I smiled so wide at Maren my face hurt. “Dad’s awake! I have to go.”
Laughing, she grabbed my arm as I spun toward the exit. “Maybe you should shower and change first.”
“Oh.” I looked down at my sweaty sports bra and leggings and made a face. “That might be a good idea.”
I showered in record time, and ten minutes later, I waved goodbye to Maren as I ran out the door. The bitterly cold air stole my breath, and I was glad for the wool cap I’d pulled on over my damp hair.
It seemed to take forever to get to the hospital, and I nearly plowed into two people as I ran from the Jeep to the hospital entrance. Instead of waiting for the elevator, I raced up the four flights of stairs and emerged on the floor, panting from my mad dash.
Nurses smiled and waved at me as I hurried past them. I was a daily visitor, and they all knew me. Even the agent stationed outside my parents’ room greeted me with an austere tilt of his head.
Two days after my parents had been admitted to the hospital, they were moved to a private room, and an agent had arrived to stand guard outside their door. I’d wondered why the Agency would place a protective detail on two bounty hunters until I had gone in to give my full statement about what had happened. They’d questioned me for hours, and they had been particularly interested in hearing about the Seelie royal guard’s involvement in my parents’ disappearance. I couldn’t tell them why the guard had taken my parents, and the Agency was hoping to get answers when they woke up.
Having an armed agent on guard did little to ease my worry about my parents’ safety. The Seelie guard weren’t just any faeries, and if they wanted to get to my mom and dad, no agent was going to stop them. I’d reached out to Tennin because I’d learned it was he whom my parents had trusted to ward our apartment, but whenever I called him, his voice mail said he was in Faerie, with no mention of when he would return.
Dr. Reddy was in the room, which had been rearranged to accommodate two beds. He looked up from checking on my father and came over to meet me at the door. My gaze was fixed on the man in the hospital bed. He was lying on his back, and from here, I couldn’t tell if his eyes were open.
“Jesse,” Dr. Reddy said in a low voice, drawing my attention to him. “Your father’s awake, but I want to remind you he is very confused. Don’t be alarmed if he doesn’t respond to you at first. That might take a day.”
I peered around him at my father. “He hasn’t spoken yet?”
“No. But that is normal in a case like this.”
“Has anyone told him what happened?” I asked.
The doctor shook his head. “He’s too confused to process much right now. You can tell him if he asks, but keep it simple so you don’t overwhelm him.”
“Okay.” I let out a breath. “What about my mother? Will she wake up today, too?”
“She hasn’t shown any signs of waking. It could be another day or two.” The doctor adjusted his stethoscope around his neck. “I’ll stop by after my rounds to check in.”
“Thank you.” I walked over to my father, who appeared to be asleep. He looked the same as he had on every other visit, except for the noticeable absence of the feeding tube. I laid my hand over his cool, dry one that felt nothing like the strong, warm hand I was used to. “I’m here, Dad.”
His eyelids fluttered and lifted to reveal the blue eyes I’d waited almost two months to see again.
“Dad?”
A crease formed in his brow, and I could see his eyes moving as he stared at the ceiling. I squeezed his hand gently, and he slanted a dazed look at me. My chest constricted when I saw no hint of recognition in his eyes, and I had to remind myself of what the doctor had said.
For a long moment, I stood beside his bed, holding his hand. I wanted so much to hug him, but I was afraid it would upset him in his current state. For now, I’d have to be content with knowing he was coming back to us.
I looked around for the chair I used on my visits and saw it in the corner. Letting go of his hand, I went to pull the chair over beside his bed.
A garbled sound from him had me running back to the bed. “I’m here.”
He looked at me, and this time he tilted his head in my direction to see me better. My breath caught when his mouth formed a word. “Jesse.”
I leaned down for the hug I desperately needed. “I missed you so much,” I whispered against his chest. He didn’t speak, but a few seconds later, his hand came to rest on my back. The comforting weight made me feel like a part of me that had been lost had come back.
Reluctantly, I let him go and straightened. Warmth flooded me when he gave me a weak smile and reached for my hand holding the bed rail. I grasped his larger hand and fought back the tears that threatened. I had to be strong for him and Mom and show them all they needed to worry about was getting better.
“Mom?” His voice was barely audible, but the worry in his eyes said what he could not.
“She’s right here.” I stepped back and pointed to the bed behind me. “The doctor said she’ll wake up soon.”
He strained to lift his head so he could see my mother lying in the other bed. I knew the moment he saw her because his face softened, and his whole body seemed to relax. He returned his gaze to me. “How…long?”
I hesitated to answer, unsure if he was asking how long they’d been here or how long they’d been missing.
His fingers flexed around mine. “How…long…gone?”
“A month.” Shock flashed in his eyes, and I gauged his reaction before I added, “You were found two weeks ago, and you’ve been in the hospital ever since.”
He frowned at the ceiling as if he was trying to remember, and I could see him getting frustrated when the memories wouldn’t come. I squeezed his hand. “It’s the drugs. The doctor said it could take a while for your memories to come back.”
The crease in his brow disappeared as he looked at me again. “You… Finch?”
“We’re doing great. I’ve been sneaking him in to see you when I can. He’s going to give me hell for not bringing him today.”
My father smiled, and it was in that moment I knew he would be okay. He had a difficult road ahead, but if anyone was strong enough to do it, it was him.
I spent the next half hour reassuring him things were okay at home, carefully omitting anything about my new career and most of what had been happening in my life while he was gone. When I left out the bounty hunting, my search for them, and Lukas, there wasn’t a whole lot left to tell, but he seemed too confused from the drugs to notice.
After a while, his face took on a pinched expression, and I could see he was in pain. He would never admit that, so I told him I was going to get some water, and I left the room in search of a nurse. I found Gloria, one of the regular nurses on this floor, and she consulted with Dr. Reddy about how much pain medicine my father was allowed to have.
I was waiting for her to end the call when I spotted a familiar figure emerging from the stairwell.
“Tennin.” I hurried toward him. “You got my messages.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Yes, all twenty-eight of them.”
I smiled. I’d called him twice a day for the last two weeks, and I didn’t feel the least bit guilty for filling up his voice mail.