Talisman (92 page)

The hospital?
  “Is it Samuel?  Did something happen?” I questioned anxiously.

Beatrix shook her head.

My mind raced back to what Lazarus had said. 
Poison in the cider
.  My eyes flew open when I remembered Bea had brought us out two cups.  I hadn’t touched mine, but a sinking feeling came over me that Ty must’ve taken a sip of his after I’d left.

Bea’s eyes were tearing up.  “I placed a golden topaz on him to stave off the poison’s lethal effects, but its power will dwindle soon.  There’s not much time.  Only the lapis lazuli, combined with your diamond’s healing powers can reverse the effects.  I’m sorry, Shiloh.  I know wha
t claiming the stone will mean…
especially for you
.”

My heart sank. 
That was that
.  I had no choice in the matter.  I threw the wand over to Tanner and gruffly snatched Lazarus’ severed finger out of his other hand.  I yanked off the gold ring that held the royal blue stone.  I took a deep breath and slid it on the ring finger of my right hand.  It was way too big, but the metal magically shrunk down to the appropriate size.  I flinched as it did.  I felt like I’d just been handcuffed and was now a helpless prisoner who waited to be taunted by their captor.

Tanner handed me the d
iamond wand.  “Keep this on you
at all times
.  Never,
ever
let it out of your sight,” he insisted.  With one quick twirl, I flourished the wand and watched its diamond blade magically retract inside the platinum hilt, now protected and secure.  With that taken care of, we were off like the wind — headed for McDowell County Hospital and
hopefully
in the nick of time.

Chapter  27  —  A Traumatic Token

Within minutes, the three of us
had arrived at the hospital’s main entrance and were passing through its automatic double-doors.  I’d shoved the platinum hilt inside the front pocket of my jeans, but it was still sticking out at the top.  While we waited
impatiently
for the attendant at the main desk, I removed my jacket and tied it around my waist, tucking it securely out of sight.

“What’
s he doing
here,
anyway?” I asked Beatrix.

“Oh, that old Mr. Mayfield sto
pped by right after it happened…The
idiot
called 911 before I could stop him.  I rode along in the ambulance.”  Beatrix shook her head.  “There’s nothing
they
can do for him
here
.  I placed a golden topaz around his neck to keep the lethal effects at bay,
temporarily,
but as soon as he hit the ER, the twits removed it!”  She leaned in closer.  “I had to turn invisible and sneak another one on him.  You wouldn’t believe
where
I had to put it,” Beatrix whispered.

My brow furrowed with suspicion when a particularly
personal & private
orifice popped into my mind.  I passed Beatrix a curious look.  After a few seconds, her eyes widened.

“Not
there!”
  Beatrix shook her head.  “I put it
in his
ear
,” she replied with a slight giggle.

T
he attendant still hadn’t shown up and time was of the essence.  Just then, I spotted Beverly Rhodes bouncing down the hall and waved her over.  As soon as she got a look at Tanner, her pace quickened.  Beverly sidled up beside him (breasts blazing) and grabbed his arm.

“Who’s your friend, Shiloh?” Beverly asked as she batted her eyes at Tanner.

I ignored her question (and her obvious sexual assault).

“Beverly, w
here’s Tyler Smith?” I asked.

Now, it was her turn to ignore me.  She stood there, just as
every other red-blooded female trapped in Tanner’s seductive web, staring at him doe-eyed and dreamily.  Needless to say, my patience had left the building.  I snapped my fingers directly in her face and raised my voice.

“
Beverly!
  Tyler Smith’s room? 
Where is it?
” I demanded.

Beverly looked at me for only a moment and then dire
cted her stare back to Tanner.

“They moved him to a room in the ICU wing.  He’s still critical. 
No one but immediate family members are allowed in there…Absolutely
no other
visitors,” she declared.

Before I could say a word, Tanner rubbed his hand on her cheek
and looked deeply into her eyes.

“Are you
sure
we can’t see him?” he asked suggestively.

Without hesitation, Beverly
jerked Tanner’s arm.  “Come with me, handsome.”

I shook my head as I followed down the hall after them.

Instantly, Beatrix cleared her throat.  “Don’t forget, dear.  You need to
take my hand
.”

Curiously, I walke
d back towards her.

“I’m supposed to be blind,
remember?
” Beatrix reminded me under her breath.

“
Oh
,” I gasped.  I’d been around her so much over the past week that I’d forgotten about her deceptive charade.  I took a hold of her hand and pretty much dragged her down the hall.  Several stares from some of the hospital staff gave me a good idea of how
insensitive
my assistance must have looked.  One male nurse detained us briefly and asked if he could get Beatrix a cane or help her around
himself
.  I didn’t care how offensive my actions appeared.  I was in a hurry and kept thinking,
If y’all only knew
…

The ICU wing was swarming with nurses and techs.  Luckily, they were
all
females.  Beverly motioned us over to a door bearing a small placard that read, “IC – 301”.  A chart hanging on the wall beside it had the name, “SMITH, T.” scribbled diagonally across its cover in bold, black letters .  That was all the confirmation I needed.

I hurried over to a
large window that looked into his room.  Every nerve in my body cringed at the disturbing sight of the handsome jock lying there unconscious, buried under a mass of tubes and wires that were hooked up to numerous flashing monitors.

I turned to Tanne
r and pointed over to the nurses’ station.  “Okay.  Go do what you do best.”

Tanner let out a dry laugh.  “Are you trying to pimp me out?” he asked
, amused.

I smacked him on the back.  “I sure am, man-whor
e,” I confirmed affectionately.

Tanner’s brow rose. 
“If that’s what the
little girl
wants,” he replied and then casually strolled over to a group of nurses who’d already started to gather around the main station to ogle him, giggling and whispering amongst themselves.

Straightaway, Beatrix and I snuck into Ty’s room and closed the bli
nds.  I stood over Ty nervously while Beatrix pulled a chair closer to his bedside.  Still dazed from the sight of Ty looking so pasty and frail, she took my hand and lowered me down into the seat.

“Are you ready for this?”
Beatrix asked.

I snapped out of my stupor. 
“Yes.  What do I need to do?”

“The same thing you did to Tanner the other night.  The diamond’s healing power will guide you.  You have the lapis lazuli that will reverse the effects of the poison.  The diamond will also magnify th
e stone’s strength.  Just relax and let the diamond’s energy flow freely.”  Beatrix’s voice trailed off as she added, “The actual healing is the
easy part
.  I’m going to wait outside so I can keep an eye out for Tyler’s parents.”

Beatrix removed the little golden topaz from his left ear and slipped it back in her pocket.  I moved closer to Ty and laid my hands on his chest, just like I’d done to Tanner the other nig
ht outside Mr. Estell’s shack.

“No, no. 
Not there
,” Beatrix corrected as she lifted my trembling hands off his chest and gave them an encouraging squeeze.  “When you’re dealing with a poison like this, you have to do it at the toxin’s
point of entry
.”  She pointed her finger towards his mouth and then headed for the door.

“You mean I have to stick my hands in his mouth?” I
blurted.

Beatrix threw me a frank look. 
“You can put whatever you want to in there, dear…
I won’t tell
,” she added with a wink of her “third-eye” as she exited the room, donning a sly grin.

The door closed.  The sound of the heavy metal bolt locking rang through the room
like a shot out of a starter’s pistol and
I jumped
.  I couldn’t have been more nervous if Beatrix had stayed in the room to call out, “Ready, Set, Go!”  I was about to
kiss
Tyler Smith.  I’d fantasized about this moment a thousand times over the years, and I’d had several opportunities to do it “the right way” over the past week —
even today
.  But now, this “first kiss” meant a whole lot more than just a significant milestone or a lasting memory in my life.  It meant his
mortality
.

I pulled the plastic tubing out of his mouth.  Gently, I stroked the side of his ashy face and let my fingers brush
across his peaked lips.  Slowly, I leaned in and hovered over him for a moment.  My eyelids drifted to a close as I pressed my lips against his,
softly
.  While I could feel the lapis lazuli and diamond’s energy guiding me, my mind only lingered with thoughts of us dancing that night.  The longer I dwelled on that memory, the more my restrained healing touch turned into an arousing, passionate kiss.

Almost uncontrollably, I found myself now on top of him, for the most part, my hands flowing freely through his silky
tousled locks and around the curves of his tender face.  Suddenly I felt his pulse quicken, and his lips started to warm.  Finding it hard to stop, I finally drew back from him, only to see if what I’d felt was genuine.

Amazed, I watched as the color began to return to his face and then to his entire body.  I placed my fingers up to his
mouth and could feel the moist, warm air from his breaths.  They were becoming more frequent and steady.  I breathed a sigh of relief as I watched his muscles starting to contract while he lay there.  I glanced at the lapis lazuli ring.  The sight of it still made me sick.  Even though it was necessary to save his life, it was ultimately responsible for trying to take it.

Ty’s going to be fine and that’s all that matters
, I rationalized.

I slipped outside of his room.  Tanner was still charming the nurses, who were cluesless to the fact that Ty’s monitors
had been
“beeping”
non-stop, and Beatrix was coming up the hall with Ty’s parents, Dennis and Olivia Smith, playing her blind act to a T.  I gave Beatrix a subtle wink and a slight nod, assuring her that my “intervention” had worked.  She was beaming, as was I.

It wasn’t hard to see where Ty got his good looks.  He was the spitting image of his father, right down to the small cleft in his chin.  His mother, Olivia, was no stranger in
that department either.  Her hair was dark-blonde, similar to mine.  I’d never noticed that before.  She was wearing her navy framed glasses, as always.  I never could tell though if her eyes were more blue or green.  They seemed to change colors like a chameleon.  Right now, the only color they appeared to be was
red
.

Within a few minutes, the door to Ty’s room opened.  He stepped out into the hallway, still somewhat weak.  Immediately, his parents rushed over to his side and began hugging and kissing all over him.  I couldn’t stop staring at the emotional scene. 
It mirrored how I felt inside, but out of respect for his family, I shied away from displaying any feelings at that moment.

Tanner abandoned his harem to join us.  Several of the nurses hurried over to check on Ty and insisted he get back into bed.  I listened as Ty assured them
that, “He felt fine.”

“How did I get here?” Ty asked groggily as he rubbed his head.

“The doctor said they think it was some sort of food poisoning,” his dad replied.  “We’ve been so worried about you.  They told us that nothing they’d given you had worked.  Not even pumpin’ your stomach.  The doctors had never seen anything like it.  They weren’t sure if you would make it, but you proved ’em wrong. 
That’s my boy!
”  Ty’s dad gave him a firm hug and several pats on his back.

You could tell by the look on Ty’s face
that the news about his condition being “touch and go” was quite alarming.  His mother wrapped her arms around his neck, practically choking him.

“Oh, sweetheart…
We weren’t the only one’s worried about you.  Ms. Sutherland came in with you and stayed here most of the evening.  But someone else is here, too…Someone dear to you, that
I know
you’ll want to see,” Olivia Smith announced as she motioned back our way.

Upon hearing that endearing declaration from Ty’s mother, I looked over at Bea and smiled.  Strangely, her eyes stayed fixed on Ty.  I took a deep breath and slowl
y started to walk towards them, only to be shoved out of the way by
Kara Leighton
zooming past me.  Stunned by her brazen move, I stood back and watched wide-eyed as she wrapped her arms around Ty and gave him a long kiss.

But w
hat had me absolutely floored though, was that
“he” kissed back!

I felt Beatrix’s hand
squeezing my arm tightly as I stood there, trying to make some kind of sense of Kara and Ty’s actions.

What the…

His mother interrupted my thought with a casual, “
Oh
, and another one of your friends from school is here…
Shiloh Wallace
.”  Olivia Smith barely nodded her head in my direction, clearly too focused on her son and the affectionate spectacle transpiring in the middle of the hospital hallway.

Ty’s blue eyes fell
upon me, but something about their gaze didn’t feel quite right.  The sparkle I’d seen in them over the past week was gone.

“
Who?
 
Um
…Who is that?” I heard him whisper to Kara and his mother as he shifted around, scratching his head.

Instantly, my whole body
went numb.  My ears were unresponsive to any other sounds around me because they were too busy bouncing the words, “
Who is that
” — back and forth — between my head and my heart like a vicious tennis match.  I actually felt my heart stop beating for a moment and questioned whether or not it was still inside my chest.  It sure as shit felt like someone had just ripped it out of there.  My vision seemed to be the only one of my senses still functioning.  My eyes tracked every subtle movement Ty made — every shift of his body, every blink of his eye — and regrettably, they alerted my heart to every second he held Kara is his arms.  I, the Talisman who had the invincibility of the Wand of Adamas, stood there basically paralyzed in the middle of the hall, feeling emotionally naked and
wretchedly
vulnerable.