All Wounds (21 page)

She pulled with her arms as she leaned back, lifting Ryan as best she could to sit most of the way up. Wow, he wasn’t as heavy as she thought he would be.

The dark-haired boy groaned and thrashed and tried to struggle out of her embrace, but Rebecca held him tight. Ryan went limp in her arms and Rebecca’s stomach tightened in immediate fear. He should have been able to get away from her with hardly any effort at all.

She didn’t think about it any longer. Instead she focused on what she was doing.

Ryan’s head lolled on her shoulder. He groaned.

“That’s it,” Rebecca encouraged. “Come on. Wake up.” She placed a hand on the back of Ryan’s head and turned it for him.

Rebecca held the boy close with her right arm under his, tight around his waist as she reached with her left hand and pulled her hair away from her neck.

She returned her left hand to Ryan’s head and turned her own slightly away, exposing her throat.

Ryan didn’t move. If anything, he just felt heavier in her arms as he sagged against her.

“Come on,” she said again, giving him a little shake. “It’s right there.

You can do it. You’ve got to help. We’re all working hard here to see that you get better. The least you could do is try.” Ryan groaned again and moved his head a little.

“I’ll bet Travis Hoffman could do it, no problem,” Rebecca said in a bored voice, bringing up the captain of her school’s football team. Ryan hated Travis Hoffman more than Robin hated Marla Thompson. “If you die, maybe Syd will make Travis into a vampire, since you can’t seem to manage it.” Ryan groaned again, and she felt his fangs scrape her neck, but not pierce it.

She tightened her hold on him and shook him again, harder.

“Now,” she ordered in a firm voice, not bothering to try and speak in that soft tone Nana used. “You can do better. Bite me or I’ll bite you, and you won’t like it, I promise!”

Ryan’s fangs bit deep into her throat. It was all she could do not to yelp in pain and fear. Ryan’s bite wasn’t at all like Syd’s. She wasn’t ever afraid when Syd bit her. Syd was warm and gentle, not like this. This was frightening and cold.

Rebecca closed her eyes and forced herself to relax. Peace and calm.

She was safe here. Safe. Warm. Safe and warm. She felt Syd’s hands on her shoulders, and instantly the uneven panicked beat of her heart slowed to a steady rhythm. The soft pressure of Syd’s fingers spread across her back in a gentle massage brought on a deep, cleansing breath, calming her even more.

She brought her other arm around Ryan’s back. He was rigid and trembling. Holding the boy close, Rebecca kept her eyes closed until she felt Ryan’s body go limp again, only this time in relaxation. Ryan’s mouth left her neck and his head rested on her shoulder once more.

She held Ryan against her for a long moment, catching her breath. She looked up, expecting to see Syd standing behind her, but he wasn’t there, or anywhere in the room.

He’d been right there, hadn’t he? She’d felt him, standing behind her, his hands warm on her shoulders, comforting her.

Had she really just imagined it?

“His eyes,” she heard Billy say.

Rebecca was careful not to jostle the boy too much as she laid Ryan back down in the bed and looked at his eyes.

They were open, and completely blue. Not the brilliant, metallic glow of Syd’s eyes, but a distinct shade of blue, and not the almost-black they had been.

Rebecca smiled. “Good. Let’s see how good.”

She reached for a damp cloth and pressed it against Ryan’s forehead a few times before doing the same with a dry one.

That one came away still dry and unblemished.

“He seems to have stopped shedding again,” Rebecca with a relieved sigh. “Now let’s have a look at you.”

She crossed the room to Billy. To her surprise, Billy reached for her face and turned her head a little to see her neck.

The anubi shook his head. “Let’s hope he comes back to himself soon.

That’s gotta hurt.”

“It’s all right,” Rebecca said, waving off Billy with a shrug. “He doesn’t know any better right now. I don’t think he means to hurt me. But speaking of hurt—” She looked at Billy and shook her head.

“What?” the anubi said with a guilty—and pained—look.

Rebecca didn’t have the heart to say anything to him about getting himself hurt. She was beginning to realize that Billy’s natural state seemed to be either bloody or hungry. Probably both.

“Shower,” was all she said.

After making sure Ryan was comfortable and resting in the enclave, Rebecca met Billy in the kitchen.

“Oh, hey Bit,” the freshly-showered werewolf in human form said in a small voice. “I, uh—” He nodded toward the floor. “Sorry about the mess.

But don’t worry—it’s Ethereal.”

Her brow furrowed. “What is?”

“The blood,” he said. “You don’t have to clean it up. It’ll fade in a bit.”

“Maybe so, but that won’t stop you from bleeding more,” she said as she crossed the room to him. “Let me see.”

“Ain’t nothin’,” he protested, though he lifted his arm up for her to see his wound. “Well...nothin’ much. Soon as I get the bleeding stopped it will start to heal up by itself.”

“Everything is ‘nothing’ to you. I’m beginning to wonder what you consider ‘something’,” she muttered. “And that’s really deep. It’s not going to stop bleeding with just a rag pressed to it.” She felt the warmth of her Healer’s ability tingling in her hands and a picture flashed through her mind. She reached to touch the wound and gasped at the instant change in her vision. It wasn’t like what had happened before. This was sharp and focused and she could clearly see Billy reaching out his car window to pull a demon off the roof, Ryan slumped in the passenger seat. She watched as a jagged piece of the damaged car body sliced deep into the underside of Billy’s right bicep from elbow to armpit.

The vision stopped as abruptly as it had come and Rebecca took her fingers away. Now she knew, in addition to what had caused the injury, how bad it was and what she needed to do to heal it. She looked up at the wolf in human form.

“That’s going to need stitches,” she said. “You’ve been cut clean down to the bone by something mortal. It won’t heal up like a demon claw or bite.”

“Ain’t noth—”

“Sit!” Rebecca ordered, cutting him off as she pointed to a chair. “And get rid of your shirt.”

“Thought I already said I ain’t no dog,” Billy muttered, though he obeyed and flopped down at the kitchen table, bare-chested. “I hate needles!” Holy...wow he had some muscles on him. Scars, too. Lots of them.

Still, Rebecca could see his ribs sticking out and shook her head.

“Good boy,” she replied with a wink. “Now don’t move while I go get what I need.”

Billy grumbled and reached for a bottle of the fae beer he liked so much with his uninjured hand.

Rebecca rushed upstairs and into the enclave.

She barely looked at Syd, refreshed and returned and sitting at Ryan’s bedside as though he’d never been hurt or gone. She didn’t have time to deal with that now. Syd wasn’t hurt or in need. Billy was. Rebecca began rummag-ing through the chest of drawers at the end of the room.

“What is it?” Syd asked.

“Billy needs stitches,” she replied. She swallowed hard. “I’ve never...I don’t even know...I mean I
know
, because I can feel it or something, and see in my head what I need to do, but...” She looked at Syd and shook her head.

“I’ll assist you,” Syd assured her as he stood up.

Immense relief washed through her.

“Oh, would you? I mean, thanks, really. Just...someone to make sure I’m not screwing up too badly will be a huge help. I hope it won’t be too bright for you in there. The windows are still covered up, but I need the light to see Billy’s wound.”

Syd shook his head and opened his hand. His pair of dark glasses appeared in them and he put them on with a grin. Then he flashed out of the enclave.

Rebecca rolled her eyes. “Show-off.”

She found what she needed and went back downstairs.

Syd was leaning against the doorframe, shaking his head and laughing.

Billy sat at the table, looking extremely put upon.

“Hey,” Rebecca said, giving Syd a poke under his folded arms as she entered the kitchen. “You’re here to help, not laugh at poor Billy’s misfortune.”

“Yeah,” Billy said, and looked even more pathetic. How that was possible, she didn’t know, but she was sure it had something to do with being a wolf in human form. He could do puppy-dog eyes like no one else. Billy lifted his injured arm and rested it atop his head, exposing his wound.

“Oh, Billy,” Rebecca said as she knelt down beside him. “I told you not to move.”

“Didn’t!” Billy protested as he brought his drink to his mouth. “Well, not much,” he said around his mouthful of fae ale.

Rebecca rolled her eyes again. “Want anything for the pain? This has to hurt.”

“Nah,” Billy replied, shaking his head. “Don’t need none.”

“Remember you said that.” She stood up. “Let me clean this properly and we’ll get started.”

Billy sighed and reached for another bottle. “Hey, Syd? Be a sport and shove them others over here so Bit don’t yell at me for movin’.” Syd uncrossed his arms slightly and twitched two fingers at the bottles Billy indicated.

“Aw, thanks man,” Billy said.

“Don’t mention it,” Syd replied.

Billy continued to drink as Rebecca cleaned his wound. He winced occasionally, and kept offering her sips of his ale.

“You’re stalling, Acolyte,” Syd said from the doorway. “That wound is clean enough. Get to it.”

Rebecca almost protested, but she knew Syd was right. Just...the idea of putting a needle into Billy.
Into anything
!

“What, you ain’t scared of me, are you, Bit?” Billy asked as he swallowed a sip of ale. “Ohhhh...you’re scared of hurtin’ me, or messin’ up, ain’t you?” Rebecca bit her bottom lip and nodded.

Billy grinned. “I’m already messed up and you ain’t gonna change that by tryin’ to help. You can’t be scared anymore, remember? You’ll only get yourself in trouble that way. ‘Sides, how else you gonna learn if you don’t do things? I might hate needles, but I ain’t gonna hurt you none!” Rebecca looked at Syd.

He just gestured to the wolf in human form sitting at her kitchen table.

“All right,” Rebecca sighed. “Here goes nothing.” She threaded a very large curved needle with some kind of gossamer thread she knew to be specifically made for Ethereals and grasped the two pairs of scissor-like suturing ties. She clamped the needle with one of them, took a deep breath and pierced the undamaged skin of one side of Billy’s wound. The anubi didn’t flinch. She let out the breath she’d been holding slowly and repeated the same thing on the other side of the wound. With the second instrument in her other hand, Rebecca pulled the needle and suturing thread through.

“Atta girl!” Billy encouraged. “Hardly felt a thing!” Rebecca smiled and looked over her shoulder at Syd.

He peeled himself away from the doorframe and came to kneel beside her. He took a clean cloth from the table and dabbed at the blood dripping down Billy’s arm, clearing the area for Rebecca’s next stitch.

“This is what your Helper would be doing for you, if you had one,” he said. “Sometimes you need more than two hands, and another pair makes it easier. Otherwise you’d have to put down one of your instruments and do this yourself, which, while possible, would make your task longer.” She nodded her thanks.

“Continue,” Syd prompted with a nod at Billy’s wound.

“Yeah, I ain’t got all day,” Billy grumbled as he uncapped another bottle.

Rebecca sighed and shook her head. Syd offered encouragement and instructive comments as she went on, slow and methodical, stitching Billy’s long wound. She was nearly finished when Billy yelped and pulled away from her.

“Ow!”

“Hey, you’re the one that said you didn’t want anything to numb you up!” Rebecca said. “I’m not finished! Almost, but not yet. Now, come on.”

“Aw, come on! That’s good, ain’t it? I ain’t bleeding much anymore!

Can’t you be done now?”

“Just a few more stitches, Billy, honest, then I’ll find the ice cream in the deep freezer and you can eat the whole carton. Just let me finish, okay?” Rebecca cajoled.

Billy whimpered and Rebecca felt horrible, but she reached for his elbow and pulled him back toward her.

She pierced the sensitive flesh near his armpit with the needle and Billy yelped again.

“Would you stop it?!” Rebecca cried, exasperated. “That’s an awful noise! You didn’t even flinch when this happened to you, and I’ve seen demons almost tear you to bits, and now you’re whining about a little needle poking you?”

“That ain’t a little needle! ‘Sides, that’s different!” Billy protested. “Little things like this hurt a lot more than a bite or something!” Syd tried to suppress a laugh and couldn’t. Rebecca scowled at him.

Billy sighed, deep and dramatic, and made a big show of forcing himself to lean back toward Rebecca. “What kind of ice cream?” Rebecca’s reply was cut off by a knock at the door. Everyone froze and glanced toward the noise.

“Cripes,” she whispered. “Maybe they’ll go away.” The knock came again and Rebecca winced and swore. “I can’t leave this right now!”

“Go see who it is and what they want,” Syd murmured. “I’ll make sure Billy doesn’t move, and that we’re not seen if it comes to that. It will be all right for that long. Go on.”

Rebecca nodded and went to the door. She looked out the peephole and sighed in quiet relief.

“It’s okay! It’s Robin!” Rebecca called into the kitchen.

Syd looked confused.

“The one I want to ask to be my Helper,” Rebecca clarified.

He considered that a moment, then nodded.

“Bring her in if you think she’s ready,” Syd replied. “If it goes badly...

well...”Rebecca nodded and closed her eyes for a long moment before going back to the front door. She opened it a crack and motioned Robin inside and put a finger to her lips.

“Sorry to come barging in on you like this,” Robin apologized in a rush.