See How She Runs (26 page)

“There are more good than bad here. At least
I hope so. And if not, well we will just escape again. Deal?" I
asked. I tried to sound convincing, but all of my senses seemed to
be dulled.

“Deal," Molly nodded and I saw the stubborn
gleam return to her eye.

We were escorted into the main lobby of what
looked like an old Southern plantation. Ian approached us
hesitantly.

“Izzy, I need you to come with me. I need
you to get evaluated to make sure you are okay. If you would like
to come with her you can. You will need an evaluation as well. I am
sorry, what is your name?" Ian asked.

“Molly. My name is Molly. For the love of
God what are you wearing, man?" Molly exclaimed, appalled at Ian’s
outfit.

I had not even noticed until now that he was
wearing what amounted to a ninja suit. I just shook my head.
Nothing after the Richard Simmon’s outfit would ever shock me
again.

“You get used to it. This is practically
tame," I sighed. “Where do we go? Because I can tell you right now
I am in no mood to be poked and prodded. I need to see Kennan." I
looked at Ian trying to convey the importance of my words.

“We have to make sure you are okay first. We
don’t know what he did to you and we need to make sure you aren’t
in any danger," Ian said, trying to calm me before my temper was
triggered.

“I was tortured in the dreaming. That is
what he did. So can we get this over with so that I can be with
Kennan? Standing here yapping is not accomplishing anything," I
said, suddenly exhausted.

“Tortured, Izzy, what did he do?" Ian asked
as rage filled his voice.

Molly stepped toward Ian and placed her tiny
hand on his chest.

“Not now. She needs to see him to know that
he is okay," Molly said with a pointed look.

Ian looked down at her hand on his chest and
sighed. He nodded before moving off down a hallway. When we got to
the second door, he knocked and someone yelled enter from the other
side.

We walked into a room that was set up like a
doctor’s office would be. Sitting at the desk was a woman in her
mid-fifties with slightly graying hair. She looked up at me with
kind eyes and then looked over to Molly.

“Well then, shall we get you two checked
out? I hear you both have been through quite the ordeal," she said
calmly approaching me. She looked me over and I felt the need to
say something.

“It isn’t mine," I said.

“What isn’t yours dear?" she asked with an
air of confusion.

“The blood, none of it is mine. So if we
could just do the basic exam so that I can get cleaned up and see
to Kennan, I would really appreciate it," I sighed.

The doctor eyed me steadily and seemed to
come to some sort of conclusion. She headed over to a cabinet and
pulled out a generic set of gray sweats and brought them back to
where I stood.

“There is a bathroom just through there with
everything you will need. Go get cleaned up and then we will get
you out of here as quickly as possible. But you will have to come
back. You know that right?" she asked sternly. I nodded before
heading into the bathroom with my borrowed clothes. As I shut the
door, I heard her turn toward Molly and tell her to hop up on the
table.

I stepped into the shower and watched the
water run red around my feet. I stood there motionless as all of
the horror washed itself from my hair and skin. When the water
finally cleared, I ran soap all over my body, trying to scrub the
memories from my skin’s surface and failing. I knelt on the floor
of the shower, suddenly overcome by everything that had happened in
the last few days. The memories of the dreaming haunted me. The
look on Xavier’s face as I took his life was burned into my
retinas. It was as though I could not escape what had happened.

I shook myself and stood up. I had to be
strong. Kennan would be strong for me. I didn't know what had
happened to put him on that floor in the first place, but I
intended to find out. I had to keep my junk together. I could fall
apart later. As I got out of the shower and got dressed, I sent up
a quick plea that God would protect Kennan and help him through
this. I would get this exam over with, and then I would go and find
my guy and not leave his side until he woke up again.

I headed back out into the exam room and
found the doctor finishing up Molly’s exam.

“You can communicate through thought? That
is remarkable. We have only seen two other Seers with that
capability in the last hundred years," she marveled.

“Yeah, and it was her ability that saved my
butt," I said, realizing Molly was never in the dreaming, but had
jacked into my head to communicate with me back at the lab.

“Whatever, you would have figured it out. I
just gave you a little nudge," Molly said. “So, am I all done now
doc? Because I am starving."

“Yes, you are all finished. It is your turn,
Izzy," the doc said, patting the table after Molly had evacuated
it.

Might as well get it over with, I thought. I
hopped up keeping a wary eye on the table of instruments. I had had
enough of being a lab rat. I had no idea who this woman really was.
For all I knew she could be one of the bad guys. I had been burned
by Mike, and I refused to be that naïve again.

“Alright, but make it quick. I have
somewhere to be," I said as I looked around the room and realized
Ian had left with Molly.

“I just need to give you a basic exam to
look for injuries. We can do the mental tests later on. Also, you
should know that they might ask you to meet with someone to discuss
what happened to you. You can refuse, obviously, but I would like
it if you talked to someone at least once. Sometimes it can be good
to clear the air," she said as she looked me over.

“I don’t think talking it out will really
help," I said and wondered when I had gotten so jaded.

About ten minutes later she announced my
exam was complete.

“You are all done, Izzy. Physically, you
just have a few bruises where it looks like you struggled.
Mentally, I am concerned, but it can wait. I will take you to where
they have Kennan. He is in the surgical unit down the hall," she
said, putting away all of her instruments.

I nodded and got up from the table. We
headed down the hall toward the aforementioned surgical unit. A
great sense of foreboding filled my being. I had not truly allowed
myself to think of him dying since I found out he was still alive.
Now, it hit me like a train. I stopped and braced myself against
the wall suddenly short of breath. The doctor rushed over to
me.

“Someone find Ian," she shouted as she tried
to look me over.

Quicker than I thought possible, Ian was
there and Molly was close behind.

“What happened?" Ian asked with an air of
accusation.

“I’m not sure. We were just walking down the
hall and she almost collapsed," she said confused.

“Izzy, what is it?” Molly asked softly.

“What if he dies?" I said as tears filled my
eyes. “What will I do?”

“He is already out of surgery, Izzy. He is
stable and they expect a full recovery. He is going to be fine. The
bullet in his neck missed his artery. The one in his chest missed
his heart by an inch. He was lucky. They went in and patched
everything up. They started on the ride over here. He will have
some wicked scars and will take a while to heal, but he is going to
be fine," Ian promised as he wrapped his arms around me in an
embrace.

I hit him on his chest as hard as I could.
“Why didn’t you come find me to tell me, moron?”

“Sorry, I was a bit distracted," Ian said
sheepishly.

“Ugh, can we just take the girl to see her
man already? I think she has been through enough lately without the
added drama," Molly said, rolling her eyes and pulling me down the
hall in her wake. For someone so small, she could sure be
pushy.

Moments later we arrived at a door labeled
"Surgical Recovery." I braced myself for what I was about to see. I
steeled my nerves and swallowed down my uneasiness. I could be
strong for Kennan. He had been for me. It was time I was there for
him.

We walked in to find Kennan lying on a bed
slightly inclined. I walked over to his still body. I lowered
myself into the chair next to his bed and sighed as I watched his
chest rise and fall evenly. I looked back at Ian and the tears that
I had held back earlier fell down my cheeks.

“He really is okay," I whispered, part
question and part affirmation.

“Yes, he really is okay, Pip Squeak. They
said he might wake up soon if you want to stick around," Ian said
smoothly. Like I would go anywhere else, honestly, did he even know
me?

“I think we should leave Izzy alone for a
bit," Molly said as she pulled on Ian and the doctor trying to get
them out of the room.

I felt sorry for Ian suddenly. I suspected
he had finally found his Seer in Molly. I was not sure, but if it
was true, he was going to have his hands full. I did not think she
had realized what had happened yet. I was pretty sure she had not
bargained on her Guardian being an oversized fashion victim. I
looked back at the bed and took comfort in Kennan’s presence.

I had not realized how much I needed him
until he was almost gone. I scooted my chair closer to his bed and
grabbed his hand. I sat there for a long while watching his chest
rise and fall. I paid no heed to the passage of time and I was
startled when a doctor came in.

I looked at him skeptically. I did not trust
this man. I did not know who he was. He was no Guardian, that was
for sure. He was a normal height of about five foot ten with sandy
brown hair and kind brown eyes. I looked him over, trying to decide
whether he was a threat or not. I started to assess the room for
any viable weapons. He approached the bed slowly.

“I’m Doctor Thomas, you must be Izzy?" he
said, sticking out his hand to shake my own. I eyed his hand but
refused to relinquish my hold on Kennan. He dropped his hand back
down to his side and trudged on as though nothing had
transpired.

“How do you know who I am and what is it you
are about to do to him?" I asked accusingly. Seriously, would I
never trust anyone again?

“I know your name, because he kept trying to
say it in recovery. I also know because you and your friends have
been all of the talk since you arrived. As to what I am doing to
him, I am just coming in to check his vitals. I won’t even touch
him if you don’t want me to," Doctor Thomas said calmly.

The man had impeccable bedside manner. In
the span of a few seconds, he had calmed my nerves. We both knew if
he tried anything I wouldn’t hesitate to hurt him. So, I
relinquished control as much as I could.

“No, do your job. I won’t interfere. If you
do anything to hurt him..." I trailed off looking back down at
Kennan’s still form.

“No worries, I just want to make sure the
sedation is wearing off and he is not in too much pain. I am also
going to check his heart. The bullet came too close. We want to
make sure we didn’t miss anything in surgery." He continued in that
way of telling me everything he was about to do before doing it. I
appreciated the gesture and I could see in his eyes that he felt
sorry for me.

I didn’t know whether to be offended by the
pity or happy that it was not fear there instead. I did not want
people to look at me with fear in their eyes, but pity was not too
much further up the scale of suckage. I just watched him work.

“Do you need anything? I can bring you some
blankets and food if you would like?” he offered as he finished
up.

“Um, could you have Ian bring my food for me
and a blanket would be lovely," I said, hoping not to sound too
paranoid. I was not sure whom I could trust here, and I counted on
that paranoia to keep me breathing. I just hoped that trusting him
with the blanket did not leave me with a case of small pox. What
did I know of the nefarious plans of evil masterminds?

He left with a bewildered expression on his
face. I was sure he was going to go tell someone to come put me in
a straightjacket, but I wasn't sure I was capable of caring at this
point. As long as they left me in here with Kennan, they could do
anything. A few moments later the doctor returned with some
blankets and a pair of warm socks for my bare feet. He assured me
that food would follow shortly.

**********

TWENTY SEVEN

Soon after the doctor left, an irritated
Molly and a sheepish Ian entered the room. Molly carried a tray of
food in her hands that could feed two people. I looked at her
questioningly.

“Can someone please tell me why I can’t
shake this fashion victim? All I wanted was to bring some food in
here and sit with you for a while. Everyone else here is totally
unstable. At least with you I know what I am getting into. But can
I come alone? Noooooo," Molly said with a look of accusation in
Ian’s direction.

I laughed. I did not feel happy, but I found
a great deal of humor in her current state of obliviousness. I had
felt like I had been playing catch up for the past few months. It
was nice to finally be a step ahead of someone for a change.

“So it is true then, Ian? I mean I
suspected, but this is just awesome. Why didn’t you just tell her?"
I asked.

“I did not think it was an appropriate
time," Ian said shortly, trying his best to avoid eye contact.

“Could someone please fill me in here? What
am I missing?" Molly asked, irritation oozing from every word.

“He belongs to you now babe, sorry," I said
with a snicker.

“What does that even mean?" she asked,
exacerbated. She looked to Ian accusingly and then back to me with
a look as if to say, "what the heck is going on?"

“It means he is your Guardian. As in, for
the rest of your life, that big fashionably- challenged brute will
be following you around," I said as a look of horror filled Molly’s
eyes.