Worlds Apart (28 page)

His voice whispered in her ear.
“How badly are you hurt? Is the baby all right?”

“I don't know,” she said. “I've
lost a lot of blood. I'm having cramps.” Fresh tears welled in her
eyes. “I'm so afraid.”

“We'll take care of you.” She
heard the despair in his thickened voice. “Shandari's waiting at
the clearing. She can heal you.”

“Ready.” Clive's partner stood in
front of them. “Lay her down here.”

Clive lowered her onto something
that was about waist level. She'd been expecting them to drag her
on a blanket on the ground, but this seemed to hover, sinking a bit
with her weight. Vertigo stole her sense of place and her weak
fingers snatched at Clive’s jacket. “What is this?”

Clive answered while they wrapped
her in a blanket, their movements quick and efficient. “It's a
levitating travois. We can move you faster and easier with it. Just
stay still, we'll keep it steady. You're strapped in, so don't
worry about falling out.” The travois began to move.

The movement through the air made
her dizzy, so she closed her eyes, letting the blanket's warmth
sink into her skin. She heard a slight click, then Clive's voice,
speaking as if giving a report. “We have her. No sign of Fontaine,
but she says he's setting traps for the searchers. We're on our way
back.” He seemed to hesitate. “She'll need Shandari.”

Kasia's voice responded, official
and efficient. “Got it. ETA?”

There were more words, but Tina
ignored them. She was warm, and Clive would keep her safe. Darkness
beckoned, with the promise of relief from pain. She turned inward
and let it take her.

~~

Between the need to keep the
stretcher balanced and moving, and his constant alertness for
sight, sound, or scent of Damien, Clive had no time to obsess over
Tina's condition. Worry nagged at the back of his mind as they
raced down the mountain, heightening his urgency. He could only
guess at what Damien had done to her. He sensed her weakness, and
knew it was more than just in her body. Her spirit was weakened.
The baby's aura was not as strong as the vibrant haze he'd observed
when he saw Tina yesterday.

The sun was just lighting the
eastern sky when they passed the last trees bordering the clearing
where Ringstrom had set up his command center. The Flatlanders
cheered when they came into view, but the sounds tapered off as
they caught glimpses of all the blood on Clive. Shandari ran up to
them, on the heels of a tall Flatlander. He paid no attention to
the floating stretcher—Riff had remembered to grab hold of one end,
reminding Clive to do the same, so it would look like they were
carrying it. But the man's eyes were only for Tina anyway, a quick,
assessing glance. Clive saw his lips tighten, but he just grabbed
the side of the stretcher and helped guide it into the
ambulance.

Clive stood paralyzed at the
ambulance doors, numbed by what he hadn't been able to see in the
scattered beams of their flashlights. He knew she was covered in
blood, but the actual sight was horrifying. Her skin was pasty
white, a color he'd never seen on a living human being.

Shandari had already gone into the
Sight, her hands roaming an inch above Tina's body. The Flatlander
ignored her, concentrating on finding a vein to insert an IV. Clive
could see the pale aura of his son, and thought that maybe the baby
was responding to Shandari's movements.

He turned in sudden rage, coming
up short when he ran into Kasia, who stood directly behind him. He
met her sympathetic gaze with a growl. “I'm going to find
him.”

Her voice held him still. “Yes,
you will. But not right now.”

“Don't send me back yet.” He
glanced at the sky, although the moon had already set. “It's not
full moon until tonight. Give me the time I need.”

“I'm not sending you out there
now,” she said. “You need to rest. We've got a second shift coming
through the portal now. They'll take over. I'm not sending anyone
out there who's not at peak performance, Clive. Especially you.
You're the only werewolf we've got. It all depends on you.” She
looked him over and he glanced at his blood-covered
jacket.

“This is all hers.” His voice was
hoarse. “I'm not hurt.”

“I know. But you should see
yourself, Clive. You look almost as bad as she does. You're pale,
your eyes are glazed.” She placed a hand on his face. “Your skin is
clammy. You need food and rest. That's an order.”

He gazed over her head at the
forest. “He's out there. He's been taking her blood, her spirit.
He's going to be too powerful.”

“I'm not sending neophytes out
there, trust me. We've robbed him of his power source. He'll have
to concentrate on staying hidden while surrounded by
searchers.”

“The traps...”

“We'll keep an eye out. I've got a
few witches coming. They can figure out what he's done. We may not
find him, but we can keep him hopping. That will give you more of a
chance later today.”

The ambulance driver moved past
them, slamming the doors shut, and climbing into the cab. Clive's
heart beat in sync with the flashing lights as the van turned onto
the road back to town. Part of him was in that van, watching over
his child and the amazing woman who carried him. Kasia was right—he
was in no shape to continue the search. He started to rub his
burning eyes, but stopped at the sight of all the blood on his
hands.

His heart twisted.

He heard Kasia telling Riff to
drive him back to the Keeper's house.

“Not yet, please,” Clive said.
“Take me wherever they're bringing her. I've got to know how she
is.”

“All right. But eat something.”
Kasia jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “There's sandwiches and
coffee over there. Take some with you. I've got to get these
Flatlanders out of here before one of them becomes the next
victim.”

She stalked away, already snapping
orders to Ringstrom who practically scurried to carry them out.
Clive managed to return Riff's rueful grin, before following her
orders himself.

Chapter 33

It wasn't hard to find the clinic
where they'd taken Tina. The ambulance was parked outside a
two-story ranch-style, one of the few buildings with a light on
this early in the morning. The sign said
Green Roads
Medical.
Riff pulled in next to the ambulance. A green sedan
was parked on the other side.

A nervous deputy guarded the door
and insisted on seeing their ID before he'd let them in. Clive
appreciated the sentiment, but knew the deputy would be useless if
Damien showed up. He hoped Kasia was sending some of their own
people to guard the place.

Inside, the reception area was
still dark, but a light farther down the hallway led them to a
large room filled with hospital beds. Two of the beds held
patients. On one, Tina's dark and bloody hair sprawled over a
pillow. Two Flatlanders—the doctor from the ambulance, and a
middle-aged woman—were busy cutting her clothes off. On the other
bed, Shandari lay unconscious. The paramedic was taking her blood
pressure and looking puzzled and frantic.

He noticed Clive and Riff, and
raised his hands. “I don't know what's wrong with her. Doc
Summerlin says she just collapsed while examining Tina.”

The woman turned. “Who are they?”
She skewered the air with her scissors, determined to protect Tina
from any further danger. Clive appreciated that, too.

The doctor—Summerlin, Clive
assumed—spared them a quick glance. “It's okay, Sharon,” he said.
“Those are the two who found Tina. FBI, they say.”

Her eyes raked over Clive. “Are
you hurt?” Her expression suggested he'd have to wait his turn if
he was.

He shook his head.

“Well, you can't be in here.” She
lowered the scissors, but her jaw tightened. “You'll have to wait
in reception.”

“We will,” Clive said. He stared
past the woman, shaken anew at the dried blood covering Tina's leg
where they'd cut the pants. “But can you tell me… is she… all
right? Is the baby all right?”

Summerlin glanced up with an angry
glare. Something in Clive's face made him relent. “I think so.
Whatever Dr. Uboron did, it's done a lot to restore her strength.
But she still needs some urgent care, so please wait outside.” He
nodded toward Shandari. “Unless you can help Phil with your friend
there.”

“She's all right,” Riff said,
moving to Shandari's side. “She just needs to rest. Make her
comfortable and give her a blanket. She'll probably sleep for
several hours.”

The paramedic still looked
skeptical, so Clive said, “I'm sure Captain Windblood will be along
to handle things. Until then, you should just let Shandari
rest.”

Clive was betting that the
paramedic had seen enough of Kasia that invoking her name would
convince him to follow their advice. He was right—the fellow backed
away. He pulled a blanket from a cabinet and Sharon waved toward
the hallway.

“Go,” she said, turning back to
Tina without waiting to see if they obeyed.

Riff took Clive's arm. “Let's get
washed up and eat, like Kasia ordered. Let them take care of
her.”

~~

The waiting room was small, with
just a few chairs and tables. A coffee service took up one table,
awaiting the arrival of the receptionist to put it to work. Clive
and Riff were just finishing their sandwiches when the doctor came
in the waiting room. The Flatlander went straight to Clive and held
out his hand. Clive stood and shook it, wary of the man's
penetrating stare.

“I'm Will Summerlin,” the doctor
said. “I'm Tina's colleague and friend. Dr. Uboron tells me you’re
the baby's father.”

“Yes, I am.”

Will sat down and ran his hands
through his hair. Clive sat too, and Riff wandered into the hallway
to give them privacy.

“I've never seen anything like
this,” Will said. “I don't understand what Dr. Uboron did to Tina.
But those cuts are healing before my eyes. I've done two blood
counts. I don't want to take any more blood from her than I have
to, but the last one showed a marked increase in red blood cells.
Her body is making blood at a faster rate than it should be capable
of.” He shook his head. “I don't understand it.”

“That's good, though, isn't it?”
Clive asked. “Is she okay? The baby's okay?”

“Yes, it's good.” Will seemed to
think about that statement, lips pursed. “I think it's good. Right
now, she and the baby are recovering nicely. But where's she
getting the energy to do it? What are the side effects? How do I
know she's not in further danger from this?”

“I can assure you that Shandari's
treatment is both helpful and harmless,” Clive said, wondering how
much he should tell the doctor. “I've experienced it myself more
than once.” He rubbed his face. “Is Tina awake?”

“No. And I want her to sleep for
now.” Will tapped a finger on the table, giving Clive a penetrating
stare. “She hasn't told me anything about you, Mr. Winslow, beyond
the fact that the two of you had one date, and that she didn't want
you involved in the pregnancy. I hope you understand that my place
is to see that her wishes are followed. After what's happened, she
may feel differently, and she can tell me that when she wakes up.
Until then, I must insist that you stay away. She doesn't need
anything to upset her right now.”

Clive pinched the bridge of his
nose, biting his lip until he could gain some control over his
voice. Then he nodded. “I agree. I assure you, I will follow her
wishes. Just please... tell her...” He raised a hand as if begging,
then let it drop and stared at the table.

Will stood, meeting Clive's gaze
with steady eyes. “Dr. Uboron spoke highly of you. Of course, I
don't know
her
either, but I recognize compassion when I see
it, and she has it in spades. For what it's worth, I hope Tina does
change her mind. I'd like to see the two of you work things
out.”

“Thank you.” Clive stood and
clasped Will's hand once more.

A trace of amusement lit the
doctor’s eyes. “Tina showed me her medical records,” he said as he
turned to leave. “I saw Dr. Uboron work on her in the ambulance. I
don't know who you people are. But I do know you're not
FBI.”

~~

Clive slept for six hours on one
of the cots scattered throughout the Keeper's house. When he woke,
amid the sleeping sounds of twenty other agents, he stared into the
dim daylight of the room. He knew what he had to do. He knew the
cost of it. He just had to convince Kasia.

He wasn't surprised to see her
already in the kitchen when he wandered in a few minutes later. She
looked up from her monstrous plate of eggs, sausage, and potatoes,
and pointed him toward the buffet of food spread out on a long
table. He didn't argue, just filled a plate as large as hers,
grabbed some coffee, and joined her.

“News?” he asked.

“Didn't find him.”

“Anything on Tina?”

“She's awake. Wants to see
you.”