Umbel (Terminal Trilogy #3)

25: This time around

Micky excused himself from my presence once we came down off the roof, left saying there was 'something he had to attend to'. I thought we had reached an understanding, but he seemed flustered.

After taking a moment to call Ria and confirm she knew what had happened to me and that she and Adeline were safe, I went back down to the room Christina was sitting outside of.

"How are you?" I asked, sitting down next to her.

"Oh. You know."

"Okay, so that wasn't a good question." I said. "How is he?"

"In a coma. Well, he's awake now, so I guess it isn't much of a coma."

"He is?" I stood up and peered through the window into the room. Kell was in bed, sitting upright with one arm hanging off the side of the bed. It was weird seeing him like this, hair messy, dressed in only a hospital gown. I couldn't see his face too well from this distance, and somehow the juxtaposition of everything made me doubt it was even him.

Next to him, a chair was pulled up. Kelsey was reading a book.

"He's not fully awake. Sometimes he moves around, or even talks, but he hasn't been retaining any new memories. He passes in and out of consciousness slowly and without warning. Sometimes his eyes are still open."

"I'm really sorry."

"Don't fucking apologize." She grimaced at me, taking in my bandages. "You made it out alive. That's always a good thing."

"Why are you sitting out here?"

"I'm half curious to wonder what you've assumed."

"I don't know."

"Kell been remembering us... vaguely." Christina said slowly. "And only half the time does he remember us at all. I've been here for days, and only twice has he gotten my name right. Sometimes he remembers some tiny detail about me- that my hair used to be red, or that we're married."

"That's really bad. Jesus. Must be awful for you to go through."

"It's bad." Christina said softly. "And he always remembers Kelsey. I can't change that they've known each other for half a century. So he always gets his name right. He prefers to sit with him. You saw that right?"

I nodded.

"They just sit together. He doesn't like it much when I hang around. Thinks it's a bit odd when I hold his hand, even if he can't do much to stop me." She was on the brink of tears, and she tilted her head upwards to prevent them from flowing. "I can tell he likes it when Kelsey's there. He can't carry a conversation, but sometimes he tries to when Kelsey's around."

"They used to be in a relationship, right?"

"For years. And they were good friends before and after it." Christina shook her head. "I've always felt like the bad guy. The wrong choice. The one he's supposed to overcome. But I still love him."

"You guys are married, though. And he told me shortly before... this happened that he wouldn't marry someone he didn't love."

"I know he loved me. But I still feel like I made an awful decision in wanting to love him. That I should have just changed my mind and dated Michael or something. Because he and Kelsey, they're just... silent together."

"You did what you wanted to do. Nothing wrong with that. Probably... followed your heart or whatever."

"Think of it like this," Christina sniffed, "I could conceivably be happy with so many people. I love easily. Michael is a little messed up, but I like him a lot- we could easily have fallen in love. His brother, Gabriel? We've gotten along wonderfully in the past. Maybe that'd have worked out. God, I don't like him in the slightest, but even your weird friend Micky has some lovable traits. I'm an agreeable person. I don't leave things until it's too late."