Part 30 (1/2)
”So was Michael right?”
”He was the only one stronger than Lucifer.”
”Then don't worry,” I say. ”Michael won't let me fail. Or is it me you don't have enough faith in?”
”Of course I have faith in you, but Lucifer plays dirty and you don't. How do we know this friends.h.i.+p he's been playing at with you is even real? Maybe he's using it to make you pity him and lower your guard so he can strike when you least expect it.”
”No, I don't believe he's playing that sort of game with me. He sees me as a friend, as close as he can get to one anyway.”
”You're playing a dangerous game with him, Jess.”
”I know. I'm not that nave, Mason. I realize he's like a rabid dog who could turn on me at any moment and try to bite my hand off. I'm fully aware of that possibility. But, I also think he just needs someone to have a little faith in him, a little trust. It's just like Malcolm in the alternate world. All he needed was for someone to believe he could be a better person. I think that's all Lucifer needs. I don't have any illusions that he'll change his ways overnight, but all I need right now is for him to believe in himself enough that he can become more than he is. If I can help give him the courage to try, maybe he will.”
Mason cups my face with both his hands.
”Be careful,” he tells me. ”He won't just bite your hand off if he turns on you, Jess. He'll kill you because you'll be a reminder to him that he can never change.”
”But I believe he can.”
”And I don't believe he will.”
”Then on this one point we'll just have to disagree.”
Mason sighs and leans into me, kissing me softly on the lips, making me feel cherished and loved by the simple action.
”Please be careful,” he begs, resting his forehead against mine.
”I will. I have too much to live for.”
Mason smiles.
Mason changes into some clothes I didn't even realize he'd placed in my closet.
”You don't mind do you?” He asks. ”I thought it would be easier to just have clothes here when I need them.”
”Of course I don't mind,” I tell him, watching him from the doorway of my bedroom. ”I've always liked you thinking of my house as your home too.”
Mason smiles. ”You know I have six homes around the world but your house has always felt more like home than any of them.”
”Then you have seven homes,” I tell him which makes him smile even wider.
I raise an eyebrow at him as he stands in just his underwear.
”Stop smiling or I may not let you put those cloths on,” I tell him.
Mason promptly pulls his underwear down and throws them on the floor. When he turns to face me again, he smiles and winks.
”Oh,” I say reaching for the bottom of my s.h.i.+rt and swiftly removing it as I walk towards him, ”you're asking for it now.”
”Why I believe I am,” he says innocently.
I punish Mason for a good hour and feel sure afterwards that he'll always smile and wink at me for as long as we both shall live.
When we arrive at the Ronald Reagan Medical Center, an older nurse in pink scrubs is in Zack's room checking his vitals.
”You're like the poster child for coma patient recovery, sweetie” the nurse tells Zack, taking his temperature with a temporal thermometer across his forehead.
”Just got lucky,” Zack tells her with a smile.
When we walk further into the room, Zack's eyes immediately settle on me and he smiles.
”I was wondering when you would come back,” he says, sitting up straighter in his hospital bed.
”Sorry I had to leave so suddenly yesterday. Things got a little crazy,” I tell him, coming to stand by his bed.
The nurse looks up at me.
”I know you, don't I?” she questions.
”I don't think we've ever met,” I say, trying to remember if I might met her the day before when we came to find Zack.
”Oh, now I remember. You're Chandler Cain's fiance! Congratulations on the engagement. I can't tell you how many ladies around here are completely heartbroken that he's off the market. Not like any of them ever had a chance mind you,” she laughs.
I smile brightly at the woman but am cringing for all I'm worth on the inside. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mason's scowling face.
”Thank you for your well wishes,” I say. ”I'll be sure to pa.s.s them on to Chandler.”
”Well, I'll leave you two to visit,” the nurse says. ”I'll be back in a little while to check on you Zack.”
”When do you think the doctor will let me go?” Zack asks.
”Well, I don't know for sure, sweetie. Like I said, you're a miracle. But, if you remain stable, I don't see why he wouldn't let you out in a couple of days.”
Zack nods. ”Ok, thanks.”
After the nurse leaves the room, Zack pats the side of his bed indicating I should have a seat.
When I do, he tentatively reaches for one of my hands.
I hear him sigh contentedly as our skin touches.
”Your hands are a lot nicer to hold than Rafe's,” Zack says with a small laugh.
I smile because I enjoy the contact too. ”Did he explain everything to you yesterday after we left?” I ask.
Zack nods. ”Yes. Honestly, I can't believe someone like me is involved in something so monumental.”
”What do you do for a living?” I ask him.
”I run a charity organization for abused children,” he tells me. ”We're small but we do good work for the kids who come through. I'm a child psychologist so I help them cope with their feelings and attempt to get them past what's been done to them.”