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Thalia made a soft noise, and Bear and Kelly’s heads snapped towards her in hope. Her eyelids flickered but never opened. Thalia’s face screwed up in pain and relaxed again as she drew in a breath.
“Thal?” Kelly said hopefully. Her eyelids flickered again but remained closed. “Honey, open your eyes.” Thalia ignored Kelly’s demand.
“Baby?” Bear rumbled, his voice hoarse. A flicker of hope touched him, and he kept a careful watch on her face. Thalia failed to respond. Instead, she lie there, as if the living dead.
???
The door banged open, and Bear jumped as a spry middle-aged woman strode in. Her blond hair was swept back into a messy ponytail, and worried grey eyes landed on the unconscious figure in the bed. She had a trim figure, and Bear placed her at roughly her mid-sixties. She wore slacks and a blouse and a string of pearls around her neck.
“Thalia!” she exclaimed and rushed forward. “Has she woken?” the woman demanded of Kelly.
“No, Grandmother,” Kelly said wearily. He was going on adrenaline now; thirty hours had passed without sleep.
“That won’t do at all. Get me her doctor and move aside, young man. I wish to see my granddaughter,” the woman said, waving a hand at Bear. Bear refused to move, and Kelly rose to his feet.
“Grandmother, this is Bear. He’s close to Thalia, Bear, this is Maylene Dixon, Thalia’s grandmother. Play nice,” Kelly warned and left the room to find a doctor.
“Mrs Dixon,” Bear grunted, nodding his head. Grey eyes the same as Thalia’s studied him, and then she sat down primly.
“Bear. And what is your given name?” Maylene asked.
“Sky Blue,” Bear said and shuffled in his seat. Maylene regarded him incredulously.
“Your parents must have hated you. Bear it is,” Maylene said imperiously and faced Thalia.
“Something like that,” Bear mumbled.
“Thalia! Enough messing around, young lady; it’s time to open your eyes and come back to me. Do you hear me, missy?” Maylene said sharply, and Bear bristled. He didn’t like Maylene’s tone. Maylene sent him a querulous glance.
“Thalia Winchester, I said to wake up right now! Your bedroom is shocking, and the trash cans need taking out. If you want to go to the party tonight with Kelly, I suggest you get out of bed right away!” Bear stared gobsmacked as the woman berated Thalia. He opened his mouth to confront her attitude when Thalia’s uninjured hand twitched in his. A small smile crossed Maylene’s mouth as she continued to tell Thalia off for various shortcomings.
“Grandmother,” Thalia groaned weakly, and Maylene stopped her diatribe.
“Hello, my darling girl,” Maylene said, her tone gentle and the waspishness fading away.
“I tidied my room,” Thalia slurred, and Maylene chuckled.
“Maybe, my darling, but it’s time to open those eyes and say hello to the world again,” Maylene encouraged.
“Hurts,” Thalia slurred. The door opened, and Kelly returned with the doctor.
“Yes, darling, I can make the doctor give you pain relief,” Maylene reassured Thalia. A hand stroked Thalia’s hair as a nurse entered behind the doctor and began checking Thalia over. Thalia finally opened her eyes and gazed at everyone. She landed on Bear, and a tear leaked from her eyes.
“Damaged,” Thalia whispered to Bear, who shook his head.
“Never, you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Bear said.
“No, Ellie was,” Thalia managed before her eyes rolled up and she slipped back into oblivion. Bear moved in fear, and the doctor spoke before he overreacted.
“That is normal; she’s on a high dose of pain relief. Miss Winchester will come around in fits and starts.”
“I wish an update on her condition, please, and don’t hold back,” Maylene said, spearing the doctor with a glance. He nodded and began opening Thalia’s chart. Bear, having heard it all before, focused back on Thalia.
???
The pain was sharp in multiple places as I struggled through the fog of darkness. It stabbed at me constantly, but my grandmother’s strident tones poked at me anyway. She was berating me for being hot-headed and never listening. Bear’s rich tones argued with her, and I lay there listening for a while. It had been Grandmother’s long practice to wake me up this way. Grandmother often lamented that I slept like the dead, but I would wake when Grandmother began chiding me.
I lay there listening to her cultured tone as she berated me for my choice of music. A smile tried to cross my lips but failed. The darkness kept pressing down on me, trying to send me back into oblivion, but I fought against it. Kelly interrupted the arguing duo, and memories came flooding back. For a fleeting moment, I was back in that dungeon with the evil bastard stabbing a knife into me, and a frightened mew escaped my lips. The arguing people hushed, and Bear spoke my name.
