Page 23 of Healer’s Reckoning (The Healer’s #3)

Ava

I open my eyes and stare up at an unfamiliar ceiling. Turning my head, I take in the IV and hospital bed. Clarity returns to me soon enough, and I recognize where I am. I’m in the medical center at the Northwoods Pack. As if on cue, the door to my room opens, and Sage walks in.

“You’re awake.” Her words are quiet, and there’s a sadness to her that immediately tips me off.

“What happened?” I ask, sitting up quickly. I blink as dizziness assails me.

“Easy, Ava, you just woke up.”

“What happened?” I repeat.

Before she can say anything, Paul comes into the room. “Ava, it’s good to see you awake. How are you feeling?”

I bypass the question. “Where is everybody? Why am I here?”

“What do you remember last?” Paul asks in his calm doctor’s voice.

I search my memory, trying to remember. “I was in the same place as my brother. Brandon!” I gasp as I remember. “We were going to get him out but—” I frown, trying to remember. “I don’t remember...”

“You were really weak,” Sage says softly. “They’d taken too much blood and life force from you. Bryce needed to get you out of there.” I try to remember, but there’s just holes. I remember being at the vampire site and seeing my brother. I remember giving my blood over and over. And then...I remember suddenly. “The vampire.” I look down at my leg, but it’s completely healed now. I rub it; it aches with the memory of the pain. “I tried to heal Bryce after we went through the barrier.”

“It was too much for you on top of being so weak and being injured. Your body just gave out,” Sage tells me.

“We had to do a blood transfusion,” Paul explains. I nod but study their faces. Nothing they’re saying gives me a reason for why they both look so lost.

I look between the two of them. “What are you not telling me?” Sage looks down at the floor, and alarm spears through me. “Is it my brother?”

“No,” Paul says in a calm voice. “Your brother got out. He’s enroute here for treatment. In fact, they should be here within the next hour or so.”

“Then what is it?” I ask in exasperation. “Wait, did something happen to Bryce?”

Paul meets my eyes. “No, Bryce is fine.” And then he hits me with the horrible truth. “But Cade didn’t make it out.”

I stare at him as I try to process his words. “What?” My voice is barely a whisper.

Paul wraps an arm around Sage’s shoulders and pulls her into his side. “Cade is no longer with us.”

Shock wraps around me. All I can think of is Amber, his mate, and their little girl. “No.” I feel like I'm going to be sick. And then, it’s no longer a feeling. I scramble out of bed and to the nearest trash can. I feel Sage’s hand on my back. “Please,” I gasp out. “I just want to be alone.” The hand on my back stills. I hear them leave and then silence fills the room. I squeeze my eyes shut. Not Cade . He was one of the good ones. He was so good to Rose and me when we went to his pack. I think of Amber and their little girl and how sad they must be. And then it hits me. She was his mate; she’s gone too. Their little girl no longer has a mom or a dad. I throw up again into the trash can. I made them go back for my brother . I stand to my feet, legs shaking. This is on me . My body is shaking so hard, I can barely breathe. I try to calm my anxiousness. I just need to wait until they get here. Then I’ll get Brandon, and we’ll disappear. I don’t know where we’ll go, but I’ll figure it out. I run my hands down my pant legs and try to catch my breath. We'll be on the run, but at least we’ll be together. Amber and Cade’s little girl comes to the forefront of my mind again, and I gasp in pain. Tears want to come, but I refuse to let them. I don’t deserve to cry.

I pace the small room. I need to make a plan. I can’t face Bryce when he gets back. Or... Rose . My gut tightens. Rose will be heartbroken; she’ll never be able to face me again, not after what I did. And Maverick. I close my eyes. He’ll be Alpha of the pack now, and they’ll probably raise Cade and Amber’s little girl. I tighten my fists against my leg. They’ll be thrust into parenthood. I think of the other members of the Orlando Pack. Somebody knocks on the door, startling me so hard, I jump.

“Ava?” Sage comes into the room. “They’re about thirty minutes out.”

My brain kicks into overdrive. Paul said my brother’s coming here for treatment, but I’m a healer. I’ll take care of him. We just have to get away from here...somewhere. Anywhere. Details race through my head. As soon as they land, I’ll get Brandon and get a ride out of here. I take a breath. All we have to do is get in that car and then drive. We can disappear and nobody will ever have to deal with us again. With me again, I mentally correct because my brother didn’t do anything. This is all on me. I do a mental tally. I have around three hundred dollars in my bank account. That’s enough to at least get us away from here. I’ll find a place for us to stay, get Brandon to lie low and heal up, and I’ll do something to earn fast cash...maybe waitressing. I’ve done that enough in the past. I just have to convince somebody to hire me under the table and pay in cash, at least for a little bit. The only thing I don’t have is my phone. That will make things a little more difficult.

“Uh, Sage, can I borrow your phone? I don’t have mine.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Yours is right here.” She grabs it off the side table and hands it to me. Bryce had it and sent it with his team.” At my look of confusion, she adds, “He grabbed it that night at the restaurant.”I reach for it, so grateful to have my lifeline. Her words give me pause. “Are Alica and Cody here?”

She nods. “They are.” She pauses. “Paul wouldn’t let them come in here; we weren’t sure if you wanted them to.”

I nod. “Thank you; I really appreciate it.” She looks relieved at my words and leaves me in silence, and I immediately schedule a ride for Barndon and me. I may not have my wallet, but I can pay for most things with my phone.

The time passes way too quickly. Sage knocks on the door and opens it softly. “Hey, how are you doing?”

I paste a mask of indifference on my face. “I’m fine. Thank you for taking care of me.”

“Of course,” she says easily. She steps further into the room. “Ava—”

I cut off whatever it is she’s going to say. “Do you know if they’re coming here first?” I cross my arms over my chest to try and stop my body from shaking. “I’m just...anxious to see my brother.”

“I’m sure you are. I’m pretty sure they’re supposed to come here first, so Paul can check out your brother.”

“Are...” I pause and try to get control of my quavering voice. “Are Maverick and Rose coming here too?”

Sage’s eyes shutter. “No. They went home to be with their pack.” She pauses in uncertainty. “They wanted to get Cade’s body back to the pack.”

Her words gut me, but I keep my expression clear. “That’s good.” She looks at me again, and I know she’s trying to determine how I’m doing. It’s the healer inside her—the empathy. “I’m going to go wait outside.” I brush past her. I feel bad, but it’s for the best. I walk quickly down the hallway and out the front door. I glance behind me quickly to make sure Sage and Paul aren’t watching, and then I dart around the side of the building. I don’t want anybody to see me when they get here.

My plan is to grab my brother and sneak him towards the entrance where we can get in our ride and get out of here. It takes forever for them to get here. I’ve almost thrown up at least three separate times. I can’t seem to get my nerves or emotions under control. But when I see two black SUVs heading my way, I lock my emotions down tight. I remind myself that this is the best for everyone and back away from the building, trying to move downwind so they don’t catch my scent. I watch as the cars stop in front of the medic building. Max is the first out of the car, and Garrett climbs out next. Bryce climbs out of the second vehicle, shades over his eyes. I stare at him a moment before I make myself look away. He opens the back door and assists my brother out. My breath catches in my throat when Bryce turns his head and seems to look directly towards me. I lean my head against the side of the building, so that he can’t see me. I wait a few seconds before I lean forward again. Hunter and Sherese now stand on the other side of the car. They seem to be arguing about something, but I can’t hear from here.

Bryce keeps a hand on my brother’s arm and moves him up to the front seat. Garrett and Max head into the medical building. Bryce talks to my brother for a moment and then closes the door. He says something to Hunter and then heads into the medical building as well. Nervous energy fills me as I wait for Hunter to follow him inside. Finally, he goes inside. I peek around the corner and see that Sherese is still standing near the car. I debate for a moment and then decide to just go for it. She can tell them whatever she wants to. All I have to do is get my brother and me in that car, and then we’re gone. I run towards the second car and open the door. “Hey Brandon,” I say in a calm voice.

He turns towards me. I release the breath I didn’t realize I was holding when his eyes meet mine and they aren’t red. “We’re going to go for a ride, okay?” I don’t wait for him to say anything. I reach around him and unbuckle his seatbelt. “Let’s go.” I try to smile at him, but I’m sure it comes across as half-crazed. I lean towards him. “We have to go quickly, okay Brandon? We need to get out of here.”

He doesn’t say anything, but he seems to understand. He ducks out of the car a moment later. It shocks me once again how big my brother is now. He towers over me, not that it’s such a huge accomplishment. I don’t know whether to take his hand or offer support. In the end, I just walk next to him. “This way,” I urge.

“Where are you going?”

Sherese’s voice next to me startles me, and I jump and put a hand over my chest. “Good grief, Sherese. Warn a girl.”

Her eyebrows climb up her forehead. “A little jumpy are we?” I scowl at her but don’t say anything. “Are you trying to sneak away? I feel like I should point out that’s not going to work. Your mate isn’t going to just let you—” She frowns. “What exactly is your plan?”

I debate not answering her but cave. “Getting out of here.”

“You don’t have a plan, do you?”

“I do,” I say through grit teeth. Relief floods me when I see the small red car waiting up ahead.

“Ava, the alpha is not just going to let you go.”

I ignore her. Again . We get to the car, and I open the back door quickly and all but shove my brother inside and shut the door behind him. I race around to the other side of the car and open the door. Right before I duck inside, I look back at Sherese and make a snap decision. “You coming?”

She glances at the medical building and then back at me as a slow grin fills her face. “I thought you’d never ask.”