Joan Ascends

Chapter 15: I can't lose you

Justus and Mason find me, Mav and Harriet just as we exit the ruins of the Bunker. Justus scans me from head to toe, and releases a breath of relief.

"Thank God you're not hurt," Mason says, pulling Harriet into his arms.

Justus squeezes my hand, and then kneels in front of Mav. "You okay, buddy?"

Mav looks at me, and then nods. He takes a deep breath. "I have to tell you all something. I made a mistake, but I think I can help find the bad people who did this."

"Tomorrow, Mav," I say. "Let's get you to your mom first."

"No," he says, his face set in familiar, stubborn lines. "I have to make this right."

"We'll take him to the Chrysalis and call Grace so she can meet us there," Harriet says to me. "You and Justus go to the hospital and check on Jo. Leo went with her in the ambulance, but he probably needs some medical care, too."

We don't dare to walk very far through the Lab, unsure of how much damage the Deans caused when they blasted through the walls of the Bunker. Instead, we make our way up to the street and part ways in front of the Chrysalis.

Justus and I find our team's van, which is parked nearby, and set the nav to take us to the hospital. Justus scoots me closer to him, so that our sides are pressed together. Only then do I let my body relax.

"I thought you might be down there, hurt or worse," I admit. "I can't do any of this without you, Justus."

"I thought you might plunge headfirst into danger and get yourself killed," he says. "Everything else can go to hell and I'll survive. But I can't lose you."

His words make my heart hurt. I bury my face in his neck so that he can't see the expression on my face. "We're both okay."

"Yeah. And we're going to stay okay," Justus promises.

I'm saved from replying when the van stops in front of the hospital's Throwback entrance.

Inside, every chair is taken up by people, many of whom are crying or moaning softly from their pain. The paint on the walls is peeling, and many of the chairs are barely functional. I spot a couple of exhausted-looking nurses ushering patients into the back to be treated, and one very frazzled receptionist answering calls and entering patient data into a tablet. It's a far cry from the sleek, modern, Evolved wing of the hospital that I visited a couple of times as a kid.

Before we can make it to the desk to ask after Jo, we spot Leo standing in a corner, looking dead on his feet. There's a cut above his eye, and his cheek and nose are swollen.

"You hanging in there, Leo?" Justus asks.

Leo stands up straighter. "They admitted Jo, but wouldn't let me go with her, since I'm not family. She regained consciousness in the ambulance, though."

"Let's get you back to the Chrysalis. I don't think you'll be treated here any time soon," Justus says. "Joan, use the tablet by the front desk to put yourself on Jo's contact list. You'll be sent automatic updates about her care. It will probably be hours before she's even seen by a doctor."

A vision slides into my consciousness, painlessly this time.

Jo and Kat are in the Chrysalis cafeteria, which is packed with Throwbacks. Hautey is passing out laser pens to several wide-eyed Macs and Mollys who don't look like they've ever been in the same room as a weapon, much less touched one.

"Using these is a last resort," Kat says over the murmur of voices. "Keep your weapons concealed. Even though the police know the situation, Throwbacks still cannot legally be armed, or use force against the Evolved."