Page 75 of Severed Rivalry
I lift my hand and then wag one finger.
“He wanted me to tell you?—”
“No,” I grit as loudly as I can.
“But—”
“Nothing. Or you—” I point as I grit out. “Are dead to me too.”
Her face drains of all color. And there wasn’t much to begin with. She nods her head in an exaggerated gesture, like the neighing of a horse. “Okay. Okay. What do you need? What can I do for you?”
I shake my head hoping she understands I want nothing from her. Nothing from either of them. I mime writing.
She reaches into her purse and grabs pen and paper.
Nothing. Thank you.
Will you get Sariah?
Her face shows confusion, but she does that horse nod. “Of course, Ci. I’ll be right outside.”
She leaves, and I exhale. I don’t know what she expects. I don’t know what I expect either but acting like nothing happened and we’re ‘one big happy family’ sure as fuck ain’t it.
Sariah pokes her head in moments later, humor and worry warring in her face. She’s damn near tiptoeing in.
I extend a palm and motion for her to come closer before patting the mattress next to me. Machines and chords, huge armrests and devices make the space clunky.
She leans a hip in the gap near mine before extending a hand to trail a finger down my jaw and toward my Adam’s apple. “How are you feeling?”
“My head feels like a grape.”
I take her hand in mine. It’s soft and small but fits perfectly where it belongs.
“Seriously, how high did they dose your meds? This can’t be good.”
I scrunch my face but decided against that quickly. “Enough. Unless it explodes.”
“The grape?”
I point at my face with the hand she’s not holding. “My face.”
“Your grape face could explode?”
What is she missing? I swear she was normal when we spoke last night. I mime a grape being squeezed until it explodes.
“Yeah, that sounds terrible.”
Terribledoesn’t begin to cover it. My face exploding off my neck like in an 80’s movie would suck for me.
“Did you rest well?”
“Weird dreams.”
“Want some good news?” she asks.
I nod.
“Your surgery was successful. It was more intense and more complex than they anticipated, but they put you back together.”
