Page 9 of Resurgent

Then—

“Fine,” he grunts.

There it is! Right on cue.

I don’t bother hiding my grin as I grab the snack bag. “Don’t bother waiting for me to eat, Shnookums; I’ll dish up when I’m done,” I toss the heavy sack over my shoulder as I stride toward Annalise’s room.

“He thinks I’m a pain in the ass now,” I whisper, brushing a stray strand of hair from Lee's devastatingly emotionless face. “Just wait until you’re awake and he has to put up with you.”

Chapter four

Annalise

“She needs a few more days' rest before we bring her out.”

Sasha's calm voice is the first thing I hear, and I'm instantly at ease knowing her and Matt are…wherever I am…with me.

“Days? You’ve had her under for almost a week. I don't give a damn if you're a prodigy. It's time to bring in a real healer for a second opinion,” a voice snaps, sharp with frustration. My foggy mind latches onto it, shocked Matt's talking to Sasha like this…but then he keeps talking, and every word begins to sink in. His tone is too deep, too rough around the edges. That's not Matt…

“Her blood loss alone should have killed her, but the fact she’s alive after all of her internal injuries is a gods-given miracle!" Sasha argues, though she's much calmer than I would be if I were being talked to like that. "If we bring her out before the healing is further along, then we’re just being cruel. The pain she’ll be in will be unbearable.”

As though it’s been brought to life by being mentioned, sharp, agonizing pain tears through me. I think I scream—though the sound seems distant as the stabbing sensation clouds my mind.

Sasha’s soft fingers gently comb through my hair as the furious male's voice…Korr’s voice, I realize…snarls, “Put her back under, now!”

“Are you sure you don’t want to ask another healer for their opinion first?” Sasha asks mockingly, and for a second, I imagine slapping her so she could feel an ounce of my pain.

“No second opinion, help her Gods damnit! Give her the tonic damnit, she’s clearly in pain. You’re supposed to be her friend!”

“I am her friend," Sasha says, and I have no doubt her hands are on her hips in the same way they were as she lectured Matt when she did my hair. "That’s why I gave it to her as soon as I saw her body tense up a couple minutes ago. Any second now her body will go back into a deep, numb sleep."

That’s my brilliant friend, I think proudly as whatever she gave me takes effect.

“Hey, beautiful girl. How are you feeling?” Sasha asks, her voice soft like she’s talking to a scared, cornered animal.

“Give her a minute, her eyes are barely opening,” Matt says protectively.

“I know they’re—”

“Enough!” Korr’s commanding tone snaps, shutting my friends up immediately. “The last thing she needs is to wake up to you two bickering.”

I fight to open my eyes through the headache already in full effect. “Headlights. Too. Bright.”

“Clearly, the pain meds aren’t fully out of her system yet,” Matt teases.

*Smack*

“Ow! What the hell was that for?”

“She’s saying there’s too much light in here, Reyes. Help me close all the curtains,” Korr says, leaving me to wonder if it was him or Sasha who smacked him.

“W…” I try to speak when Matt settles back on the bed next to me, but my throat is too hoarse from lack of use or libation. “Wa..ter.”

“Right here, Lee,” Matt says, tapping what must be a rubber straw against my lips.

I take one long drink, letting the slightly chilled, and mildly sweet taste soothe my throat. Then, I can’t drink it down fast enough. Every long pull feels like it’s giving me strength.

"Slow down, Lee. It'll upset your stomach if you have too much too fast," he says, slowly pulling the cup away.