Don't Open That Door - GoM 1

15

Doctor Lorrigan found them all pacing up and down the waiting room. He started speaking from the door, knowing they were not in the mood for suspense.

"They're both stable, no need to worry," he said, and turned to Markus. "Mr. Carson is heavily dehydrated and he doesn't remember what happened. But he's awake, in case you want to see him."

His words launched Markus out and down the hall.

"As for Alex, she's extremely weak. She's still out and we're feeding her with an IV. I need to run some more tests, but I hope she'll wake up in a few hours."

"Can I see her?" asked Claire.

"Sure." Lorrigan waited for her to leave and his smile vanished. "Do you have any idea what happened to her?"

Father Jason run a quick conscience check and decided he could honestly mirror Graham's and Ollie's poker faces and shake his head too. He didn't know—he only had his theories, so it wasn't lying.

"Why do you ask, Doctor?" asked Graham.

Lorrigan raised his eyebrows with professional concern. "Well, she's... drained. I've never seen anything like her blood test. As if something extracted every single particle of energy from her."

"But she'll be fine, right?" said Ollie.

"We're giving her a combo of minerals and vitamins as to wake the dead, to inject some strength back into her body. Now we can only wait."

Graham glanced down at his watch. "I gotta go. Please keep me up." He nodded at Ollie. "C'mon, boy, you need to get some sleep."

He tipped his hat at them and left with Ollie. Father Jason didn't need to ask anything.

"C'mon, Father, I'll walk you to her room."

The priest found Claire sitting by Alex's bed, and noticed her worried frown as she held her aunt's hand. Alex had electrodes to her temples and chest to monitor her vitals. Her heart rate was slow but steady, as the IV dripped non-stop into her forearm. The nurses had washed her clean and she looked peacefully asleep.

"How is she?" the priest whispered.

Claire grimaced, not looking away from Alex. "It's odd, Father. Like she's so far away... It feels like she's hiding at some deep corner inside of herself, but... that corner? It's not... here... It's somewhere else. Somewhere I can't reach."

"And what do you think?"

"She's like trying to put herself back together. I think when she does, she'll wake up."

Father Jason pressed the girl's shoulder softly. "I have to go now, child. Is there anything you need?"

The girl shook her head. What she needed, the priest couldn't deliver: seeing Alex open her eyes.