Twenty-two-year-old Juan Arriaga had been a custodian at Bryan Health for almost five years. Over the course of that time, he had seen enough to sicken and revolt even those with the strongest stomachs. The only thing that ever bothered Juan was the idea that he was not alone, even while he was mopping the floor outside of the morgue, when he should have been completely by himself. His entire family was highly superstitious, and he believed the spirits of the dead still roamed the halls of the hospital. This day, however, it was not just una fantasma he feared. No, it was something more. He had pretended not to see what Dr. Doss and Dr. Martin were discussing, as he opened and closed the drawers in the refrigerator, making sure no unknown bodies were located inside. However, just as soon as he had the opportunity, he ran to his locker on the second floor, grabbed his phone, and dialed his madre. "Mama," he said. "Un vampiro esta aqui. Tenemos que ir." In Juan's opinion, it was time to go.
* * *
Cadence was still sitting on the sofa in Jack's parent's hotel room, listening to them tell stories about Jack. They had moved on to better times and were now discussing his younger years. Playing tee-ball, swimming in the pool at his grandmother's house, trips to the zoo, etc. Cadence couldn't blame them for reminiscing. She was just tired and didn't have much to contribute. She had known Jack since about fourth grade, but she didn't count him as a friend until high school. They had started dating as juniors and had kept their relationship intact until they both went away to college, choosing different universities, different paths, different lives. Now, listening to his parents tell tales of happier times served as a reminder that there would be no more happy times with Jack.
Jet lag and sadness were both doing a number on her. She leaned her head against Sydney's, which still rested on her shoulder, and tried her best to keep her eyes open. She wondered if Hannah had any control over sleepiness.
Hannah was still sitting in a straight-backed chair across the room. Elliott was not. He had excused himself a few moments after Taylor had revealed that Jack was missing, and the Guardian had not reappeared in these past twenty minutes. She had attempted to figure out what the problem was for a bit but had given up, not sure why Elliott was so concerned that Jack's body had been misplaced. It all seemed rather odd, and she thought, perhaps, if she were running on a full tank, she would be able to discern exactly what the problem was. In her current state, however, she was out of guesses, and so she continued to listen to Alice talk about Jack's first home run and prayed her eyes would stay open.
"How are you doing?" Aaron asked through her IAC.
It had been quite some time since Cadence had messaged him the same question, and she was relieved to hear from him at last. "I'm holding up," she replied. "Hannah is helping a lot. Thanks so much for sending her. Are you feeling okay?"
"Never better," he replied, the sarcasm present even in the IAC transmission. “And Jamie?" Cadence inquired, hoping he had also recovered from any drain the second healing would have had on his system.
"He's fine. He's actually on a hunt right now, so I guess he's made a full recovery," Aaron responded.
"Really?" Cadence was surprised to hear that. She had seen how drained Jamie was after the last time he had healed Aaron, and she couldn't imagine he could recover that quickly this time. "I take it you are not participating?" she asked.
"No, not this time. Shane is leading it. I'm sitting this one out."
Cadence was actually relieved to hear that Aaron wasn't participating, though she had to wonder how a hunt might go with Shane in charge. The last time the trainer had been on a hunt with Cadence, he had had made a critical error that almost cost them some team members. "Good," she replied. "You need to take a break sometimes."
Aaron did not respond to that particular remark, stating instead, "Elliott tells me Jack's body is missing?"
"Yes," Cadence replied. "I'm sure it's nothing. They'll find him. I know his parents are upset because they want to plan the funeral, but he has to be there somewhere."
Again, Aaron didn't respond directly to her remark. "Glad to know you aren't upset about it," he replied.
"It's not that," she admitted. "I guess, it's just the least of my worries," she added.
Aaron didn't seem sure about that, but he didn't let Cadence know his opinion, not yet. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked.
She thought for a moment and then glanced around the room to make sure she wasn't missing anything. Her friends still seemed intrigued by Alice's story, and no one seemed to be paying any particular attention to Cadence. She caught Hannah's eye for a moment, and she seemed to have some sort of an indication that Cadence was having a private conversation with someone. She gave her a little knowing glance, which told Cadence that, if she missed something, Hannah would fill her in. Finally, in response to Aaron's question, she replied, "Not from there." She hoped it didn't come across as offensive, but it was true. If he had been able to come with her, she thought he would be able to make her feel better even without any magical talents. From hundreds of miles away, however, there just wasn't a lot he could do.
"I'm sorry," he replied but even as it was coming across, she was responding.
"Don't be," she assured him. "That's not what I meant."
"I know," he said, though he still felt guilty that he wasn't there when she needed him. "I know what you meant."
"I just want to go home," she admitted. She was so tired and didn't want to think about planning and attending another funeral.
He was temporarily confused by her vagueness. "Do you mean to Shenandoah?" he asked, thinking she might mean her parents’ house.
"No," she clarified. "To LIGHTS," then hesitantly, she added, "to you."
He didn't respond for a moment. There was no question that Aaron and Cadence were attracted to each other. Even from the very first time he had met her, he had known there was something special about her. He also knew how unbelievably dangerous it was to have a relationship with the Hunter a Guardian was supposed to be protecting. In fact, it had already gotten him shot. Not that he wouldn't have sacrificed himself to protect any Hunter, but he certainly wasn't going to let anything happen to Cadence. They had decided not to see each other only a few days before they left for Paris. However, now that he had been so near death, now that he had been called upon to pay the ultimate price to save her and had not even thought twice about potentially doing so, he realized just how badly he wanted to be with her. And as much as he wanted to tell her just that, he felt that now was not the time to do so, not when she was so far away and had so many other things weighing on her mind. Instead, he said simply, "I'm sure I'll see you soon."
She wasn't exactly sure how to interpret that. She had gone out on a limb, partially because she was exhausted, partially because she had faced a reality without Aaron in it for a few moments, and it scared the hell out of her. She decided now was not the time to press the issue. "Good," she said simply.
"I'll talk to you later," he replied.
"Okay. Get some rest," she suggested.
"I'll try," he promised, though he knew that there wasn't much of a chance of that happening. Even now, he was receiving messages from Elliott regarding their plan of action for the hospital. Listening to Elliott's recommendations, he quickly ascertained that some damage control was likely necessary, even though Cadence still didn't recognize exactly what was unfolding around her. He authorized Elliott to go to the hospital and do what he needed to do and then closed his eyes for approximately two seconds before more chatter came in, this time from Shane, and then more from an Independent Hunter located in Lincoln, Nebraska. He had a new Vampire to report. Aaron sighed; it was going to be a long night.
