Keeping the destination drop zone in his mind, he opened the tear, and Henry fell through to drop three feet to the grass below. The back of his headnded on the small brassmemorative te bolted to the stone next to the bushes. Xiong winced but quickly closed the tear as he saw the beam of a shlight approaching.
He hoped their friend was okay as they’d asked so much from him. He looked back to the pile of charred remains. Something shiny caught his attention. It was up where Henry’s head had been. Xiong reached down and lifted the crystal ganglion from the ground. His body must have rejected it after he was healed.
Xiong couldn’t inform Henry that he no longer had their transnted capacity to wield magic. He also had no idea how Henry got it out yetpleted his spell.
He looked to the others. “We will bury these remains in the forest de to honor our friend, Henry.”
A feeling of joy and love washed through him from the others. The ss People loved the idea, as they loved Henry.
-=-
Mahati was driven to a local hospital when she received word that Henry had finally been found. She rushed inside when they arrived, and Wace Granger and Stephen Dawes were both waiting for her.
“Where’s Henry? Please take me to him!” she insisted. The men nodded to her and gestured for her to follow them. They shared an annoyed look at each other as they walked down the hall.
Wace spoke first. “My team found him next to some bushes, on a parkwn across the street, east of the Capitol Building. He was unconscious and bleeding from a small wound on the back of his head.”
“He’s injured?” Mahati gasped.
Not to be outdone by his NSA counterpart, Stephen butt in to exin. “There is no way to know what happened to him as all cameras and lights in the area were knocked out by the storm. The doctors have run tests to see the extent of his injuries. They’re also running a rape kit. We’re waiting on the results.”
Wace jumped back in with a scowl for the other director. “The reason for the rape kit is because he was naked when he was discovered-no clothes, wallet, keys, or cell phone. It might have been a robbery. I’ll arrange to get him some new clothes to wear tomorrow.”
“Thank you! Can I see him?” Mahati asked as she struggled to keep the tears from her eyes.
They reached a hospital room with two agents standing on either side of the door, one from each agency. The door opened, and a doctor stepped out to see the gathering. She ignored the two men and immediately locked eyes with the distraught woman. “You. What rtion are you to the patient?”
“I-I work with him, his legal counsel. I’m also his neighbor and friend,” Mahati managed.
“Good enough. You two wait outside.” She gestured for Mahati to enter the room with her.
They walked to the side of the bed where Henry was sleeping. There was a wrinkle of concern or pain between his brows. Mahati instinctively reached over and ran her thumb over the skin there to smooth it out. He sighed in his sleep, and the crease smoothed out as his features rxed. Mahati smiled, pulled back her hand, and looked to the doctor in embarrassment.
She just smiled knowingly. “The bump on the back of his head wasn’t too bad. The cut was small and didn’t require stitches. There’s no sign of any significant damage anywhere. The rape kit turned up negative.” She admired his skin as she ran her fingers over his arm. “I’d kill for skin like his. Baby smooth and soft, like he’s a newborn. How is that fair?”
Mahati shook her head as she smiled at the doctor.
“He appears to be in a state of exhaustion. Whatever happened to him tonight, it took a lot out of him. I’ll sign him out in the morning.” They looked out the window as lights began toe on outside. The city’s power grid wasing back online. “That’s a good sign.”
“Could I stay with him?” Mahati asked.
The doctor smiled and nodded. “But you didn’t hear it from me.”
Mahati thanked her and pulled a chair closer to the bed, with her back to the window and facing the door. As the doctor stepped outside, Mahati saw her address the two men who looked frustrated. She was shaking her head. Mahati smiled as the door closed.
She pulled out her cell and was delighted to see she had a connection. She dialed Cam, and the woman picked up the phone immediately.
“Mahati! Speak to us,” the CEO gasped, and the sound indicated she had it on speakerphone.
“I’m with Henry. He’s in a hospital with a bump on the back of his head, and he’s missing his clothes. He’s unconscious at the moment, but the doctor tells me he’s just exhausted. I’ll stay with him tonight and bring him home in the morning.”
“Oh my god, that’s good news, Mahati! Thank you for being there for him!” Cam said, but she could hear others making relieved sounds.
“Along with no clothes, he has no wallet, keys, travel documents, or cell phone. Director Granger will get him some clothes for his flight home tomorrow,” Mahati informed them.
“I’ll arrange for new documentation, wallet, credit card, and keys,” Sigrid offered.
“I’ll get him a new cell,” Roy said.
Mahati cleared her throat. “I’ll be taking him home-to his home in the morning. He won’t being into the office.”
“Of course. Whatever you feel is in his best interests. Thank you, Mahati,” Cam said, giving Mahati a boost of confidence.
She took a deep breath. “I will speak to you tomorrow. Good night.”
“Good night.”
She disconnected and leaned back in the chair to watch Henry sleep. He must have been dreaming as his eyes moved under his eyelids, and his little frown was back.
Mahati moved her chair closer to the bed and took his hand in hers.
The doctor was right! She was surprised by how soft his skin was. When she finished admiring that, she looked up to his face and saw his brow had smoothed and he was sleeping peacefully. Her cheeks warmed, but she was secretly pleased she could help him sleep. She settled back in her chair with her arm resting on the bed, his hand in hers.
Sleep had almost taken her when she realized this was as close as she’d evere to sleeping with someone. A thrill shot through her, and she admired Henry’s innocent expression before she let herself drift off.
Cam woke early Friday morning andy in bed looking at her ceiling, going over in her head the events of the night before, beginning with Mahati’s frantic call to inform her that Henry had gone missing.
She recalled the momentary sensation of her stomach dropping out from under her when she heard that. It was only Mahati’s impending breakdown that kept Cam from losing it as well. She’d instinctively stepped back from her emotions to calm the other woman. As she’d said on the call, she needed the woman’s eyes on the scene to ensure Henry would be safe once found. Once she’d hung up, her emotions came crashing back, and it took a few moments of fighting for control to steady herself enough to reach for the phone again to call Roy.
She hadn’t finished pressing his extension when the man charged into her office with Sigrid and Marisa at his heels. Apparently, he’d been following the news of the events in Washington and grabbed Sigrid on his way to her office. Marisa tagged along as they rushed past Henry’s office.
Cam told them of Mahati’s call then all they could do was wait. They ordered dinner and kept watch on the news reports. The power failure was due to several power substations being knocked out by the storm’s intense lightning sts. Crews were immediately dispatched to rece friedponents. The outagested a few hours.
When Mahati called to let them know Henry was safe, that sensation of her stomach flipping returned only this time she felt a wave of relief afterward.
This morning she examined that odd reaction. She’d never really felt the same way for any of her previous lovers. Some had perished in tragic circumstances, and the most she’d felt then was a sad disappointment and a period of mncholy. There hadn’t been any of this emotional upheaval or loss of equilibrium.
Cam took her shower and got ready for work as her brain struggled to grasp the significance of the change.
After a small breakfast, she met her driver at the door and got a lift to work. She took the elevator up to her floor, and she still hadn’t worked out a satisfactory exnation for it.
“Good morning, Cam,” Felix remarked as she entered her waiting area.
“Good morning, Felix.”
“You’ll be having a special visitor this morning. NuruOnwudiwe’sassistant contacted me to let me know the woman ising in to speak with you at nine,” he said with a serious expression. He was obviously aware of the significance of this meeting.
Cam nodded as she was early today. That was fortunate. “Please call Sigrid and have her join me,” she said, and he picked up his phone as she entered her office.
She sat, turned on her terminal, and smiled as it came on instantly, the custom dashboard Henry designed disying all of the pertinent data she needed to start her day. At a nce, she could see all was well. That wasn’t really a surprise as if something had required her attention, she would have received an alert on her cell. That was another improvement Henry added for her. She felt that lift in spirits again as she thought of him and puzzled over the feeling until Sigrid knocked on her door jamb.
“Good morning, Sigrid. Pleasee in and close the door,” she said.Têxt ? N?velDrama.Org.
“Good morning to you. What’s making you smile?” Sigrid asked.
Cam just waved the question away as she pulled her thoughts together. “I’m going to have a visit today from the head of the Subi Association, Nuru Onwudiwe. She’ll have her attendants with her. On the off chance she challenges me, I’d like to have you by my side to deal with her spear fighters.”
Sigrid’s smile threatened to light up the room. “Certainly!”
“How are your energy levels?” Cam asked.
“I’m not at my peak, but I can certainly deal with her two attendants,” the tall blonde grinned.
Cam nodded. “I’m hoping this can be resolved without conflict. However, she might still be under the impression that I’m challenging her for her position. She might have used the two days between ourst meeting to charge herself and her attendants.”
Sigrid looked at Cam questioningly. “How’s your energy level?”