16. Thorn in my side
THORN IN MY SIDE
“Lucas, where is she?” I spat into the phone.
He didn’t reply, but I swear I heard the slightest smile cross his lips.
“Where the other one is, in a cold hospital bed. Waiting.” He spoke after a minute.
“You know you are a real bastard sometimes.” I sighed, leaning against the wall.
“Yes.” he replied cooly, “When can I expect your return?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose and swiped at my tired eyes. Lucas was playing his hand; his need for control wasn’t a “when can we” it was the “when can I.” Control.
He waited, as he always did in these situations. I could faintly hear his breaths through the line as I contemplated my words. The soft hum of machinery in the background filtered through the phone as he walked.
“I have a shift at the hospital at noon. Obsidian wants me back after. Find time between there.” I paused longer than I should have before I asked, “Does she trust you?”
“Which one?” I felt the cockiness without having to see it.
“Summer…She’s different.”
“She’s blonde.” He spat.
“That bothers you.”
“It always bothered me.” He said, matter of fact.
“Of course,” I replied, a confirmation to the past we never spoke about, the blonde he never saw again.
“I’ll let you in on a little secret, maybe it’s the goodness in my heart.” He redirected.
“There is no goodness in you, so what price am I paying?” I bit out coldly.
“Keep better eye on your playthings, this one seems to have a mind of her own. You know how dangerous that can be.” It was a threat, but also truth disguised as a nicety.
There was silence on the line as he let that sink in.
He didn’t have to tell me the price. My mind did the calculations.
There were a few things that Lucas and I had agreed to purchase together.
There was also the matter of our devious actions. I did the math; he hated the cold.
“A prosthetic for the doll or our villa?” I sighed, pinching my nose. This was transactional. It always had been a transaction with Lucas. “You know what, just take the villa it’s useless to me right now anyways. The doll will have a prosthetic by the end of the week.” I finished.
“Summer wants an abortion.” He spoke monotone as if it were a basic conversation instead of something to jab under my skin.
“No. I don’t think she does. It wouldn’t make sense with what I have seen of her. She is a protector not a destroyer.” It sounded so simple coming from my mouth, but it was far from simple. I heard more walking and that squeaky door swing open on its hinge, the one he hadn’t fixed yet.
“Dr. Avery,” her voice filtered through the line. I almost thought he’d hang up. Instead, I heard the phone beep, but their conversation continued.
“Stitches look good, although you could have done without the strain.” Lucas spoke.
“Don’t patronize me.” She spat.
There was something else said, but it was too low for me to hear despite straining to catch every word they spoke between them.
“Not unexpected, still I would be neglecting my medical duties if I didn’t at least get an ultrasound first.” Lucas’s voice filtered through the phone.
“Fine,” she replied.
There was a pause and shuffling in the background.
My breath came out in foggy puffs in front of me.
I should have returned to the warmth of inside; temperature changes were one of the easiest ways my body shut down.
My fingertips were probably freezing the longer I stood in the chilling wind.
I began checking the blood flow in my left hand as I clutched the phone to my ear with my right. Too afraid I would miss something.
“Girl.” I heard him comment after a long pause, and my heart thumped in my chest. Lucas spoke, but I didn’t catch all of it. Something about a complication and a “No.” I didn’t hear it as the wind whipped around me. There was a shuffle of commotion before the phone went dead.
“Fuck,” I muttered to no one in particular.
There was certainly a problem, but I wasn’t in the position to go anywhere right now.
I turned back towards the building, contemplating leaving now, but I couldn’t just let them kill him.
Sure, I didn’t mind the whole use and be used thing, but I wouldn’t purposely kill him.
Scott was something interesting. My motives weren’t pure, but were anyone’s really pure?
Pocketing my phone, I pulled open the glass door and walked into the warmth, but the chilling feeling something was wrong remained with me.