Page 117 of Revere: A Legacy Novel

“Thank you.”

Cross turned to Catherine. “Will you be all right for a bit?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Good.”

Cross left his mother and Catherine behind to go in search of his father. It didn’t take him long to find Calisto sleeping fitfully in bed inside the master bedroom. He did a quick check of the space, noting the overturned dresser and scattered items. The bathroom was a horror zone of vomit.

“Cross?”

From his position in the bathroom doorway, he turned at the voice calling his name. Calisto stared at him from the bed.

“Hey, Papa,” he murmured.

Confused. Exhausted. Sad.

All that stared back at him from Calisto.

Cross moved to the side of the bed where Calisto could see him better. “How are you feeling?”

“Strange.”

“Like cloudy in your head?”

Calisto had told him that a few times before. Sometimes, when he came out of his episodes, he felt like he was in the clouds. His head was not clear, and his thoughts were muddy.

“No,” Calisto said, “just strange, son.”

“Okay. Do you want to get up, or have a drink of water? Maybe—”

“I’m sorry, my boy,” Calisto whispered. “I’m sorry I’ve hurt you, Cross.”

Cross let out a shaky breath, and ignored the stinging behind his eyes. “Not tonight, okay? It doesn’t matter tonight.”

“Were you home?”

“No, I was … well, with Catherine.”

Calisto smiled a bit. “Oh?”

“She came over with me tonight, actually. She’s downstairs with Ma.”

“I bet Emma loves that.”

Cross laughed. “Probably.”

“I’m going …”

Calisto’s words trailed off, and then his eyes rolled back. His hands balled into tight fists as the shaking started. The trembling of the seizure was violent enough that it shook the fucking bed. Cross put his father to his side, and started counting.

At one minute, he called for his mother.

At two, they called for an ambulance.

“Hey, man.”

Cross didn’t look up from Catherine’s sleeping form. She had used his legs as a pillow on the hard hospital chairs. He’d tossed his leather jacket over her torso as a blanket. The place was cold as hell, for some reason.