The Shadows(25)

Probably why his own phone had been going off—but he’d been ignoring the thing while leaving the condo and going to try to find Trez at shAdoWs.

“They’re X-raying her,” V said. “That’s why we’re out here. Trez isn’t leaving her.”

Layla frowned. “Why are they doing that? Did she break a—”

Cormia went over to the other Chosen and took Layla’s hands. Soft words were exchanged and then Layla gasped and weaved on her feet. As Qhuinn steadied her, iAm decided that whatever it was, he needed to get in there.

“I’m not waiting,” he said, putting the cat down and pushing the door wide.

At first, he couldn’t figure out what he was looking at. As the heavy panel shut behind him soundlessly, he focused on what looked like table legs on the examination platform. Except … it was Selena. Her slender calves and thighs were bent, separated abnormally and held rigid at bad angles, as if she were in great pain—and it wasn’t just her lower body that was affected. Her head position was all wrong, and her arms were twisted up against her chest, even her fingers cranked into claws.

She looked as if she were in some kind of seizure.

Doc Jane was moving a large piece of machinery into position over Selena’s shoulder, and her nurse, Ehlena, was following behind so that the various cords didn’t get tangled. Trez was by Selena’s head, his trembling hands stroking that black hair.

He didn’t even look up. Didn’t seem to be aware that someone else had entered the room. Wasn’t even breathing.

“Okay, Ehlena, the plate?” The doctor accepted something that was the size of an eight-and-a-half-by-eleven piece of paper, but had the thickness of a finger. Wires connected to one end of it led to a laptop that sat on a rolling table. “I’m going to try to get the elbow here.”

The plate was slid under the joint, and then Doc Jane glanced at Trez. “Do you want to hold this one as well?”

He nodded and reached over, doing the duty. “I won’t move this time.”

“These are digital X-rays, so we can just do it over, okay?” The doctor gave Trez’s arm a quick squeeze. “We’re going to step behind the partition now.”

Doc Jane looked up and jumped a little, as if she, too, were so intent on her patient, she hadn’t known he’d come in, either. “Oh, iAm, good—but listen, you might want to leave while we—”

“I’m going nowhere.”

“I can’t…” Trez cursed. “I can’t keep this steady.”

Without a word, iAm went across the tiled floor and put his hand on his brother’s, stopping the vibration. “Let me help.”

Trez didn’t jump. Didn’t start. But his eyes shifted over, and oh, God, those eyes … they were black pits of sadness.

And that was when iAm knew that this was not bad, but BAD.

The male wasn’t terrified.

He was already in mourning.

Trez wasn’t immediately sure who his savior was. Didn’t recognize the hand that joined his own, even though it looked almost exactly like his. Didn’t track the new scent in the room. It wasn’t until he looked up that he saw …

iAm, of course.

As if it would be anyone else.

The image of his brother got wavy. “iAm, she’s…”

He couldn’t say the words. His thought processes literally flatlined sure as if he’d had a stroke or something.

“Let’s hold the plate,” iAm said. “Together.”

“You should be behind the lead thing.”

“No.”

Trez wasn’t surprised iAm hung in, and he mouthed a thank-you, because he didn’t think his voice was functioning any better than his brain or that hand of his was.

“Let’s get as still as we can,” Doc Jane said. Then there was a brief whirring sound from the machine and Doc Jane and Ehlena came back at the table.

iAm was the one who handed the plate over—and good thing, because Trez would have dropped it. Screw his hands, his whole body was shaking.

“Thank you,” Doc Jane said. “I think we have enough now. Do you want to call the others in?”

Trez shook his head. “May I have a moment with her?”

“We need to stay in to look at the X-rays.”

“Oh, yeah, I know. I just…” He glanced to the door, and knew those people had as much right to be in here as he did. Actually, they had more.

“Trez,” Doc Jane said gently. “However you want it, that’s how we’ll do it.”

But what did Selena want? he wondered, not for the first time.

“Look,” Doc Jane murmured, “there doesn’t seem to be an emergency issue right now. There will be time for the others to come in later—and if her condition changes? We’ll make different choices depending on where we’re at.”