Finding Grace: The Guardian Chronicles Book One

Chapter 35. Gives You Hell*

Chapter 35. Gives You Hell by All American Rejects

My existence has been completely changed. Where do I start making sense of what has just happened? Evan has taken complete charge of my thoughts; all I do seems to revolve around her. Fate had sent me full circle, with a crashing culmination back to the home I had started in, which took me out of my apathy and pushed me full speed into emotion and sensation. I could no longer watch passively in the shadows, Evan had forced me to care again.

I watched as Evan fought to stay alert after conceding and taking pain medication, even though her body had been through so much. She refused to let her mind accept what had happened to her. Her auric glow was faint and the colors swirled in muddy confusion. The least I could do was to just stay with her. Tourneau had left numerous messages on my cell and I knew I would have to call back sooner than later. I had not even tried to contact my old friend to tell him I was happy he was coming home. I knew the calls were to tell me he was near. He did not know about Evan yet and there was no way I was going to put her into potential danger again.

I sat back in the green vinyl chair that smelled like bleach and sickness and watched every twitch of Evan's face. The bustle of activity going on outside the glass door of her room vaguely registered with me. No one had asked me to leave yet, I supposed out of deference to Evan. I had sat there about an hour when I heard a new male voice join the dull roar out at the nurses' station. Evan's name came up, and I perked my ears to listen. He was not forthcoming with information and was making the nurse angry. He introduced himself as Dr. Reginald Menard. The nurse sounded put-off and skeptical, but he finally addressed himself as Evan's emergency contact. I sat up a little straighter in my chair, but did not want to let on that I had heard anything. They were talking about 100 feet up the hall.

I pretended to be sleeping when I heard the two sets of feet start walking our way. The nurse was softly filling the man in on what had happened over the last twenty-four hours.

"Evan is lucky to be alive. Her friend got there just in time to save her. He is with her now," the short nurse whispered loudly as she pushed aside the gaudy curtain.

"Indeed?" the man answered.

I opened my eyes slightly to appraise the new arrival, not sure what to expect. The nurse walked quietly to Evan's bedside and looked at her for a moment. Dr. Menard stayed in the hall.

"Dr. Menard, she's still sleeping. We had better let her rest," she whispered again, directing her voice out the door.

I sat up slowly in the chair, feigning the initial fog of waking up in a strange place.

"Oh, Mr. Drozdan, I didn't mean to wake you!" the nurse said as I stood up, pretending to stretch.

"That's okay. Did you need anything? Evan is still sleeping I think," I said, acting innocent.

"Good news, Mr. Drozdan, Dr. Whitman's emergency contact is here. He can help take care of things for her. She will be happy to see him, I'm sure," the nurse smiled, although her acidic green aura let me know just how happy she was to have the new man here.

I frowned a bit, and her artificial smile faltered. I led the way out of the room, ready to meet this friend of Evan's. From what I had gathered, she felt alone in the world and said that she really did not have many friends, so I wondered at a friend showing up at such a moment as this.

"Emil Drozdan. Dr. Emil Drozdan," I said as I extended my hand toward the short, bookish looking fellow standing in the hall.

"Dr. Reginald Menard, pleasure to meet you," he said as he shook my hand, and released it quickly. He looked like he had touched something unpleasant. "Do I have you to thank for helping my Evan?"