Page 16 of Icy Heart, Empty Chest

L et’s set the scene. If I had known that Damien would be hovering this close to me in the basement of the good doctor’s house, I would have worn more deodorant.

It was empty. Or mostly empty. There was a furnace with some cobwebs on it in the corner. Some open cardboard boxes with household supplies.

Damien bumped into my back again while peering around the room with his flashlight.

“Dae,” I hissed. “Back up a few steps?”

He threw me a guilty look. “Sorry.”

I motioned to follow me towards the stairs. It was going to be a long night. I winced as I heard the sounds of his boots on the creaky wooden steps.

“Step as gently as you can, OK?”

A cat burglar, he was not.

I got to the top step and put my hand on the knob, turning it gently. I pushed the door open and walked into the kitchen.

Gleaming countertops and sparkling appliances greeted me. It wasn’t what I thought the bachelor pad would be; instead of immaculate, I was expecting jerky wrappers, expired milk containers, magazines everywhere. I guess “barely lived in” would be closer to the mark.

Looking at the expense of the appliances, I commented, “Must be nice to have a doctor’s salary.”

“You could. You could go back to medical school,” he offered.

“I always thought about the Healer’s Guild, honestly.” I had never told anyone that before.

He put his hand on my shoulder, towering over me. “You’d be brilliant at that.”

I shivered slightly at the contact. I never really used any of my nymph healing arts.

It would take some very intense studying and learning.

I toyed around with the idea every few months, looking at the program for those with natural healing abilities.

I liked the idea of it but just never had enough motivation to commit.

“Focus, Damien,” I warned.

He ignored me. “I will fill out your application myself if I have to.”

“Damien! Heart first then school.”

He scowled. “You can’t ignore things forever.”

“I’m trying to get your heart back, you stubborn kelpie jackass. Time and place!” I hissed furiously. “New deal, I will tell you whatever you want, just not on a job site, OK?”

“Deal.” He still looked like he was glowering a bit.

Methodically I moved to the cabinets, checking the upper ones quickly. He did the same with the lower, not seeing anything.

The fridge had nothing exciting. He moved past me. “I’ll grab the bathroom.”

I moved into the living room. There was an immense bookshelf set up behind a shiny television set on the entertainment stand with a game console underneath it.

I looked wistfully at the various medical books. They would have been a fascinating read.

I shined my flashlight at the rows of books. If I were a heart, where would I be?

I looked to the bottom row. If a bigger book was hollowed out, maybe there? It would certainly be an unexpected solution.

I started flipping through. Six large texts later, he joined me.

“Start looking through the smaller ones. You never know what you can find.”

He moved to the opposite end and plucked a red book from the shelf. A small piece of paper fluttered into his hand.

“Cor, I think I got a safe combination,” he whispered excitedly.

Beginner’s luck.

He flipped through the book. “Looks like an old journal.” I stalked over and took the slip from him. 47-32-17. That was a combo alright.

He shot me a smarmy look. “Now you don’t have to crack a safe.”

“I’m beginning to regret telling you that.”

“You gotta relax your pride a bit, Cor.” He winked.

I bit back a retort about making better decisions. “Such a brat.” I stood up and went through the routine with the middle and upper portions of the book shelf.

I dropped down in front of the TV stand. A few controllers, a few games, some movies. Nothing groundbreaking. Nothing out of its place.

I looked under the couch and through the cushions.

I felt him move past me and let out a snicker.

“I thought it was just my job that had me on my hands and knees looking under people’s furniture.”

“Ha. Ha. Ha.” I replied dryly. “Don’t you think I’d rather be in a gallery somewhere?”

“Looking at the art or taking it?”

I looked up, narrowing my eyes at him. “You really want to go down this road? I’ve got enough Magical Forces jokes to make you cry.”

“Bring it on, felon.”

“Asshole.”

He was actually smiling. Figures. He started moving toward a staircase around the corner.

The carpet deadened the sound of us climbing it.

The landing split out. Down to my left was the bedroom, there was a storage closet before me and another room down on the right.

I stole through the large bedroom and into the master bath.

He stayed behind in the bedroom. There were closets to look through.

“What’s the difference between a computer and a cop?” I called.

“What?” he answered.

“Only the computer is capable of troubleshooting.”

“Hurr hurr.” I hear the sound of drawers being opened and closed and the walk-in closet being opened.

The storage cabinets in the bathroom had mostly towels, some body wash and hair products.

I opened the closet. Nothing.

The tension was mounting.

“Cor!”

I closed the door and spun, moving quickly to where he was.

Under the large plant’s square base was a section of carpet that was cut away from the rest of it. Once it was pushed aside, low and behold, the safe we were looking for.

I spun the dial the requisite three times and twisted it back to forty-seven, the full turn around to thirty-two and then back to seventeen. It opened with a click.

The safe was wide but also deep. There was a thick black box sitting vertically. I pulled it out and put my flashlight on it, gasping.

I’d seen one of these before. It was a container for harvesting organs. There was space for cooling packs, an indentation cushioned with gel for where the organ was to be.

This box was empty though. I felt irritation rip through me, soon replaced with a freezing numbness.

I put the box back and locked the safe again, pulling the plant over it, Damien anxiously watching me the whole time.

“Cor?”

“If he had it, your heart,” I clarified, speaking slowly, “he would have put it in there. It’s one of those containers for black market organ transfers. Keeps it safe, protects it.”

“What does that mean?” He peered at me with fear in his eyes.

“If he has it, it’s not here. I think someone else has it.”

His face hardened and mouth closed.

“Let’s get out of here. We need to think.”

Saying nothing, he swept out of the bedroom, down the stairs and back toward the basement. Pushing through the basement door, he swiftly moved out and started to cut around the property.

I felt anxiety wind its way through me. I hated the tension in his face.

We started to make haste back towards my car.

He had stuck his hands in his pockets against the cold.

A short walk later and I unlocked it as he climbed into the passenger side.

I put the heat up, shivering against the cold, and looked at the stoniness of his face.

His eyes were tired, teeth clenched together.

I put on my seatbelt and put the car in drive.

Two streets down from The Magical Bean was the Salty Fae. It was a dive bar with dollar drink Mondays and bar food but I couldn’t think of anywhere better right now.

He shot me a look as we pulled in.

“Come on. I’m starving and need a drink.” I hoped he’d follow.

He deeply exhaled and got out behind me. It was a good sign that he was still entertaining my shenanigans.

The bar was on the quieter side for a Thirsty Thursday.

There were a few sports games overhead. I took a seat down at the far end of the bar, nodding to the elf behind the counter.

Sam brought me my usual beer and a small bowl of popcorn.

She shoved a faded menu at Damien. “What are ya having?” He turned to look at my beer selection.

“Same.”

She disappeared and I exhaled. It was the most he’d spoken in the last ten minutes. I took a deep swig.

“Talk to me, Dae,” I said softly. “I know you’re disappointed.”

Sam returned with his beer and departed. He sipped and put it down.

“I’m such a fucking idiot.”

I put a hand on his broad shoulder, looking him in his dark eyes. “You made a mistake.”

“A mistake is putting salt instead of sugar in your coffee. This was pure idiocy,” he stated.

I winced slightly.

“Look, I know you won’t tell me what the reason was till later but I’m sure it made sense at the time.”

“It did but I was a moron then and now.”

“Dae…”

“Cor…by my estimation, with my symptoms I’m down to two weeks or less.”

I sat back stunned. I knew we were short on time but I didn’t think it was that short.

“How do you know?” My voice was hoarse.

“There’s a surprising wealth of literature on it on the internet. I’m strong, Cor. I’ve survived for years, possibly longer than I should. Some don’t last weeks. But with the pain and the mood changes? My over-under is two weeks.”

I sat back with my torso hitting the chair back. My usual verbal stream had dried up.

“I’m a twenty-four-year-old facing my own mortality. It may not even be two weeks. The second it gets touched by any sharp instrument, I fall down dead where I am.”

He downed his beer and placed the bottle on the counter.

“Cor, what am I going to do?” His obvious misery was etched across his face.

“Look, I have two more people to try for leads. I’m not going to give up yet.” I couldn’t. Even only being back in my life for a few days, losing Dae would be like losing my father all over again; just something I couldn’t fathom.

He had been there almost every day of my childhood. He had wrapped his sweatshirt around my waist when I had gotten my period for the first time. Up till high school, I thought he was my soulmate.

“I’m not giving up, OK? There’s not a force in the world that could stop me,” I repeated.

I took his hand and squeezed it briefly.

“You’d be well within your rights to. Up till a week ago, you didn’t talk to me unless you were getting paid to.” He sounded numb. A flash of guilt ran through me.

“Harsh. But true. I didn’t lie though. I never hated you. I couldn’t. I never should have said I did. I’m sorry, Dae.” Even if I couldn’t help my mother or father, I wouldn’t give up on Damien. I owed him that much.

Past high school, I really didn’t have relationships.

I had some friends, none of which were super close.

I had my fence, which is its own kind of illegal relationship but emotions were never part of it.

Those were easier. Didn’t have to wallow in the past or get caught up rehashing old news.

I wasn’t Jenna or Marie’s best friend. I certainly wasn’t the first they’d call in an emergency. But they were companions if needed.

After Mom died, it was just me for a while till Dad got back on the parent train.

After Dad, I had to survive for myself. If I was the only one I had to think about, it just made it easier.

But Dae’s here now and I just can’t do that anymore.

He’s this big ball of sunshine who just complicated my life to the nth degree but he makes me feel again, bad and good.

He came to me and wants to talk things over.

I owe him that. I can’t let anything happen to him.

No matter how much it hurts me. I hate how I forgot that he’s the biggest GOOD THING in my life.

If lose that then…I don’t know what I’ll do.

“Cora?”

I knew that voice, the one from behind us.

“Guys, this doesn’t look the most professional,” Marie hedged.

I closed my eyes briefly and exhaled. Time for damage control. I turned my chair to swivel towards her. Neither my face nor my tone were welcoming.

“It’s not. I have been helping him with something but we’ve reconnected. Talking through some of our issues,” I said carefully. I kept calm but my voice was flatter than I’d liked.

“Oh.” Her voice wavered. “You kinda gave me the impression that it wasn’t a fixable thing.”

“Turns out I’m a deeply repressed person who has issues vocalizing their problems with another. Also, apparently I’m prideful?”

Dae nodded. I could tell he wanted the interruption about as much as he wanted his hooves pulled off. I didn’t want it either. I certainly hadn’t thought we’d reconcile as much as we had.

Marie looked nervous, shifting onto her other foot. “Listen, Amy was wondering when you’d be back to work.”

I frowned. “She has my schedule. There haven’t been any changes and I wasn’t scheduled Saturday, Sunday or Monday.”

Damien noticed the change in my voice and put his drink down. “We’re past normal business hours. She hasn’t done anything wrong.”

There was a bit of steel in his voice, just enough to cause her eyes to widen.

“Oh. OK, I’m sorry. Just wondering. I’ll leave you guys be.” She turned. “Damien, you could have just said you were seeing someone else.”

I groaned.

“We’re friends, Marie!” I called as she stalked out.

“Whatever,” she glowered.

I flopped my head backward, dragging my hands over my face.

“I thought I left this shit in high school,” I bemoaned.

“She’s just a kid. I don’t think she’s going to do anything drastic.” Damien put down his beer, eyeing me.

“She’s a kid with a crush who, in her eyes, was just publicly scorned. Not to be taken lightly,” I countered.

“I can’t apologize for not liking someone,” he said, a bit sourly.

“Not saying you have to. I’m saying in her eyes, I’m public enemy number one. The big bad raging whore that ‘stole’ you away and lied about it.” I was in my late teens once.

“Don’t call yourself that. Please.” He looked disgusted.

“Just an example. I’m no town bicycle,” I said flippantly.

He looked puzzled.

“Old joke. ‘Everyone’s had a ride’? No?” My jokes are deader than a doornail today.

“Cor, please. I don’t love hearing that.” He grimaced into his drink.

“Why are you so bothered by it?”

He put his beer down and stared at me.

“I’ve known you at least half of your life. You don’t think I’d dislike hearing someone lie about you? You don’t think I’d feel a bit protective of you? You are my oldest friend and the only person who I could even tell about this. Literally no one else knew.” He tapped his chest.

“I’ve had a while to sort through all the bullshit that was said about me, especially in high school and college, with my dad. It barely bothers me anymore but I’ll refrain. But, second? I’m not going anywhere, OK?”

He took my hand with both of his, heat infusing through.

“Cor, tell me what happened with your dad. I have about two weeks to live and I need everything out in the open with us. What happened the day of the benefit?”