Bojan, page 18
She tried again and went with a little bit of energy inside his body but again found nothing. It seemed the receptors themselves were damaged. With horror, she realized that there might be nothing she could do beyond doing her best to try and protect Leia. She had really hoped she could do something to help Charlie’s broken mind, but instead the broken mind sent out such fury and hate that she realized some things just could not be fixed, and this appeared to be one of them.
*
Bojan and Ryland drove around to the back of the property. Then they quickly bolted from the vehicle and headed toward the huge dividing wall on the east side. All the while, checking to see if the security system was on, Bojan realized that it wasn’t. He held up a hand signal for Ryland and asked, “Why is this not on?”
Ryland shook his head. “Probably because we’re in the middle of fixing it,” he muttered. “Of course this Charlie guy either has the luck of the devil, or he brought it down himself, or knew how to bypass it all.”
“It could be anything,” Bojan agreed, “but what are the chances that, when he delivered that parcel, he also put a listening device inside?”
“I don’t know. He would have just handed his delivery to somebody on the inside, right?”
“Did anybody check that picture to see if there was anything on it?”
Ryland shot him a look. “I don’t know, but that’s something to check, once we sort this out.”
They both scaled the wall, and, as Bojan went to jump down, Ryland grabbed his arm. “Look.” One of the guards was in the tree but half off, and a steady drip of blood flowed to the ground.
“Shit,” Bojan muttered, peering through the trees. “We’ve got a gunman at the pool with Leia. Bullard is there, and, of course, Lacy is right in the middle of it.” He immediately sent her a message, telling her to be careful and that he was on the dividing wall.
Her voice slammed into his head. I tried to get in and to help heal his mind, but it’s broken. I can’t get in.
Don’t try, he replied. Some minds are just too cracked. If you get in there, it’s easy to get lost, and I might not get you back out again.
I’m trying to tweak the air around Leia to protect her—in case a bullet does come in her direction.
He paused at that and asked in wonder, You can do that?
I don’t know, she muttered. I’m trying. I’m trying anything. Somebody is about to get shot.
I know that, Bojan snapped, but better Bullard or me than you or Leia.
I know, but …
At that, Ryland made his way through the tree to where his injured coworker was.
As Bojan watched the gunman, the branch made some creaking noises. The gunman shifted, but he didn’t take his gaze off Bullard in front of him, obviously choosing who he considered to be the most dangerous person in front of him. Little did Charlie know that it was actually Lacy, but, as long as she didn’t have to hurt somebody, she wouldn’t. However, if it came down to that, he knew that Leia would win out.
Of course Leia will win out, Lacy snapped in his head, but, as an energy worker and a healer, I can’t take a life or hurt him in any way and expect to not have repercussions in my own work.
Bojan knew that. Still, it wasn’t a priority in his head right now. He knew for her it would be, but, for him, her life was paramount. He had twisted his energy for his own work, but it definitely hadn’t become as much of his life as it had become in hers. And it was all understandable, but not Bojan’s top priority at the moment. He watched as the tableau frozen in front of him played out, as the gunman roared at Bullard.
“It’s your damn fault!”
“Yes,” Bullard agreed. “Apparently it is. I’m willing to take full responsibility.”
At that, the gunman just stared at him in shock. “Bring her back,” he snapped. “You bring my sister back.”
“I can’t do that. She’s dead.”
“But this woman, … I shot her, and she’s back. I killed her, and here she is alive again,” Charlie roared. “So, if you can bring her back, you can bring my sister back.”
Lacy shot Bullard an apologetic expression. “Sorry about that. I didn’t know what to tell him.”
Bullard stared at the broken man in front of him. “Even if I could bring her back, it’s not something I can do in two seconds flat. You know that.”
Charlie slowly nodded. “No, I guess it might take a little time,” he muttered, sounding worried. He closed his eyes for a second and then looked down at Leia. “You go work on it now. I’ll just keep her here with me.”
“No, not a chance,” Bullard declared, not giving an inch. “Leia comes inside, where she is safe and away from you. Otherwise I won’t do anything to help you.”
At that, the gunman got furious again, and Lacy stepped forward. “You can keep me as a hostage instead,” she suggested, as Bojan’s voice slammed into her brain.
No!
The gunman looked at her suspiciously. “But I already killed you, and I can’t kill you twice. You said so yourself.”
Damn it, her own words were tripping her up now. “That’s true,” she admitted.
“You go in there with Bullard, and you bring her back. I want my sister back.”
“What if we can’t?” she asked. “Then what?”
“Then she dies,” Charlie said, pointing his gun at Leia, followed by a shrug. “I don’t care. It’s an eye for an eye.”
“But it’s not an eye for an eye,” Lacy argued with him, “because nobody did anything to your sister. The stroke killed her. It was just her time. I can’t bring her back.” Although, in the back of her mind, she was wondering if there was any way to contact her and maybe bring her into this conversation, so she could talk to her brother. Lacy knew that some people could talk to the dead, but Lacy had never been one of them.
She looked over at Leia, who had tears slowly forming in the corner of her eyes. This trauma, this acute stress was definitely not good for the mother or for her babies. Lacy noted the energy around the babies shifting, and that was not good either. Whether it was from the energy that she was pulling protectively around Leia or something else, Lacy didn’t know. The last thing she wanted was something happening to the babies because of her own actions.
Lacy immediately stepped forward, walking at a firm pace. “Leia will go inside now,” she declared, her tone not giving Charlie any room to argue. “Absolutely no way will I agree to anything other than that.”
As she reached for Leia, Lacy bent down and helped the pregnant woman to her feet, but the gunman tried to grab her. Lacy turned, and, instead of fighting him or shaking him off, she dropped backward, pulling his weight with her, and tumbled into the pool. Her hand was firmly around his, dragging him into the water. She heard Bullard dive into the water behind her. As she surfaced, Charlie was raising the gun up in the air to shoot.
In her mind, she pulled her energy tightly around Leia, while Lacy scrambled to the side of the pool. She heard voices and shouts, as everybody else came running. However, until that gun was secured, there would be nothing but panic for everyone. Then she heard gunfire—once, twice, three times. Silence fell afterward.
Bojan raced to the edge of the pool and, in one fell swoop, quickly helped Lacy out of the water. Then they both raced over to Leia, who was twisted on the lounger in agony. As Lacy neared her, she quickly released the protective energy.
Leia took in a deep breath. “I don’t know why, but the pain is less now, and suddenly I can breathe easier.”
Lacy winced. “Here. Let’s get you up and inside. Then I want you lying down.” The two of them helped a shaking Leia to her feet. Lacy cast a quick glance to the pool and realized that the gunman was floating on the water, as Bullard dragged his body closer to the edge. Ryland and several other men, including Pia, jumped in to subdue the shooter, if needed. Lacy had no idea where the bullets had gone, and she didn’t care, as long as Leia didn’t take any of them.
Bullard, looking frantic, called out, “Leia, are you okay?”
She lifted a hand and muttered, “I’ll go lie down.”
Lacy called back, “Bullard, we need you.”
And, with that, dripping wet and shaky, Bullard and Lacy moved Leia into the surgery room and onto one of the beds.
Leia relaxed back on the bed and released a big breath. “I’ve never been so scared in my life,” she whispered, tears pouring down her face.
Lacy wrapped her up in a big hug, even though she was soaking wet. “I’m so sorry, but that cramping you felt was me,” she admitted.
Leia frowned at her in surprise. “What do you mean, the cramping? I thought I was shot.” She moved her hands all over her belly. “He fired directly at me. I could practically see the bullet heading for my stomach, but there’s no blood. I thought for sure I was shot.”
“Yeah.” Lacy took a deep breath herself, realizing that her energy application had worked. She sat on the edge of the bed and took a long shaky breath, suddenly feeling cold and afraid. “That was me too.”
Bojan looked at her, and so did Leia. “You want to explain that?” Bojan asked.
“I pulled my energy in around you really tight. I was trying to make a deflective surface, that any bullet could bounce off of,” she said, trying to explain the unexplainable. “Bullets are energy too, and I thought, if I could keep the energy vibrating at a fast-enough speed while wrapped around you, it should deflect the bullet. I was struggling to keep the energy shield up the whole time. When I went into the pool, I gave it an extra tug—in case Charlie managed to get away from me before anybody else could stop him. So, I need to look at you to be sure, but I presume the bullet bounced off you and has probably bruised you, but hopefully it didn’t do any more damage. Just lie back while I have a look.”
And, with Bojan standing at Leia’s head and Bullard racing in behind, Lacy did a quick check and saw one hell of a bruise. She had no idea if the babies would be impacted in any way but hopefully not.
“There is a big bruise, and it may get bigger soon, although I can do something to mitigate that. The bullet didn’t penetrate, but I can’t be certain that there wasn’t some damage.”
Leia looked at her. “You mean from the impact?” she whispered.
Lacy nodded. “Yes, it’s red, but it’s not horrific.”
At that, Leia burst into tears and then started to cramp up and cry, her body twisting. “Oh my God,” she cried out, “the pain.”
“Yeah, seems that whole scenario may have put you into labor,” Lacy muttered.
“It’s too early,” Leia gasped.
“Definitely not as late as we would prefer, but it is what it is, and we’re equipped and are prepared to deal with whatever comes our way.”
Leia stared at Lacy, then looked over at the men, and they all nodded. Leia added, “It would be better for the twins to wait, even just another week or two.”
Lacy agreed. “It would be better if we didn’t have assholes in the world too, but right now these babies seem determined to come early. I’m not sure whether the blood vessels were damaged from the impact or there’s something else going on,” Lacy added, “but I can tell you that we’re heading into hard labor.” And, with that, she turned to Bojan. “Bullard and I have got this,” she said, dismissing him, but then quickly pulled his sleeve before he left. “Could you go grab me some dry clothes?”
With a nod, Bojan took off at top speed. Bullard wrapped Leia up in his arms, then looked over at Lacy. “Will you do this?”
“Of course,” she replied, staring at him. “I’m surprised you don’t want to.”
“I’ll be here, but I feel like I belong on this side, helping her.”
Lacy smiled at him. “That’s very true, but—”
“You’re one of the most professional doctors I’ve ever had a chance to work with,” he declared, with a sigh, “and now I know why. I just wish to hell we could train more like you.”
“Me too,” she replied. “Then I wouldn’t feel quite so guilty about not being able to help everybody.”
“Just help Leia,” Bullard muttered, his voice thick.
“I hear you,” she murmured, “and I’ll do my very best.” And, with that, she quickly prepped, waiting for the dry clothes, so she wouldn’t be dripping all over the floor, which would create another hazard. By the time Bojan returned with clothing for both Lacy and Bullard, she stepped away, stripped out of her bathing suit, and quickly threw on her sundress, then pulled on a pair of scrub bottoms. When she came back, Bojan was busy putting towels down to dry the floor, and then Bullard stepped away to change, while Lacy brought over the trays and the ultrasound.
As soon as she had everything ready for the fetal monitor and the ultrasound, Bullard stepped around to her side, just as Lacy said, “Okay, let’s see what we’ve got here.”
With that, he took a look and swore. “Damn, the babies are in fetal distress. I don’t see any injury, and there definitely seems to be two,” he declared, with a note of satisfaction in his voice.
Leia looked up at him, fear in her eyes. “But maybe this is where we lose one.”
“We won’t think along those lines,” he stated firmly. “We’re hanging on to both of our babies.” With that, he looked over at Bojan and Lacy, his face suddenly stern. “Right?”
“We’ll do our best,” they both replied, practically in unison.
“Just know—”
At that, Bojan cut him off. “No. We will do everything we can, and this time it has to be enough.”
Lacy looked up at Bojan to see the expression on his face, knowing how hard this had to be for him, but it wasn’t the time to address it.
For the next hour, things got stressful, as Leia hit hard labor, the babies hell-bent on coming early. She was already past the point of getting an epidural, as the first baby crowned and presented itself. Lacy helped bring Leia and Bullard’s son into the world. She handed the baby to his mother, resting him against her breast, while they fought for number two.
Bullard was at Lacy’s side, wanting to get in there but also not wanting to, just in case he interrupted what she was doing. She reached out with her mind. Bojan, I need help. When he stepped forward, she said out loud, “Stay where you are, but I need your energy.”
“Okay. How can I help?”
“Just like I twisted energy outside, … I’ll have to do some fancy maneuvering. He’s smaller, and he will come out easier, but the cord is wrapped around his neck, and he’s weak.”
“You can use my energy any way you need to,” Bojan offered.
She looked up at the ceiling, then smiled. “Thank you.”
“I trust you, Lacy,” he murmured.
Something about hearing those words made her stand taller somehow. She smiled broadly. “Thank you for that.”
Very quickly, she needed more than two hands, as baby number two was suddenly here but very weak and not breathing. What she needed to do was something medical science could not offer, so she closed her eyes, as she pleaded for the spirit of this little guy to be strong enough to fight through the effects of everything that they’d already done, knowing so much more remained ahead for him.
When she heard the tiniest cry, she looked down, his arms and legs were moving ever-so-slightly, as he tried to breathe. When Bullard took him from her, Lacy tended to Leia. Bullard focused on clearing the second twin’s airways, bringing him fully around. By the time he laid son number two into her arms, Leia had tears pouring down her face.
“And now you have twin sons,” Bullard whispered in awe.
“No,” she whispered, “we have twin sons.”
Bullard smiled, and Lacy saw tears on his face as well. She sat down on the hard floor for a good minute to collect herself. Leia and Bullard were totally absorbed in the babies, when she finally looked up. She rose, walked over to the sanitization area, and washed up, then returned to the happy family, asking Bullard, “So you want to finish this off?”
Bullard looked over at Leia, who smiled, with a nod at Lacy. Bullard replied, “No, you can do it. The afterbirth will be along in a few minutes, and you’ve done great so far.”
Turning to Bojan with a smile, Lacy said to Bojan, “You’re off the hook. We’re doing fine.”
“Are you sure?” he asked.
She looked up at him, one eyebrow raised.
He shrugged, and, in her mind, he added, Seems something’s off.
Without warning, blood poured from Leia down the table onto the floor.
Looking back at him, she turned to her patients, then jumped into action, as she realized Leia had started to hemorrhage. With both Bullard and Lacy working hard, they did everything they could to save her, as she laid here, now unconscious. Bojan snatched up both babies before they fell from her arms, then turned to look at Lacy helplessly.
In her head she called out to him. Just give me your heart. Give me whatever love and energy you have.
Then she quickly wrapped Leia up in as much energy as she could, using energy from Terkel and Clary and Clara and all the other healers she’d ever met, as she worked to stabilize Leia. They managed to stop the bleeding, but she’d lost a lot of blood. “Bullard, we will need a transfusion.”
In a haze, he nodded. “You watch her. I’ll get it going.” Moving efficiently, he gathered what he needed and soon had the transfusion started. Minutes later, the monitors slowly reflected Leia’s heart returning to a normal rhythm.
“Looks like we caught it,” Bullard muttered.
She reached up a hand and pounded her palm against her forehead. “It was the impact of that damn bullet.”
Bullard nodded. “That very well may be what did it, but absolutely no way Leia or the babies would have survived the bullet. We have two sons and are so blessed. I just need her to stay alive.”
Lacy asked Bojan to stick around, just in case. He nodded his agreement.
It took another twenty minutes before Leia murmured something and opened her eyes. She looked up at Bullard and whispered, “What happened?”
