Part 44 (1/2)

”Good, ” Justin murmured, and his eyes drifted shut again. Beyond that Grant did not attempt to go. Giraud had limited the questioning to the visit with Jordan and the possibility of Justin's involvement in Ari's disappearance. To rea.s.sure Justin there would be no more questions would be dangerous. There might be. To encourage him to talk, when they were likely being taped-was very dangerous, tranked as he was. Giraud had asked: ”How do you feel about young Ari?” And Justin had said, with all his thresholds flat: ”Sorry for her. ” There was motion in the gla.s.s-walled booth. Grant looked up, saw Denys Nye in the room with the guards, saw them exchange words, saw the guards come and open the door into the recovery cell to let Denys in.

Grant gave Denys a hard look, locked his arms across Justin, and bent close to his ear: ”Justin. Ser Denys is here, easy, I have you, I won't leave. ”

Justin was aware. His eyes opened.

Denys walked very quietly for so large a man. He came close and stopped, leaning near, speaking very softly. ”They've found Ari. She's all right. ”

Justin's chest moved in a gasp after air. ”Is that true?” he asked. ”Grant, is he telling the truth?”

Grant glared at Denys, at a round, worried face, and gave up a little of his anger. ”I think he may be. ” He tightened his arms again so Justin could feel his presence.

”It's true, ” Denys said and leaned closer, keeping his voice very, very quiet. ”Justin, I'm terribly sorry. Truly I am. We'll make this up to you. ” Justin's heart was hammering under his hand. ”Easy, ” Grant said, his own heart racing while he sorted Denys' words for content. And then because he had never felt so much unadulterated anger in his entire life. ”How are you going to do that, ser?” he said to Denys softly, so softly. ”The child is safe. What about the rest of Reseune's resources? You're fools, fools, ser. You've risked a mind whose limits you don't even know, you've persecuted him all his life, and you treat him as if he were the perpetrator of every harm in Reseune-when he's never, ser. You've risked a mind whose limits you don't even know, you've persecuted him all his life, and you treat him as if he were the perpetrator of every harm in Reseune-when he's never, never, in never, in his entire life-done harm to any human being, when Yanni Schwartz could tell you they took him his entire life-done harm to any human being, when Yanni Schwartz could tell you they took him off off real-time because he couldn't stand people suffering. Where's Reseune's vast expertise in psychology, when it can't tell that he isn't capable of harming real-time because he couldn't stand people suffering. Where's Reseune's vast expertise in psychology, when it can't tell that he isn't capable of harming anyone, anyone, not even the people who make his life not even the people who make his life h.e.l.l?” h.e.l.l?”

”Grant, ” Justin murmured, ”Grant, -”

Denys' brow furrowed. ”No, ” he said in a hushed voice, ”I know, I know, I'm sorry is too little, and far too late. Grant is quite right. You're going home now, you're going home. Please. Believe me. We did find Ari. She's in hospital, she had a fall, but everything's all right. She ran away on her own, disguised herself-it was a childish prank, absolutely nothing you had anything to do with, we know that. I won't stay here, I know I have no business here, but I felt I had to tell you Ari's all right. I believed you'd want to know that because you don't don't want any harm to her, and G.o.d knows you deserve some courtesy after this. I mean it. I'll make this up somehow, I promise that. I let too much go on for want any harm to her, and G.o.d knows you deserve some courtesy after this. I mean it. I'll make this up somehow, I promise that. I let too much go on for security's security's sake, and it's not going to go on happening. I promise that, too. ” He put a hand on Grant's shoulder. ”Grant, there's a group of meds coming here. They'll take him the tunnel route, over to your Residency, they'll take him home, if that's what he wants. Or he can rest here till he recovers. Whatever he wants. ” sake, and it's not going to go on happening. I promise that, too. ” He put a hand on Grant's shoulder. ”Grant, there's a group of meds coming here. They'll take him the tunnel route, over to your Residency, they'll take him home, if that's what he wants. Or he can rest here till he recovers. Whatever he wants. ”

”Home, ” Grant said. ”Is that right, Justin? Do you want to go home now?”

Justin nodded faintly. ”I want to go home. ”

Carefully enunciated. More self-control than a moment ago. Justin's arm twitched and lifted and he laid it on his stomach, in the same careful way, return of conscious control.

”I promise you, ” Denys said tightly. ”No more of this. ”

Then Denys left, anger in the att.i.tude of his body.

Grant hugged Justin and laid his head against Justin's, editing the tension out of his own muscles, because Justin could read that. Azi-mind. Quiet and steady.

”Was Denys here?” Justin asked.

”He just left, ” Grant said. ”Just a little while and you're going home. I say it's true. They found Ari, it wasn't your fault, they know that. You can rest now. Wake up at your own speed. I'm not going to leave you, not even for a minute. ”

Justin heaved a sigh. And was quiet then.

xi Ari rode back home in the bus, just for that little distance, and she argued with uncle Denys until he let her walk from the front door herself, holding his hand, with the other arm in a sling; but after the ride, it was almost longer, she thought, than she was going to be able to make. Her knees were getting weak and she was sweating under her blouse, that they had had to cut because of the cast, even to get it on.

She was not going to be out in public in her nightgown and her robe. She was going to walk, herself. She was determined on that.

But she was terribly glad to see the inside of uncle Denys' apartment, and to see Nelly there, and Florian and Catlin, all looking worried and so glad to see her. Even Seely looked happy.

She felt like crying, she was so glad to see them. But she didn't. She said: ”I want my bed. ” And uncle Denys got her there, with the last strength that she had, while Nelly fluttered ahead of them.

Nelly had her bed turned down. Poo-thing was there where he belonged. The pillows were fluffed up. It felt so good when she lay down.

”Let me help you out of your clothes, ” Nelly said.

”No, ” she said, ”just let me rest a while, Nelly. ” And uncle Denys said that was a good idea.

”I want a soft drink, Nelly, ” she said, while uncle Denys was leaving. ”I want Florian and Catlin. ”

So Nelly went out; and in a little while Florian and Catlin came in, very quiet, very sober, bringing her soft drink.

”We feel terrible, ” Florian said. And they both looked it.

They had been with her at the hospital. They had been so scared, both of them, and they had stayed with her and looked like they could jump at anybody who looked wrong. But finally they had had to go home, because she told them to, uncle Denys said she should, they were so scared and so upset, and they needed to settle down. So she woke up enough to tell them it wasn't their fault and to send them home.

I'll be there in a little while, she had said.

So she was.

Dr. Ivanov said she was lucky she had only broken her arm, and not her head. And she felt lucky about it too. She kept seeing the sky and the ground, and feeling the jolt in her bones.

Uncle Denys said she was lucky too, that Horse could have killed her, and he was awfully upset.

That was true. But she told uncle Denys it wasn't Horse's fault, he just sort of moved. ”Horse is all right, isn't he?” she had asked.

”Horse is fine, ” uncle Denys had said. ”He's just fine. You're the one we're worried about. ”

That was nice. People generally weren't, not in any nice way. Dr. Ivanov was kind to her, the nurses gave her soft drinks, Florian and Catlin hung around her until she sent them away. The one thing she had not gotten out of it was uncle Giraud: uncle Giraud had not come at all, but she was too tired to want him there anyway, it was all too much work.

Now Florian and Catlin were back and she was safe in her bed and she really, truly, felt just sort of-away from everything. Quiet. She was glad people were being nice, not because she couldn't Work them, but because she was so tired and it took so much, and she just wanted to lie there and not hurt awhile, after she had drunk a little of her soft drink.

”It's not your fault, ” she said to Florian and Catlin. ”It was my idea, wasn't it?”

”We shouldn't have let you, ” Florian said.

”Yes, you should have, ” she said, frowning real quick. ”You do what I tell you and that's what I told you. Isn't that so?”

”Yes, ” Catlin said after a moment. ”That's so. ”

They both looked happier then.

She slept all afternoon, with her arm raised in a sling the way Dr. Ivanov said she had to, to keep her hand from swelling. She didn't think that would work, because she always tossed around a lot, but it did: she went right off to sleep, waked up once when Nelly told her to take a pill, and went back to sleep, because it was her bed and her room, and the pills that kept her from hurting also made her very drowsy.

But Nelly woke her up for supper, and she had to eat with her left hand. Dr. Ivanov had said things about left-right dominance to her and said how she mustn't do any writing until she got out of the cast, but she could do everything else. Dr. Ivanov said she should have a Scriber to help her with her lessons, just like his, and she liked that idea.

He said that she ought to be in the cast about three weeks, because he had done a lot of special things to help it heal fast, and it was going to be good as new. He said she was going to do gym exercises after, to make her arm strong again. She agreed with that. Having a broken arm was an adventure, but she didn't want it to do anything permanent.

It was kind of interesting to have the cast and all, and to have everyone fussing over her. The way people changed when they were anxious was interesting. She thought a lot about it when she was awake.

She had her supper, things she could eat with her fingers, and she wanted Florian and Catlin to stay in her room, because she was awake now. But uncle Denys came in and said they could come in a little while, but right then he had to have a Talk with her.

”I don't want to, ” she said, and pouted a little, because she really hurt, and it wasn't fair of uncle Denys, uncle Denys had been nice all day, and now everybody was going to go back the other way before she was ready for it, she saw it coming.

”It won't be a long one, ” uncle Denys said, shutting the door, ”and I'm not even going to mention about your going down to the Town. ”

That wasn't what she expected. So she was curious and uncomfortable at the same time, while he pulled Nelly's chair over: she was glad he wasn't going to sit on the bed, because she was just settled and he was so heavy.