The Last Superhero (48 page)

It's
so good to have him back.

Awake.
Alive.

Although
I'm still trying to understand what the hell just happened.

I'm
not puking blood, for once.

And
I've been plucked from Steven's arms, a pregnancy test pushed into my
hands, and locked in a bathroom stall that has seen better
maintenance days.

The
welcome
to the family
stirred everyone up, especially Dad.

However,
having a pregnancy test at hand makes me think he's been doing more
behind my back than I ever thought.

“
He's
out there, isn't he?” I ask the one person who's supposed to be
outside my door: Daphne.

“
I'm
here.” Dad's the one to respond. “Daphne's getting
X-rays. Get on with it.”

Ugh.

Do
the deed and have the thing taken from your hand the moment you
emerge from the stall.

Positive.

And
Dad's leaping like a dog waiting to be fed.

“
I
knew it!” He half-hugs me, pressing a kiss to my temple.

“
Dad...”
Should I apologize? He looks too pleased with the news, though. “I'm
on the pill.”

He
pauses. “You do know they're only 99.9 percent effective when
taken
correctly
.”

“
What
are you implying?”

He's
looking at me from under his eyebrows. “You're as forgetful as
your mother. Will always be.”

“
But
I had my period!”

Wave
the positive test in front of my eyes.

“
Whatever.
I'm pregnant.” Let it sink in. “This is going to be huge,
isn't it?”

“
You're
only pregnant from the last superhero to ever live so yes, it might
as well be a huge thing.” I'm about to exit the restroom when
he stops me. “This is good news. You're confused right now,
which is normal, but believe me, this is great news.”

“
How
did you know?”

“
I
had my suspicions.”

Now
it's me who hugs him. “You're going to be a grandfather.”

“
WHAT?!”
A chill runs down my spine and I see Frances standing at the door.
“That was it? What Salvatore was referring to? You're
pregnant?!”

Her
voice is high enough to alert everyone and get them rounded up for
when I come out and meet the sea of smiles and content faces.

Who
knew this would make everyone so happy?

Not
just them, but Steven can't even control himself, wanting to get off
his stretcher the moment I'm sat behind Dr. Morgan's desk.

She,
on the other hand, has been easing Ross back to normal after coming
back from the nightmare.

“
This.
Is. Huge.” Dr. Fletcher's now holding the pregnancy test like
it's a trophy or something.

They
do realize I peed on the thing, right?

Not
that it matters to them.

I've
got a piece of world-changing news; Daphne's got a makeshift arm
sling.

“
Congratulations,”
she says, pulling a chair to sit next to me.

Ross,
Powell, and Suárez are still shaken from what happened back in
the nightmare but join the circle that we've formed around the
pee-stick.

Everyone
but the interns, of course; Dr. Morgan's got them pushing papers and
checking stuff on their computers.

We
hear some rustling and Dr. Hudson's trying to stop Steven from
getting up, but he does it, an act that sends Dad to help sit him
near me.

The
sick-looking man he was when we got here has changed into one that
even when he's thin and a bit pale is beaming, eyes shining as if
restored to health.

I
set my sight on his and can't help but reciprocate his smile.

“
How
long were we in the nightmare?” Frances asks.

“
Three?
Four minutes?” Dr. Fletcher answers, but he's too taken aback
by the pregnancy test.

“
It
felt like a lot longer.” Everybody concurs, nodding to my
statement. “It was different this time.” I'm talking to
Steven now. “Michelangelo didn't have the same effect on me.”
To this both Daphne and Frances lower their stares. “And when I
touched Salvatore Jr., it burned me a lot less than it burned him.”

“
Your
DNA is now linked to your baby's.” Dr. Morgan steps in. “And
will be until the moment you give birth.”

“
He
won't be able to attract you to him.” Steven's croaky voice
sounds deeper than normal. “His powers didn't work on other
superheroes, just humans.”

“
What
about Salvatore Jr.? The burning?”

“
A
human woman pregnant with a superhero's child was always regarded as
a superhero, right?” Wyatt's brought a hand to his face as
Steven nods. “He's never encountered another of his kind.”

“
It
won't give you superpowers, but it will protect you; it makes you
another one of us in their eyes,” Steven explains.

“
That
should take care of Michelangelo, then?” I'm not sure if I'm
following this.

“
Yes,”
Steven answers. “And the fact that it's my child you're
carrying will not let my nightmare version harm you.”

Oh.

Forgot
about that tiny detail.

“
Of
course.” Ross has somehow awaken from his trip to trauma land.
“It's
his
child too.”

This
is starting to sound like a clusterfuck.

“
So,
let me get this straight.” I set a forearm on the desk. “This
can work in our favor next time we're in a nightmare.”

“
It
will.” Steven's serious now, pondering. “It will give you
exactly what you need to destroy him.”

“
And
that is...”

“
Protection.
He can't kill you now.” He takes a deep breath. “To
Michelangelo you'll become a 'worthy' opponent, but to him you've
become his biggest liability. He not only can't kill you, but he will
have the need to protect you against them.”

“
Is
that so?” I ask more to myself than the rest. “He's toast
then.”

“
Not
if we go back in being so... disbanded.” Powell appears to have
been holding his breath and now's gotten a turn to blurt it out.
“There was no communication among us and that makes us
vulnerable. If we're going in again, we need to find a way to stay in
communication at all times, even more when the nightmares become
personal.”

So
soldier. Much commanding. Wow.

“
Personal?”
That brings Dr. Fletcher back.

And
Steven, who's staring at me, a question mark over his head.

“
He
targeted Ross, Powell, and Dad. I was in all their nightmares,”
I explain. “Suárez, on the other hand, was projected one
like you do the fantasies.”

“
He
made me relive the landslide that killed my family back in '85,”
Suárez says, his gaze lost somewhere.

“
He's
clearly trying to take you out one at a time.” Dr. Morgan's
eyes meet Ross's before turning to us. “You'll have to work on
blocking whatever he can use to attack you. Lock those memories
somewhere.”

“
That
is not an easy task,” Wyatt quips. “It's hard enough to
control our physical form and abilities inside the nightmares.
Pushing memories aside can take years to master.”

Sigh.

“
Don't
forget that angel's power of attraction,” Jake mumbles. “I
never thought it was that strong.”

“
I'm
sorry.” The blame's on me, I know. I should've explained that
further.

“
We
need to reassemble if we want to do this effectively,” Ross
says. “Be more aware of how we can control not only ourselves
but our surroundings.

“
We
did bring him back, didn't we?” Dad tries to lower the tension
building up.

“
I
know what we can do.” Steven speaks, his gaze switching from me
to Wyatt. “And for it I'm going to need your help.”

Now
he wants to do this.
Now
he wants us to help.

Now
.

Now
that everything has changed.

Now
that he too has found a reason to look into the future.

I
can't help but feel a bit bummed about it.

“
Can
we have a minute first?” I ask and the way some look at me
tells me my face's giving away how I feel.

So
they help Steven back to his bed and leave us to talk.

“
What's
wrong?”

“
Is
it because I'm pregnant? Is that what's changed your mind?”

He
frowns. “No.”

“
It
sure seems so.”

A
hand on mine over the white sheet. The warmth over the cold that
makes me feel so at ease. “You came back for me. You woke me up
and that's a feat in itself. That alone has showed me you're stronger
that I thought you were, that you can do this.” He's pensive
and serious and a tad sad. “This month I spent without you has
been the worst time of my life, Giana. I can't even begin to describe
the hell I've been living in, one that made me want to die and it
wasn't all because of the nightmares. The thought that I had broken
your heart hurt me to no end. The thought of having inflicted some
irreparable damage on you was killing me.” He pushes himself
forward so his face is closer to mine. “Although, knowing you I
knew that, given enough time, you'd go on with your life. That you'd
forget about me. To think you that strong pained me even more.”

“
How
could I ever forget about you? Even if I redid my life, you'd still
be in my heart.” Don't cry, come on, just don't.

He
pulls me to him and I hold onto his back, not wanting to ever let go.

“
That
you're carrying my child gives me a sense of reassurance that you
will be able to lead everyone in and out of my nightmares without the
horrible consequences that could've been brought upon you before.
That you'll be safe.” He's nuzzling my hair and I can't help
the butterflies fluttering in my stomach. “Still, if you
weren't, I'd still ask you for help because I can't keep on like
this. You're the only person in this world who loves me enough to do
this, the one who's realized what you've got to do.”