Unspoken (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3)(119)

“It’s not their fault,” Della said. “You can’t keep them from here. I know they’re worried sick. If Marla doesn’t make it…” Della’s throat knotted.

“I think they’ll be here shortly. I’m just making sure.”

Della noticed the blood on Burnett. “What happened?”

He frowned. “Shawn. An agent. He’d been watching your house. They got him. I just brought him in.”

“Shawn, Miranda’s Shawn?”

Burnett nodded.

“Is he…”

“No. They’re taking him into surgery too.”

Five minutes later, Kylie showed up.

No sooner had Kylie walked in than the doctor stuck his head in.

“We’re prepping her for surgery. I’ll have the nurse give you updates.”

“Can we see her?” Della asked.

“I really don’t think we can spare the time.”

Burnett looked at Della and Kylie and glanced to the door that still stood open. “Doctor, can I please have a word with you?” he motioned the doctor over.

Della and Kylie ran out. Della led Kylie to the ER where they’d taken Marla earlier.

Two nurses were standing around her, monitoring her and wiping something around her chest.

“You can’t be in here now,” one of the nurses said.

“We just need to see her for a second. Please,” Kylie said. “It’s her sister.”

When the nurse reached for a phone to call someone—probably to toss them out—Kylie moved in and put her hands on Marla’s feet.

“We need someone in here, now,” said the nurse on the phone.

Della got between the nurse and Kylie, prepared to fight if she had to.

After only a couple of seconds, Kylie said, “We can leave now.”

Della looked back and Kylie was glowing.

The two nurses gasped.

“Did it work?” Della asked, chewing on her lip as they went out.

Kylie smiled. “I’m pretty sure. I think all they need to do is take the bullet out.”

Della, realizing Kylie was still glowing, pulled off her hoodie and handed it to her.

*

Two hours later, Della sat at her sister’s side in the recovery room. She hadn’t woken up, but the surgeon—who’d been shocked at how little damage the bullet had done—had assured her that Marla would be fine.

Burnett had popped in and told her that Shawn was going to make it. “My parents?” Della asked.

“They should be here soon. It’s going to be okay,” he said. But Della was afraid to believe it. It didn’t feel okay.

He left. Della looked back at her sister and worried about what she was going to say to her.

In just a few minutes the curtain shifted again. Della expected it to be a nurse, but her mom walked in.

She looked terrible. Her face was pale, her nose red, and her eyes wet.

Della waited to see the fear, the repulsion, appear in her mom’s eyes, but it didn’t. Or Della just couldn’t see it. Her mom moved in, albeit a little slowly. She glanced at Marla, and didn’t look away until her sister’s chest shifted to take air into her lungs.

Her mom let go of a deep, sad breath.

“They say she’s going to be fine,” Della said.

Her mom met her gaze again.

“I’m so sorry,” Della said.

Her mom pulled Della into her arms.

“For what? You didn’t do anything wrong. If you hadn’t come, we’d have died.”

Della leaned in and for the first time since she’d been turned, she didn’t worry about her mom touching her, or that she’d freak out at Della’s lack of body temperature.

Her mom pulled back and she brushed Della’s tears from her face. “I’m the one who needs to say I’m sorry. I … we … I wish you could have told us. These last nine months shouldn’t have been like this.”

“It’s not an easy thing to tell,” Della said.

Her mom nodded and said, “It wasn’t an easy thing to hear, either. But things are going to be different now.”

Were they? Della wondered. Her father wasn’t here. And she was pretty sure she knew why.

Her mom inhaled. “Your father is in the chapel. He did something terrible, Della. I’m furious at him, but he wants to apologize.”

Della figured it was about telling the police she might have killed the Chis.

“Why don’t you go and I’ll stay with Marla,” her mom said.

Della nodded, but when she walked out, she stopped and just leaned against the hospital wall. More tears fell from her lashes. What in the world was she going to say to him? Would he ever look at her and not see a monster?

Miranda and Kylie walked up. Miranda hugged her. Della hugged her back and hung on.

“You okay?” Miranda said and was the one who ended the hug.

“My dad wants to talk to me,” she said.

“Then go,” Kylie said.

“If he says anything mean to you, I’ll give him jock itch.” Miranda twitched her pinky.

Della, with tears still running down her face, couldn’t help but smile. Then she remembered. “How’s Shawn?”

“He’s out of surgery and doing well,” Miranda said. “His parents said I could visit him in a bit.”