Starlight Web (Moonshadow Bay #1) - Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,62

mine. I parked in the espresso stand’s parking lot and finished the brownie, washing it down with my mocha. Then, wiping my hands, I aimed myself toward the hospital.

Ten minutes later, I arrived. As I stepped out of the car, it suddenly hit me how very much my life had changed in the past few days. A few nights ago, I had been torching my wedding dress. Now, I was wrestling ghosts of a different kind.

Caitlin was already at the hospital, in the waiting room. I hustled over to her side, handing her the brownie.

“I brought you food. Any news?”

“They haven’t told me anything yet. I called Hank’s girlfriend and she’ll be here soon. I also called Wren. She wanted to fly back tonight, but I told her to wait until we knew how they’re both doing.” She made space for me on the banquette.

I sat down. “Has Conjure Ink ever dealt with anything this dangerous before?”

She shrugged. “I guess we have, but we had the upper hand and—oh, I don’t know. I guess some of the hauntings we’ve dealt with were dangerous, but we’ve never encountered anything like this. I wish the whole building would just implode like the house in that movie Poltergeist.”

“Unfortunately, things aren’t as tidy in real life as they are in movies. Nothing gets wrapped up in a tidy bow and boom, happy ending. There’s always an after, in ‘happily ever after.’” I frowned. “I found that out the hard way.”

I was about to call Ari and let her know I was all right when a doctor emerged from behind double doors and headed our way.

“How are Hank and Tad?” Caitlin leapt to her feet. “Are they okay?”

“I’m Dr. Banks,” the man said. “And you are?”

“Caitlin Tireal, and this is January Jaxson. We work with Tad and Hank.” Caitlin took the lead.

“They’re in serious condition, but they should recover.” He looked around. “Do they have family members we should contact?”

“Crap, I forgot to call Tad’s mother,” Caitlin said. “I’ll call her right now.” She moved off to the side.

“I don’t know about Hank,” I said, trying to make conversation. “But I believe Caitlin contacted his girlfriend.” I tried to see what was written on the chart, but the doctor was keeping it close to his chest. “What happened to them?”

The doctor frowned. “I can’t give you that information without their permission. But they’re both awake, so if you’d like to see them for a few minutes, I can have a nurse show you back. Only five minutes, though. They’re both exhausted and I don’t want anyone tiring them out.”

By that time, Caitlin was off the phone and we followed a nurse through a labyrinth of sterile hallways painted in muted silver-grays and blues. Soothing, yes, warm—no. The sounds and scents of hospitals made me jumpy.

The night my parents had been in the car crash, I had come rushing into the hospital, desperate to hear any glimmer of good news. Ellison had begged off, claiming someone needed to stay home to tend to the magazine, so I had come alone. Both had survived for a brief window. I had driven like a bat out of hell all the way from Seattle, and thanks to my intense focus, none of the cops on the roads had noticed me speeding past.

I had walked down this very hallway, following the nurse to the ER. My parents had been in beds, side by side, and by the time I arrived, my father was on life support. My mother was reaching out, calling for him, awash in a haze of pain. The doctors hovered over her, and they motioned me back so I wouldn’t interfere. I had walked over to my father’s side, staring at the monitors, feeling numb. His heart was beating, but there was no brain activity.

Then, before I could ask anything, alarms sounded and the doctors near my mother flew into action, all talking at once.

“She’s crashing.”

“Get the crash cart!”

“Somebody get her out of here!”

The latter was aimed at me. A nurse grabbed my arm and hustled me to the door. I tried to protest but she pushed me out of the room, where another nurse quickly walked me over to a nearby bench.

“What’s going on?” I asked, begging her to find out, but another code sounded and she had to run, after cautioning me to stay where I was.

Twenty minutes later, the doctor came out and grimly introduced himself, adding the usual platitudes about how they had