a way to get his point across to Carter in a way he would understand.

They trained vigorously for hours and Carter was exhausted
, but Raphael kept coming at him. Carter fought him off, but it was getting harder and harder to defend himself against the mighty Guardian. Then just at the moment Carter thought he had Raphael exactly where he wanted him, he felt his head hit the ground and Raphael was above him with a blade in hand, inches from cutting his neck.

“Check
mate!” he remarked, looking at Carter lying defenseless and beaten on the ground.

“You see
, my friend, this is what will happen if you continue to ignore my warnings about the Thorne girl. The difference is this: I am not Lucian; but if I were, it would be ‘game over’ for you.” He allowed the severity of the situation to resonate with Carter.

“Okay, I get it
, Raph!” he said, pushing him off. “But I know Lucian wants Vivian for a reason, and if I could just figure out what that reason is, it might help us defeat him.”

“I understand
, Carter. I just want you to understand that the way you’re going about it is wrong. You won’t be of any help to Vivian if you’re not around. Are we clear?” Raphael asked.

“Crystal
.”

Carter’s cell phone rang
; it was Tess, telling him she was ready to meet him. Carter told Raphael he would see him later, ran back to his Jeep, and sped off.

By the time h
e arrived at Dr. Montgomery’s office, Tess was already there, waiting nervously for him. Carter could see she was a little uneasy about entering the building.

“Tess, you don’t have to do this if it makes you
uncomfortable,” Carter said, clearly seeing the anxiety clinging to her face. “I can do this by myself. You can wait for me here.”

“No, it’s fine
. I want to help,” Tess insisted.

They entered and began searching for old medical records, specifically ones with the name Lily Thorne on them. Tess struck gold
, calling Carter over to view the record she’d found. She held the flashlight up as Carter read the file.

What
Carter read was unbelievable: Lily had been carrying twins. This was completely new information, and very relevant to Carter’s investigation.
Bingo.

“Twins?
Lily was carrying twins?” He said aloud, stunned by the news. “Tess, why is there no record of Lily giving birth to twins in here?”

“I don’t know
,” she replied, confused. “Maybe my father didn’t deliver the babies,” she suggested. “But why not? I’m sure Henry would be able to shed some light.”

“I knew I brought you along for a reason. Of course Henry would know. Thank you
, Tess, for helping me with all of this,” Carter said sincerely.

“
Even though all of this is intriguing, I really wish you would explain to me why it’s so important for you to figure out the ‘Thorne Family Secrets.’ I mean, I just don’t understand what it is you hope to gain by opening the door to the past.” She sounded puzzled, but Carter got the idea that she was prying.

“A friend once told me that life can only be understood backward
, but must be lived forward,” Carter said. “The past is always relevant to the present.”

“Yes, I think I’ve heard that somewhere before,” she replied.

“You did? From whom?” Carter wondered, knowing that Gabriel was the one who had spoken those particular words of wisdom to him.

“Oh, just an old friend,” she replied
, deep in thought.

“Okay
, Tess, thanks for everything, but I’ve got to run now. I need to speak with Henry,” he said.

“Do you want me to come with?” she asked.

“No, I think I should go alone. I’ve got this, Tess—but thanks for asking,” Carter replied with a friendly smile.

Carter arrived at the Thorne residence and knocked at the door. Henry answered.