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Eve raised her eyebrows at Claire, clearly wondering where Monica was.
"The last time I saw her, she was at school," Claire said. "But that was before I got the call to come home, so I don't know. Maybe she's in shelter in the dorm?" She checked her cell phone. No bars. Reception was usually spotty down here in the lab, but she could usually see something, even if it was only a flicker. "I think the cell towers are down."
"Yeah, likely," Eve agreed. She reached over to tuck the blanket around Mrs. Morrell, who leaned her head back and closed her eyes, as if the strength was just leaking right out of her. "You think this is the right thing to do? I mean, do we even know this guy or anything?"
Claire didn't, really, but she still wanted to like Theo, in much the same way as she liked Myrnin--against her better sense. "I think he's okay. And it's not like anybody's making house calls right now."
The operation--and it was an operation, with suturing and everything--took a couple of hours before Theo sat back, stripped off the gloves, and sighed in quiet satisfaction. "There," he said. Claire and Eve got up to walk over as Michael rose to his feet. Shane had been hanging on the edges, watching in what Claire thought looked like queasy fascination. "His pulse is steady. He's lost some blood, but I believe he will be all right, provided no infection sets in. Still, this century has those wonderful antibiotics, yes? So that is not so bad." Theo was almost beaming. "I must say, I haven't used my surgical skills in years. It's very exciting. Although it makes me hungry."
Claire was pretty sure Richard wouldn't want to know that. She knew she wouldn't have, in his place.
"Thank you," Mrs. Morrell said. She got up from the chair, folded the blanket and put it aside, then walked over to shake Theo's hand with simple, dignified gratitude. "I'll see that my husband compensates you for your kindness."
They all exchanged looks. Michael started to speak, but Theo shook his head. "That's quite all right, dear lady. I am delighted to help. I recently lost a son myself. I know the weight of grief."
"Oh," Mrs. Morrell said, "I'm so sorry for your loss, sir." She said it as if she didn't know her husband was lying across the room, dead.
Tears sparkled in his eyes, Claire saw, but then he blinked them away and smiled. He patted her hand gently. "You are very generous to an old man," he said. "We have always liked living in Morganville, you know. The people are so kind."
Shane said, "Some of those same people killed your son."
Theo looked at him with calm, unflinching eyes. "And without forgiveness, there is never any peace. I tell you this from the distance of many centuries. My son gave his life. I won't reply to his gift with anger, not even for those who took him from me. Those same poor, sad people will wake up tomorrow grieving their own losses, I think, if they survive at all. How can hating them heal me?"
Myrnin, who hadn't spoken at all, murmured, "You shame me, Theo."
"I don't mean to do so," he said, and shrugged. "Well. I should get back to my family now. I wish you all well."
Myrnin got up from his chair and walked with Theo to the portal. They all watched him go. Mrs. Morrell was staring after him with a bright, odd look in her eyes.
"How very strange," she said. "I wish Mr. Morrell had been available to meet him."
She spoke as if he were in a meeting downtown instead of under a sheet on the other side of the room. Claire shuddered.
"Come on, let's go see Richard," Eve said, and led her away.
Shane let out his breath in a slow hiss. "I wish it were as simple as Theo thinks it is, to stop hating." He swallowed, watching Mrs. Morrell. "I wish I could, I really do."
"At least you want to," Michael said. "It's a start."
They stayed the night in the lab, mainly because the storm continued outside until the wee hours of the morning-- rain, mostly, with some hail. There didn't seem to be much point running out in it. Claire kept checking her phone, Eve found a portable radio buried in piles of junk at the back of the room, and they checked for news at regular intervals.
Around three a.m. they got some. It was on the radio's emergency alert frequency.
All Morganville residents and surrounding areas: we remain under severe thunderstorm warnings, with high winds and possible flooding, until seven a.m. today. Rescue efforts are under way at City Hall, which was partially destroyed by a tornado that also leveled several warehouses and abandoned buildings, as well as one building in Founder's Square. There are numerous reports of injuries coming in.
Please remain calm. Emergency teams are working their way through town now, looking for anyone who may be in need of assistance. Stay where you are. Please do not attempt to go out into the streets at this time.
It started to repeat. Eve frowned and looked up at Myrnin, who had listened as well. "What aren't they saying?" she asked.
"If I had to guess, their urgent desire that people stay within shelter would tell me there are other things to worry about." His dark eyes grew distant for a moment, then snapped back into focus. "Ibid nothing."
"What?" Eve seemed to think she'd misheard.
"Ibid nothing carlo. I don't justice."
Myrnin was making word salad again--a precursor to the drugs wearing off--more quickly than Claire had expected, actually, and that was worrying.
Eve sent Claire a look of alarm. "Okay, I didn't really understand that at all--"
Claire put a hand on her arm to silence her. "Why don't you go see Mrs. Morrell? You too, Shane."
He didn't like it, but he went. As he did, he jerked his head at Michael, who rose from where he was sitting with Richard and strolled over.
Casually.
"Myrnin," Claire said. "You need to listen to me, okay? I think your drugs are wearing off again."
"I'm fine." His excitement level was rising; she could see it--a very light flush in his face, his eyes starting to glitter. "You worry over notebook."
There was no point in trying to explain the signs; he never could identify them. "We should check on the prison," she said. "See if everything's still okay there."
Myrnin smiled. "You're trying to trick me." His eyes were getting darker, endlessly dark, and that smile had edges to it. "Oh, little girl, you don't know. You don't know what it's like, having all these guests here, and all this"--he breathed in deeply--"all this blood." His eyes focused on her throat, with its ragged bite mark hidden under a bandage Theo had given her. "I know it's there. Your mark. Tell me, did Fran?ois--"
