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Seeing Natalia so sentient does little to diminish my worry.
“She’s okay. A little beaten but okay.”
I knew Billy, our resident doctor, would come without questions. The fact he’s here tells me how well versed he is in the running of The Company and how used to his call of duty he is.
“Does she need a hospital?”
He comes to stand beside me, watching Natalia from my standpoint. “While that would be preferable, I know how you guys run.” His reply is truthful if a little solemn. “Watch her. If she starts to show any signs of a concussion that won’t abate with over-the-counter medication, then bring her in.”
“So, she has a concussion?”
“She’s got a bad headache, but without a scan, I can’t rule it out. She’s got a little bit of confusion, but that could just be because she was in a car crash no more than an hour ago. Her pupils are reactive, and she’s shown no signs of memory loss. She even gave me a few choice words about you.”
I laugh. “I bet she did.”
“This is twice now I’ve had to check her out in not even a fortnight. What’s going on?”
“Nothing. Both times were accidents.”
The impulse that forced me to enact physical harm on her was not one I had planned and was certainly not one I plan to repeat. My anger spoke for me, and I’m not about to let him do it again.
“Of course,” he remarks, not at all convinced. “A couple of days’ bed rest should do it. Just keep her stress level down and keep her rested. She hasn’t really changed much, so I’m sure she’ll let you know if she’s not okay.”
I snigger, rubbing my jaw as I nod in agreement.
“Call me if you need anything.”
I give him a curt smile and let him leave, but I don’t move from my spot in the doorway. It’s as if I’m cemented to her, my eyes stuck on her as she sleeps. I don’t even shift when a new presence takes the space beside me.
“I know you don’t want to hear it, but she’ll be the death of you.” My father doesn’t mince his words. If anything, he adds a sharper edge. “You’ve just got everything you wanted, son. Why are you willing to risk it?”
There are a million answers to give him and not one would be good enough. I know my father wanted this all run one way while I’ve pulled to change The Company, but Natalia was a spanner I both expected and could never have planned for.
“Why?” I scoff. “You know what she took from me. She’s a loose end I need to figure out.”
“The thing you do with loose ends is cut them off. Usually at the root, so they die quicker.”
“She’s not that easy.” My gaze slides towards him before I turn and give him my undivided attention. “There’s too much between us to just cut her off. I’m not done with her yet.”
I could liken Natalia to an addiction, but she’s a vice I could rid myself of.
She’s so much more than that.
She’s more like a disease. Burrowed deep beneath skin and tissue. Nestled in the very core of my being. No amount of digging or intervention will find a cure, and part of me wonders if I’ve ever wanted one.
“Your response to her being in a car crash says you’ve already made up your mind where she’s concerned. Today was proof that if you don’t do it, someone else will.”
The pat to my shoulder is more to push his point—that he knows better than me. It’s full of pity, not sympathy, and I know my father well enough to know when he’s losing faith in someone.
“And believe me, son, she won’t be forgotten as much as you will if this goes wrong.”
He leaves me before I can respond.
I know I could do a lot more than steal Natalia from her world, but there’s no fun in that.
There are also no answers.
