“I’m super clear on that, Pete. Can we go now?”
He stared at her, narrowing his gaze. “Heard about your grandmother. Such a shame. You must be heartbroken. A woman like her… Still in her prime… A stroke is quite the silent killer.”
Melinda gritted her teeth. “She’s not dead, you asshole. Now, can we please get by so we can visit her in the hospital?”
“Oh. Sure. My bad. You ladies have a nice day. Watch out for lava and stay safe.” His words were mocking as though he didn’t believe a word about the Earth’s upset.
“Goodbye, Pete.” Melinda rolled up her window before she finished the sentence. “Asshole,” she muttered under her breath.
“I’m surprised he’s not on probation or something with the sheriff’s office after the way he acted last night.”
Melinda held the steering wheel so tight her knuckles turned white. “Believe me, if we could have nailed his ass to the wall a long time ago, we would have. Unfortunately bigotry isn’t grounds for dismissal.”
Sharon rolled her head against the back of the seat, trying to work out the kinks. “Apparently throwing rocks through my brother’s mate’s window and threatening them isn’t, either. Or hey, how about attempted murder. He was most likely involved in the gas leak in my condo when Zach, Corbin, and Laurie were living there.”
Melinda sighed. “I hear you. I wish someone could have proven he was present for any of those things.”
Sharon didn’t have the energy to focus on Pete Sandhouse. She had a mate too close to the seismic activity, another mate insisting on remaining in the thick of things in town, and a sweet old woman with a stroke to concentrate on.
When they arrived at the hospital, Joyce met them in the hallway outside Mimi’s room. “Oh good, you’re here.” She smiled at Melinda and then Sharon.
“What’s happening?” Melinda asked.
“We’re going to take Mimi home.”
“What? Why? I thought we had decided the benefits of the stroke medication outweighed the unknown effects of shifting.”
Joyce nodded. “That was before she started getting more lucid. She’s got limited control of her left side, and her voice is slurred, but she’s alert and understands what’s happening around her. We’ve made the decision to move her to her own home and see if she can make bigger strides in her personal surroundings.”
Melinda nodded. “Makes sense. The doctor thinks this is a good idea?”
“He’s hedging, of course, but yes.”
Sharon felt for these woman. They loved Mimi more than life. And she couldn’t blame them. Even though the woman was not her own grandmother, she’d met her many times, and she was delightful. She was also the strongest shaman alive. Her insight surpassed anyone’s, even Melinda’s.
Melinda’s shoulders fell.
Sharon watched her closely, wondering why she was so opposed to moving Mimi home. Lots of regular humans would even benefit from their own environments. Why not Mimi, who could in all likelihood shift and rest for hours at home?
It wasn’t until they were back in the car following Joyce and Laurie, who had Mimi stretched out in the backseat, that Sharon asked Melinda the hard question. “What’s the matter?”
Melinda shrugged. “My gut tells me this is a bad idea.”
“Because?”
A long silence ensued before Melinda spoke again. “Because every single sensitivity I’ve ever had seems to have doubled in the last twenty-four hours.”
“You’re under a lot of stress. You spent the night running all over the mountainside saving lives. That’s understandable.”
Melinda shook her head. “No. Not that. It’s more. It’s like ever since she had the stroke, my abilities increased.”
“Oh.” Ohhh.
“Yeah, oh. It’s like she’s already gone, and the baton has passed to me.”
“Why not your mother? Do you suppose she’s experiencing the same thing?”
Melinda shook her head. “No. She was gone for twenty-seven years. That does something to a person. And before that she spent three years dealing with a rape that Miles and I were the byproducts of. That gets under the skin and changes a person no matter how much they love their kids.”
Sharon reached across the console and touched Melinda’s shoulder. The woman was stiff and almost cold. “I’m sorry. I’m sure this is very stressful for you.”
“Yeah. Putting it mildly. Mimi raised me.” Her voice choked up, and she wiped her eyes with the back of one hand, trying to keep her gaze on the road. “She’s like a mother. Much more than a mother. And I’m scared.”