“I asked. DuBois said it simply is.” His mother sounded frustrated and she shook her head. “He said these things take time and your brain needs to rest. There are good signs.”
He looked at the camp. The fire crackled and the smell of food cooking drifted on the air. His stomach growled and his muscles ached. It seemed incredible that this wasn’t a real place. He debated saying something about how he’d miss it but decided not to. He knew his mother wouldn’t understand that.
“How’s Dad?” he asked instead.
A series of expressions crossed her face too quickly to track. “He’s fine,” she said.
“Really?” he pressed.
She took her time to choose her words. “It doesn’t take lobbyists very long to discover what motivates you. They tried money and it didn’t work. Now, they’re trying blackmail.”
“Blackmail?”
His mother wavered, then shrugged dismissively. “They doctored photos of him to make it seem like he was having an affair. And, yes, I know they did because I remember that day—I was the one who was with him. He liked to think it wouldn’t be complicated when he got to the senate and that he’d always know what to do, but he’s finding out it’s…not that easy.”
Justin nodded.
“He’s worried about you,” Mary said quietly. “He flies out on the red-eye for his sessions and comes back at night. Every night, he’s here and he comes to see you.”
He looked away and a lump formed in his throat. “Can we…talk about something else?”
“Of course.” She reached for his hand. “How are you?”
“Not that, either.” He gave a watery laugh and remembered something. “Where’s Tina? Why isn’t she here with me?” When he saw the look on his mother’s face, he had to take a moment to process it. It wasn’t sadness, he realized. It was anger.
It was fury, in fact.
“Tina,” his mother said, “is fine.”
“Oh, thank God.” He pressed a hand over his heart.
“Thank God?” His mother’s voice rose. “She crashed that car at ninety miles per hour. You’ve been in a coma for weeks now, Justin, while she walked away with scratches. And you say thank God?”
“I don’t want her dead,” Justin said. He frowned at her. “It isn’t like you to want someone hurt either.”
“I never had someone crash a car with my son in it before,” Mary said fiercely. She squeezed his fingers. “It isn’t fair. She’s the one who messed up and you’re the one to pay the price—and, Justin, it’s my fault, too. I made you go on that date. If I’d let you stay home like you wanted to that night, you’d be safe now.” She pressed a hand over her mouth.
“Mom—”
“No, no. Don’t you comfort me. You’re the one who’s hurt. I came to comfort you.” She forced herself to smile.
“Mom.” He took her hands. “Don’t blame yourself and don’t blame Tina. It was an accident. A puppy ran into the road and she didn’t want to hit it. This was an accident. It isn’t worth hating her over and it isn’t like you to do that.”
She sighed and nodded but didn’t meet his gaze.
“Mom.” The word came out before he knew he was speaking. “Will I be okay?”
The way her gaze snapped to his face, he knew she didn’t know. On some level, that was comforting—he’d been afraid, he realized, that she was there because she knew he would never get better.
“There’s progress,” she told him. “Your brain function is improving. They say it’s sustained, not merely a fluke.”
“Okay.” He nodded, dizzy with relief.
“Oh, I’ve missed you.” His mother wrapped him in her arms. “I’ve missed you so much, Justin.”
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered in return. He slid his arms around her back and squeezed until his arms closed on nothing. His mother’s face shimmered in the air, blurred out of focus into pixels, and vanished.
For a long moment, he stood and stared at the space where she’d been.
“That’s yer mother?” Lyle said from behind him. “She’s not the witch, is she?”
Justin laughed. He needed to laugh right now and he was absurdly grateful for the dwarf’s presence. “She’s not the witch,” he said. “She’s, ah…you know, it’s one of those long stories that aren’t as good as the Buttercup one. But if you want, I can tell you all about Luke Skywalker.”
Chapter Forty-One
Her arms closed around thin air and Justin disappeared like a ghost. Mary opened her mouth to scream as everything around her faded into deep blue studded with stars, then disappeared