The Enemy Within (Daughters of the People Series Book 3) (22 page)

He tried to lift
his eyelids, earned a thin shaft of light and a stab of pain for his troubles,
and shut them again. “Get it off.”

“Don’t be a
baby,” Rebecca said.

“It’s
uncomfortable.” He winced at the whine in his voice. “Where’s Indigo?”

“Talking to the
nurses. Here, hold still.”

Something soft
rubbed across his eyes, taking some of the sticky goo with it.

“Why were my
eyes bandaged?” he said.

“Because you
kept trying to open them. Dr. Phillips said they’d never heal like that. There
now. Try again.”

He slitted his
eyelids open, let his pupils adjust. Rebecca moved away, out of his line of
sight, and the room dimmed into blessed darkness.

“Thanks.” He
blinked, trying to focus. “Time is it?”

“Eight thirty
four a.m., nearly a full day since Indigo and your friends rescued you.”
Something moved near him, a lightness against the darker shadows, and finally
resolved into the blurry figure of his mother. “You’ve been under nearly that
whole time, although that wouldn’t have been necessary if you hadn’t fought
against your IV every time you woke.”

He ignored the
gentle chide. “Was trying to find Indigo.”

“She’s barely
left your side. Poor thing.” Rebecca sighed. “She’s trying to assume
responsibility for your kidnapping.”

His heart sank. Indigo
and her damn sense of duty. “Wasn’t her fault.”

“We all know
that, darling.” Her fingers grasped his gently, comforting him. “She feels
guilty anyway.”

He closed his
eyes, tired of fighting to keep them open. “Did they get India?”

“She slipped
away, though I suspect she hasn’t gone far.”

The door
squeaked open and soft footsteps sounded on the tile floor. A hand stroked his
forehead, then a light kiss pressed there.

“Indi?” he said
and reached for her with his good hand.

“You’re awake.”
Her voice held that soft lilt she used when she was happy. Her fingers found
his and squeezed. “I was starting to worry.”

“Don’t.” He
tried to open his eyes again, needed to make sure she was really there and not
another dream. “Missed you.”

“Stop trying to
open your eyes.” Her lips touched his briefly before she let his hand go and
moved away. “You’re healing quickly, but they need a few more hours, ok?”

“Sure.” He
turned, trying to find her in the room by the sounds she made moving through
it. “We were just talking about how my kidnapping was not your fault.”

“Try being a
little more subtle, Bobby,” Rebecca said with a wry twist in her voice. “Else
you’ll bludgeon us all with your bluntness.”

Better bluntness
than Indigo on the run again, trying to outpace the guilt. “The truth is harsh sometimes.”

“Yes, but it’s
not a hammer.” A shoe hit the tiled floor. Cloth shifted as someone stood. “Now
that you’re awake, I’m going to go home and catch a nap. I’ll be back in a
couple of hours with your father so Indigo can take a break.” Rebecca pressed a
kiss to his cheek, then whispered, “Try to talk her into going home for a while
when we return. She won’t leave you and it’s wearing her down.”

Air brushed
across his skin as she moved away. The door squeaked open, shut softly, and
then Indigo was there next to him.

He felt for the
edge of the bed and gingerly scooted over as far as he could to make room for
her, holding a hand to his ribs to keep from jostling them. “Sit with me.”

“Oh, no, I
couldn’t. Your ribs…”

“I’ll heal
better if you’re close.”

Her laugh held
as much relief as it did humor. “Nice try, but no. You’ve had enough damage
done to you to last us all a while.”

“I’ve been
through a lot worse than that, honey.” He reached for her, found an arm, and
tugged. “This is just scrapes and bruises.”

“And busted ribs
and burst blood vessels in your eyes and internal bleeding and bruising. You’re
lucky you didn’t puncture a lung.” She sat on the edge of the bed so that their
hips touched, and placed his arm on her lap. “She punched your beautiful mouth.”

He grinned. “Out
of all the cuts and bruises, that’s what bothered you?”

She huffed out a
sigh. “No.”

“So it didn’t
bother you at all to see me beaten up and wounded.”

“Of course it
did, you oaf.” She squeezed his hand. “She did a number on your face, though.
When I saw you, I thought she’d broken your jaw.”

“Nope. Just the
ribs.” He ran his tongue over his teeth, testing them. “Loosened a couple of
teeth, maybe.”

“I could just
kill her for this. What was she thinking to hurt you?”

“Ah, well.” He
cleared his throat, winced when even that tweaked his ribs. “I might’ve goaded
her just a little.”

“You
what
?”
Her voice was sharp enough to make him wince again. “Why would you do that?”

“She tried to
cut my
aenkanien
off and I got pissed.”

“She…” A long
sigh. “By the Goddess, I should take her down for that alone.”

“Don’t even
think it. I know you. If something happens to her, it’ll kill you.”

“Not this time.
It was one thing to kidnap you, and something all together different for her to
tie you to a chair and beat you unconscious. Stop trying to open your eyes.”

“I want to see
you.” He lifted his eyelids cautiously, found it easier to keep them open than
before, and focused carefully on Indigo, sitting on the bed beside him. He
drank her in, running his gaze over her hair hanging in a loose cascade down
her back and the paleness of her face. “Is that my t-shirt?”

“Oh, ah. Yes.”
She fluttered a hand at it. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” He
tried to pull his hand free and gave up when she easily overpowered him. Damn
drugs. “Are you wearing a bra?”

“Really, Bobby.
This is no time for a question like that.”

“It’s always the
perfect time to know if you have a bra on or not.” He shifted and cursed under
his breath at the stabbing pain radiating from his ribs. “Does this thing have
a switch on it so I can sit up?”

“Hold on.” She
slid off the bed and searched, and a moment later the top half tilted upward,
taking him with it. “Better?”

It stopped
before he was sitting all the way up, but since it was easier to breathe, he
didn’t complain. “When can I go home?”

“Forget it,” she
said, and though her expression was stern, a quiet laugh tinged her words.
“You’re staying here until Dr. Phillips says it’s ok, even if I have to sit on
you to keep you here.”

Interest stirred
in his loins. “That sounds promising.”

“Do you think of
anything other than sex?”

“Yes, all the
time, but right now, sex seems like a good topic.”

“Sex is a
horrible topic right now.” She sat at the far end of the bed next to his legs.
“What with those busted ribs and all.”

Bobby winced. She
just had to remind him. “How many did she get?”

“Three and
that’s plenty. Now, close your eyes and get some rest.”

“Bossy.” But he
closed his eyes, content now that he’d found her. “It’d be better if you were
up here.”

“Maybe
tomorrow,” she murmured as he drifted into sleep, comforted by her nearness.

The hospital was
silent by the time India arrived. Visiting hours were over. The night shift
nurses had clocked in and were quietly making their rounds. It was easier to
sneak in and do what needed to be done in the still of the night.

If she hadn’t
been betrayed, the Oracle would already be in the hands of the Eternal Order,
but no. That bitch Olivia had gotten cold feet and texted Bobby’s location to
Indigo. The safe house had been overrun by BDH personnel and Bobby’s sisters
before they could make the switch, Bobby for the Oracle. India wouldn’t have
made it out if Hiro were a Son. As it was, she’d barely managed to elude him.

He’d probably
make her pay for that later, if he’d even speak to her again.

She bit back a
sigh and checked the corridor before sliding into it.

That feeling in
her gut wasn’t disappointment. Couldn’t be. She’d never needed a man before,
never intended to in the future. It just wasn’t in her make up.

Goddess, she
missed him.

She closed her
eyes and leaned her head against the wall as a massive ache lodged itself in
her chest. What a fool she was. All this time, she thought she’d been so clever
using Hiro for sex and an in with Bobby’s company, but in the end, she was the
one who’d been played. He’d snuck into her heart, taken over, and now, she felt
so lost, so alone. It wasn’t love, not yet, but she was getting there, and with
a man who would probably never forgive her for kidnapping and beating his best
friend.

He wasn’t the
only one pissed at her. Indigo would be after her for trying to peel the
aenkanien
from Bobby’s skin, and Bobby’s sisters, well. They would simply follow their
mother’s lead.

India beat her
head against the wall, cursing her own stupidity. She’d known better than to
take her anger out on Bobby and had done it anyway, in a fit of jealous rage
over his place in her sister’s heart.

Hiro was right.
Her temper would get her in trouble one day. Looked like that time had come.

Once she’d left
the safe house, she’d doubled back, watched Bobby being carted away, seen Indigo’s
heartbreak and felt its echo inside her own heart.

And then she’d
found the traitor Olivia and taken great pleasure in beating a confession out
of the sniveling Daughter.

Voices sounded
at the other end of the hall, forcing India to move. She ducked into the
stairwell and went up another flight. The Oracle was here, somewhere. The
mission could still be salvaged. If India got caught killing her, it would be
no loss, and at least the People would be rid of a possible key to the Prophecy
of Light.

* * *

Indigo waited
with Rebecca in the hallway while Dr. Phillips examined Bobby. She and Bobby’s
mother hadn’t spoken much since his return, not about his kidnapping or about
the shape he’d been in when they’d found him. People had been streaming in and
out since he’d been admitted, paying their respects, angling for gossip. She
hadn’t been alone with Rebecca long enough for them to really talk.

Indigo was glad
to put it off. With everything else going on, the last thing she wanted was a
conflict with Rebecca. Bobby needed them both right now, cooperating, not
sniping at each other.

She smoothed a
hand over her shirt, straightening it more out of habit than concern. Nurses
came and went, their tread softened by rubber-soled shoes. Visitors filed out
of rooms to head home for the night. The steady rhythm of the hospital ground
its way through her frayed nerves. How long did a checkup take?

When she was on
the verge of barging in to see what was wrong, Dr. Phillips came out of Bobby’s
room wearing a rueful grin. “He’s asking to go home.”

“You told him
no, didn’t you?” Indigo said. “Surely he’s not well enough yet.”

“Truth is, he
could’ve gone home last night if I’d thought he’d rest,” Ethan said. “I only
kept him this long because I know what he’s like.”

Rebecca inclined
her head in a graceful nod. “What excuse did you give him this time?”

“The two of you,
and those are my last excuses. Tomorrow morning, he goes home and you’ll have
to find a way to make him rest once he gets there.” A friendly smile stretched
across his handsome face, crinkling the corners of his eyes. “Try to keep your
children out of trouble, Director. This is the second one I’ve treated here in as
many months.”

“I shall do my
best, Dr. Phillips,” Rebecca said with a rueful smile of her own.

“Not much chance
of that, is there?” Indigo asked softly when Dr. Phillips left.

“I’m afraid
not.” Rebecca pierced Indigo with a penetrating look. “When was the last time
you took a break?”

“Not long ago.
Um.” Indigo flipped her wrist over and checked her watch, and was stunned to
see how late it really was. “Around lunch, I think?”

“And it’s after
supper now.” Rebecca placed her hands on Indigo’s shoulders and squeezed. “Go
take a walk, a nice long one. I’ll hold down the fort here for a little while,
try to keep Bobby from going stir crazy.’

A nice solitary
stroll through the quiet hospital corridors, alone with her thoughts. What a
lovely idea. No one to entertain while they visited Bobby, none of the noise of
people trooping in and out nonstop. Being with Bobby was easy by comparison,
even with his restlessness. They’d spent the day talking during the few moments
they’d been alone and he’d been awake, simply chatting about whatever came up.
But having all those people there, pressing in, their words friendly but their
expressions questioning. It had been difficult to bear, on top of everything
else.

Guilt cut in and
Indigo bit her lip as fear quickly followed it. The last time they’d been
apart…

She pushed the
thought back and the flutter of panic with it. Begging trouble wouldn’t do any
good. Being prepared by carrying a weapon wherever she went, that was smart,
but lingering on what might have been was pure foolishness. “It’s my place to
take care of him now,” she reminded Rebecca.

“Go,” Rebecca
said firmly. “Robert’s expecting me home soon, and when I’m gone, you won’t
have another chance for a break until tomorrow morning.”

Indigo
hesitated, torn between protecting Bobby and the need for space.

Rebecca leaned
in close to her ear and said in a barely audible whisper, “The Oracle’s on the
next floor up.”

The Oracle.
Here? What was she doing…? Indigo searched her memory. Right. The Oracle had
awakened during a visit by Maya Bellegarde and her fiancé, James Terhune, less
than two months before. She’d been moved out of her special room near the IECS
Archives to receive better care, though Indigo hadn’t heard that the Oracle was
still in Tellowee.

“Will you stay
with him?” Indigo said.

“For a while,”
Rebecca promised. “He’ll be fine if I have to leave.”

Indigo wasn’t so
certain. There was always the worry that Bobby would get up and walk out of the
hospital on his own, though surely he would wait for her.

“I’ll be quick,”
she said, and waited until Rebecca went into Bobby’s room before heading for
the elevator.

* * *

Bobby waited
patiently while Ethan Phillips flicked a light across his eyes, checking to see
if they reacted properly. Ethan was a couple of years older than him. They’d
gone to school together at Tellowee before Ethan graduated and went on to study
medicine. In the way of Sons in all of the People’s settlements, they’d banded
together with the other Sons both in school and out, to train, to make mischief,
and to have friends who understood what it was like to be the protected child.

It was hell
growing up among a bunch of kick ass girls who tolerated zero sass, but it
could also be a lot of fun. Panty raids at the dorms brought all-out wars on
the campus’ quads in the middle of the night, to the exasperation of the dorm
parents, but what could they do? When you trained kids from birth to fight and
spy, it was pretty hard to stop them from sneaking out and wreaking havoc on
their fellow students, all in the name of fun.

The Sons had
always gotten their asses handed to them because they were always outnumbered,
but they’d had a hell of a time doing it.

Bobby grinned.
“You remember that time Darren Stovall got stuck in the AC vent trying to raid
his girlfriend’s dorm?”

Ethan clicked
his pen light off and put it away. “Haven’t thought about that in ages. What
ever happened to him?”

“Heard he got
married, moved to the California branch to be with his wife a couple years
ago.”

“Who in their
right mind would take him?” Ethan said with a grin. “I guess you and Indigo’ll
tie the knot soon.”

“Officially,
yeah. Unofficially, it’s a done deed.”

“Congratulations,
man. She’s a good woman.” Ethan leaned against the side of the bed and crossed
his arms over his chest. “If you play your cards right, I’ll let you go home
with her tomorrow morning.”

Another night
stuck in this hospital bed, with Indigo sleeping in the chair? Not if he could
help it. “Any chance I can leave now?”

“Nice try, but
no dice. Your mom would kill me.”

“Come on, be a
pal.” Bobby dropped his voice to a whisper. Indigo was out in the hall with
Rebecca. If he was quiet, maybe their supersensitive Daughter ears wouldn’t
catch him begging. “I’m a newlywed, for cripes’ sake. Do you know how long I
waited for her?”

“Sorry, man.”
Ethan snagged Bobby’s chart and scratched notes onto the top page. “Indigo’s
already threatened to put the hurt on me if I release you any sooner than I
have to.”

Bobby dropped
his head back against the pillow. He’d wanted Indigo to find her courage,
really he had. He just hadn’t wanted her to use it against him. “Don’t be a
wuss.”

Ethan narrowed
his eyes. “If you weren’t lying in that bed, I’d show you what a wuss I’m not.”

“Bring it, man.
I could use a diversion.”

“Concentrate on
getting better so you can go home to your wife.” Ethan tucked the chart away
and moved to the door. “See you tomorrow, bright and early. Get some rest.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

When Ethan was
safely out in the hall, Bobby sat up carefully in the bed. His ribs still ached
and made breathing a little hard, but the rest of him was healing rapidly. This
time tomorrow night, he’d be back in Indigo’s arms, showing her how much he
loved her, as often as his body would let him.

Damn India’s
hide.

He shook the
thought off and placed his feet flat on the cold tile floor. It wouldn’t hurt
to walk a little, move around to ease the stiffness. Since his wife and mother
were out in the hallway being distracted by the good doctor, now was as good a
time as any to try his legs out.

He gripped the
edge of the mattress and was leaning forward to ease off of it when his mother
came in. She took one look at him and frowned as she shut the door behind
herself.

Busted.
Dammit
.
He’d hoped to at least make it to the bathroom on his own.

“What do you
think you’re doing, young man?” Rebecca said.

“Getting up.
What does it look like?”

“Getting into
trouble.” She sat down in the chair at his bedside. “You’re lucky Indigo took a
walk to stretch her legs or she’d have you back in that bed quickly enough to
make your head spin.”

He rolled his
eyes skyward. Oh, if only she would. He snuck a glance over his shoulder to
find his mother pinning him with a glare. “Gimme a break, Mom. I’ve been stuck
in this bed for more than a day now.”

She inhaled a
sharp breath. “You’re lucky that’s all you’ll spend there. When we find India…”

“Don’t start.”
With a sigh, he shifted back onto the bed so he could talk to her face to face.
“She’s Indigo’s sister and as far as I’m concerned, that makes her off limits.”

“Off… Are you
out of your mind? Look at what she did to you. If I don’t go after her, it sets
a horrible precedent.”

He gave a half
laugh. “Yeah, right. Leave off, Mom. I’m not gonna have an all-out war with
Indigo’s family over a couple of cracked ribs.”

Rebecca’s mouth
thinned into a harsh line. “Elizabeth agrees with me on this. She’s done
everything but banish India.”

“Well, she can
just unbanish her.” He cut her off with a wave of his hand. “When we find
India, she’ll take responsibility for her actions, but I don’t want it to go
beyond that. No revenge killings. No harsh fines. I mean it, Mom.”

She considered
him for a moment before tucking her feet under herself. “Indigo’s already
influencing your judgment.”

“No. We haven’t
even talked about this.” He clutched his thighs, willing his patience to win
out over the exasperation. “Are you ever going to accept her in my life?”

“Oh, Bobby. I
didn’t mean it like that.” She reached forward and grasped his hand, squeezing
it gently. “It’s a good thing, her influence. You’re happier now. A blind man
could see how much better your life is with her here. I’m very glad the two of
you have finally found each other.”