Obsessed

61

I put my hand back onto Devyn's leg and the contentment returned, overshadowing Corey's grief. It was!

"I feel her!" I said, my voice shaking. "She's okay." My tears turned from grief to happiness that quickly.

I jumped up and grabbed Corey's hand pulling him back to the bed with me. I don't know how I knew that he would feel it, I just did. It felt like the right thing to do.

I placed my hand back on Devyn, on her chest this time, right over her heart.

"Chloe, what are you- oh." Corey gasped. "Is that?"

I nodded at him, tears streaming down my face for a different reason this time. The contentment flowed through me, from Devyn all the way to Corey through our connected hands.

"She's okay." He breathed, relief flooding his voice.

"How are you doing that?" Colby asked, amazement in his voice.

"I don't know." I said, giddy with excitement. "I just knew it would work."

All of a sudden, a bright flash of pain seared through my body, making me seize up, my body going rigid, just as Corey snatched his hand from mine. Once again, Colby caught me from hitting the ground.

"The fuck was that?" I hissed out between my teeth.

"It was Devyn. She's in transition." Corey said, his voice full of anguish.

I could imagine how he felt. I thought of knowing that Colby was in that kind of pain and there being nothing that I could do about it. It would be, quite simply, pure torture.

"Oh God." I breathed, covering my mouth with my hand.

Sam and Kat were still just standing in the room, his arms around her, comforting her, while they watched what was happening.

"So, it hurts pretty bad, huh?" Kat asked me, her eyes finding mine.

I nodded, still recovering from the flash that had went through me. I looked back to Devyn, and hesitantly reached my hand back towards her.

"NO!" Colby growled so quickly, and so suddenly, that I actually jumped.

His hand had come out, knocking mine back down, away from Devyn.

"You won't feel that again. Why are you trying to hurt yourself?"

"I'm not." I whispered, ignoring the fact that he had just said that I WON'T feel that again. "I'm trying to help her. I don't know if I can. I just want to try." I turned to face him and put my hands on his cheeks. "Please let me just try."

He closed his eyes, and sighed. "Chloe, I can't see you in that kind of pain. I remember that pain. It's awful. Unbearable. It's like having your flesh ripped off, thin strip by thin strip, until your insides-"

"COLBY!" Sam yelled his name, cutting him off from the very descriptive narration he was giving me.

I looked at Sam, and followed his gaze to Corey. He was paler than normal and looked like he was feeling the pain again himself. Like he was going to be sick.

"Corey, brother," Colby whispered, regret in his voice. "I'm sorry. I just...I'm sorry."

Corey shook his head, pressing his lips together, staring at Devyn's still lifeless body. "I know it hurts. I know you don't want Chloe to feel that...but brother, if she can help Devyn." He grasped his head with both hands, and blew out a breath. "Please, let her try. She shouldn't have been able to let me feel that Devyn was in there, that she was at peace, but she was able to. Maybe she can do this too."

Colby looked back to me, his eyes darting in between mine, searching my face. "I don't want you to do this. We don't know what could happen or if it'll work. That kind of pain isn't supposed to be felt by someone who's body isn't preparing to handle it. If it doesn't work after one minute, you're stopping. If it looks like something is going wrong, you're stopping. Okay?"

I nodded, eagerly. "I promise."

He nodded, and I turned back to Devyn. Again, I reached my hand towards her, half expecting Colby to knock it back again. I hesitantly laid my palm against her chest, inhaling sharply when the pain hit me, almost knocking me backwards.

I felt Colby's arms come around me, like he was about to yank me away.

"Stop!" I yelled, feeling something pushing through my fingertips.

His arms stilled on my waist, but stayed put, ready to act. I couldn't explain what I was feeling. It was warm, like I remembered my mother's hugs being when I got home from school.

Comforting. Peaceful, like the Sunday afternoons, after church, when I would grab a good book and lie on my porch swing, enjoying the cool breeze and the quiet of the countryside. I imagined that feeling flowing from my chest, out through my palm, into Devyn.

I could still feel her pain, but it was lessening.

"Chloe." Colby started.

I held my free hand up.

"Shh." I replied, closing my eyes and trying to concentrate.

I had no clue what I was doing but it seemed to be working. Soon, the pain was gone from my body, and Devyn's. I heard a quick intake of air, and my eyes shot open.

Devyn's chest had risen with the single breath that she had taken.

"Holy shit!" Corey exclaimed, sitting next to her. "How? She should still be out for another few hours!"

I grabbed his hand so that he could feel that she wasn't in pain any longer. His eyes found mine again, a happiness and gratitude shining through that I would never forget.

"I don't know how you did this, but thank you." He said quietly, squeezing my hand.

I nodded, feeling the tears coming again. This empath shit was making me so damn soft, it was ridiculous.

"Uh Corey, this was fast. She might wake up sooner than we thought. We should chain her up. To be on the safe side." Sam finally spoke.

Corey looked up at him and smiled.

"Yeah bro. We can do that. I'm just glad she's okay now."