Page 11 of Claws and Feathers

Dr. Everett pulled back the curtain and tipped her head toward the small room. “You can buzz the nurse if you need anything.”

He nodded, then shifted his eyes forward, landing on the woman lying beneath mint green bed covers. Cooper hesitated in the entryway when a lump lodged in the back of his throat. She looked so broken; so defeated.

“Hi,” she said softly.

Abby didn’t look at him – in fact, she didn’t move at all. She was resting on her back, her head tilted slightly to the right, and her gaze fixated on nothing at all.

Cooper cautiously approached, his thumbs hooked on his outer vest. “Hey,” he replied. She was hooked up to IVs and various machines. He could feel the warmth coming from her heated blanket, quelling the chill that was hovering in the room. He pulled a chair over to her bedside and sat down. Cooper parted his lips to speak, but words suddenly escaped him. What could he possibly say?

How are you?

You look better.

I’m sorry.

God. What a bunch of tripe.

Abby broke through his weave of jagged thoughts with a timid voice. “He called me ‘Little Bird’.”

Cooper frowned. “Does that mean anything to you?”

She shook her head, her eyes still aimed at the wall.

“Did you recognize this man, Abby? Was there anything familiar?” He didn’t want to overwhelm her with questions, but he needed something.Anything.

Abby finally met his gaze with stormy blue eyes. “Nothing,” she said. “He was a stranger.”

He sighed in defeat. Cooper would get more details later, but at least he could narrow down his search to eliminate friends and relatives. The Withered Man seemed to have no connection to Abigail Stone. Maybe this was a random event, after all.

Then why did he call her ‘Little Bird’? The nickname sounded personal. Although, the man certainly could have been having a psychotic episode – maybe he was having delusions, and this was a case of mistaken identity. Maybe Abby reminded him of someone else.

Cooper studied the woman in front of him. Her stringy, ash blonde hair lay splayed out over the pillowcase. Her hospital gown had slipped down over her shoulder, revealing a bony collarbone dappled in dark bruises. She had lost a substantial amount of weight over the last two weeks. She looked frail. As light as a feather.

And yet, she was strong as hell.

He closed his eyes and swallowed, still trying to find an appropriate string of words. “We’re going to catch him, Abby. I promise.”

Cooper couldn’t give her much, but he could give her hope.

Abby reached out her hand, temperate and soft, and placed it on top of his. He looked up to find her eyes on him, something poignant simmering behind her indigo pools. Cooper clenched his teeth together in response to her touch. Something swept right through him, something he couldn’t begin to describe.

“Thank you.”

Her tone was gentle, yet unwavering. Cooper watched as her eyes darted across his face. He wondered if she was searching for something, or if she was simply overjoyed to see another human being. He nodded his head. “You don’t need to thank me. I was just doing my job.”

Ajob. Yes, this was a job, just like he’d told Daphne. It had to be. There could be no attachment.

Not again. Not like Maya.

Abby seemed to flinch at that, and she pulled her hand away, interlocking her fingers over her stomach. “How did you find me?” She was looking just over his shoulder again.

“He was at the bar that night.” Cooper rewound the last two weeks in his mind like an old VHS tape. “I remembered him. There was something about him. He left without paying his tab and I memorized part of his license plate. After checking surveillance from the gas station off the main drag, I saw the van head out of town when he left, then come back two hours later, then head back out of town again. I put an APB out on the van and we finally got a hit.”

It was likely more than she needed to know, but Cooper had to stay level-headed. Focusing on the logistics and facts always seemed to help.

“Do you think he was waiting for me? Do you think… he chose me for a reason?” Abby pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, a mask of fear washing over her face.

“I was hoping that was something you could tell me.”

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