Page 85 of Terror at the Gates

I heard her, but I didn’t really understand. Esther had called me, which meant she needed me. What if she woke up and she was alone, surrounded by all these strangers? I had to be with her.

I stared at the nurse and then Esther, but I could barely see her beyond all the activity.

“There’s a waiting room down the hall. Someone will come get you when she’s stable.” The nurse pointed and then shut the door in my face.

I stood there, staring at the wood grain until my vision blurred.

Did she say stable?I thought. That sounded promising.

I turned away and looked up and down the hall. It wasempty. Quiet. The opposite of what was happening in Esther’s room.

The opposite of what was happening in my head.

I wandered in the direction the nurse had pointed and found the waiting room. The fluorescents glared off blue vinyl seats and the grayish floor. It was so bright, my eyes watered.

Or maybe I was just crying.

I chose a seat away from everyone else and sat with my arms around me, trying to hold myself together. I wondered how long it would take for Gabriel to arrive. I didn’t want to be alone. What if something terrible happened?

Please, please, please.

I didn’t know whom I was pleading with: maybe Esther, maybe God.

I realized this wasn’t the best time to ask a god I resented for mercy, but if she survived this, I’d do anything.

I’d go home.

I wasn’t there long when a nurse called for Pomeroy. That was Esther’s last name. My stomach roiled with dread. At the same time, my chest rose with hope. I wanted her to tell me I could see Esther, but instead she told me she was there to escort me to another waiting room.

“Your sister’s going into surgery for an emergency C-section.”

“Is she okay?” I asked. “Is the baby okay?”

“I don’t have any details,” she replied. “But someone will be out to give you updates when they can.” Her eyes dropped to my bloodstained hands. “Are you hurt?” she asked.

“No,” I said, holding out my hands, palms facing up. “It’s…my sister’s blood. I…had to see if her heart wasbeating.”

“Oh, sweetie,” she said, frowning. “Let me show you to a bathroom where you can freshen up.”

As I followed her down the hall, I looked up to see a familiar black trench coat. Before I could think, I broke into a run.

“Gabriel!” I was relieved to see him, but when his head swiveled toward me, I almost stopped. I had never seen him frown so deeply. Even in serious situations, there was always a glint in his eyes, but the ones that gazed back at me, they were dead already.

“Lilith,” he said.

I collided with him, and he squeezed me tight. I didn’t want to let him go. I was afraid he would disappear.

“I’m so sorry, Gabriel,” I said. I didn’t want to cry, but I couldn’t contain my emotions. It had been building in the back of my throat since I arrived at their house and erupted the moment I made contact with him.

“It’s all right, baby girl,” he said. “Everything’s going to be all right.”

I wanted to believe him. In my head, I let myself imagine what it would be like to return to their apartment to visit Esther and the baby, but my heart…it was breaking into a million pieces.

I pulled away and wiped my eyes, realizing suddenly that he had not arrived alone. Cassius was with him…and so was Zahariev. Our eyes met. I couldn’t make sense of his expression, but then again, I couldn’t make sense of my feelings. There was a part of me that wanted him to comfort me. Another part of me wondered if we would be here right now if he’d done like I’d asked and let Gabriel stay home with Esther until after the baby arrived.

I looked away quickly and wrapped my arms aroundmyself when a different nurse approached. “Mr. De Santis?”

“Yeah?” said Gabriel.

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