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Across the room, Desmond’s shoulders sank and his face grew sullen. That was the first time it dawned on me he had actually been holding out hope. Until the moment those words were spoken, Desmond thought there was a chance we were getting Brigit back.
Seeing his face now, it was like she had died all over again, because for him she had. I wanted to go to him, to hold him and tell him everything would be okay, but I couldn’t. Nothing was going to be okay, and I couldn’t pretend to feel something I didn’t. I’d told Brigit everything would be okay, and look where it had gotten us.
“Brigit sustained a serious gunshot wound to the chest. The bullet lodged near her spine and did incredible damage to her heart. She lost a great deal of blood, and by the time we were able to get to her, she was already gone. I’m very sorry. If it’s any consolation, she likely didn’t suffer—”
“What did you say?” I asked, suddenly shaken from my zombie state.
“I said she likely didn’t suffer. ”
“Bullshit. ”
“I’m sorry—”
“Is there a guide they give you?” At some point I had gotten to my feet and was a few steps closer to the doctor than I had been a moment earlier. “Some sort of suggestion list you receive from med school that tells you what to say to a grieving family?”
“I’m only trying to help. ”
“What help is it to lie?” I screamed. Lucas moved closer, prepared to step between me and the doctor if I lashed out, but he was smart not to touch me, or I would have unleashed all my violent urges on him instead. “She suffered. She suffered. ”
“I’m sorry,” he said again, his voice going soft.
“She suffered. ”
Desmond came from behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me tight against his warm, hard chest. He smelled comfortable and familiar, but I was in no mood to be comforted. When I started to struggle, he held me tighter, shushing me quietly and pressing light kisses onto the back of my head. He was providing me the support I had been unwilling to give him only a minute earlier.
“She suffered,” I said again, tears flowing so freely they were wetting the tile floor at my feet.
The doctor gave Lucas an apologetic look, and the werewolf king patted him kindly on the shoulder. “We know you did everything you could, Doctor Nicholas, thank you. ”
“He couldn’t do anything,” I wheezed. “She was already dead. ”
“When she’s ready, there’s an officer out in the hall who’d like to ask her a few questions. I kept them out until I was able to speak to you all, but they’re quite insistent. ”
“I understand. Thank you. ”
After the doctor left he was replaced by two uniformed officers who asked routine questions which I answered with routine lies.
Did you see who shot her? “No. ”
Did you hear anything unusual? “No. ”
Would anyone have a reason to kill Miss Stewart? “Of course not, everyone loved Brigit. ” I wanted that one to be true, but she was a vampire after all, and not always a popular one thanks to her role in my life.
Were you aware there was a missing person’s report filed for Miss Stewart over a year ago by her parents? “I was not. ” Though it shouldn’t surprise me, since that would coincide with the time she’d really died. I’d often wondered about Brigit’s life before I’d catapulted her into the vampire world. I pictured her doing beauty pageants and painting her nails next to swimming pools. I knew she was originally from California, but that was it. All my knowledge of Brigit Stewart came A. V. , After Vampirism.
I guess now her family would have closure.
But where was my closure?
The officers asked Lucas and Desmond some questions, but since they hadn’t been at the crime scene they couldn’t offer much help. I was told not to travel out of state and asked to call the police if I remembered anything else.
Once they had left, Desmond finally let me go. I’d stopped shaking, and for the time being I wasn’t crying. The moment I was out of his arms, I headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Lucas demanded.
I paused in the entryway. “Someone has to tell Nolan. ”
“You can’t go alone,” Desmond insisted.
