Bad Omens: The Attack (Novella)

Chapter 16

"How is he doing?" Crowley asked when Aziraphale sat down next to him at the dining table.

"He was drinking his tea when I left, so he should start to feel calmer in a few minutes." Crowley snapped his fingers, casting a ward to clean away the blood that still stained the family room.

"Thank you Crowley." Aziraphale said with a soft smile. The angel then turned to Bella, "Is Eden in danger of slipping into another coma?"

Bella thought a moment before answering. "I don't know. I'm afraid that's the least of our worries right now. Would you two be willing to let me stay over for awhile until Eden is more stable?"

Aziraphale nodded. "Oh of course! Please stay as long as you like! You can stay in our room, the two of us will stay in the family room with Eden; there's no way in Heaven we're going to let her out of our sight again."

Crowley nodded in agreement. The two of them hadn't slept in their room in an eternity it seemed.

Bella gave a curt nod, but her voice sounded strained, as if she was trying very hard to control herself.

"You may change your mind after what I have to tell you." Bella said, the brunette's brown eyes filled with sadness.

"Wot do you mean?" Crowley demanded, shoulders tense with fear.

"Eden must be confined in bed for the next two weeks. Under no circumstance is she to get up for any reason." Bella forced herself not to wince at the devastated looks the angel and the demon shot her.

"You can't be serious!" Crowley snapped. Aziraphale reached out and grasped his husband's trembling wrist.

"I am." Bella replied. "You knew that with this fever, which has yet to go away, it was unlikely to begin with."

"But she's been working so hard to get well again!" Crowley explained his voice high pitch with desperation. "Eden's been staying in bed this entire time, getting lots of rest and I've been helping her exercise the muscles in her legs, her good wing and her good arm!" Or had been, before the fever had hit.....

"And that's good; I encourage you to keep doing that. Her other injuries are healing as they should, but in the case of her stomach wound, and this lingering fever, we have been flung back to square one."

"Bullshit!" Crowley snarled, baring his teeth. "Do you realize that her birthday is two weeks away? July 26th! Her fucking birthday! She wanted to get strong enough so she could have a meal with us at the table, right where you're fucking sitting...." Crowley broke off when he heard a muffled sob from Aziraphale. The angel threw a hand over his mouth, simply devastated by the news.

Eden had been so excited for her birthday, the birthday they all thought they would never celebrate again. Even though she couldn't eat anything other than herbal broth and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, she was just determined to get strong enough to walk and sit at the table with her parents and with Gabriel of course.....but now that wasn't going to happen.

"I know this isn't easy and I'm sorry. I wanted my best friend to be well enough for her special day too." Bella's voice cracked. "But we can't take any chances."

Crowley rose to his feet and kicked his chair, the poor piece of furniture colliding with the wall with a sickening thud as he made his way back into the family room, taking out his anger and despair on any furniture or houseplant that had the misfortune of being within the demon's range....

As soon as the demon left, Bella rushed to Aziraphale's side, trying to comfort the angel who had done the same thing for her and Eden whenever they had been in need of it.