26 Walking Corpse
“Fuck off!”
“No! She's my girlfriend!”
“She stopped being your girl the second that needle touched her skin!”
My eyes feel heavy, but not like before. The voices are coming in clearer.
Where am I?
“No, I did what I had to do. I was trying to protect her! It was better to be on the inside than on the outside and have no idea what moves my father would be making. He needed to be taken down! I did that for her!”
“Look at her, Jace! You really think you were doing her a favor? That you protected her? She's like this because of you!”
Jace.
Luca.
They're yelling... about me?
I'm staring up at a white ceiling. Not concrete. The hope starts up in my chest.
“Isobel? Can you hear me?” Maeve's voice comes from my right, I shut my eyes again, shaking my head.
No, no, no, please tell me this isn't a dream. That would be too cruel.
“Isobel? Iz?” Her voice comes again.
I let my eyes crack open, letting them roam around the room. I finally turn my head towards Maeve's voice. My head feels like it weighs a hundred pounds.
There, in the chair beside my bed, holding my hand in a vice grip, I'm not sure how I didn't notice it before—is Maeve.
Her eyes are puffy and rimmed red. She's wearing a large gray hoodie and her elbows rest on my bed.
“Maeve?” My voice is small, but hopeful.
“Iz, oh thank God.” The tears spill down her cheeks, her head falls forward onto the bed. Her shoulders shake as she silently cries.
“Sh...” I squeeze her hand, “I'm here.” I swallow roughly.
“You don't get to see her until she asks for you!” Luca storms into the room, locking the door behind him. He rests his back against it, his head tilted toward the ceiling.
His muscles are rigid. He looks tired. But the sight of him makes something in my chest ease.
“Luca.” I rasp.
His head whips down, his eyes finding mine immediately.
“Iz...Isobel!” he rushes over to my left, sliding into the chair there. “Maeve, why didn't you tell me she woke up?”
Maeve lifts her head, wiping her cheeks, sniffling.
“I literally just opened my eyes,” I answered, clearing my throat.
“Here!” Luca jumps up, grabs the plastic pitcher and pours it into a cup. He grabs the straw from the table and brings it over, holding it to my mouth.
“Thanks.” I try to smile, then greedily suck the water down. The cold water hits my parched throat and I swear I could float up to heaven right now.
“Drink slow, Iz.” Maeve puts her hand on my shoulder. “The doctor said to take it slow. Let me go get him, actually.” She stands up and rushes out of the room.
“I think that's the first time she's left your side.” Luca smiles, his lip ring glinting in the hospital light.
“She's a good egg.” I laugh weakly.
“She is. You should've seen it. She slapped Jace so hard! She also threatened to take him out with a bat.” Luca's smile dims a bit.
My smile drops completely.
Jace. Dakota.
Luca said his name earlier.
“Wait, Luca, did I hear you yelling at Jace before you came in here?” My brain tries to play catchup, but I can barely remember their words.
“Yeah, he—”
“You can't trust him!” I grab his hands, “You have to believe me, I don't know what lies he told you, but he's working for Gideon. He played me this whole time.”
My voice cracks, my heart breaking all over again, having to explain this. “Luca, Dakota’s the one who took me! They’re together!”
The door of my room opens and Lucian steps inside, dark circles under his eyes and hair that looks like he's been running his hands through it constantly for days.
“Dad!” I try to sit up, but pain zips through my body, and I fall back with a gasp.
“Whoa, slow down!” He runs over to my side, picking up my other hand.
“No, you have to hear this.”
“Iz—” Luca starts.
“No, Luca, stop. He's my dad, he has to know!”
“We already know.” Luca glances at Lucian. “Just take a deep breath. Please.” Luca's brows furrow.
“Wh-what?” I look back and forth between my dad and Luca, “What do you mean you already know?”
Lucian nods and takes the seat Maeve vacated, not letting go of my hand.
“It's a long story, but Jace was a double agent this whole time. He didn't tell anyone because Gideon had him under surveillance. He had to make it look like he was loyal to his dad so he would gain his trust. As for Dakota, she’s in the wind.”
My jaw drops.
“What, no.” I close my eyes, and all I can see is Jace's cold gaze. His unreadable expression. Dakota’s hands on him.
“No,” I repeat, shaking my head.
“Isobel, maybe you should let him explain.”
“No. He did this to me.” I pull my hand from his, and I instantly regret it. His face falls, his shoulders droop forward. I don't think I've ever seen Lucian even so much as slouch.
I reach back out to him, taking his hand. “I just can't right now, Dad. This is all... new. I thought I would be breaking the news to you, but it's the opposite. I thought...” I rest my head back, closing my eyes, tears building behind them, “I thought I was going to die down there. Hoped for it.”
“Iz…” Luca whispers, taking my other hand, his warmth enveloping my fingers.
“Oh, Gracie.” Lucian stands, kissing my forehead. “I’m so sorry we didn't find you sooner. I failed you as a father, again. I let you get hurt.” Lucian's eyes look wet. “I promised you… And I failed.”
“No, Dad, please. Don't say that. Don't blame yourself, because it's not true. You did everything you could, gave me all the tools to protect myself, I just didn't recognize the snake waiting for me in the grass.” I squeeze his fingers.
“Thank you for saying that, but I still feel responsible. Dakota led us to believe that Daniel took you, so we were looking in the wrong place.”
Lucian kisses my head once more.
“Are you feeling alright? Any pain? Maeve said she’s going to get the doctor. I can talk to him.”
“Everything hurts. But I’m the most comfortable I’ve been in what feels like forever. I’ll never take a bed for granted again.”
“Okay. I'll have someone bring you some soup. You need to eat. But take it slow. You've been on a liquid diet for the last two days while you slept.”
The thought of food makes my stomach flip. “I'll try it.”
“Rest up. We need you to get better,” Lucian smiles at me like I'm not the broken remains of his daughter and heads to the door, closing it softly behind him.
Luca's watching me carefully, I can see the questions in his eyes.
“Luca, how long was I missing for?”
Luca forces a smile. “We don't have to talk about that now, just rest.”
“No, Luca, I need to know,” I plead. “I need to know because I was going crazy down there. And for most of it, I was so out of it from lack of food and water, I just need to know. Please, Luca.”
His eyes soften, “Alright, pretty girl, I can't resist you, you know that.” He smiles weakly, “You were missing for about five months.”
I stare at him.
Five. Months.
Day in, day out, being hit and touched. I have to shut my eyes and take a deep breath.
“Wow, okay.” I open my eyes and look at Luca. “Help me up.”
“What, why?” Luca looks around like there's someone else in the room.
“I need to see.”
“No, Iz, I don't think that's a good idea.”
“Luca, if you're just going to tell me no, I'm going to call Maeve in here.”
“I just don't think it's a good idea...” Luca looks sheepish as he stands beside my bed, and I know I have him.
“I'm not asking for your thoughts; I'm asking for your help.” I roll my eyes.
“Fine, fine.” Luca huffs a laugh, “Damn, so pushy diva.” He flashes me his signature smile.
I push the blankets off my lap and swing my legs over the side. From just seeing my legs, I already know it's not going to be good.
Hell, even my hands don't look right. My arms are too thin, too light. I can see the skin stretching over my bones.
Luca takes my arm, pulling me up with little to no effort. My legs wobble underneath me.
The door opens and Maeve steps back inside, “The doctor said he'll be right in, but— what the fuck are you doing?” Maeve rushes toward me.
“Bring. Me. The mirror. Please.” I pant out.
“Isobel.” Maeve's voice wavers.
“Maeve.” I plead with her with my eyes.
Maeve grabs the standing mirror in the corner and drags it over until it's in front of me.
First, I see Luca standing next to what looks like a little girl.
The little girl looks like a corpse, cheeks hollow, pale skin.
The little girl is me.
“Isobel, you're shaking. We need to get you back in bed.” Luca lowers me to the bed, and I let him.
The room spins.
“W-who cleaned me?” I hold out my arms as Maeve covers me back up with the blanket.
“Nurses,” Maeve says.
“After they checked you out, they told me you'd want to feel clean and get everything off of you.” Luca offers me more water, and I take a few sips.
“Well, they were right.” I rest my head back. Maeve grabs a washcloth from the bathroom and brings it over to dab at my forehead.
“It's going to take time, Iz. To heal, to get your strength back. But you will heal. You will be strong again.” Maeve's voice is soothing.
Five months.
I still can't wrap my head around it.
Five months and I'm back to square one. If anything, I'm further back than square one. I had it bad with Daniel, but never to this extent.
Daniel.
He's still out there. My eyes widen and my head whips to Luca, making my vision spin a bit.
“My mom?”
“I'm sorry, Iz,” Luca nibbles on his lip ring.
“We haven't found her yet. We don't know where Daniel or Dakota is.
We haven't been able to track them down at all.
All the 'leads' we followed, we don't know if they were real or if they were because Gideon wanted us to do his dirty work and put false leads out there.”
I nod in understanding. I can't blame them.
They didn't know, how could they?
Not with Jace saying one thing and then doing another.
“Why don't you get some rest?” Maeve rubs her hand up and down my arm. “I'll wake you up when your soup gets here.”
I yawn and agree.
“I'll go check on where it is.” Luca stands, kissing my cheek, “Glad to have you back, pretty girl.”