River's Run(35)
Star stood up and nodded her agreement looking at Jazin as she did. “That goes for all of us. Come on, Jo, let’s go find River and sit with her.”
The three brothers watched as two out of the three women they loved walked out the door. All three of them had some changes to make in their Houses if they were going to keep the alien warrior women who had struck a blow to their hearts and souls.
“Do you remember the time Jenny the Juggler and Mad Andy got into it?” Star was saying as Torak came into the room where River was lying so pale and still. “Jenny started tossing his pigeons at him and he was running around in circles not knowing what to do, trying to catch the damn things. It was the funniest thing until he ran into the pole when he wasn’t looking and knocked himself out. Poor Jenny cried for a week every time she saw his face after that. No one had the heart to tell her he had already broken his nose on more than one occasion so it wasn’t her fault it was so crooked.”
Jo laughed, “Yeah, and remember the time the monkeys got loose and stole the clowns cars? They drove them all around the rink, running over Walter’s foot, and knocking poor Marcus into the tank he was filling up with water.”
Torak frowned as the girls told one story after another about people called Jeffrey the Snakeman or Donna the Dragonbreather. It was only when they started talking about some of the things River had done that he stopped them to ask questions.
“You said Marcus the Magnificent cut River in half and refused to put her back together again until she told him where his rabbits were? How could she have lived through something like that?”
Followed by, “What is a rabbit?”
“Why did she hide them?
“Who is Walter?”
“Why did she battle the clowns?”
“What is a clown?” Was the last straw for the girls their laughter ringing through the room.
“Will you please keep it down? There’s a girl trying to get her beauty sleep here.” River murmured faintly.
“River?” Jo and Star said at the same time reaching for her hand.
River had a hard time forcing her eyelids to lift. She had been listening to Jo and Star reminiscing for the past twenty minutes or so enjoying the cadence of their voices and the happy memories they had been talking about. She had been about to open her eyes when another voice had spoken softly. Torak. River had felt tears gather in her eyes as she remembered him wrapped in the tall, slim woman’s embrace. She didn’t have the strength to fight him right now. She had hoped he would leave but instead he had begun asking questions about things that were important to her, things that had made her happy.
River opened her eyes and stared above Jo and Star’s head gazing into Torak’s beautiful, dark eyes. “A clown is someone who can make you laugh, even when you are hurting.” River replied softly tears glistening in her eyes and spilling over to splash down her cheek.
“Then I need to find these clowns and bring them to you.” Torak said softly.
Jo and Star looked back and forth between Torak and River. Jo stood motioning for Star to follow her. Star stopped as she moved past Torak. “Remember what I told you. I meant it.” She said before she blew River a kiss and left her alone with Torak.
River stared at Torak for several minutes before her gaze dropped to the covers lying over her. “What did she tell you?”
“That if I hurt you again she would kill me.” Torak replied.
River’s eyes flew up to Torak’s before she lowered them again, biting her lip to keep the small smile from escaping at the idea of little, gentle Star killing a warrior over twice as big as her.
“She’d do it too.” River couldn’t help but say.
Torak walked over to River, gently picking up her hand before sitting on the bed next to her. “I know. And, I would let her.” He added.
River looked at Torak and shook her head. “I can’t go back there. I won’t.” River’s lip trembled and she raised a shaking hand to wipe away a stray tear.
“We will talk of that later. You are still weak.” Torak gazed down into River’s pale face brushing her hair away from it.
He had never seen her hair down until a few days ago when Jo and Star had undone the braid to wash her hair. When he had walked in they had been talking like they were today, like she was really there with them. They had just finished bathing her and had dressed her in a new gown. He had walked in as they were holding her gently, brushing her long, dark hair until it shone like delicate dew on the webs of the thread trees. It had been over a week since she had been shot but she had still not awakened. The healer had been right. They had been able to heal her body but not her mind. She had retreated from the world of the living into the shadow world of a half-life, her body here but her mind there. Jo and Star had called it a coma. They said that on their planet it was believed if someone was in a coma they could still hear those who were in the land of the living and it was important to talk to the person so they could find their way back.