Normally, the sound of Cadence’s laughter made Aaron’s heart feel warm and instantly brought a smile to his face. It was the sort of sound that could brush away all of his problems, at least for a moment, but when it echoed off of the hallway walls outside of the operating room, it did nothing at all to affect his disposition. He knew something was very wrong, but he had no idea what it might be, and despite all of his friends’ concern and offers to help, the cloud that hung over him continued to seep into his core, making him feel like he was part of the thundercloud itself. Acknowledging it, looking for assistance in making it go away, would be a show of weakness, and he just couldn’t bring himself to admit that there was a problem.
He didn’t bother to knock on the open door. The laughter stopped the second he walked in, and those concerned expressions immediately filled the faces that looked up at him. Cadence and Elliott were both on hospital beds, sitting upright, Jamie between them with everything he’d need for the procedure on a small table in front of him. Cassidy and Brandon hung on the periphery, an air of marginal concern for their family members present in their auras, but that was tainted by the nervousness Aaron’s presence stirred in both of them. He attempted a smile to ease everyone, but his face wouldn’t cooperate, so he approached them with the same sullen look about him he’d come to recognize as his normal disposition.
“Hey, bossman. You here for the show?” Elliott joked. He didn’t look worried at all, likely convinced nothing could kill him, though after Cadence’s announcement the night before, Aaron was truly questioning everything. He didn’t want to accept the idea that Holland could be pregnant, but nothing was what it used to be.
“Something like that. You guys ready for this?”
“Hell, yeah,” Elliott said, and Cadence smiled at him, though she didn’t speak. Her eyes were a little red around the rims, a little puffy. The thought that she might’ve been up late crying over him only made him feel worse. “We’re ready to be superheroes, too.”
“Uh, I never claimed to be that,” Aaron reminded them. “Just….” How did he finish that sentence? Try not to die was what he’d intended to say when he’d started it, but that seemed unfunny at the moment, so he said. “Just try to relax.”
“Spoken by the master of recreation.” Elliott was full of jokes today, none of them very humorous.
“All right,” Jamie said, looking from one patient to the other. “As you guys know, this is gonna hurt, and there’s nothing I can do about it. But this is what you’ve signed up for, so don’t blame me.” His smile was weak, and Aaron wondered if he secretly didn’t want to do it either.
Remembering the severe pain Cadence had been in the first time she Transformed, Aaron suddenly felt as if he didn’t want to be in the room after all. The last time, Jamie had used his own body to alleviate the burning, but it sounded like he wasn’t going to be doing that this time.
“We’re ready, Doc,” Cadence assured him, though the way she was breathing, slow, staggered breaths, said otherwise. Aaron knew he had to stay, even if it was just as painful to watch as it would be for her to endure. He walked over to the far side of her bed, hoping his presence would help her, though he wasn’t sure if perhaps it made things worse. He noticed she wasn’t wearing her ring, but then she likely took that off for the procedure.
Bending down, he kissed her on the forehead, and she reached for his hand, which he gave to her. A surge of fear radiated up his arm, and he couldn’t help but tip his head and study her for a moment. Typically, he had a hard time reading Cadence. Not today. These emotions were strong. He wished he had Hannah’s talent for calming people, but emotions only flowed one way for both of them, and while she was a radiator, he was a collector.
“Okay. I’m guessing it’ll be about two minutes of hell, and then you’ll be fine. Asleep, but fine.” Jamie picked up one of the needles and flipped the lid off of it.
“See ya on the other side, kid,” Elliott said, smiling at Cadence. She said nothing, but she did relax slightly, and Aaron imagined Elliott had done something with that smile to calm her, some sort of trickery. In this case, he was thankful it seemed to work, though it was minimal. He could still see terror mounting behind her eyes.
Still looking reluctant, Jamie inserted the needle into Elliott’s arm, easily found a vein, and pressed down on the plunger. Immediately, the Guardian on the hospital bed tensed up and clenched his eyes shut. Cadence looked away, and Brandon stepped forward, taking his father’s other arm in his, whispering that it was okay, though his reassurance did nothing to ease the tension in Elliott’s expression.
Looking pained, Jamie grabbed a second needle and inserted it in the same vein. Elliott’s reaction was immediate, as his face turned completely red and it was obvious he wasn’t breathing, though by choice, Aaron surmised. Cassidy began to count slowly, as if reminding her friend if he could make it to 120, he’d likely pass out. It wasn’t clear whether this was helping or not, but Elliott seemed to relax slightly, his face turning more of a bright pink than the crimson it was previously.
“Sorry, Cadence,” Jamie said, picking up the needle and turning the other direction. “I really hate that I’m having to do this. And I wish I could make it stop hurting, but I’m afraid to interfere at all.”
“No, it’s okay.” She was looking away from him, and Aaron could see tears in her eyes.
