Page 13 of Rising from the Depths

He slid his hand over the surface of the table, brushing a finger against the wooden carving.

No, it wasn’t his place to go to Eva, but hewantedto.

Chapter 5

Eva stared down at the tray of food in front of her. There were eggs, toast, and slices of winefruit; all the things she ate most mornings, the things she made for herself and Blake all the time. But she couldn’t bring herself to take a single bite.

“Eva, you need to eat something,” Aymee said, glancing up at her as she finished rebandaging Eva’sstump.

“I don’t want anything.”

Aymee sighed, picked up the booster gun, and placed it against Eva’s thigh. Eva held still through the injection. She was used to the shots. Their brief sting was nothing compared to the persistent pain in her leg, which was dulled by the medication but never really went away.

There was a soft knock on the door before it opened. Kent poked his head through and offered Eva a kind smile. She didn’t miss the pity in his eyes.

“Blake is here,” he said.

Eva’s heart leapt, and she stared at the door as though she could see through it.

He’s here! He’s here for me!

Aymee covered Eva’s legs with the blanket and stepped away from the bed to place the empty booster gun on the counter. “I’ll come back later, Eva.”

Kent withdrew from the room. Aymee followed, pausing in the doorway to glance back at Eva. She opened her mouth, hesitated, then closed it and stepped into the hall.

Muffled voices drifted to her from the hallway. Though she couldn’t make out the words, she recognized Blake’s voice among them. She grasped fistfuls of the blanket to keep her hands from shaking.

Soon, the door opened wider, and Blake slipped through, closing it quietly behind him without turning toward her. He kept his back to her for a time, silent; a sense of dread filled Eva.

Nothing had changed since his visit the day before. She tightened her grip on the blanket, willing him to speak, to look at her.

“I had time to think,” he said, his voice shattering the silence like a sudden boom of thunder.

“To think about what?”

He turned to face her. His hair was neatly combed today, and his clothes looked freshly cleaned. He took a step toward her. Justone. The two meters between them might as well have been two million.

Tears stung Eva’s eyes. “Why are you doing this, Blake?”

His gaze dipped to her legs but did not rise to meet her eyes. Hands fisted at his sides, he inhaled deeply. “I can’t do this, Eva.”

“Dowhat?” Hurt and confusion warred within her. “You’re not doing anything!”

“Us!” he yelled, glaring at her.

Every bit of oxygen fled Eva. She stared at him — the man for whom she’d left behind everything she’d known to be with, who she’d joined as husband and wife — and didn’t recognize him. “W-What do you mean?”

“I just…Nothingis going to be the same after this, Eva. You’re…crippled. Our lives would be too different, and I’d have to take care for you all the time. That’s not the life we planned. Not the life I want. And I just…I can’t look at you anymore.”

Eva’s eyes widened, and ice slithered through her veins. Each of his words sank into her heart like a nail, driven hard by his tone, by the look in his eyes. And it was those last words that hurt the most — so much disgust had colored his voice as he’d spoken them.

“What…What do you mean you can’tlookat me, Blake? What does that mean?”

“Damn it, Eva, I don’t have to explain—”

“Yes, you do! You’re my husband, and I’m yourwife. You’re supposed to be here for me, not…not… What are you saying?”

He scowled and raked his fingers through his hair. “I can’t stand to look at you, Eva. When I do, I just see the others. See…blood in the water. I see the woman youwere. And I can’t deal with that. It’s too much, okay? It’s too much, and…”

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