Chapter 10

Suzi’s night was no longer haunted by pain. The medication worked its magic, wrapping her in a dreamless slumber. When the morning nurse arrived to record vitals at 7 a.m., Suzi stirred. Aiden’s absence weighed on her—his departure last night, her lack of response to his kiss. The ‘Annie’ fragment of her personalities, the passionate and affectionate side, had been missing in action. Perhaps that explained her reticence.

Last night’s events swirled in her mind. Judas knows more than she is letting on. She can speak to demons, overlay the void in reality, and retrieve a lost persona.

“How did I lose Annie to begin with? “ she asked herself. She tried to recall her interactions with Sylvia before she became overly sexualized.

“We exorcised her from us,” Judith corrected.

“Yeah, it was weird,” Annie added. “That girl is a freak! I loved it!”

“So, exorcism is not death for a demon,” Suzi thought.

“Guod mubjik ac mibux e kwad,” she heard the demon say.

“It forces us from our host,” Suzanne translated.

That was something. She didn’t have to be in Guillermo to understand demonic now.

“It really wasn’t a ‘force’. It was more of a ‘surrender’,” Annie told the collective.

“I surrendered you to her?” Suzi thought to herself.

“No. She surrendered herself to us,” Annie explained. “I was in charge, and she was looking into our eyes. There was a vacancy, and I flowed over into her. I wasn’t us there, though. I was not her either, just a mixture of me and her.”

That made sense. Suzi’s best and fastest path into Guillermo was staring into her own eyes. But she looked into Aiden’s eyes, and nothing like that happened. Rio too. Father Gil. Why Sylvia? Judas had to stare into Sylvia’s eyes to get Annie back, but that was not enough. Judas had to say her name, then kiss Sylvia. Was the kiss necessary?

A knock interrupted her thoughts. Dr. Alcott entered, a man of practicality. “Good morning, Suzi. I’m Dr. Alcott. How are you feeling?”

“Pretty good, actually.”

“Superb. You were admitted with a shard of glass near your heart. A close call. Moving could’ve been disastrous. We removed it and repaired the damage. Bed rest for a few days is going to be essential.”

“Seriously? I feel great. I was up moving around last night.”

“I heard. You were up and tore your stitches after –“ He opened a folder he was carrying and read from its contents, “ – trying to retrieve a new gown from the linen room.”

He closed the folder. He opened a closet door in the room and pointed to a shelf with multiple items, including a gown. The night doctor and Sylvia obviously wanted to keep things quiet.

“Hey. Looky there,” Suzi said sheepishly.

Dr. Alcott looked a little disappointed. “If you have someone to care for you, we can discharge you. Your injuries are deep, though. No straining or lifting for at least a week and watch for infection. It says here you are married?” He pointed to the folder.

“I am.”

“Good. Your husband can assist with bathing, bathroom trips—”

“Yeah, he’ll be thrilled to help me bathe,” she said, mischief dancing in her eyes.

The doctor chuckled. “No funny business, mind you. I’ll start the discharge paperwork. Is your husband here?”

“He was here last night but has not come back yet today. If you can give me the phone, I’ll call him. I don’t have my cell.”

“Sure.” The doctor picked up the phone, sat it on the rolling side table, and moved it to the side of the hospital bed.

“Thank you,” she said to him as he left.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Suzi dialed Aiden’s number. No answer. She tried again, desperation gnawing at her. Still nothing.

Next, she called Rio. A groggy voice answered.

Suzi winced, realizing she’d just woken her daughter. “Hi, baby. I’m sorry for waking you.”

“It’s okay, Mom. I tried calling your cell last night, but it went to voicemail.”

“Yeah, it’s at the apartment. I’m in the hospital again.”

“Dad called me on his way up there to see if he needed to pick me up. He also called me last night to tell me you were okay and that he was on his way to clean your apartment.”

“Have you heard from him this morning?” Suzi asked, realizing Rio had probably just woken up.

“No. He said he was going to your apartment and then back to the hospital last night.” Rio’s voice sharpened.

“He never came back, and I can’t reach him this morning.”

“Okay. One sec.” Rio opened a family tracking app shared among her, Reed, and Aiden. The screen displayed Aiden’s location in the greater Chicago area. “It shows that he’s in the city, Mom. Stationary. I’ll send you a… well, never mind. You don’t have your phone.”

“Can you give me an approximate address?”

“Between 105th and 106th on Western Avenue.”

“That’s Dr. Adamson’s office. Why would he be there this early in the morning?”

“Maybe he’s trying to help you find out what happened to him?”

“Maybe. Thanks for your help, kiddo. Love you.”

“Love you too, Mom. And please be safe.”

Suzi’s attempts to call Aiden yielded no results. The doctor examined her sutures, providing fresh gauze and tape for home use. She lied to him when he asked if her husband was on his way.

Desperation led her to dial the funeral home’s main line. “Eternal Springs of Naperville,” a woman’s voice answered.

Suzi hoped it wasn’t Livi—the eternal hearse hunny.

“Hi. Gracie?” Suzi ventured.

“No, this is Livi. How can I help you?”

“Damn it,” Suzi thought. “Livi—it’s Suzi. I—”

“Suzi! Oh. Em. Gee. I missed you the other day. I wanted to show you this Coach bag I bought on Friday. I was going to buy you one, but they had a two-max limit. I got one in white and one in black. They had some in pink for you, but I think they’re all gone now.”

“How droll. Why does Nick put up with her nonsense?” the Judy personality questioned.

“She’s young. She’s hot. I’d do her,” Annie chimed in.

“Someone scratched the Benz, so Nicky has it in the shop getting repaired. What are you doing? Nicky said you were taking the week off. Do you want to go shopping?”

“I’d love to, Livi, but right now, I need to talk to Nick, please.”

“He’s meeting with Mr. McGillicuddy’s family are in.”

“Whaaat?” Ralph’s quiet voice echoed in Suzi’s mind.

“R. N.—right now,” Suzi clarified. She despised that she knew how to speak on Livi’s level. “How long have they been in there?” she asked Livi.

“They haven’t really started yet. The family is still showing up.”

Knowing these meetings could last hours, Suzi asked for either of the Gracies.

“Jo has today off, and Lynn is in class until 3 p.m. What do you need, and maybe I can help you?”

With a deep sigh, Suzi resigned herself to her final option. “Is Doyle there?”

The words caught in her throat, and Livi put her on hold with their infomercial hold program. Suzi listened to the soothing voice promising exceptional service, regardless of lifestyle or income.

Then, Doyle’s voice came through. “Go for Collins.”

“Doyle. It’s Suzi.”

“Hey, babes.” His voice oozed swagger. “What’s happening, Hot Stuff?”

Suzi ignored his remarks. “I need a ride to my apartment from the hospital. I don’t have my phone and I cannot reach Aiden. Can you give me a lift please?”

“Sure, of course! I’d be happy to help, you know that. Anything for you.”

“Thanks. I owe you one.”

“I’ll take you up on that, cutie. See you in a bit.”

Suzi hung up the phone, feeling a little greasy and wanting a hot bath. She dialed Aiden’s number again, fingers trembling—still no answer.

The nurse arrived, offering sweatpants, a hospital sweatshirt, and plastic sandals. Suzi suspected they were medically necessary and would bill insurance a couple of hundred dollars for the soft cotton garments, but she accepted them. Changing was easy; the pain was manageable. She slipped on the purple ring Aiden had given her, a silent reminder of their connection.

Outside, Doyle’s Mustang roared into the parking structure. Suzi watched as he rushed to open the passenger-side door. The nurse wheeled her out, the cold December air biting at her skin.

“Hey beautiful,” Doyle said to her, donning his salesman smile.

He helped her out of the chair and into the Mustang's passenger seat, shut the door, and rounded the front of the car, performing a half-assed Bo Duke hood slide Suzi wished she had not witnessed. He revved the engine as they left, but surprisingly, no tire-spinning theatrics followed.

“Back in the hospital again, huh? It was a good thing I found you the other day. Who knows what could have happened if you were there alone.”

“This was a different incident. I fell at home.”

“Oh? Maybe you should stay at my place. I can take care of you there.”

“I’ll be fine. Just my apartment, please.”

“The offer stands anytime you’d like, Sweet Cheeks.”

The streets blurred as he sped through Naperville, stopping in front of her apartment. Aiden’s truck was there—back from wherever he’d been.

Doyle parked, ready to perform his chivalrous door-opening routine. But Suzi beat him to it, stepping out before the car fully stopped.

“Thank you, Doyle,” she said to him as she put her feet on the pavement and stood.

“Do you need help? Do you want me to come in?”

“Nope.”

She shut the car door. She never looked back but did not hear him drive away until she hit the front door. At least he was courteous.

Once out of public view, she leaned against the wall, pain radiating through her body. She reached the ancient elevator, the old accordion gate resisting her efforts. She strained to close it—an unseen force preventing her ascension—and sweat dripped down her face. Finally, she emerged onto the third floor, only to freeze in horror, a nightmare unfolding before her.

Her apartment door stood open, revealing chaos within. Discharge paperwork and a bag of body jewelry fell from her hands as she sprinted down the hall, leaving her plastic hospital sandals behind. Pain be damned. Blood-soaked carpet met her knees as she dropped to the floor. Tears streamed down her face.

Ygritte had been shot.