Fallen

Chapter Twenty-Six

The morning was long and uneventful. When the filing was done, I took it upon myself to organize my desk. One drawer was trashed with pens, pencils, ripped up sheets of papers, and other odds and ends. I was doing it mostly to figure out how to get into the hospital to snoop around.

Maybe I could say I had a headache and needed medication. A person can't prove they have a headache, so that could work. I could do it at lunch, hopefully April wouldn't follow me into the hospital to find Etta about my headache.

"Mel." Morgan walked from this office. Four envelopes in his hands. "I need you to hand these out. Carson is the stable master, Boone is the leader of the Men of Orion, Jess in the kitchens, and lastly Etta."

A smile wanted to break out on my lips at the sound of Etta's name but I kept it down.

"I will get right to it." Taking the envelopes from him.

"Take your lunch when you are finished," Morgan called before I closed the door to the office.

With one problem solved, I hoped April wouldn't go with me to look for Etta in the hospital, but when I walked into the reception room a minute later, it was clear April wouldn't make such an offer. A sea of papers covered her desk.

"This looks horrible." I walked up to her. A few red strains of April's hair were pulled out of her bun. I pictured her rubbing at her forehead and temples in frustration, pulling the hair loose.

"Oh, it is. Is it lunch yet? I thought I had more time." She glanced at the clock that was on her desk only to find it covered by more papers and files.

"No, not yet. I need to hand these out," lifting the envelopes before tucking them into the pocket in my skirt, "My last stop is the kitchens, I will grab us something good and come back."

April nodded. "Bring coffee with you too. Etta is in the back somewhere."

"I can find her," I said over my shoulder as I walked toward the door that led to the rest of the hospital.

"She should be in her office in the back if anywhere."

The door closed behind me. The hall before me was clean and white. The doors were all identical. This was the first hall that April took Alec, Ben, and I down when we first arrived. Opening the doors, I found each room empty. Reaching the end of the hall, I turned down the next one More empty rooms.

At the end, there was another hallway like the last two and a staircase going up. Since all the rooms were empty so far and assuming all of the rooms in this hall were empty too, I went upstairs.

The second level looked the same but the first door I opened was different. The room had a single hospital bed in it. That was it, nothing else. No bathroom was attached like the one I had downstairs. The next room was much the same.

Turning the corner, I opened three more doors. The fourth, I opened to find the room filled with quiet beeping machines that circled the head of a bed. The dark hair popping out of the pure white room.

My throat tightened and I took another step inside.

Audrey.

She laid in the bed, motionless. A white bandage wrapped around her head, the rest of her black hair falling over her shoulders and rested on her rising and falling chest.

Alive, she was alive.

My body fell toward the bed, as my legs failed to move properly. Her hand cold to the touch as I gripped them.

"Audrey?" I murmured.

Her eyes remained closed, her pale pink lips parted. My fingers grazed her pale cheeks. She was so pale, she could blend into the white pillow and blanket. I squeezed her hand.

"She won't wake up."

I jumped back. Spinning to the door, Etta leaned against the frame.

"What?" I asked.

"She's in a coma. Has been since we brought her in about five days ago. She received a nasty blow to the head." Etta watched Audrey closely. So closely it looked like Etta was trying to peer past her skull to see what was going on inside her brain.

"Will she wake up?" I asked. Speaking the words, giving them a physical form forced me to realize the truth. Audrey was in a coma. Panic threatened to seize my chest, to take my breath away.

Etta still stared at her. "I don't know. I hope so." She lost the trance with a shake of her head and stepped forward, standing before the foot of the bed. "These machines are from the Old World. Got them working and they are keeping her alive for now. But she needs to wake up soon."

At last, Etta looked at me. "Do you know her?"

I still clutched at Audrey's hand. It looks like I knew her so I might as well be honest. Or as honest as I could without blowing our cover.

"She looked like an old friend. For a moment, I thought she was her, but she's not." I laid Audrey's chilled hand back down by her side.

Etta nodded, unbelieve my lie.

"What can be done to help her?" I asked. It was hard to look down at Audrey. She looked peaceful but it was a cruel joke without knowing if she would wake up. If she didn't wake up, we would need to get her out of here and get to a real hospital. But I knew one thing about coma, they didn't wake until the person wanted to wake.

"Well, there's still brain activity. There was no bleeding that I could tell or lack of oxygen. It is brain swelling that has her in this state. Or that is what I hope. There is a medication that is lowering the swelling but it takes time." Etta looked at me, a smile formed. "Human contact may help bring her back to us. I am too busy to sit with her, but if you wish, you could."

It was stupid to argue because I wanted to sit with her but I asked away, "Why me?"

"It would benefit her and she looked like your friend so I thought you would want to help."

I reached for Audrey's hand. "I will do it." Her fingers were lifeless as I held them.

"What was your friend's name? This girl has lacked a name and I feel if we give her one, she may respond."

To lie or not to? If I wanted Audrey to wake, it would make sense to use her real name. Ben, Alec, and I had used our real names so why not?

"Audrey. My old friend's name was Audrey."

"Lovely name."

Tears threatened in my eyes, but I held them back.

"Between you and her other visitor, I hope she wakes up."

"What other visitor?" Blinking rapidly, I look at Etta.

"Colt. He was the one that found her in the woods." Of course, he did. "Next time he visitors her, I will inform him of the girl's name."

I would appreciate it if she didn't, but I wouldn't say it. Something about Colt and his ability to turn the heads of girls of any age, and maybe men's heads too, didn't need to be near Audrey. Or me.

"When does he visit?"

"Oh," Etta waved her hand, "Now and then. Not a set schedule."

"So, I can visit whenever I want?"

Etta nodded. "Yes. Well, I must go. Was there a reason for your visit?"

"Oh!" The envelopes I put in the pocket of my skirt had laid forgotten. I pulled the bundle out and handed her the one with her name on it. "I was looking for your office when I stumbled into this room."

The smile was warm on Etta's face. "No need to explain. My office is down in the corner of this hall beside the lab."

I gave Audrey a tight squeeze of my hand, a quiet promise I would return to her. "I can see myself back to the front. Sorry for intruding."

That smiled stayed on her lips while I walked past her to reach the hallway. "There's no need to apologize. You are welcome to return any time to visit Audrey."

A chill ran down my spine at the sound of Audrey's name on Etta's lips. As I turned my back to Etta, I couldn't shake the strange sensation that fell over my body. Something didn't feel right.