The Host(128)

When the last of the daylight disappeared, so did the helicopter. We sat in the darkness, not daring to turn on even the dim blue light. It took a few hours before any of us would believe the hunt was over. Brandt was the first to accept it; he’d had enough of the hospital, too.

“Makes sense for it to give up,” he muttered, edging out the exit. “Nothing to see at night. I’ll just take your light with me, Doc, so that Jeb’s pet parasite can’t get up to anything, and be on my way.”

Doc didn’t respond, didn’t even look at the sullen man as he left.

“Make it stop, Gladdie, make it stop!” Walter begged me. I wiped the sweat from his face while he crushed my hand.

Time seemed to slow down and stop; the black night felt unending. Walter’s screams got more and more frequent, more and more excruciating.

Melanie was far away, knowing she could do nothing useful. I would have hidden, too, if Walter hadn’t needed me. I was all alone in my head—exactly what I had once wanted. It made me feel lost.

Eventually, a dim gray light started to creep in through the high vents overhead. I was hovering on the edge of sleep, Walter’s moans and screams keeping me from sinking under. I could hear Doc snoring behind me. I was glad that he’d been able to escape for a little while.

I didn’t hear Jared come in. I was mumbling weak assurances, barely coherent, trying to calm Walter.

“I’m here, I’m here,” I murmured as he cried out his wife’s name. “Shh, it’s okay.” The words were meaningless. It was something to say, though, and it did seem that my voice calmed the worst of his cries.

I don’t know how long Jared watched me with Walter before I realized he was there. It must have been a while. I was sure his first reaction would be anger, but when I heard him speak, his voice was cool.

“Doc,” he said, and I heard the cot behind me shake. “Doc, wake up.”

I jerked my hand free, whirling, disoriented, to see the face that went with the unmistakable voice.

His eyes were on me as he shook the sleeping man’s shoulder. They were impossible to read in the dim light. His face had no expression at all.

Melanie jolted into awareness. She pored over his features, trying to read the thoughts behind the mask.

“Gladdie! Don’t leave! Don’t!” Walter’s screech had Doc bolting upright, nearly capsizing his cot.

I spun back to Walter, shoving my sore hand into his searching fingers.

“Shhh, shhh! Walter, I’m here. I won’t leave. I won’t, I promise.”

He quieted down, whimpering like a small child. I wiped the damp cloth over his forehead; his sob hitched and turned into a sigh.

“What’s that about?” Jared murmured behind me.

“She’s the best painkiller I’ve been able to find,” Doc said wearily.

“Well, I’ve found you something better than a tame Seeker.”

My stomach knotted, and Melanie hissed in my head. So stupidly, blindly stubborn! she growled. He wouldn’t believe you if you told him the sun sets in the west.

But Doc was beyond caring about the slight to me. “You found something!”

“Morphine—there’s not much. I would have gotten here sooner if the Seeker hadn’t pinned me down out there.”

Doc was instantly in action. I heard him rustling through something papery, and he crowed in delight. “Jared, you’re the miracle man!”

“Doc, just a sec…”

But Doc was at my side already, his haggard face alight with anticipation. His hands were busy with a small syringe. He stuck the tiny needle into the crease at Walter’s elbow, on the arm that was attached to me. I turned my face away. It seemed so horribly invasive to stab something through his skin.

I couldn’t argue with the results, though. Within half a minute, Walter’s entire body relaxed, melting into a pile of loose flesh against the thin mattress. His breathing went from harsh and urgent to whispery and even. His hand relaxed, freeing mine.

I massaged my left hand with my right, trying to bring the blood back to my fingertips. Little prickles followed the flow of blood under my skin.

“Uh, Doc, there really isn’t enough for that,” Jared murmured.

I looked up from Walter’s face, peaceful at last. Jared had his back to me, but I could see the surprise in Doc’s expression.

“Enough for what? I’m not going to save this for a rainy day, Jared. I’m sure we’ll wish we had it again, and too soon, but I’m not going to let Walter scream in agony while I have a way to help him!”

“That’s not what I meant,” Jared said. He spoke the way he did when he’d already thought about something long and hard. Slow and even, like Walter’s breath.