Between the Lives - By Jessica Shirvington Page 0,87

help instead of punishment.’

Lucas was standing in the doorway. ‘Sounds like you grew up overnight,’ he said, approaching the bed, putting a hand on my blanketed foot. ‘Glad you’re okay.’

‘Me too.’

He gave me a nod, something that looked like respect.

Dad studied the window and then the collection of flowers. I knew he couldn’t cope with seeing me all beaten up. ‘Sabine, right now all you need to do is concentrate on getting better. Let the police deal with Dex. The main thing is, he’ll never hurt you again. And if, when it comes to it, you want to have your say, no one will stand in your way.’

I nodded. It was all I could do for now.

‘I feel so stupid for not seeing this coming.’ But even as I said it, I knew that in some ways the signs had been there.

‘Creeps like that are sly, Sabine,’ Ryan said. ‘They treat you like a princess as long as you’re exactly what they want you to be, but when things go wrong, or if they think they’re going to lose you, everything can change in a heartbeat.’

A nurse popped her head around the door. ‘I’m sorry everyone, but the doctor says she needs to rest.’

Mom and Dad kissed me on the forehead carefully and headed for the door, with Lucas following.

‘Ryan?’ Mom called softly.

‘Tell them to get lost. I’m not leaving her until she asks me to.’

Mom straightened. ‘Well, I’ll do that then.’

I smiled, holding my big brother’s hand, knowing we’d never go back to the way we were. Even as the day morphed into night and the night lengthened, Ryan didn’t leave my side and I didn’t ask him to.

Finally he said, ‘This might sound really weird, Sabine, but you look as if you’re happy.’

I looked at the clock; it was almost midnight and I had some truly amazing things to say to Ethan when I saw him again – things I knew he would be so pleased to hear.

‘And this might sound really weird to you, but I am.’ I shrugged. ‘I’m alive.’

I Shifted.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Roxbury, Wednesday

I’d known Ethan wouldn’t be there when I Shifted back, but I still felt an intense yearning for him. I settled into bed, listening as nurses moved up and down the corridor, and eventually fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.

I woke up mid morning to a knock on my door. A moment later Macie came into the room. She looked like she’d been crying, and I wondered if she and Mitch had had a fight. ‘You have a visitor,’ she said, without her usual bite.

‘Who?’ I asked, sitting up, suddenly hoping it was Ethan. ‘Denise. She said she’s a friend of the family and you’re expecting her.’

My shoulders dropped. ‘Oh, yeah.’

‘She’s in the patient lounge. I can tell her to come in here if you prefer,’ she said, staring at the ground.

‘No, it’s fine. I’ll go there.’

Macie nodded and left me to get changed.

I quickly dressed in a mini and T-shirt, and made a mental note to go shopping for some new clothes once I got out of here. I knew it would take a while to convince everyone that I’d suddenly recovered, but that’s what I was going to do. Ethan knew the truth and that was all I needed. As for everyone else in my life … it was probably easiest for them to not have to go there. It would take time – and no doubt a lot of talking with Levi – to convince people that whatever delusions I’d been suffering from had passed. I wasn’t sure if it was best to pretend I didn’t know how to speak French again or not. But Ethan would help me work it all out.

And I planned to help him too.

Whatever it was he felt he couldn’t tell me, he’d now be able to. I’d made my decision – the way he’d told me I needed to – and now there was no reason for him to keep his secret from me.

Denise was sitting on one of the half-sunken lounges. When I came in she stood up, then clutched me in a warm embrace.

‘How are you?’

‘Actually, I’m good,’ I confessed. ‘I didn’t agree with Mom and Dad sending me here at first, but I think in the end, coming here was exactly what I needed.’ It had brought me to Ethan after all.

She nodded, encouraged. ‘That’s great, honey. I felt terrible about having to tell your parents about the stock.’ She looked down and