Tethered (A BirthRight Novel) (7 page)

“Will I ever see you again?”

“Only if you need me. But never forget I’m watching over you. I always have been.”

She turns her head as if someone’s there, someone I can’t see. “I have to go now, but please remember everything when you wake up. It’s very important.”

“I don’t think there’s any chance of me forgetting.”

“Good. In the meantime, please tell everyone I send my love. Especially your pap. Tell him I’ll be watching over him, too.”

“Okay, Mom. I will.”

“I love you so much, Chloe.”

“I love you more.

She wraps her arms around me with all her might, the warmth of the sun washing over my entire body.

“So, who is this handsome guy who has you so worked up?” She smiles, but before I can respond—she’s gone.

I wake to the stillness of my dark bedroom.

Did that just happen, or am I finally losing it?

I climb deeper under my down comforter, remembering every word she spoke.

Why wouldn’t she tell me more?

I guess there’s no chance I’ll figure it out now, so I might as well focus on the good things she had to say. Like the fact that she’s
not
disappointed in me. How is that even possible?

I hold on tight to my pillow, replaying the vision again. And again. She made it clear I need to remember, so that’s just what I plan to do.

*  *  *

As the sunlight beams in, forcing my eyes open, I find myself not minding it’s time to crawl out of bed. The guilt that usually parks on my chest like a tw0-ton-dump-truck, is lighter somehow.

Nothing can ruin this feeling—not even Dhelia’s biting sarcasm.

I inhale the fresh morning air coming through the window—take a steaming shower—then throw on khaki Capri’s and royal blue tank.

For the umpteenth time, I replay my mother’s words while I paint on a bit of make-up, finding new strength each time the vision begins. I’m dying to share my vision with my family, but I’m not sure how to approach the subject.

Like a skilled chess player, I plot various scenarios and strategize the possible outcomes. Each time, Dhelia meets me with disbelief and argumentative behavior. I’m sure there’s no way around it, but I do need to tell her and the others. Whether they believe me or not.

I grab a rubber-band and smooth my hair back into a ponytail, convincing myself I’m sure I’ll know when the time is right. Satisfied after one last perusal in the mirror, I set off on my mission.

I walk downstairs expecting to be alone this early in the morning, but to my surprise, both Dru and Dhelia sit in the kitchen having their tea.

The second I spot them my resolve begins to fade. “Hey. Morning, guys.”

“Hey.” Either Dru didn’t sleep well, or he’s hung-over. His slumped-over posture is a bit out of the norm.

“Rough night?” I raise my eyebrows in mock judgment.

“Oh, let’s just say it was a
long
night and leave it at that.” Dru stares at his cup, playing with his spoon like a toddler.

If my brother doesn’t say what’s on his mind, it’s cause for concern. He’s an open book by nature. But I won’t press it until later when he’s had a chance to wake up.

Getting no response from my sister, I greet her again. “Good morning, Dhelia.”

“Morning,” she replies in a low monotone, with not even a hint of snark.

Great. This is guaranteed to be a
long
day at this rate. “I can just get something to eat at the hospital, so whenever you guys are ready, just say the word.”

Dru flies off his chair like a bolt of lightning. “I’ll drive!”

I don’t ask any questions as he rushes out the door—I just follow. I make it to the car before Dhelia, but I jump in the back to avoid any potential for an argument.

After ten miles of awkward silence, tension fills the car like a hitchhiker.

“Would you
stop
it already?” Dru shouts at Dhelia.

“I’m sorry,” Dhelia snaps, but her frowning expression paints the perfect picture of remorse.
That’s
a new one!

Did I miss something? “What’s going on with you two?”

Dru snorts. “Dhelia refuses to control her hormones, and she’s driving me nuts with her negativity. I feel it for us
both
and I can’t take it right now.”

Oh, wow.
Now
I get it. “Well, can’t you calm her? I remember you doing it when we were kids.”

He scrunches his eyebrows, glaring at me through the rearview mirror. “Not when I’m already upset myself. I can’t focus enough to even try.”

“Come on, Dru…just take a few deep breaths and relax.”

He obeys.

Ok. If he’s gonna listen, I’ll see if I can help. “That’s good, Dru, a few more. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Feel any better?”

He nods. “Yeah, some.”

He’s so rattled. I can’t stand seeing someone so sweet, tormented over something that’s out of his control. “Good, now think about what Dhelia’s feeling and try to make it disappear. Can you feel it?”

“Oh yeah, no question there,” he quips, not even trying to hide his sarcasm.

“Okay, now focus. Imagine you can physically wrap your hands around it and pull it from her.” I give him a few seconds. “Are you pulling?”

He focuses. “Yes, I have it. But what do I do with it.”

I open my mouth to speak, but I’m muted by a revolting sound coming up from his lungs—like the wind is being sucked out of him.

The car swerves out of control, as panic—and d
é
ja vu—overcome me.

I lean up, putting my hand on Dru’s shoulder. “Pull the car over, Dru. Keep your eyes on the road and pull over.”

He responds to my command, bringing the car to a screeching stop on the side of the road. Thank god there were no other cars around!

I rub his shoulder. “Close your eyes and breathe, Dru. Deep...slow...breaths.” He continues repeating the exercise, his labored breathing normalizes.

“Are you okay?”

“I think so. Man, that was wild.” He laughs. “How the hell did you do that?”

Huh? “What do you mean? Do what?”

“You helped me take away her pain...pull it into myself...then get rid of it.”

I squint, cocking my head to the side in disbelief. “No I didn’t,
you
did. I was just trying to keep you calm so you could focus. I remember how hard that always was for you.”

He laughs. “Yeah...still is.”

Oh, crap. Dhelia. How’d I forget about her? “Dee, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She pulls off her seat belt then twists around to face me. “No. I’m better than fine. I feel great. I seriously thought I was having a panic attack. I tried so hard to control it, but the harder I tried, the worse it got. I’m so sorry, Dru.” Her eyes well up, turning to her other half.

“It’s okay. I shouldn’t have gotten so mad. I know you weren’t doing it on purpose. Please don’t cry, Dee.” Dru lays his hand on her knee.

Dhelia turns to face me again. “Thank you, Chloe. Seriously. Thank you.”

Whoa. Where did
that
come from?

“Ah...you’re welcome.” I barely did anything more than make a few minor suggestions to help him breathe.

But I’ll leave it alone. These moments are rare, so there’s no sense spoiling it.

Dru puts the car in drive, pulling back onto the empty country road like nothing happened. I notice him watching me in the rearview mirror with a grin on his face. We just had a breakthrough. And like me, I think he knows it’s only the beginning.

Dhelia leans forward to turn on the radio as Dru opens the sunroof, allowing the perfect sixty-five-degree May morning to permeate through the car. Now
that
feels fantastic.

I smile, leaning back to enjoy the wind—and this moment. This is a
much
better way to start the day.

Ten minutes later we make it to the hospital, but no one’s in sight near Pap’s room. We head to the nurses’ station, only to learn they’ve taken Pap down for a few tests. Gram and Aunt Morgan must have gone for a walk to stretch their legs.

It’s extra quiet this morning. Business must be slow on this wing, which is a good thing. Either that or most are still sleeping. No worries—we’ve come prepared. We brought books, newspapers, magazines and a deck of cards. The latter was Dru’s doing. Since the waiting room is empty, we find the most comfortable corner and settle in for the day.

About twenty minutes after we sit, we hear familiar voices coming down the hall. Gram beelines straight for us. “Good morning, kids. How’d you sleep?” Her smile is as warm as ever. My heart breathes a sigh of relief.

The three of us look at each other and shake our heads, but I answer, “Not too bad. Had a dream that woke me up, but other than that, I slept well.” It’s the perfect time to start paving the way towards sharing my vision.

“And how about you two?” She studies them with curious eyes. They turn to each other again, both seeming unsure of how much they should divulge. “Okay, out with it. What’s going on?”

After a brief hesitation, Dhelia speaks up. “Well, I sort of kept Dru up all night with my worrying. He was super pissed at me this morning, but I tried to tell him I couldn’t help it. I’m worried. It’s not like I can fake it or anything.”

Gram shakes her head in agreement. “That’s true enough, dear. But you have to realize that because you’re twins, it exacerbates
everything
he feels from you. Even if Dru weren’t an Empath, he would still be able to feel what you feel. His power just magnifies it to the extreme.” She lifts Dhelia’s chin with her fingertips, kissing her forehead.

My sister’s eyes glaze over. “I know, Gram. I told him I was sorry. I couldn’t help it. I tried though, I really did.”

“I believe you, dear. Maybe your brother needs to realize you won’t always be able to control your feelings. Perhaps he needs to find a way to block you out.” She eyes Dru as if he’s done something wrong.

“Well, it doesn’t matter anyway. Chloe saved the day and rescued us both before I had a chance to strangle Dhelia.” He plasters a smug grin across his face as he looks at me.

Gee, thanks for throwing me under the bus, Dru. Brat!

Gram’s mouth falls open. “Is that so? What exactly did she do?”

I feel thirteen again—busted for playing with her Wiccan ritual paraphernalia.

“Well, we’d just gotten in the car to come here. I yelled at Dhelia for driving me nuts with her negative energy then Chloe asked what was going on. Keep in mind I was super agitated at this point. I wanted to break something.” He pauses.

“Go on, dear.”

“Well, I’m not really sure what happened. After I told Chloe about Dhelia, she not only calmed
me
down, she also kept Dhelia from totally freaking out. It was unbelievable. One minute she’s walking me through slow breathing like I was giving birth or something, then I almost wreck the car, and the next we were pulled over along the road feeling like a huge weight had just been lifted. I’ve never seen anything like it, Gram.”

She rests her hand on the side of her face. “Is this true, Chloe? I thought you didn’t use magic anymore?”

Huh? “I don’t...I didn’t. It wasn’t like that. All I did was put my hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Then I helped him focus so
he
could take away Dhelia’s pain. That’s it, I swear. I might have given him the directions, but Dru did the driving. Besides, I’m a Seer...what magic could I have possibly used?”

“That’s a load of crap, Chloe,” Dru interjects. “After I pulled the fear out of Dhelia, it went
completely
into me. I thought my lungs were going to explode from it hitting me so hard. You walked me through it and told me how to push it away. It’s totally gone now...from both Dhelia
and
me. I can feel she’s calm and relaxed. I couldn’t have done that without you. I’m not
that
strong.” Out of character, Dru looks annoyed, nostrils flaring with each breath.

I don’t see what the big deal is. I shake my head. I didn’t do what he thinks I did. He just lacks confidence in his abilities. I’ll help him see that, but it won’t be now. We can talk when we’re alone.

Gram stares me down as if she’s seeing me for the first time. What is
that
for? She moves to my side, laying her hand on my shoulder. “Sounds like
someone
has more ‘gifts’ than she realizes.”

Before I have the chance to disagree any further, we notice the nurses wheeling Pap back to his room.

We walk towards the doorway where Dr. Gaslightwala greets us. “Good morning, everyone.”

We all reply, “Good morning.”

“So Doc, what’s the story?” Dru isn’t wasting time on small talk.

Dr. Gaslightwala takes a deep breath. “I’m afraid the news isn’t good. Since Samuel still isn’t responding, we ran a battery of tests to see what’s preventing him from waking up. Unfortunately, we’ve concluded he’s in a coma. Upon using The Glasgow Coma Scale, he received a seven. A score of three to five likely means fatal brain damage. A score of eight to fifteen means a great chance for recovery. A score of seven means things could go either way at this point.” He sits on the arm of the chair next to Gram.

“An MRI indicates there are no visible lesions, but there’s still a significant amount of swelling from the surgery. We’re putting him on a course of steroids over the next few days to reduce the swelling and to alleviate any pressure on the frontal lobe where we operated. We’ll be monitoring him
very
closely. As soon as we see a change we’ll let you know right away. Again, I’m sorry I don’t have better news.”

My heart threatens to stop beating from this unexpected change.

Gram leans closer, placing her perfectly manicured hand on Dr. Gaslightwala’s arm. “How long could this last, doctor?”

With his pursed lips and squinched up eyes, he shakes his head. “There’s really no way to tell. Samuel’s a strong man, so there’s still every reason to be hopeful.”

“Okay, thank you doctor.” Gram smiles politely, pulling her hand back.

“We’ll keep you posted, Aurora.” He turns to walk away, leaving us in stunned silence.

We knew Pap would have a difficult road ahead of him, but we never prepared for
this
. No one did. A coma? Are you kidding me?

While maintaining her usual calm, Gram turns towards her family. “Let’s sit down and talk for a bit. There are some things I can’t put off any longer.”

We do as she asks, but shift in our chairs uncomfortably. Where’s she going with this?

“Okay,” she says, taking a deep, yoga-like breath. “I was hoping we’d never need to have this conversation. But out of respect to a promise I made your grandfather, I suppose now is the time.” She pauses, and we patiently wait for her to regroup. No one seems to have a clue what she’s about to say.

“Even though it’s not what I believe in my heart, we need to prepare ourselves for the worst. After we found out about the tumor, your grandfather went ahead and made all sorts of arrangements. You know how practical he is...he doesn’t want us burdened with anything in case the worst should happen.” Her eyes fall to the palms of her hands. “So he had a will drawn up, along with funeral and burial arrangements. He’s even written letters for everyone.”

We look around the room at each other, panic etched across our clueless faces.

“Now don’t get the wrong idea...and wipe away that look on your faces. He’s more worried about
us
than he is for himself. He doesn’t want us to assume he’ll be okay, and then be shocked if he should die. He doesn’t want anyone having regrets either, which is what brings me to the next promise I made him, and quite possibly, the most difficult.” She pauses again, nervously twisting the rings on her fingers.

“Go ahead, Mom, it’s okay,” Aunt Morgan tries to reassure her.

She looks towards her daughter with a look of both fear—and hope—all wrapped up into one. “You say that
now
, but wait until you hear what he wants.” Another pause before she speaks again. “He made me promise I’d convince you to bring the boys here to say goodbye. If he should die, he doesn’t want them to live with the regret of not seeing him before he goes. He doesn’t want them to live with that. Please don’t be upset dear, but it’s the right thing to do. Deep down, you know it is.”

“You’re right, Mom.” Aunt Morgan grabs her hand.

“You’ve kept them safe for all these years, but now...wait...what did you say?” Gram’s jaw falls open.

“I said, you’re right. And
he’s
right. He’s
always
right. It’s not fair to keep the boys away at a time like this. I’ve kept them safe for twenty-one years. The simple fact is, they’re old enough to take care of themselves now. They’re grown men and I can’t protect them forever. They should be able to make their own choices. Besides, what are the chances the Russo’s have kept
our
secret all this time anyway?” She rubs the top of Gram’s hand, staring out the window with a rather helpless look on her face. “I’m not going to worry about that stupid pact anymore. I only wish it hadn’t taken something like
this
to make me realize it. But just so you know, I’d already made the decision before you said anything. Actually, I made the decision before we left California.” A hint of a smile forms on her face as she turns back to Gram.

An imaginary light bulb explodes in my head, remembering Aunt Morgan’s hours of pensive silence on the plane. “Is
that
why you were so quiet on the way here?”

Aunt Morgan shrugs at me apologetically. “Yeah, I guess so. I was afraid for my dad, but I also knew I had to find the strength to bring the boys here. I’ve always known the day would come, but now that it’s upon me, I’m just not sure what to do with it. Sorry I was so anti-social.”

“Don’t be, it’s totally okay. If anyone can understand how difficult it is making decisions that affect the people you love...it’s me.” My eyes dart towards Dhelia.

“Oh, is this my cue to say something all heartfelt and forgiving?” Her posture stiffens, almost as if she regrets the reflexive attack.

Unaffected by the classic Dhelia snark, Gram jumps to her feet, excited by her daughter’s words. “Are you sure, dear? I’m not trying to talk you out of it or anything...I just need you to be sure this is truly what you want.”

Aunt Morgan laughs, lighter than she was just moments ago. “Yes, Mom, I’m sure. It’s the right thing to do. Besides, how could I possibly deny Dad this? I just pray he gets to see them before....”

“Don’t you
dare
talk like that.” She pushes Morgan’s hand away, an agitated breath pushing out from her lungs. “So when are the boys done with classes?”

“Sometime next week. I’m sure if I talk to the Dean, maybe they can take their finals a few days early.”

“Well, why don’t we find the doctor to see if we can get more information? I don’t know much about comas, so the more we can find out, the better.”

“Okay. That sounds like the best first step.” Aunt Morgan stands to throw her arms around Gram.