Eternal (41 page)

Finally, the doctor walked out. Burnett moved through the door. Holiday, Chase, and Della all stood up. The doctor smiled, and suddenly the air tasted sweeter to Della.

“They're going to make it. I'm not sure how much longer they could have survived. It will take some time for them to get their strength back. They'll probably have more emotional scars than physical, but they'll be fine.”

Della leaned her head back, closed her eyes, and said a prayer of thanks. Chase leaned in and whispered in her ear, “We did it.”

She opened her eyes and smiled at him.

“The patients need rest,” the doctor continued. “But if you'd like to visit with them, that's fine. Keep it low-key. One at a time and make it short.”

Burnett inched forward and looked at Della and Chase. “I have to go to the office to fill out some paperwork. Why don't you two visit with them, and I'll do my interrogation later.”

Della nodded.

“Oh,” the doctor added, “I tried to convince them they would rest better in separate rooms, but they refused to be separated. Which isn't uncommon for victims who went through an ordeal together. I recommend letting them stay together for a while.”

Della would bet that Natasha and Liam would be together longer than a while.

Chase's phone started to vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked up at Della. “It's the council, I should update them.”

Della saw Burnett frown, but much to his credit, he didn't say anything. He kissed his wife and child and left.

After a few seconds, Chase went outside on the porch to take his call. Della heard him recounting what happened.

She looked back at the doctor. “Is it okay if I go in now?”

“Sure. But if they're sleeping, let them be.”

“I understand.” She started toward the door when Chase walked back inside. He moved over to her. “I need to go fill the council in on things in person. I shouldn't be too long.”

“Good,” she said. Before she knew his intent, he leaned down and kissed her. It wasn't a kiss full of sexual tension, just a simple good-bye from someone who cared about another person. It was, Della realized, very much like the one Burnett had just given Holiday.

He smiled and then passed his finger over her lips. “I won't be long.”

“We need to talk,” she said, prepared to tell him about the FRU ultimatum.

“That we do,” he said, and she saw in his eyes how much he cared.

He turned to go, but she grabbed his hand and pulled him back. And she kissed him. This kiss lasted just a little longer. She knew Holiday and the doctor watched, but for once, she didn't care.

“Thank you,” she said when she pulled back.

“For what?” he asked, smiling.

“For everything.”

He gave her hand a squeeze. “I'll be back as soon as I can.”

She smiled and watched him leave. When she heard him take a flying leap off the porch, she felt like a part of herself had taken off with him. It hit her then, somehow, someway, she wasn't going to stop seeing Chase. It didn't matter if her feelings were due to the bonding. She still felt them. And their being together was right. Like Natasha and Liam. Like Kylie and Lucas. Burnett and Holiday.

When she looked back, she saw Holiday's expression was less than happy. But Della refused to worry too much. Things would work out. She had to believe that.

“I'm going to check on Natasha and Liam,” she said.

“You do that,” Holiday said.

Della got to the door and paused. Taking a deep breath, and not completely sure what she was going to tell her cousin and her boyfriend, she eased open the door to their room.

*   *   *

Natasha and Liam were in separate twin beds, but someone had pushed them together. Each had an IV going into their arm. They both had their eyes closed.

Della paused at the door, her gaze going to Natasha. The doctor must have used a washcloth to at least get some of the dirt off her. She wore a gown, and Della suspected it was Holiday's. She almost turned around when Natasha's eyes fluttered open.

Della smiled at her, even though it hurt to see her with such dark circles under her eyes and her cheekbones so pronounced.

Natasha smiled back and sat up a little.

“Would you like to rest now? I can come back.”

“No, please come in.” Natasha motioned her in then checked on Liam, who was still asleep.

Della inched in. “I have doctor's orders not to stay long.”

Natasha nodded. “I hear you and that guy who was with you are the ones responsible for finding us.”

Indecision flipped around her head. Should she tell Natasha the whole truth about the ghost? Yes, Della realized. Natasha deserved to know. Della moved in and sat down in a chair beside the bed.

“Actually, we had a lot of help.”

“The police, or … what do you call them? F something?”

“The FRU,” Della said. “They're like the police to all the supernaturals.”

Della saw Natasha squint to check out her pattern. “So you're vampire, too?”

Della nodded and remembered what she needed to tell the girl. “The FRU helped, but…” Oh, hell, how did she say it? “Actually, Natasha, your mom is the one who gets most of the credit.”

“My mom?” Natasha's eyes grew wide. “But I thought … I was told she thought I was dead.”

“No, not your adoptive mom. Your birth mother, Bao Yu Tsang.”

Now tears filled her eyes and she touched her trembling lips. “I thought she was dead.”

Shit!
Della was screwing this up. “Yeah, well, she is. I'm sorry. But … she sort of hung around all these years, probably to look after you.”

Natasha stared at Della as if she might need a shrink.

Della hesitated and then added, “I know it sounds crazy. Believe me, it kind of is.” All of a sudden, cold filled the small bedroom, and Della knew her aunt was there.

“You're saying my real mom's ghost helped you find me?”

Della nodded. “Yeah, that's pretty much it in a nutshell.”
Except that I was in your body when you and sleepyhead over there were doing the deed.
Maybe she shouldn't tell Natasha that part.

The girl looked down at her hands as if trying to come to grips with what Della had said.

Della let her take all the time she needed.

Finally, she looked up. “My first impulse is to say you're nuts. I don't believe in ghosts, but then … I'm a vampire, and I didn't believe in them, either, until I was turned.”

“Yeah,” Della said. “It kind of messes with your head, doesn't it?”

Natasha just nodded. “So, she told you where to find me?”

“Well, yeah, I mean … there's more to it than just that.”

“What's more?” Natasha asked.

Della inhaled. “Can this part be just between us for a while?”

“What part?”

“I won't tell,” a male voice said.

Della shifted her focus to Liam, whose eyes were open, and from the look on his face, he'd heard the ghost comment, too.

“Yeah, you can't tell, either,” Della said.

“What is it?” Natasha asked, sounding leery.

“You and I … we're cousins,” Della said in a low voice. “Bao Yu Tsang is … was my father's sister.”

Natasha's eyes widened again. “You're Della? I should have recognized you. Your … I mean, our aunt, Miao, showed me pictures of you.”

“Not the one where I was naked in the bathtub when I was three, I hope,” Della said.

Natasha chuckled and tears filled her eyes at the same time. “Yeah, she showed me that one.” She inhaled. “I can't believe I'm meeting you.”

Della felt emotion tug on her heart. “I feel the same way. And it's not that I don't want people to know, but I'm trying to figure a few things out about our family, and until then, I just wanted to keep it between us.”

“Is something wrong?” Natasha asked.

“Not anything you need to worry about now.” Della felt the temperature dropping even lower.

Natasha pulled the sheet up higher and nodded. Then she looked like she was going to cry again. “When Chan died, I … I was devastated. We hung out sometimes. Went bowling. But his mom, Miao, was so crushed, and I felt bad going to see her because I felt like I reminded her of him.”

Della started to tell her about Chan not being dead, and then dying, but it would take too much time and emotion. Later, she would tell her everything, just not now.

“The doctor said to keep it short. Obviously, I have a lot to tell you. But we'll have plenty of time.”

Tell her I loved her.

Della fought the chill in the room. “Your mom, she loved you.” Suddenly, Della felt Natasha needed to hear more. “She wanted to keep you, but her parents were old-school and she didn't have a choice.”

Natasha brushed a tear from her cheek. “I know. Will you see her again? My mom?”

“I hear her more than I see her. But I've seen her a couple of times.”

“Can you tell her that I understand, and that I had a good mother and father? Tell her that I don't blame her. Miao told me what happened. How her parents and my father's parents wouldn't accept me. They wanted her to abort me, but she refused. Tell her thank you for giving me life. Oh, and for saving me now.”

Della heard the ghost softly crying. “She can hear you.”

“She's here?”

Della nodded.

“Thank you,” Natasha said.

“Yeah, from me, too,” Liam added and reached over and took Natasha's hand.

 

Chapter Forty-four

Della had no sooner walked out of Natasha's room, when her phone rang.

“Hey,” Chase said, and Della's chest filled with warmth and wanting. “How are they?”

“Good,” Della said though she heard some tension in his voice. “You okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, but I don't think I'm going to make it back there tonight. The council wants reports and all that stuff. Can you get away tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Della said, deciding to make it happen. She didn't care if she had to go against Burnett's wishes. “What time?”

“Nine in the morning? Or eight. I'll take as much time with you as I can get.”

“Nine,” Della said. “I'll want to check on Natasha and Liam again.”

“Sure. And when we come back, maybe I can visit with them. It's weird, isn't it? I kind of feel like I know them.”

“Me, too,” Della said, thinking it would be nice having Natasha in her life.

Chase said good-bye and they hung up, hoping that tomorrow would end as well as today.

An hour later, Shawn, the agent who'd helped them with the case, showed up just to check in. Della, Holiday, and Shawn talked for a while, and then he and Holiday left.

After making sure Natasha and Liam didn't need anything and giving them her and Holiday's and Burnett's numbers, she left for her cabin. Miranda and Kylie were at the table again, with Diet Cokes.

Miranda had tears in her eyes.
Oh, crap
.

“What's up?”

Kylie appeared to wait to see if Miranda was going to answer, and when she didn't, Kylie did it for her. “Shawn dropped by and saw her.”

“And?” Della asked and looked at the witch.

“I think he likes me and I don't know what to do.”

Della dropped down at the table beside her friends. “You do what you want to do,” she said.

Miranda shook her head and looked at Della. “Don't you feel at least a little bit guilty? You cared about Steve, and then bam, you just moved on to Chase.”

Della swallowed. “Yeah, sometimes I feel guilty, but then I remember he left, I didn't. And he told me to find out what was between Chase and me.” She looked at Kylie. “It's just like Kylie. Derek pulled away from Kylie, and she realized Derek wasn't the one. Lucas was.” Della inhaled. “I don't want to hurt Steve, but whatever it is between Chase and me is bigger.”

“But I can't say that,” Miranda said. “And both of you said Perry felt like the right one for me.”

Kylie nodded. “Maybe he was the right one for you then. I don't regret what I had with Derek. He was there for me when I needed him. I'll always care about him. And I think people come into our lives like that. Della needed Steve to help her move past her jerk of an ex-boyfriend, and you needed Perry to help you adjust to everything you were going through.”

As much as Della normally hated Kylie's psychoanalytical crap, this made sense. She would probably always care about Steve.

Miranda turned the can in her hands. “I tried calling him, and he won't even answer. I mean, if he'd just call, I'd come out and ask if he was seeing other people, and if so … I'd hate him. And I'd probably eat ice cream for a week.” She gave Della a you-won't-stop-me-this-time look. “But then I might give Shawn a chance.”

The witch's expression almost got teary again. “Have you heard from Steve at all?”

Della recalled the one text, but afraid that would hurt Miranda, she lied. “No.”

“How are Natasha and Liam?” Kylie asked, changing the subject.

“They're good,” Della said.

“You should feel great,” Kylie said. “You did it. Did you get to see the ghost cross over yet?”

Della shook her head. “No.”

“That's odd,” Kylie said.

“Not really,” Della said. “I don't think she's through with me yet.”

“What else does she want?” Miranda asked.

“To figure out who killed her.” Just saying it made Della more certain. The ghost needed to know.

“I hate having to do that,” Kylie said.

“Yeah, me, too,” Della said, and got a flash of the vision and the man who looked just like her father standing over her with a bloody knife. “I think I'll go to bed.”

Della fell asleep staring at the Smurfette. She thought about Chase. Then she heard Miranda's question:
Don't you feel at least a little bit guilty? You cared about Steve, and then bam, you just moved on to Chase.