Phantom Universe

Chapter 25: Tear

The distinction between the past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.

Albert Einstein

PART TWO

OUTLANDER

CHAPTER 25: TEAR

16 years old

Her eyes flutter, and she's somewhere else, sitting awkwardly in a chair. She shakes her head and looks around the room. It's not recognizable. The wood paneling walls, porcelain sink, and tiled floor is spotless. The counter around the sink is stocked with medical supplies she remembers seeing every day in the hospital. Gage paces back and forth, muttering. One hand rubs at his neck, the other pulling at his hair. She's never seen such a frustrated look on his face before and isn't sure how to handle him in this state. Should she try to gain his attention? And what if that's the wrong decision?

She watches him do another round of pacing, talking to himself through gritted teeth. He abruptly stops and pivots her direction, almost running to the chair she's sitting in. He seizes the arms of the chair, places his nose inches from hers, and yells, "Please, just wake up!" His sudden movements make her back as far as she can into the chair.

"Oh...thank you," he cries, and she blinks. "Flower?" His voice is tentative, his fingers a soft caress down her cheek. She leans into his touch automatically, and he yanks her from the chair and hugs her so tightly her feet leave the floor. "You're okay!"

She isn't sure about that; his hug hurts a lot! Like a whole hell of a lot. A tiny cry escapes her lips, and he immediately drops her back to the ground, keeping his arms around her.

"Sorry! Did that hurt?"

She nods. Her memory finally catches up with the rest of her. She remembers it all except after Gage picked her up from the crowd. Everything after that is a blur of lights and colors. She trembles thinking about it: all the people attacking her, all the people wanting to harm, all those people who assaulted her. Then Gage saving her. Again.

"Cameron," calls Gage, and the door flies open as if she'd been sitting outside waiting for an invite.

"What'd you do?" asks Cameron, her eyes widening at the two of them.

"Nothing—she just snapped out of it," says Gage. He releases Summer, and she misses his arms around her. "But I think we should do another exam now that she's awake—just to make sure we caught all her injuries."

"Yes," says Cameron slowly, then turns to Summer. "The scanner showed extensive damage to your ribs, right arm, skull, and hip. Summer, we've already mended your bones, but there will be bruising in those areas, and you might feel sore for a few days. There was no swelling in your brain. The biggest thing was to find a way to pull you from your state of catatonia. Which Gage did somehow." She smiles, relief flooding her brown eyes.

Summer, on the other hand, just feels more confused. Gage glances down and frowns at her drawn-together eyebrows.

"You better explain to her what happened," says Cameron.

Gage walks her backward until the back of her legs meets the chair, and she unconsciously sits. He crouches in front of her and takes her hands into his. "Listen, Flower. You've been out of it for several days."

Summer shakes her head at his words, not comprehending. Days?

"It's true," he continues, "your mind shut down after the rioters attacked you. I'm so, so sorry. I should've demanded transport on the roof, but my commanding officer declined my request. I should've fought him. This is my fault. I was so caught up in the wave of people I couldn't get to you." His eyes water. "I thought I was going to lose you." And a single tear escapes, and Summer catches it with her finger. She examines it, then his face, reading the sincerity there. He cried for her—only for her. Her lungs constrict, and her stomach knots with tingling butterflies.