cracked the ball,” Aiden said with a laugh. He spun around, holding an equal side of the ball in each hand. “Look at this—” He stopped short when he heard Chelsea’s thoughts. He put the two halves of the ball back on the pool table. “Is everything all right?” Aiden said, playing dumb.
Chelsea had lost her ability to talk nonstop, so I filled the others in on what the caller from the hospital had said to Chelsea. “And we were hoping you could come with us so you can take away any pain she may feel. Is that okay?” I asked Aiden.
“Of course it is,” he replied.
I put my arm around Chelsea’s shoulder. “Well, we’ll go get ready, and I’ll let you know when we’re good to go,” I said to Aiden, then turned to Anna. “We’ll talk more about the you-know-what later.”
Anna gave me an exaggerated wink. “I’ve got it covered. You just concentrate on Marie, okay?”
Both Chelsea and I nodded, then transported to the closet in mine and Aiden’s room.
“Pick yourself out something to wear,” I said, searching through the summer section of the wardrobe for something to change into.
Without saying anything, Chelsea flipped through the hangers, stopping on a black tank top. She wasn’t normally one to go for black, but I guess the saying was true. People dress for their mood. She went over to the shelves and picked out a pair of denim shorts. “Is it okay if I have a quick shower?”
“Of course you can. There are clean towels in the bathroom.”
“I won’t be long,” she said with a heavy smile I wished I knew how to take away. “Hey, Jade,” she said, stopping at the door to the bathroom. She put her hand on the frame and twisted around to face me.
“Mmm?”
“I just wanted to say thanks, you know, for everything. I don’t think I would be able to get through this without you.” She smiled at me, then turned and trotted into the bathroom without bothering to close the door.
I felt sick to my stomach. She would never have been thanking me if she knew the entire truth.
Chapter 5
Forty-five minutes later, we stood outside the door to her mother’s hospital room. If I hadn’t known better, the person lying in the bed could’ve been anyone, male or female. She was covered practically from head to toe with bandages. I hadn’t thought her body had been subjected to the fire long enough to do that kind of damage, but I was wrong.
Too nervous to step inside the ICU room, Chelsea watched her mother through the observation window. Her mind kept ticking over what it was going to be like for her mum when she did wake up. She knew the burns were going to hurt like hell, and she didn’t know if she could handle hearing her mother’s screams.
Aiden put his arm around my shoulder, and placed his hand on Chelsea’s. He must have slipped her some of the good stuff, because her fears were slowly fading away. “I can’t take all her pain away because it would bring too much suspicion. So I’ll try to make her mind register only a fraction of the pain,” he said, low enough so only we could hear.
I thought back to when the psycho was carving me up, and I didn’t feel anything except the pressure of the blade. Aiden was probably hoping he could do something like what I’d miraculously done to myself.
“You can really do that?” Chelsea asked with watery eyes.
“I don’t know, but it’s worth a try.” Chelsea’s hopes dropped, so Aiden added, “And if it doesn’t work, I can always make her forget her pain.”
“But that means she would still feel it, doesn’t it?”
Aiden thought about it for a moment. “I think I could probably make her forget as she is feeling it so her brain will barely register the pain before I take the memory from her.”
Chelsea blinked back tears.
I picked up her hand and squeezed it. “She’ll be okay. We’ll get through this together.”
She squeezed my hand back, but didn’t say anything.
The three of us turned around at the sound
Chelsea had lost her ability to talk nonstop, so I filled the others in on what the caller from the hospital had said to Chelsea. “And we were hoping you could come with us so you can take away any pain she may feel. Is that okay?” I asked Aiden.
“Of course it is,” he replied.
I put my arm around Chelsea’s shoulder. “Well, we’ll go get ready, and I’ll let you know when we’re good to go,” I said to Aiden, then turned to Anna. “We’ll talk more about the you-know-what later.”
Anna gave me an exaggerated wink. “I’ve got it covered. You just concentrate on Marie, okay?”
Both Chelsea and I nodded, then transported to the closet in mine and Aiden’s room.
“Pick yourself out something to wear,” I said, searching through the summer section of the wardrobe for something to change into.
Without saying anything, Chelsea flipped through the hangers, stopping on a black tank top. She wasn’t normally one to go for black, but I guess the saying was true. People dress for their mood. She went over to the shelves and picked out a pair of denim shorts. “Is it okay if I have a quick shower?”
“Of course you can. There are clean towels in the bathroom.”
“I won’t be long,” she said with a heavy smile I wished I knew how to take away. “Hey, Jade,” she said, stopping at the door to the bathroom. She put her hand on the frame and twisted around to face me.
“Mmm?”
“I just wanted to say thanks, you know, for everything. I don’t think I would be able to get through this without you.” She smiled at me, then turned and trotted into the bathroom without bothering to close the door.
I felt sick to my stomach. She would never have been thanking me if she knew the entire truth.
Chapter 5
Forty-five minutes later, we stood outside the door to her mother’s hospital room. If I hadn’t known better, the person lying in the bed could’ve been anyone, male or female. She was covered practically from head to toe with bandages. I hadn’t thought her body had been subjected to the fire long enough to do that kind of damage, but I was wrong.
Too nervous to step inside the ICU room, Chelsea watched her mother through the observation window. Her mind kept ticking over what it was going to be like for her mum when she did wake up. She knew the burns were going to hurt like hell, and she didn’t know if she could handle hearing her mother’s screams.
Aiden put his arm around my shoulder, and placed his hand on Chelsea’s. He must have slipped her some of the good stuff, because her fears were slowly fading away. “I can’t take all her pain away because it would bring too much suspicion. So I’ll try to make her mind register only a fraction of the pain,” he said, low enough so only we could hear.
I thought back to when the psycho was carving me up, and I didn’t feel anything except the pressure of the blade. Aiden was probably hoping he could do something like what I’d miraculously done to myself.
“You can really do that?” Chelsea asked with watery eyes.
“I don’t know, but it’s worth a try.” Chelsea’s hopes dropped, so Aiden added, “And if it doesn’t work, I can always make her forget her pain.”
“But that means she would still feel it, doesn’t it?”
Aiden thought about it for a moment. “I think I could probably make her forget as she is feeling it so her brain will barely register the pain before I take the memory from her.”
Chelsea blinked back tears.
I picked up her hand and squeezed it. “She’ll be okay. We’ll get through this together.”
She squeezed my hand back, but didn’t say anything.
The three of us turned around at the sound
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