Eden (10 page)

Ryan rolled his eyes and looked to
Claire. “Isn’t this exactly what none of you wanted to
happen?”

Claire seemed uncomfortable answering
for her brother, but she quickly shrugged it off. “Yes and no. Not
going along with the prophecy in Shax’s book would have been the
safer route—in theory—but Hell would more than likely still
anticipate its completion. Now that it’s happened, it’s a means to
an end. We have a better chance at getting Heaven on our
side.”

Ryan was right to ask Claire. Jared
was well known for lengthy explanations. Claire went right to the
point.

Ryan’s eyes drifted away from Claire
to me. “Are you okay?”

I shrugged. “Great. Fantastic,
actually. I feel like I could run a marathon.”

Ryan smiled. “That’s good.” He turned
to Claire. “That’s good, right?”

Her nose wrinkled. “Why are you asking
me?”

“
I don’t know,” Ryan
shrugged, “I thought you might know better than anyone
else.”

Claire stood, laughing once. “I’m
hardly the expert. It’s never been an option for me, so I didn’t
bother asking my mother about the details.”

“
Why wouldn’t it be an
option?”

Claire rolled her eyes. “Because I’m
busy.”

“
With what?” he said,
dubious.

Claire placed both of her palms
facedown on the bed and looked at Ryan. “Keeping you
alive.”

Ryan’s hand slid slowly across the
blanket. His fingers layered hers. “Well...what if we were
together? That could make it an option.”

Claire straightened quickly and
crossed her arms. “Dream on.”

The corners of his mouth turned up. He
enjoyed unsettling Claire far too much for his own good. “Am I
wrong?”

“
First of all,” she said,
shifting her weight, “it’s never going to happen. Second, I’d have
a hard time protecting you when I’m as round as a bowling
ball.”

“
I bet you could,” Ryan
said. “I can stay out of trouble for nine months.”

Claire raised an eyebrow. “You can’t
stay out of trouble for one month. You’ve been hospitalized, had
major surgeries, and needed extensive rehabilitation three times in
as many years.”

His eyes turned soft. “I would if I
had to. I’d do it for you.”

She cupped her hand over his mouth.
“Shut up.”

Jared fidgeted, feeling out of place.
“Uh…we should go.”

“
No!” Claire said. She
pulled back her hand and wiped it on her leggings. “No, you should
stay. I’ll uh...I’ll get more chairs.”

“
I’ll help you,” Jared
said. He briefly kissed my cheek before following Claire into the
hall.

“
Wow,” I said, taking a
seat beside the bed. “You can clear a room better than I. And
that’s saying something.”

Ryan frowned. “She’s tough. Tougher
than you.”

“
Without a doubt,” I
nodded.

“
No…I mean yes, but not in
the physical way. She’s here every second while I heal. I know she
has to watch over me, but she doesn’t have to sit beside my bed and
hold my hand.”

“
She holds your
hand?”

Ryan offered a half-smile. “The first
morning—when I woke up—she was holding my hand with both of hers.
The second I opened my eyes, she let go. But yes, she
did.”

“
Okay, but you don’t have
to torture her. By her actions, she must care about you. This is
Claire you’re dealing with. You can’t force it.”

Ryan turned on his side, leaning on
his elbow. “Nina, you’re pregnant. Some rough shit is going to go
down. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe the day you give birth to Lil’ Bitty
Saint Ryel.” He pointed to my stomach, “But I think we can all
agree that taking time for granted is precarious.”

“
Precarious,” I said. “I’m
so impressed.”

“
Shut your face,” Ryan
grinned. “I love her. I want to be with her. And not just around
her. It’s even worse knowing she’s not here, but she’s still
somewhere around.”

“
I know the feeling,” I
said. My eyes unfocused as I remembered a not-so-distant past where
I struggled studying in my dorm room at Andrews Hall, knowing Jared
was somewhere nearby. Talking into a microphone hanging from my
wall, standing in the freezing rain. Knowing he would
come.

“
I think she likes me,
too, she just won’t admit it. I just gotta crack that
shell.”

Ryan’s voice snapped me back to
reality. “Good luck,” I said.

Claire and Jared returned carrying
chairs in their arms.

“
I love you,” Ryan said,
looking straight at Claire. She stood, speechless.

“
Smooth,” I
nodded.

“
I…uh…,” Claire said,
looking around. She sat the chairs on the floor and then looked at
her brother. “Someone else might visit…I better get more
chairs.”

When the door closed behind her, Ryan
looked down and laughed once without humor. “So
stubborn.”

“
Better than stupid,”
Jared said.

Ryan’s head jerked up. “Excuse
me?”

“
Let her do her job,”
Jared said, his voice flat.

“
Coming from you? That’s
hysterical.”

The tension between them thickened the
air in the room. “Come on, guys,” I said.

Jared’s eyes were tight, and Ryan
leaned forward a bit. Any civility between them had always seemed
forced. It was only a matter of time before they exchanged
words.

Jared shifted. “What is that supposed
to mean, exactly, Ryan?”

“
You seem to forget why
everyone is in this mess to begin with. If you’d done your job by
the book, none of this would have happened. So how about you let us
all make our own choices without judgment?”

Jared’s body was rigid; his jaw tight.
I waited for him to let Ryan have it—to come back with one of his
undeniable and logical retorts, but he didn’t. Without a word, he
left the room.

“
Finally…he’s speechless,”
Ryan said, relaxing back against the bed.

“
You shouldn’t have done
that,” I said.

Ryan frowned. “Why not? Because he’s
Jared? He has no problem telling everyone else what they’ve done
wrong, but he hasn’t made the best choices, either. He insinuated
I’m keeping Claire from doing her job when he was in the same
situation not too long ago.”

“
I know.”

“
Then why defend him? Why
can’t you just say, ‘Ryan, you’re right. Jared’s
wrong.’”

“
Because he’s trying his
best. Because everything he does, he tries to do what’s right, and
what is in everyone’s best interest. He loves me, and you rubbing
it in his face after the fact is just cruel.”

“
He should keep his
opinions to himself,” Ryan said, crossing his arms.

“
Trying to hold on to some
control in a situation where he has none is not unreasonable.
Claire is his baby sister. He’s loved her far longer than you have,
and he has firsthand knowledge of how hard it is to be in love with
your Taleh. He’s just trying to save her from what we’ve
experienced. You should think about that.”

Ryan raised an eyebrow. “So you regret
it?”

“
What?”

“
You regret falling in
love with him? Knowing everything?”

“
No, and no! Of course
not. It’s just hard, that’s all.”

“
What isn’t?”

“
A normal
relationship?”

“
Says who?”

“
Normal
people.”

“
What would you know about
normal people?”

“
I know a few!” I said.
Ryan was attempting to subdue a smile. He enjoyed getting under my
skin. Poor Claire. She wasn’t the most patient person, anyway, and
the most annoying, argumentative, persistent butt nugget—as Bex had
once called him—was in love with her.

“
What are you smiling
about?” he said.

“
Oh, nothing. Feel
better,” I said, waving to him before opening the door.

“
Wait! You’re going to
leave me alone?”

“
We’re never alone,” I
smiled.

Jared stood in the hallway with
Claire. She was looking up at him, whispering words of comfort. He
seemed to be a bit calmer, listening to her every word.

“
He’s all yours,” I smiled
to Claire.

“
Huh?” Claire
said.

I took Jared’s hand. “He knows the
exact thing to say to throw you into a rage, and you just let
him.”

“
It’s different with him.
I can’t explain it other than pure, unadulterated
hatred.”

“
Once upon a time it was
me he was after, and now he’s being just as annoying while pursuing
your baby sister.”

“
Exactly.”

“
What if he
wasn’t?”

“
Wasn’t what?” he said,
clueless as to where I was going with the conversation. A rush of
exhilaration swept over me. Jared being on the wrong side of
enlightenment was quite satisfying.

“
In love with Claire.
Honey,” I said, standing on my tiptoes to wrap my arms around his
neck, “this is a very good thing.”

“
For you, maybe,” Claire
grumbled.

“
Did you forget what it
means that he loves her?
They
are meant to be together; not him and me. Best of
all? You would’ve had to deal with Ryan either way, but because he
loves Claire, it isn’t because you’re watching him annoy the crap
out of me—it’s because he’s annoying Claire.” I allowed a proud,
wide smile to stretch across my face, even though Claire looked as
if she wanted to shove her fist into the wall. Through my
face.

Jared’s face relaxed, and he chuckled.
“All true,” he said, leaning down to kiss me. “It could be worse.
Much worse.” He looked to Claire. “Sorry. Good luck.”

She glared at both of us as we
departed down the hall.

“
Er…hey, Nina?” Claire
called.

I turned, noticing again how tiny she
was. Her skintight blue leggings and oversized, off-the-shoulder
T-shirt made her seem even smaller. Her ankle-high boots scooted
across the hospital floor as she approached.

“
Yes?”

She laced her fingers on top of her
head, clearly exasperated. “You really think I’m just being
stubborn? You think that’s why he’s my Taleh? Because we’re meant
for each other?”

“
Yes,” I said. “You care
about him, don’t you?”

“
I don’t know,” she
shrugged. She let one hand fall to her side; the other to her
mouth. “I guess so.”.

I looked to Jared and
gestured with my eyes to Claire. Jared frowned, but when I
persistently jerked my head in Claire’s direction, he spoke up.
“It’s okay, Claire. I can’t say I like the guy, but I don’t see
another purpose for it to happen the way it did. Do you? Because if
you do, I’d love to hear—
mmph
,” he puffed, jerking when I
elbowed him in the ribs. I didn’t hurt him, of course, but I still
enjoyed his reaction.

“
No,” Claire whispered. “I
don’t see another purpose.” She walked slowly to Ryan’s door, deep
in thought. She turned the knob, and then shook her head. “Doesn’t
mean I should muddy the waters.”

We followed her in, noticing her
pulling her chair farther away from Ryan’s bed. She ate her burger
quietly, and Ryan watched her for a moment, and then looked down
when he realized he wouldn’t get the reaction he’d hoped
for.

I felt bad for him. I knew all too
well how awful it felt to love someone who insisted on keeping a
distance. “So you’re feeling better? When do you report back for
duty?”

“
They gave me a week off.
Too bad I wasn’t on duty when this happened. Could have saved me a
chunk of change.”

“
Don’t worry about the
bill, Ryan,” I said. “It’s taken care of.”

Ryan opened his mouth to argue, but he
knew it was futile. He had no way to pay for what the little
insurance he had wouldn’t cover. He managed a humble nod. “This is
my last time. Next time it’s someone else’s turn. I’m not playin’
around. I mean it.”

Claire’s frown softened, the corners
of her mouth turned up an infinitesimal amount. Her expression
reminded me of the way Jared used to try to hide his emotions when
he was fighting tooth and nail to stay away from me. Claire
definitely had an uphill battle. Ryan was far more persistent than
me.

We enjoyed our late-night dinner,
teasing one another about our last few days together before Jared
and I left for Little Corn. Ryan recounted his recovery, and Claire
halfheartedly complained about being his nursemaid. Mentions of
demons, Shax, and Isaac sprung in and out of our conversation.
Discussing the paranormal elements of my life outside of the Ryels
felt both a relief and strange. But, there we were: sitting around
a room, discussing the sickening odor of the hundreds of misshapen
creatures scaling the walls of St. Ann’s.