Page 33 of Sacrifice
While I’m mildly amused by this, it’s not something I really need to happen right now. “Call Adam and tell him to take that shit down.”
“Why in thefuckwould I do that? It’s you in all your glory.”
“Because,” I say, “I barely got out of that with self-defense with the police. I don’t need it to look like I was showing off or something.”
“But—”
“I gotta go, Will. Get it removed. I’ll call ya later.”
* * *
CREW
The doorto the room number given to me by the nurse is cracked open. I knock once before pushing it slowly. The room is bathed in light from the wall of windows. The television is playing some kid’s cartoon and if you didn’t see the hospital bed in the middle, you’d think it was a playroom or something.
Julia is sitting in a chair by the bed, flipping through a magazine. Everleigh is lying against a pile of pillows bigger than her in the bed, her monkey tucked to her side. Julia sees me and sets the magazine down.
“Hey,” I say quietly, not wanting to wake Ever.
“Hey.” She has dark circles under her eyes. Her hair is pulled back and her face seems dull in the sunlight. By every indication, she’s a mess but I can’t help but think how beautiful she is. She always is. She always has been. There’s something beautiful and calming that just follows her, even if she doesn’t feel either way.
I place the bag on the floor and lean against the wall. “How long you been here?”
She glances at the clock. “Four hours.”
“Any news?”
“She had the last two tests. We’re just waiting on the doctor to come in now.”
Ever’s eyes begin to flutter. I hope I haven’t woken her, but I am glad she’s awake anyway. I want to see her. Hear her. Get some reassurance that she’sstill here.
“Uncle Crew.” I can hear the exhaustion in her little voice.
I pick up the bag and walk over to her, kissing her on the head. “How are ya?”
“I don’t want to be here.”
“I know. But we have to make you better.”
“What they do to me doesn’t make me better. It hurts. A lot.”
I close my eyes for a second, trying to keep my cool. My first reaction is to kill anyone that hurts her, but I know in this case, they’re hurting her to keep something else from killing her. It’s a double-edged sword.
“They’re doing what they have to do to get you one hundred percent again. You know that, right?”
She shrugs.
“I brought you something.” I dig in the bag and pull out a small box.
I hand it to her. She opens it and holds it in the air. “What is it?” she asks, watching it twirl in the air.
“It’s a dream catcher. You put it in your room and when you go to sleep, it filters your dreams. It only lets the good ones in.”
“Where did you get this?”
“That one was mine when I was a little boy. My grandma bought one for your daddy and one for me. We had bad dreams, too. But that thing works and I don’t need it now. So I thought you should have it.”
“You still have that?” Julia asks. She’s watching it move as Ever twists it around. “I thought you’d have lost it by now.”
