“I think it’s different now that she has a tether to this time.” He shakes his head. “I’m not sure.”
I fiddle with the painkillers in my hand. “What does she usually take when she’s unwell like this?”
“Take your pick.” Parker gestures to a small bag hidden beneath Rose’s bed that I missed this morning.
I grab the bag and rifle through packets of painkillers and sedatives. I read the information on the back of each packet and settle on one. “These should reduce her fever.” I sit beside Rose and ease her head onto my lap. “Rose, I’m going to give you some medication.”
She mumbles something and Parker winces.
“She’s confused,” he says.
I pour water into Rose’s mouth and feed her the tablets one at a time. “We should take her to the hospital. They’ll be able to do more for her there.”
Parker shakes his head. “No. It’s too dangerous.”
“We can go to the police,” I say, easing Rose back onto her pillow. “My friend works undercover. We can go to him and—”
“No. If we talk to the police there will be records, which make us traceable. Nowhere’s safe. Not from the kind of people looking for us.”
“Do you mean other time travelers?” I hesitate. “What will happen if they find you?”
His face hardens, and he looks away.
“Why are they chasing you?” I ask, staring at the side of his face, wishing any of this made sense. “What do they want?”
Parker swallows, the corners of his mouth tense. “I can’t tell you.”
“Why?”
His defeated gaze locks with mine. “Because I don’t want to scare you.”
“I’m already scared, Parker. Someone shot you, and you look like you’re about to disappear.” I turn to Rose, muttering against her pillow. “Rose is unconscious, and I have no idea how to help her. I don’t even know what’s wrong with her.”
“We’ll be okay,” he says, running his hands through his hair for the fourth time since we entered the room.
Beside me, Rose’s body tenses and she lets out a strained cry. I look to Parker and gasp; his body is so faint I can barely see him.
He jumps to his feet, staring at his translucent hands with wide eyes.
“What’s happening?” I ask, meeting him in the middle of the room with my heart in my throat.
“I don’t know.” His gaze flickers to Rose, and he’s biting the inside of his cheek as if he’s deciding something. “But I think you might be able to help.”
“How?”
“There’s something I used to do at Neurovida—to help someone along when they were struggling. To sort of anchor them. It might not work, but seeing as you’re from this time…”
“I don’t understand,” I say.
“You can use your powers to anchor her in this time. It might give her mind and body respite.”
Power? I don’thaveany power. “Parker, I—I don’t know how. I can’t.” I take two steps away from him, tugging my sleeves over my hands.
Parker follows me step for step. “You can,” he says, and I want to turn and run from the blind faith brimming in his eyes.
Rose stutters and Parker’s body disappears and reappears.
“Parker,” I scream. I need to do something.Now.Before he vanishes to a place I can’t reach. “Tell me what to do.”
