Page 36 of Claiming a Demon

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.

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