A Flash of Red

Chapter Forty-Two

Harry

I rolled over in my sleep and heard a groan. I opened my eyes to see Tara, her face scrunched in annoyance. I was slightly taken aback, not expecting to see her at all. I took a few moments to survey her features. Her cheekbones had become more prominent, a result of under-eating. Her hair was soft to the touch, most likely freshly washed in the "showers." I frowned at the thought of her having to go through those conditions. She was tough, no doubt, but she had a fragile interior. Her freckles had faded slightly, a result of not being out in the sun. I shifted slightly, moving off of her after having rolled onto her slightly.

"Sorry, babe." I whispered. She mumbled something incoherent before turning and burying her face in my shoulder, her left hand reaching around until it found one of mine. Her fingers wrapped around my thumb, holding it in her grasp, before letting out a sigh, relaxing her face, and promptly falling back asleep.

I didn't know what time it was, but I knew I couldn't fall back asleep. I heard noises outside which I knew were only the wind, but that didn't stop my mind from imagining the worst.

I noticed that she had a cut on her forehead, just below her hairline. I ran my thumb over it before deciding to be helpful and begin packing up our things. I gently rolled Tara off of me and stood up slowly, cracking my back and yawning.

"I don't think she's well."

I jumped at the sound of the voice, turning see Dimitri sitting up against a wall. He had his gun laying beside him. He looked alert and there was no doubt that he had been keeping watch all night.

"I'm sorry?"

"I don't think Leila's well. Look at her skin; her face. She's pale."

I walked over to the sleeping girl and felt her forehead. I bit my lip.

"She's warm." I voiced.

"Fever."

I sighed.

"We have a doctor. We can have him look over her. He'll help her." Dimitri nodded but didn't look convinced.

"The blonde has been taking care of her at night. She's been sick for a while." Dimitri added.

"MaryAnn. Her name's MaryAnn."

He nodded.

"It's hard to pick up on names when people stop talking when you're around."

I nodded in understanding and cleared my throat awkwardly.

"She hardly slept." He spoke up again.

"Who? Leila or MaryAnn?

"Neither. Tara." I looked down at her. "She'd stay awake at night and nod off for a few hours during the day. She was always checking on the others around her. Very caring."

"Yeah, sounds like her." We were silent. "Thank you. For getting us out of there and back to where we need to be."

He shook his head.

"Don't thank me yet. The hardest part is yet to come. We go right through the busiest part of the city. It's crawling with us."

"Don't say 'us.'" I began. "You're not one of them. We both know that." He nodded. "I have a favor to ask you."

"I'm kind of in the middle of the last one I'm doing for you." He said, with a smirk. I laughed quietly. "What?"

"If anything happens, you keep her safe." His eyes moved to Tara as I spoke. "If you have to choose between me or her, choose her. Choose her every time." He nodded slowly. "I need to hear you say it out loud, Dimitri."