Paradox

Chapter 33: Midnight Angel

Lucifer ran into the hospital; nurses and desk staff yelled at him as he entered the ICU without checking in. He stopped in horror as he came across an empty bed.

"Sir you can't be in here!" A burly nurse barked at him.

"Linda ... did she ... die?" his choked voice was barely above a whisper.

The nurse regarded the tall handsome man and the genuine panic in his eyes. Her stance immediately softened. "She's fine. Come I'll take you to her."

The man stood frozen as her words penetrated his weary brain.

She lightly touched his back. "It's okay. She improved so she is out of the ICU and in her room now."

He inhaled sharply as the fear and sorrow eased. Linda was alive. Relief flooded through him as he smiled at the nurse whose eyes glazed over as she grinned giddily.

It was a nice room with early morning sunshine warmly flooding the walls. He sat by the bed. She was asleep so he reached over and took her hand.

When Linda woke up she immediately noticed Lucifer sitting by her bedside once again holding her hand. Like last time he was almost compulsively stroking his thumb across her palm. His head hung down.

"Luce," she whispered.

His head snapped up his dark eyes lighting on her. He looked completely wrecked. His clothes were uncharacteristically wrinkled, his face far too pale, his hair wild and disheveled, and his eyes almost bloodshot. He looked like he hadn't slept in a month.

"What happened, Lucifer?"

He snorted softly. "What makes you think something has happened?"

"It's written all over your face and your demeanor."

He sighed loudly. "Here's the Coles notes version. Asmo is dead, well you know taken back to hell, my mother against my wishes recreated my wings for me so I could take out Asmo, oh and she's dead by the way -- truly dead, she had dad destroy or void or whatever it was to her soul so I didn't have to take her back to hell. Funny don't you think that despite what she did to me she was a better parent than my dad?" he laughed harshly. "Who'd have thought? The Detective and the spawn are both fine."

She pushed a button by the bed elevating her a little more into a sitting position.

He gasped. "Should you be doing that? You're not going to start bleeding again are you?" he asked warily.

"I'm fine, Lucifer. I'm worried about you, it..."

He interrupted. "No need. I'm totally fine as you can see, nothing to worry about. Good as gold." He grinned briefly but his eyes were wild.

She narrowed her eyes. "Let's take some deep breaths together -- it will do me some good as well as you I think."

He scoffed and shook his head but she wouldn't relent. "Look at me -- one..."

She made him take about a dozen deep breaths, he glared at her the whole time. "Good. Now start from the beginning and tell me everything that has happened...not the abridged version."

He sighed loudly. "Fine." He told her about Trixie, Asmo, the wings, the battle, the carousel, his mum, the children how she wanted to build a new family, the little boy she killed, and her final death.

Linda's eyes were huge and round with disbelief by the end of it all. She cleared her throat. "I understand the relationship was complicated and at times unhealthy but did you at least get a chance to say goodbye and gain some closure?"

He snorted. "You sound just like the Detective. But I told her, I'm glad she's gone -- that's the best closure I could have gotten." He avoided her eyes.