Chapter 23
I was still shakingwith fury when they finally got my dad settled. A team of healers immediately surrounded him, including Callum’s mom. They murmured amongst themselves, discussing his condition and courses of action. I had to leave the room to make space for them and stay out of the way. It was hard, and only Callum’s steady hand on my shoulder kept me from going back. He steered me down the hall to the waiting room, sitting beside me after he nudged me onto a couch.
“I didn”t realize it had gotten that bad,” Callum murmured after a few minutes of silence.
I shook my head. “Me neither. He wasn’t that bad when I visited last week.”
Callum kept his face blank, hiding his reaction, which I appreciated. Instead of talking about my dad and how quickly he was deteriorating, he turned to me instead.
“Things felt… thick when I showed up. Did something happen?”
The urge to grimace was intense, but I didn”t regret what I’d done. I mean, I basically kidnapped my own father to get him to the facility, but it needed to happen. They were all delusional if they thought keeping him at home was sustainable anymore.
“Mom wasn’t ready to move him. I didn’t give her a choice.”
Callum studied me, raising an eyebrow when I finally gave him my attention. “I know this is hard on you, but I’m your friend, so I’m going to say things you don’t want to hear anyway. I’m worried about you. You’re not this guy. You’ve been reactive, combative, and just generally pissed off, especially since that poker night last week. If things go south–”
I growled, trying to push to my feet, but Callum stopped me with a hand on my shoulder, forcing me back down.
“Stop. You can’t keep running. I’m not saying it”s a guarantee, but if you don’t come to terms with what’s happening and things do go south, you’re going to be blindsided. You need to accept what’s happening.”
“What if it was you?” I demanded, that familiar fury I felt when I saw my dad lying in that bed building in my chest again. “If it was your dad in that bed, wasting away. What would you do? You’d do everything you could to save him, right? That’s what I’m doing, Cal.”
“And there’s nothing wrong with that,” he agreed. “But you can’t alienate everyone else in your life because of it. You almost attacked Aziel for one stupid comment. You’re not violent, Mal. And using magic to cow your own mother? She’s struggling too. What part of you thought that was the right call to make?”
Pain ripped through my middle, and I turned my face away. “I hadn’t meant to do that. I was so horrified by the way my dad looked in that bed. The fury just kind of took over. I was heartbroken and angry that they still weren’t taking his condition seriously. You saw him, Cal. He barely even looks like himself. How long were they going to wait until they finally got him some help?”
He squeezed my shoulder gently, bringing my attention off the wall and back to him. “I agree. They let it go too far. But was shouting and using magic to enforce your will really the best way to handle that situation?”
My face clouded over. No. It wasn’t. I knew that. I knew it while it was happening. I just couldn’t stop myself. My need to save my dad overrode everything. My hatred of confrontation, the calm that Zach had given me before we came inside, even my love for my family. I could only think about saving my dad.
Dropping my head into my hands, I fought against the tears that burned in my eyes. A week ago, Dad looked rough. Lost some weight, big circles under his bloodshot eyes. But he was still smiling when I came to see him. To see him go from that to now was traumatic. He looked like a corpse. I didn”t understand why no one could see that he needed to be here. It was like they were waiting for him to die at home instead of giving him a fighting chance.
The confusion was still there, but I didn”t think anyone would explain it to me. Not after the way I acted. All I could do was sit there and wait and hope. Hope that my dad woke back up. Hope that the healers could save him. Hope I didn’t lose my entire family in one fell swoop because I overreacted. And Zach…
He looked scared of me. I hated myself for that, as well as everything else that had happened. I asked him to come with me to help me find the words to explain what I needed from my family. I should’ve stuck with the plan. He would’ve been a lot more gentle about it.
* * *
It felt like I sat in that waiting room for days. Time held no meaning. I stayed glued to that couch, Callum’s presence at my side keeping me from rushing back to see what was happening. My family showed up at one point, but no one said anything to me. They settled on the couches to wait and for the first time in my life, they were quiet.
When Mrs. Malatesta finally came to talk to us, I launched to my feet, my heart in my throat. She put up her hands placatingly, a soft smile on her face.
“He’s okay. Out of the woods for now.”
There was a collective sigh of relief and I finally felt the presence of my family behind me. I didn’t look away, waiting for Mrs. Malatesta to give us more information.
“He will rest tonight, but I’m optimistic that he’ll be awake soon and ready for visitors. I’d like to discuss his prior care, if you don’t mind.” Her gaze shifted behind me. “Are you his wife?”
“Yes. He was being treated at home before now. A healer friend of ours checked on him regularly, but–”
Mrs. Malatesta frowned. “So he was being treated then? Was it palliative care? Did the diagnosing healer feel he was past the point of recovery?”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
Mrs. Malatesta didn’t look at me. Her focus was on my mom, but when I glanced at her over my shoulder, even she looked confused.
“I… The healer we had said he was doing everything he could to help. I didn’t ask–”
Mrs. Malatesta shook her head. “That’s alright. I’ll speak with him directly. Just give me his contact information. If you’re hoping for palliative care, we can provide that here, but I’d really like to reevaluate his condition. I don’t think he’s that far gone yet.”
“What does that word mean?” Sierra asked from somewhere behind me.
It was a question it seemed we all wanted answers for, and the shocked look on Mrs. Malatesta’s face made me nervous.
“It means end-of-life care,” Zach answered quietly. I didn’t even realize he was here, and I couldn’t see him with my family surrounding me.
Mrs. Malatesta nodded in agreement. “Exactly. When an illness has gone too far and there’s no hope of recovery, we give palliative care to treat the symptoms so that the patient doesn’t feel any pain. Given the way your husband came in, I thought maybe…”
Jerking around, I shot a wide-eyed look at my mom. I thought maybe she was hiding just how bad off my dad was and that was why she never pushed to bring him here. But she shook her head wildly at my accusing look.
“No. No! Absolutely not. The healer was supposed to be treating him. I mean, I knew it would be difficult with only one healer, but Andreas wanted to be home for as long as he could, surrounded by his family. We knew the chances of survival were slim, but we hadn’t given up yet.”
I studied her face for a trace of a lie, but there was none that I could see. She looked just as confused and worried as I felt. And none of my sisters seemed to know what was going on either.
Mrs. Malatesta’s face darkened. “What was the name of the healer again?”
I wanted to go after the healer myself to figure out what happened. It was sounding like the healer wasn’t doing his job and was letting my dad die. I’d kill him if that was the case. It took Callum and Myra holding me back to keep me in that waiting room. Once they shoved me onto the couch, Zach appeared in front of me, blocking my escape and keeping my focus on him. He put my hand on his chest, guiding my breathing, his free hand stroking my cheek gently.
The waiting room became a flurry of activity around me. My mom left with Mrs. Malatesta to discuss my dad’s care and what happens next. A couple of my sisters started looking for the healer. The rest stuck close, talking amongst themselves. The noise was comforting, as was Zach’s steady presence. He never looked away from me, not until I was back under control. I drew in a slow breath, forcing my shoulders down a few inches.
“Good. That’s better. Doing okay?”
I nodded.
“Not going to terrorize the city anymore?”
I fought back a smile, shaking my head. Zach smiled brightly.
“Good. I was worried I’d have to call in the cavalry. Or maybe just sic your sisters on you. You never told me you were related to amazons.”
When I flashed him a confused look, he flapped his hand impatiently toward my sisters. “They’re all over six five! I feel like a dwarf!”
“That’s because you are a dwarf,” Myra drawled. She had draped herself across one of the couches, her lazy grin matching her posture. She and Camille were twins and always looked so much alike. Zach took her teasing in stride, sticking his tongue out at her.
“Shut up. At least I don’t have to duck when I walk into rooms.”
“No, but do you live under a bridge perchance?”
Zach gasped, mock offended, with his hand against his chest. I tugged him into my arms, shooting Myra a glare over my shoulder.
“Leave him alone. He’s the only one who can stop me from murdering you all.”
She scoffed, clearly not believing me. I’d never actually fought my sisters. That seemed like a recipe for disaster. They didn’t fight fair and would team up with each other if given the opportunity. I preferred staying out of it to keep myself from getting a beating.
As Zach and Myra continued to go back and forth, I let myself breathe for the first time since I came home. Dad was in the best place he could be. Zach was in my arms. My mom said out loud that she wanted what was best for dad. It was a start, and I was going to run with it.