Nine Hours

Chapter 24

"Aaah!"

I punch a hole in the bedroom wall. The second one. Pain slices through my head and now in the shoulder I'd dislocated, as well. Using that arm to beat the hell out of the wall probably isn't the wisest idea. At least the pain it causes makes me feel.

The headaches haven't stopped. Once the adrenaline which fueled my return home to find Cassie ebbed, the nearly intolerable pain began. For a whole week, I've been struck by migraines which are so bad at times I can't control my anger. The pills the doctor prescribed take the edge off, but when they start to wear off, it's like someone is jabbing flaming swords straight through my skull. It blurs my vision and makes me nauseous. Recuperating from the other injuries adds to my frustration.

"Gunnar, come take another pill." Karla has returned from Oslo and comes down to check on me several times a day. Bless her heart, I don't know why. I'm the furthest thing from good company there is. Physical pain aside, the angst over losing Cassie is driving me insane. I can't do anything about either. The pain I can almost live with. Almost. But Cassie's disappearance hurts ten times worse. I know she was injured in the accident, as well, and I worry about her. This whole situation is sixty shades of fucked up. I won't even think about whether the Gods are angry that I failed. That's a whole other layer of madness I can't even handle right now.

"I've taken one. Not working yet," I complain, joining her in the living room.

"You should sit and put ice on your neck and head, like the doctor told you. Punching walls isn't going to make the pain go away. Or bring her back."

"Don't you think I know that, Karla?" I'm shouting, which makes my head hurt more. "I need to go to her. She's got to be upset and scared and confused. She probably thinks I abandoned her. Hells." I throw the water glass against the wall and watch it shatter.

Karla makes a "tsk-ing" sound. "Stop breaking everything, Gunnar. Sit."

With a low snarl, I reluctantly sit on the sofa and bury my face in my hands.

"Damn. I miss her Karla. I have to go to her. Sitting around here is driving me insane."

"I understand. Even if it were possible, you can't go through the portal in this condition. It would kill you. You know this. Lars and Erik are consulting to find a way for you to do it when you are better. They certainly won't give you the key if you don't allow yourself to heal."

"The headaches. I can't stand these headaches." I yank at my long hair, which I've kept untethered since returning home.

"Whose fault is that? You tore off out of the hospital like a crazy person and refused to listen to anyone."

"Stop it, Karla. You don't understand. I want Cassie back. We weren't done."

"No. You weren't. You'll get to her as soon as you can." She speaks softly, rising and going into the kitchen. "It will take longer if you don't get well. You can't even fly on a commercial airliner right now."

"I want to call her. Hear her voice."

She sighs. "You know you can't. This has to be done in person. Calling her would create more problems than you need."

"Dammit, Karla."

She returns with a fresh glass of water. "Take another pill. Stop being so stubborn. It will relax you and let you sleep. The more rest you get, the easier recovery will be. Then, you can go to her. I'll be back later with dinner." She closes the door behind her.

"Cassie. I will come for you. I promise you. This isn't over, even if the nine hours are. I can't let you go." I lay back on the sofa, sling an arm across my face, and drift into a fitful sleep.