Pandora: Liminal Space Book 2

Chapter Thirty-Six

Visitors? Now?

Honestly what Garrett really wanted to do washit something until it broke, or he did, but that would hardly reassure themedical staff about his state of mind. Besides, he was already pretty broken."Who wants to visit?" he asked.

"Who doesn't want to?' Jezria replied rhetorically. "Martina and Lawrence haveasked, of course, but I thought that that should wait, all things considered."

"Good call." Garrett's mind was spinning out of control, and he didn't know ifhe could be polite with Martina now when he was barely civil to one of hisoldest acquaintances.

"There are several of your coworkers who'd like to see you as well. MsEnglander wanted me to assure you that she saved enough of your hair to make atemporary replacement for what you lost, which due to heat damage ended upbeing everything."

Everything? He was bald? Garrett rubbed his free hand over his head andgroaned. "Shit."

"She said the wig would be ready sometime tomorrow."

"How long was I unconscious?" Garrett asked.

"Three days."

Long time. His thoughts must have shown on his face, or maybe Jezria wasjust taking the conversation to the logical next step. "The damage wasextensive, and the skin grafts took some time to set. It was easier for thedoctors to keep you down while they worked."

"Oh. Right."

"The most fervent visit requests have come from the Helmses, Jonah and his sonCody. I didn't know you and Mr. Helms were seeing each other."

"We're...well, it's kind of complicated."

"Apparently," she chuckled. "But they're actually here now, if you feel likecompany. I have to get back to the office, but I'll be by again later thisevening to see how you're doing."

"Wait." He reached out for her, his hand stretching into space. After a secondshe took it. "What do I look like?"

"What, as far as scars and the like?"

"As in am I going to scare a five year old kid?"

"Ah." Her palm touched his face briefly, her thumb smoothing over hischeekbone. "You look fine, Garrett. Your eyes are sealed right now, but itsimply looks as though they're closed, not like there's a problem with the eyesthemselves. You are hairless at the moment, but it will all start to grow backin a few days. Your skin is beautiful." She pressed her lips to his temple."You're beautiful."

"Flattery will get you everywhere," Garrett said, and if he sounded a littlehoarse it was just because his throat was still sore.

"Shall I let them in?"

"Can we get this IV out of my neck first?"

"Let me get the doctor back." The was the near-silent click of a button beingdepressed, and then a few seconds later the door slid open again.

"Doctor Caractacus, it's good to see you awake!"

Her voice sounded familiar. "Thanks."

"My favorite patient and his daddy are waiting outside to see you."

"About that...can we take the IVs out? At least this one?" Garrett fingered theline irritably.

"Sure we can. The lower one was just giving you nutrients while you were out,you shouldn't have any trouble switching back to real food." Her hands workedbriskly as she spoke, freeing his hand and removing the shunt. "This other oneis a direct blocker for your eyes. If you want to get rid of it you'll need tolet me give you a shot for the pain, and I'll need to renew it on a daily basisuntil we're ready to do the transplant."

"That's fine."

"It will make you drowsy," she warned.

"Then let's wait on the shot until after they leave, but take the IV out now,please. Needles freak Cody out and I don't want him to see me like this."

"Of course," she said. He felt the line withdraw, and a warm trickle of bloodslid down his neck. A moment later it was wiped away, and something sticky waslaid on top of the hole. "It's a Green Space Ranger band aid," she told himwith a smile in her voice. "I'm thinking Cody will like that."

"What's not to like?" Garrett deadpanned. "Thanks, Doctor..."

"Reynaud. Rickie Reynaud. Like the fox."

"The cartoon fox?"

"The cartoon was actually named for me," she confided. "My dad was the leadanimator."

Garrett smiled, and it felt strange on the new, tight skin of his face. "Nowonder you're up to speed on all the latest kid fads."

"Yeah, I'm good that way. I'll let them know you're ready for them."

"And on that note," Jezria added, "I'll be off. I'll be back this evening,Garrett."

"Thanks." He heard the two women walk away, their heels clicking in a way thatmen's never seemed to, not even when they wore stilettos. Maybe it wassomething in the hips...

His admittedly inane train of thought was derailed by the entrance of someoneelse with noisy feet, but noisy in an entirely different way. "Garrett!" Therapid feet stopped next to his bed. "Your hair is gone!"

"I know," Garrett said, trying to point his face in Cody's direction. "I'llgrow some more soon though."

"You look weird," Cody said uncertainly. "And your eyes aren't open."

"Yeah..."

"He's not gonna be able to see for awhile, bucko, I already told you that,"Jonah admonished as he sat down on the edge of Garrett's bed. Garrett felt themattress move a little, felt the warmth of Jonah's body and caught the scent ofhim, so ephemeral he couldn't even name it as anything other than Jonah. Hetook in everything he could, and when Jonah laid a hand on his leg, for thefirst time since he woke up Garrett felt the low-level panic he'd been feelingrecede.

"How ya feelin?" Jonah asked softly.

"Not too terrible. All things considered."

"You missed dinner," Cody said indignantly.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Cody..." his father began warningly.

"We missed you," the child continued. One of his small hands found its way intoGarrett's. "It's been sad without you."

"Oh." Garrett really didn't know how to take that. Part of him wanted to beannoyed, but most of him was aching, with loneliness and stupid sense of hopethat he would never, ever admit to. "I missed you too. Both of you."

"They said you were sleeping."

"I was. I missed you even in my sleep."

"Me too," Cody confided.

Jonah cleared his throat. "What's the word, Garrett?"

"My transplants won't be ready for another two standard weeks," he said, notquite as matter-of-factly as he would have liked. "Since I live alone, thatmeans I get to spend the next few weeks in here. I'm hoping they'll sendsomeone for my own clothes though, because these," he plucked at the scrubs,"never make anyone look good."

"You'd make a paper bag look good, darlin'," Jonah told him, and he squeezedGarrett's knee. "And we were thinkin'...maybe you'd like to shack up with us.Until you're better."

Garrett froze for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, I think the drugsmust be affecting my hearing. Did you just say you want me to live with you?"

"Better n'staying in here, isn't it?" Jonah asked defensively.

"But you—" Garrett tried to keep his voice from rising, but he was tired, andthe panic was coming back. Jonah seemed to notice.

"Hey, bucko, could you go chat up the Doc for a minute? Ask what we'll need todo to take Garrett home with us?"

"Sure!" Noisy feet scampered off again, and then it was just Garrett and Jonah,and Garrett exploded.

"What the fuck do you mean, move in with you? Where do you get offtelling me it's all right for me to stay at your place if I'm something uselessyou can put wherever you want, like some kind of goddamn decoration, when youwon't even give me the courtesy of sleeping with you in your bedroom—justsleeping!—when I'm fully functional?"

"Garrett—"

"How does my being blind make it easy for you to open the door, so to speak? Doyou get off on helplessness? Do you like having people be utterly dependent onyou?"

"You're not helpless," Jonah snapped. "And neither is Cody, so take that lineof thinkin' and shut it the hell down right now. You won't be totally dependenton us; 'n fact you'll have more independence once you get used to things therethan you'd have here, and God knows how you love your independence." There wasa bitter note to his voice that Garrett had never heard before, or at leastnever noticed.

"I'm offerin' this now because you need it, Garrett, and we need it too. Notbecause I want you to feel indebted to me, not because I'm tryin' to make up forbeing an ass earlier about you stayin' over, but because Cody and I have missedyou like crazy for the past three days and I don't wanna keep missing you whenI don't have to. I want you with us. With me."

"But..." Garrett felt the flames of his anger flicker out almost as quickly asthey'd fanned up. "I can't really follow all this right now," he confessed, hisvoice small and tired. "I'm scared, and I'm still exhausted, and my fuckinghead is starting to hurt." It was, too, burning as though a needle was heatingup right behind his eyes.

Jonah gently clasped Garrett's face between his hands. "I'll get the doc togive you somethin'. We can figure all this out tomorrow."

"No." Garrett laid his hands over's Jonah's, only fumbling a little. "Please. Ido want to stay with you." Even though it frightens the hell out of me."I really do."

Soft, dry lips briefly touched his. "Then I'll get to doc to give yousomethin', and then we'll take you home."

"Thank you."

"Pleasure's all ours, darlin'." Garrett was kissed again, a little slower, alittle more thoroughly. "It's all ours."