A Spy's Home---Book 2: Wounds, Both Old and New

Chapter 2

 My heart skipped a beat when I saw Rory looking broken on the bed; he was connected to so many wires, and there was a heart monitor causing my annoyance level to rise. I sat there next to him for what felt like a good hour feeling more exhausted and alone than I have in a long time, considering I had been mostly alone for eight years.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I leaned against the chair. "You probably can't hear me Rory, so I don't even know why I'm trying this." I said, out loud to his motionless body.

I felt a tear travel down my cheek as I choked out, "Why does this happen? Why can't we have a normal life like everyone else? I mean...that's all we've ever wanted, right?" I wiped the tear away, and shook my head. I was about to say more, but I heard a voice say, "Zylina?" I turned around and saw Rory's mom standing in the doorway.

My eyes widened; weren't they supposed to be all the way in Texas? How'd they get all the way up here in Ohio so quickly? "S...Sarah. I, um, was..." Mrs. Woods came over to me and gave me a hug and cut me off. "Zylina, it's alright to cry. You don't have to be embarrassed." she whispered softly. I felt her hand rub my back gently just like what a mother would do with her crying child.

I let the tears slip out, but I managed not to break out into a sob. Once we pulled away, I immediately averted my gaze back to Rory. "How'd you get here so fast? I thought you and Benjamin were headed down to Texas." I asked, turning back to her after a few moments.

"We were passing through Indiana, when we got the call. Benjamin dropped me off and then went to go book us a hotel room for the next week." she explained, looking over her son. I nodded at the explanation, and asked, "How much did they tell you?"

Sarah crossed her arms tightly in front of her chest, and responded, "They filled me in on the details, mostly about you calling them and your guys' injuries." Sighing I sat down in the chair, and glanced up at Sarah. She grabbed another chair and pulled it to sit across from me.

"What happened, Zylina? Was it....them" she asked. I nodded and answered, "They found us, and started shooting through the windows. Rory tackled me off the bed to get me out of the crossfire, and he told me to get to the door so I started crawling. When I looked back....Rory got shot while dialing 9-1-1." I sniffed again, and averted my eyes down to my feet.

"So you went back and finished the dial." Sarah finished. Nodding, I rubbed my face, and looked over at Rory. "I'm going to go back to my room and get some sleep. Can you find out if I can go?" I asked, getting up. Sarah nodded, and I took one more look at Rory before exiting the room. 

TBC....