See How She Runs (27 page)

“But I already had Guardians, what do you
mean he is mine? I don’t understand," Molly said panicked.

“They sold you some lies, Blondie. In our
kind there is one Guardian for every Seer. You just happened to get
super lucky and get me," Ian said with a wink.

“Um, no. Isn’t there some sort of return
policy? Clearly this will not work," Molly floundered as she made
wild gestures between Ian and herself.

“Afraid we don’t get to choose babe. It kind
of gets chosen for us," I said, laughing at the look in Ian’s eyes.
He was wearing the look he wore in training. He looked determined.
Poor Molly had no idea what she was in for.

“Ugh, can I just go back to the lab? I feel
like I have fallen through the freaking looking glass. Ever since
you lot showed up things have gone straight to hell. I am blaming
you," Molly said in my direction without any real heat.

I shrugged my shoulders and went back to
watching the rise and fall of Kennan’s chest. Ian pulled two extra
chairs into the room and we sat around eating and chatting. It felt
weird to talk around Kennan when he could not be a part of the
conversation, but it was nice to have all of the people I trusted
in one place.

A few hours later Molly started yawning and
Ian proclaimed it was time she got some sleep. She looked at him
with an arched eyebrow and he changed his proclamation to a
suggestion very quickly. It was going to be so much fun to watch
Ian beaten down by the tiny Molly. I just shook my head at the two
of them and said good night.

I leaned forward and rested my head against
the bed. I would not leave Kennan, no matter what anyone said. I
don’t know how long I slept before I felt the fingers running
through my hair. I shot awake, pinning the hand down to the bed. I
tried to gain my bearings as quickly as possible. I had trouble
remembering where I was. I looked down and saw Kennan lying on the
bed and he was awake. I released his hand quickly.

“You, you’re awake. Or am I still dreaming?"
I asked blearily.

“No, it is real," Kennan croaked, barely
above a whisper.

“Oh, don’t talk. I don’t want you to hurt
yourself," I said, brushing my fingers across his perfect lips.

Kennan reached up and grabbed my hand,
holding it in place before gently kissing my fingers. He moved his
hand back to my face and brushed my cheek with his thumb. A gesture
so familiar and safe, it brought tears to my eyes.

“I love you too, Izzy," Kennan croaked
out.

I stood frozen. He had heard me. Even as his
life was fading away, he had heard me. I looked down at his face
and I needed to know what kind of love. If it were just familial
love, then I was in big trouble.

“Um, just one word answers okay? I don’t
want you to strain, but I need to know. Do you love me like a
sister?" I asked.

“No," Kennan said, waiting for my next
question.

“Like a niece?" I asked.

“No," he said, staring at me in a way that
sent shivers down my spine.

I steeled myself for the next question
afraid of what his answer might be. I felt brazen even to ask it. I
took a deep breath and prepared myself for rejection, knowing that
it would make no difference. I would not be able to leave Kennan
even if I tried.

“Romantically?" I asked, looking down at my
shoes and wishing I could melt into the floor.

He tilted my chin back up to where I was
forced to look at him.

“Yes, gods help me. I have since the first
night you walked into the pub," he said wincing at the end. I knew
he was in pain so I once again brushed my fingers over his lips and
then thought of a better way to keep him quiet.

I bent over the bed and gently brushed lips
over his. Every fantasy I had conjured about this moment paled in
comparison to the reality. His lips were hard and soft
simultaneously. Nothing could have prepared me for my reaction to
him. Heat pooled in the pit of my stomach.

I started to pull away for fear of hurting
him, when suddenly he pulled me closer and kissed me fervently. His
fingers entwined in my hair preventing any escape. Like I would go
anywhere, honestly. This single moment was worth all of the hell of
the past few weeks.

Suddenly doctors came rushing into to the
room and we stopped. We looked up surprised and the doctors tried
to look anywhere but at us.

Doctor Thomas was the first one to speak.
“His heart beat became elevated. We grew concerned. Now we see
there is nothing to worry about. However, might I suggest taking it
easy? You need to heal and you can’t do that if you are straining
yourself. So no more talking or violent kissing tonight, am I
understood?" He looked at us pointedly as though we were two
teenagers caught doing nefarious deeds in the dark of a
basement.

I blushed crimson and tried to hide my face
in Kennan as the doctors left the room. He chuckled at my
embarrassment. I had so much I wanted to ask him, but I knew I
should let him rest. He looked at me and then around the room.
Kennan’s eyes came to rest on a tablet of paper on one of the
tables. I walked over and grabbed it and found a pen as Kennan
elevated his bed a little more.

“Are you sure you are up for this?" I asked,
not wanting to strain him anymore than he already had been.

He grabbed the pen and paper from me and
wrote, “Yep.”

Alright then, I guess I could get an answer
to the question that had been nagging me since I was pulled out of
the dreaming. I needed to know how he had gotten on the floor and
why he did not fight more.

“You were on the floor when I woke up," I
said, hoping that he would understand the question I was too afraid
to ask.

He nodded and then set about writing. It
took several minutes before he handed me the tablet to read.

“We tried to find you in the building. The
teams had to split up to cover more ground. After what seemed an
eternity in hell, I finally found the floor you were on. I got
there before the rest of the guys. When I found you I started into
the room only to hear a voice behind me. It was my brother. He
said, ‘Well isn’t this quite the family reunion. Too bad she is
mine now. You should have killed me when you had the chance.’
Before I could do anything he had taken his gun and pistol whipped
me across the head and knocked me out. The last thing I remember
thinking was that he was right. I should have killed him." Kennan’s
words terrified me.

I looked up and saw that he was brushing his
hand across a bruise that had taken up residence just over his
temple. I reached up and replaced his hand with mine, gently
brushing over the bruise. I let my hands roam over his face. I
could not get enough of touching him. His blue eyes twinkled at me
with bemusement, and I once again began to blush. I felt
self-conscious around him now. I felt as though every part of my
being was hyper-aware of him and there was no way to tone it down.
If I was being honest with myself, I did not want to tone it
down.

“What are you thinking right now, Red?" he
croaked out. He looked at me in a way that sent fire straight down
into my stomach and made all of my being stand to attention.

“I am wondering how long it will take you to
get better. I would really like to kiss you thoroughly. If I am
being honest, I have been thinking about it for quite a long time,"
I said smiling down at him with what I hoped was a coy expression.
For all I knew I looked like I was having an epileptic fit.

Kennan reached for the notepad and started
scribbling on it again. He wrote hurriedly and handed it back to me
with a look of apprehension on his face. I was suddenly afraid of
what he might say.

I looked down and started to read. “Izzy, I
am sorry it took me so long to come around. I have been in love
with you since the first moment you walked into the pub over two
years ago. I just feel like I am somehow betraying your father if I
am with you. I have had a really hard time wrapping my head around
your being his daughter. I can’t fight it anymore. I don’t think I
could even if I wanted to. The minute I thought I lost you, I was
lost. It still feels wrong, but there is nothing I can do about the
way I feel." I finished reading his words with tears in my
eyes.

“Here me when I say this, Kennan O’Malley. I
know how much my father loved my mother. He was not stupid. He had
to have known that the same thing might happen with us. My mom sort
of told me that was part of the reason they thought it was best you
left. I think he knew it was a possibility. So just please stop
fighting it, because I really can’t anymore. I don’t have the
strength to," I said on a sigh, hoping that his guilt could be put
to rest.

He just looked at me and smiled. All of the
guilt seemed to melt away in his eyes and he motioned for me to
climb up on the bed with him. I was skeptical that it would be
conducive to his healing, but he convinced me with a hard look that
left no room for argument.

I climbed up beside him and pulled the
blankets around us. Luckily the hospital beds here were almost
queen sized. Although, with Kennan, it still did not leave me much
room. I basked in his warmth and snuggled my body as close to his
as I could manage without infringing upon the duties of the medical
monitors and tubes. I sighed contentedly and found that I was at
real peace for the first time since this whole thing had begun.

**********

The fog surrounded me and I heard the crunch
of steps behind me. I looked over my shoulder but could not find
anyone. I started to run without any real direction. I slowed when
I came to the edge of an all too familiar forest. I looked behind
me once more to see if I could find the person following me.

In place of a person I heard the howl of
wolves. I cried out and ran as fast as I could. I did not want to
be torn to shreds again. I could not handle it. I tripped over a
root and fell hard on my stomach. I whimpered in pain and hoped
that they did not find me again. I crawled over to a tree as I
spotted the first pair of oddly illuminated eyes. The wolves
descended and as I curled into the fetal position I remembered I
could get out.

I tried to pull my focus to reality and
started to shout in frustration as the wolves began shredding me
apart.

**********

I was being shaken by the doctor. He looked
down at me with fear in his eyes, and I noticed that I had wrapped
my hands around his throat and I was squeezing. Kennan pulled on my
arms and I dropped them to my sides as I stared at the doctor in
abject horror. I had shot out and almost hurt this complete
stranger without even realizing it.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean," I said, unable
to finish the sentence.

“Are you alright Miss Boone?" the doctor
asked as he rubbed his throat.

“It was just a dream." I was trying to
convince myself as much as I was trying to give an explanation.

“It was the wolves again," I added, as
though they should all know what I was talking about.

“Will you allow me to check your vitals?"
the doctor asked with concern.

I started to object, but Kennan gripped my
arm tightly, forcing me to make eye contact with him. He gave me a
hard expression that brooked no opposition. Hidden in the depth of
his eyes was barely masked concern.

“Yeah, but I am fine. I am more worried
about any damage I might have done to you or Kennan," I said,
looking back at Kennan to see if I had pulled out any of his tubes
inadvertently.

“I’m fine," Kennan croaked.

“You, stop talking. You are not going to
recover your vocal chords if you keep pushing," the doctor
admonished. “And you, I think it would be best if you slept
elsewhere until Mister O’Malley fully recovers. He had to push the
alert button to call us in. You were screaming and thrashing when
we got here. You might inadvertently hurt him if these dreams
continue.”

He set about checking my vitals, and my eyes
began to fill with tears. I did not want to hurt anyone. I did not
want to be the kind of person that was capable of that sort of
thing. I understood the concern for safety, but I was terrified to
be away from him. I sat there trying to numb my pain. I found
myself growing increasingly more and more agitated as the seconds
passed. Xavier might be dead, but he had taken his toll on me in a
way that marked my very soul.

The doctor finished checking my vitals and
informed me that I needed to go to the living quarters for the rest
of the evening. He gave me time to tell Kennan goodbye, but waited
just outside the door. I looked back over to Kennan and felt an
immense sense of guilt. I selfishly wanted to stay with him. I
could not risk it though.

“I’m sorry," I said before brushing my lips
across his and rising to leave.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me back to
him.

“We will get better." He whispered his
declaration and I hoped against all hope that he was right.

The doctor led me to the second floor. Along
the way several people stopped and looked at me. Some seemed
curious. Most seemed afraid. The doctor located the room he had
been looking for after a second look at his clipboard. He knocked
on the door and Molly opened it moments later.

“Miss Boone will be joining you. You should
be aware that she has dreams from which she cannot wake, and may
have violent outbursts as a result. If you feel unsafe with her we
can make other arrangements," the doctor said clinically.

I suddenly felt very tired. I looked up at
Molly and hoped that she would not turn me away. I was bereft and I
had a feeling it would be a long road before I ever felt like
myself again.

“Oh, shove it white coat. And you stop
looking so sad and get in here," Molly said grabbing my hand. She
pulled me into the room and practically slammed the door in the
doctor’s face.