This Time Around (Sequel to All Over Again)

Chapter Twenty-Two

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

When McKenna opened her eyes, she was back in her small room on board the bus Skye was sitting in the chair at her bedside. “Am I sick?” McKenna asked, rolling onto her side to peer up at Skye.

“No. Just worried, I think.” Skye managed a slight smile. “Coulson’s worried about you. I think even May is worried about you.”

“Really? I didn’t think she liked me all that much.”

“Why? She’s helped train you, hasn’t she?”

“Well, yeah, but I just assumed Coulson put her up to it.”

“I think he did at first. But now, she likes you. Trust me.”

McKenna sat up with a groan. “Did I pass out?”

“Something like that.” Skye leaned back in her chair. “You gave Coulson a little bit of a scare, with the way you dropped. You just hit the ground like a sack of sand.”

“Did I?” That certainly explained her headache. It was dull and rolling around to make sure every bit of her skull hurt. “What did I hit?”

“Just the floor.”

With a sigh, McKenna leaned back against the wall. “Has anyone heard from Ward?”

“Not that I know of.” Skye’s dark eyes were direct as she shook her head. “But I’ve been sitting here. I don’t know if he’s contacted Coulson or May.”

“How the hell did I sleep, knowing he still has my son?” Guilt swelled inside her, making her feel sick to her stomach. “If Selig slips and shows him what he knows… We’re probably in more danger than Selig is.”

“Do you think he will slip?”

Closing her eyes, her head still against the wall, McKenna shook her head slowly. “No. I don’t think he will. He knows he’s not supposed to use his magic outside the house or the palace. Ward doesn’t know that Selig can do it, so he won’t be trying to coax him into showing him what he knows.”

Her throat squeezed shut, her arms and heart aching to have her little boy back. The thought of him alone with Ward, afraid and wondering why his mother didn’t come for him was enough to make her want to throw up. Her eyes stung and no matter how she tried, she couldn’t hold back her tears. “He’s only four,” she whispered, swiping at her right eye with the cuff of her long-sleeved tee shirt. “Where’s Sif?”

“She’s right outside the door,” Skye said, gesturing over her shoulder with her right hand. “She won’t leave for anything. She’s kind of intense.”

“She’s one of my best friends in addition to being my guard. She’s become like a sister to me.” McKenna swiped at her other eye and let out a humorless laugh. “Look at me, falling apart like a baby. If Loki were here, you know what he’d say?”

“No.”

“He’d say, ‘Midgardian, you needn’t do this to yourself. This is not your fault. All will be well and we will get him back. I promise you this. Now, no more tears.’ He hates when I cry.”

“Don’t all men hate when women cry? Tell me you aren't one of those women who cries at the drop of a hat.”

“No. I try not to, believe it or not.” She sniffed and swiped at both eyes this time. “But now, I just can’t seem to stop it.”

“McKenna, this is your son. I think you’re allowed to be a little weepy.”

“No. I can fall apart later. Now, I need to concentrate on finding Selig and putting a nice fat hole in Ward’s stupid head.”