Epilogue

The End

With shaking hands, I opened the door to Milly’s hospital room and slipped inside. There wasn’t much security in medical centers in this part of the country, so all I had to do was wait until Abby Parker finally went home for the night. She had spent almost every waking moment at her daughter’s bedside, except those few nights her husband forced her to go home and rest.

I avoided her not just because she didn’t want to see me, but mostly because I was a coward not ready for that conversation. There was no use lying about it, even to myself. I didn’t have the stomach—no pun intended—to face them right now. But there was one Parker I had to make my peace with.

Milly was lying on the bed, her long dark hair carefully brushed down around her shoulders. Oxygen and IVs were still plugged into her, and it was a shock to see the bandages and thick red slashes still on the skin not covered by blanket or hospital gown. Her attack had seemed like so long ago before I’d stepped inside, but seeing her made me realize it had only been days ago.

For a moment I just had to stop and look at her, my back against the door to keep me upright. Then, with a deep breath, I started forward.

“Hey, Mills,” I said softly, as I sank into the chair beside the bed. “You look like hell.”

I raised my hand to the bandage on my own head. “Guess that makes two of us. Sorry, inappropriate humor, I know.”

At a loss I rubbed my palms against my jeans. “Jesus, where to start. First of all, um, Ira and I are dating now. Yeah, I suck, I know. You didn’t get to meet him first for best-friend approval. There wasn’t a lot of time or he would have come in with me, but he’s keeping the car running. See, we’ve kinda gotta hit the road. Turns out his dad was the big bad of the local vampires and I kind of, well, killed him.”

I shrugged. “His junk food of choice was skinny blond guys, it’s a thing. So, yeah, gotta get lost before the House gets its shit together. I know, I know, how typical. I just…I just wanted to say…oh, hell.”

Quickly I scrubbed the back of my fist over my eyes. My throat was tight and hot, but the tears didn’t fall.

“I’m so sorry, Milly,” I breathed. “I am so sorry. I should never have gotten you involved in this. The day I saved your life I should have hit the road and never looked back. But you, God, you were so brave and determined. You had to know the truth, and before I knew it I was telling you everything.”

I gave a short laugh. “Dad had my ass for that, by the way.”

Slowly, I reached out and wrapped my fingers around her still hand. “But it was worth it,” I murmured. “You made me better, Mills. My life was better while you were in it, and I repaid you by making yours worse. If I could change it, I would.”

Licking my lips, I admitted, “If I could go back to the first day I pulled into town, I would stay home. I wouldn’t go out looking for tricks, I would stay with you. Even if it meant I would lose Ira, I would do it. For you, to bring you back. Because you wouldn’t even be in here right now if not for me.”

I brought her hand to my mouth, and kissed it gently. “They say people in comas can hear sometimes, and if you can then I just want you to know I love you.” My breath hiccuped and I had to stop for a second.

“I love you so much,” I whispered. “I never said it enough, don’t know that I ever said it at all, but it’s true.”

Gently, I put her hand back on the bed, and stood up. “Well, I gotta go now. I just couldn’t leave without seeing you one more time.”

Even after I said it I didn’t leave right away. I stayed were I was, looking down at her. Milly Parker, my best friend, my anchor, the bravest person I’d ever known. Softly I trailed my fingers over the fall of her hair.

“See ya ‘round, Mills,” I said, and then I turned and headed for the door.

As I left the hospital, I felt a strange sense of finality, like I was leaving the world behind. Ira and I had forsaken our respective peoples to be with each other, at a steep cost for both of us. We each had lost people we loved. And we were only dating—neither of us knew if it would be worth it, yet.

“Hey,” Ira said as he saw me coming. “You ready?”

Seeing him standing there in the parking lot, big shoulders hidden beneath a jacket, black eyes scanning me with worry, dark hair a little curly from the hasty hand he’d scraped through it this morning, mouth bent in an almost unconscious crooked grin I felt myself smiling. I couldn’t see the future, and I didn’t know what would happen, or if the price we’d paid would be worth it. But I kinda had the feeling it would be okay.

“Yeah,” I said. “I’m ready.”

Thank you so much to everyone who has taken this journey, this weird, wonderful, experimental journey with me. Your support and encouragement mean the world, and I could never have come this far without it. Each of you has my love and appreciation.

~~Seth Gray (aka Your Beloved Author)