“Dude, you don’t look so good,” Oliver says as he stares down at the yellowing bruises that cover Gabriel’s face.
Gabriel winces as he pushes himself up in bed. Needles in his hands still connect him to various medicines, each one pumping something into his weary system. “The doctors tell me it’s a miracle I survived. The Rover was totaled and apparently they found me ten feet from the car.”
“And all you ended up with is some internal bruising?”
“Yep,” Gabriel coughs, holding his side gingerly. “Amazing, huh?”
Oliver whistles. “No kidding. Thank god this didn’t happen before we won state.”
Gabriel fights for a convincing nod. “Hey, have you seen Rose? Is she doing okay? No one will tell me anything.”
“Oh, not that girl again,” Oliver groans. “Dude, when are you going to wake up and realize Claire’s claimed you? This fling will never last.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he grunts, shifting in bed. His backside is numb and has been for the past four days of observation. He is sick of the hospital, sick of the nosey nurses and uppity doctors. He is fine but no one will listen to him. All he wants to do is see Rose.
“Can you please just find her room for me?” he asks, pinching the bridge of his nose to stave off his irritation.
“She’s not here.” Oliver frowns at the bump on his friend’s head. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay? I can get the doctor if you want.” He begins to back out of the room.
“No. She has to be here,” he insists. “I need to know that she is okay.” Gabriel’s voice fades out as his eyes begin to sting. He shoves his fists into his eyes and rubs them, refusing to cry. “I think she saved me.”
Oliver blanches. He obviously thinks Gabriel has taken a long walk off a short pier. “Dude, there wasn’t anyone in the car with you. The paramedics only found you and the semi driver. That’s it.”
Gabriel falls silent. Oliver shifts from foot to foot. He has done his job. He has visited Gabriel and now he is ready to split. His friend is acting too freaky for his liking. Without saying a word, Oliver slips from the room. Gabriel doesn’t even notice.
As the hall lights begin to kick on, Gabriel blinks, realizing the passage of time. The same questions roll about in his mind like a scrolling digital sign. Where is Rose? How did she manage to escape the wreckage?
There is no doubt in his mind that she was in fact there and that her actions saved him. But there is something more that captures his waking thoughts, a new mystery that sends cold shivers down his spine. Turning his forearms over, Gabriel glances down at the black markings that have appeared on his arm. At first, he was unable to decipher any pattern to them until he brought both arms together. The symbols form a jagged cross.
Where did the markings come from? What is happening to him?
“What am I?” he whispers to the empty room.
Twenty-Six