Invaded (Alienated, #2)(93)
“Stop CPR,” the voice ordered. “Analyzing heart rhythm. Do not touch the patient.” Another pause. “Shock advised. Charging. Stand clear.”
“Please,” Cara begged Aelyx, God in heaven, the Blessed Virgin, the Sacred Mother, and whoever else might be listening as she punched the flashing red shock button and drew back.
Please work. Please!
His rib cage lurched, and again, the woman’s voice advised a round of CPR. But as Cara placed her fist over his heart, she felt a stirring of motion, a nearly undetectable hum of life beneath her trembling fingers. Moving to his throat, she closed her eyes and felt a pulse growing strong and steady. Aelyx moaned and shifted in discomfort, and Cara released a sob of pure joy while tears plunked onto his chest. He blinked up at her and rubbed a hand over his ribs, clearly sore, but very much alive.
Cara turned to her brother and threw her arms around his neck. “You’re a genius!”
The machine droned, “No shock advised. You may touch the patient,” so Cara took the woman’s suggestion and dusted kisses over Aelyx’s forehead and cheeks.
Grinning, Troy peeled an electrode from Aelyx’s chest. “I can’t take credit for the idea. I saw Aisly using one on Jaxen about ten minutes ago.”
Cara froze. “Did it work?”
“Yeah.” Troy’s beatified expression showed how well Aisly had brain-bleached him. He had no idea that Jaxen’s revival was bad news. “But before I could call an ambulance, they took off for the elevator. Seemed like they were in a hurry.”
Aelyx and Cara shared a worried glance. On a normal day, disappearing in Manhattan was effortless, but this afternoon, with thousands of bodies, umbrellas, and tents lining the streets, finding the pair would be like a living edition of Where’s Waldo?
“Did you reach Alona?” Aelyx croaked.
Cara nodded. “They’re all safe.”
He didn’t speak again, at least not verbally. But she felt his gratitude mingled with love and the words inside her head, Then it’s okay. We did it.
The rest of the afternoon was calm by comparison—odd when Cara considered the magnitude of signing her name beside the president of the United States and all of Earth’s major leaders. As hard as she’d fought for this alliance, Cara expected to feel a thrill of accomplishment when the ceremony ended, but honestly, she was glad to put it behind her. She’d had enough excitement, and now she wanted to go home.
Skipping the celebratory gala and the glitzy after-parties, she and Aelyx snuck to the penthouse to rest, where they spent a quiet evening cuddled up in bed. While crowds cheered and fireworks erupted above the Manhattan skyline, Cara rested her hand over Aelyx’s heart, letting its steady beat lull her into the first peaceful sleep she’d enjoyed in weeks.
Chapter Twenty-Three
SATURDAY, MAY 1
Sweet Sorrow
Well, fellow humans, I bid you adieu. In a few moments, I’ll board the shuttle to my transport home. I’ve said good-bye to everyone I love—my friends and family who have chosen to remain on Earth, and my brother, who can’t join me until his enlistment is up. It’s a bittersweet day…for more reasons than you think.
It’s not only people I’m leaving behind. It’s a way of life. In choosing to settle on another planet, I’m letting go of one dream to embrace another. You won’t see me roaming the Dartmouth campus in the fall. Heck, you won’t even see me at my high school graduation. Mine will be the ultimate hands-on education as I shape the laws and policies of a fledgling government. That’s right. Me—a politician. Who’d have guessed it? If you’ve applied to join the colony, essentially putting your future in my hands, thank you for your trust. I won’t let you down.
As for the rest of you, I suppose this isn’t really good-bye. You can still find me here on the blog as I recount my adventures for your amusement. Take care of each other while I’m away, and eat a Reese’s Cup for me.
I’ve lost my taste for them.
Posted by Cara Sweeney
Cara shut down her laptop and stowed it safely inside her luggage between a stack of uniforms and the Star Wars Snuggie her parents had given her as a going-away present. Ordinarily, she’d keep the computer by her side, but she decided to take a vacation from blogging during the voyage home. She’d already received her antinausea medication, so once the shuttle delivered her to the main transport, she intended to spend the next week suction-cupped to Aelyx’s side.
“Miss Sweeney?” said the L’eihr attendant from the other side of the luggage cart. When she glanced up, he asked, Are you sure you won’t shuttle up with The Way?
I’m sure, she told him. After what happened yesterday, I’m not letting Aelyx out of my sight.
The man smiled in understanding and signaled the first shuttle to depart without her. Once we load your cargo, we’ll board the second shuttle. He nodded toward the other end of the hangar to the steel cryogenic box holding David’s body.
Cara’s stomach sank an inch. Her first official act as a member of The Way had been approving Syrine’s request to bury her l’ihan on the colony. Until now, they hadn’t planned for a cemetery—L’eihrs preserved a genetic sample, then cremated their dead—but Cara couldn’t say no, not when she knew how it felt to lose her whole heart. The few minutes when she thought she’d lost Aelyx had left her with a permanent mark on her soul.