Dance with Darkness - Ghost Dance

Chapter 19

While the bus was stuck in traffic, I called Kaden to press him for information.  When I finally ran into the hospital lobby, he and a few other Garnet Team members were waiting for me.

“Where is she?” I gasped, out of breath.

“Well, she was pretty banged up…they’re still looking at her and won’t let in any visitors for a while yet,” Kaden explained.

“Not even family?” I made a move to run to the front desk, but he stopped me, shaking his head.  Deflated, I collapsed into one of the nearby chairs lining the wall.

“So you found her…”

“Actually, the Dracule found her.”

I felt the breath knocked out of me.  “He what?” I asked, certain that I had misheard.

“After the Amethyst Team helped fight off the golems, the Dracule and a few others tried to follow the ones that escaped.  They lost it, but they did find your sister.”

I fisted my hands.  “In the abandoned alleyway by the harbor.”  I had heard that part on the drive over.

“Yeah.”

~*~

The hours passed.  Rachel went from one surgery to the next, and it was nearly three in the morning by the time I got the news that she was in a fairly stable condition and could be visited in a few more hours.  Most of the Garnet Team had left to continue working on the case, but Kaden stayed with me and Louise stopped by, for which I was grateful.  My parents hadn’t been able to get a flight until the next day, and with the bad weather looming on the horizon, it looked like I would have a while until my family joined me.

 The sleeping arrangements, to be honest, weren’t that great.  Kaden had found a chair against the wall and his head would keep slipping to the side as he slept, causing him to start with a jolt.  Louise had somehow managed to curl her long-limbed frame up into a slightly-larger chair with more padding, and I took up the short two-person sofa beside her, my legs dangling over the high armrest at the far end and cutting off the circulation below my knees.  Every hour or so I would wake up and take a walk around the floor to ease out the pins-and-needles feeling in my legs, and then try to fall back asleep on the scratchy green cushions, tossing and turning as I thought about my sister.

At some point close to the early morning, I left for the bathroom.  I felt like crap, and seeing confirmation of my messy appearance in the mirror only served as the final factor to push me overboard into a sobbing mess of uncontrollable tears and very ugly facial expressions.

“Get a grip.  Get a grip!” I choked out, splashing cold water on my face until I finally had my emotions back in check.  I cleaned up with a paper towel and slowly made my way back to the lobby, dreading more waiting.  Yet, it seemed things were finally going to progress.

“Lynnette!” Kaden jumped up when he saw me.  “They’re letting family visit your sister now.  The nurse can take you to her room.”

“You mean I can see her?” I asked, adrenaline suddenly coursing through me at the words.

“Yeah, but…she’s not all too great, you know,” Kaden added hesitantly.  “She’s not completely better yet.”

“That’s okay.  I just need to see her.”

~*~

My resolve to see my sister wavered just outside the door to the room they had put her in.  Hand frozen above the door handle, it took a few seconds for me to gather my courage and step inside.

Though lately my stomach had been taking the brunt of the emotions roiling through me, this time it was my heart that reacted most acutely.  To see my sister lying underneath the plain white sheets, thin, pale, and unmoving, brought tears to my eyes.

“Rache…”  Somehow, I managed to stumble to her bedside and pull up a chair.  Her hand felt delicate and cold in mine, and I tried to rub it between my palms to warm it up.

“What happened to you?” I whispered, looking her over.  Her hair, thick and wavy like mine, but a few shades darker, contrasted so sharply against the sickly pallor of her skin that it scared me.  Her arms were covered in cuts and bruises, though from what I could see, nothing was too serious.  I was relieved that she otherwise seemed okay.

But then, why wasn’t she waking up?

The room temperature dropped a few degrees, unnoticeable to those who wouldn’t know what it signified, but I did.  I turned to the ghost next to me.

“So she is found, then,” Nakoma said softly.

“Yes.”

I turned my attention back to the prone form of my sister, not sure what else to say to the ghost.

Nakoma wasn’t quite finished, however, and what she said next came out all in a rush.  “The Decayer Case is not closed, and your cousin is not yet found, which means that technically your arrangement with Triple H is not complete.  However, I wish to take a respite from the case, and have already spoken with Gregory Hearne.  He has agreed that, for the time being, I shall not work on the case.  You will be pleased, I am sure, to know that this means you also are granted a reprieve.”

I blinked.  “Why?”  It was a stupid question, considering I was more than happy to simply accept the vacation and remain ignorant, but the suddenness shocked me.

There was a tightening in her jaw before she replied.  “I have come to accept that I am unable to focus on the case without letting my emotions influence my decisions.  This in turn puts not only the investigation at risk but the lives of the Amethyst Team as well.”  Her tone was flat, and I knew she hated admitting this weakness.  She had no qualms about pointing out others' flaws, but when it came to herself, it seemed, she was a little less than enthused.

I opened my mouth to reply, but she had already vanished.  For a good long while afterwards, I stared at the empty spot where I had seen her only moments before, wondering if I would ever see her again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

One more chapter to go!  Then it's on to book two, where things take a whole new turn.  Thank you everyone who's stuck with this so far.  :)