Page 32 of A Raven Reborn

Rosie… what must she be going through right now?

“I proposed to her.” His laugh sounded slightly insane, even to his own ears.

“You what?” Ash barked, his cane slipped from his grasp and clattered to the floor.

Patrick nodded. “Yep.”

“Did she… Did you… Is she… happy?”

A raspy chuckle erupted from Patrick’s throat. “You saw her. Did she look happy?” Patrick slumped in the chair, dropping his forehead into his palms. It was a mark of just how not happy Rosie must have looked that Ash didn’t say another word. He picked up his cane off of the floor and sat back in his chair. Patrick pulled a coin from his pocket. Flipping the metal disc between his fingers helped to calm him. The two of them sat in silence, only broken by the steady ticking of the clock on the mantel and the occasional crack or hiss from the fireplace.

They took it in turns every quarter hour to walk to the bed and check to make sure Finch was still breathing. Shortly after the clock chimed the passing of the third hour, Finch let out a startled gasp. Patrick vaulted out of the chair and placed his hand on Finch’s leg, one of the few places that wasn’t injured.

“No!” Finch lurched sideways, desperately trying to get away.

Ash hurried to the other side, and they pinned him to the bed by his shoulders. “Finch, calm down!” Patrick was filled with a righteous anger at the sight of Finch’s terror.

“P-P-Patrick?” he stuttered.

“Yes, Finch. You’re safe.” Finch slumped back against the bed.

“Where am I? I can’t see.” He let out a gasp of pain when he moved his broken arm.

“Just stay still. You have a lot of healing to do, including your eyes, which are currently swollen shut.”

Finch nodded. “Where am I?” he asked again.

“You’re at Raven House,” Ash said, squeezing Finch’s shoulder. “You’ll be safe and well looked after here.

“Thank you,” he said with another nod.

The words came out as a croak and Patrick motioned for Ash to hand him a glass of water. He held the glass to Finch’s injured lips.

“Here, drink some water.” He did as he was told and Patrick let out a sigh of relief. Finch was a fighter. He would make it through.

“I’m sorry, Patrick. I should have been more careful, like you said.”

“When you’re healed, I will absolutely lecture you for being so careless, but for now, you just need to rest.”

“Yes, my lord,” he whispered, one side of his mouth quirking up just a bit.

Ash barked a laugh and Patrick just shook his head. “You are an impertinent jackass, Finch.”

He smiled then, fresh blood oozing from his cracked lips, but then he sighed and drifted off to sleep.

Ash nodded toward the door and Patrick followed him out of the room. “It looks like he’s going to survive.”

“Did anyone see who did this to him?” Patrick asked.

Ash shook his head. “No one who’s willing to talk.” Patrick’s knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists.

“Look,” Ash said, gripping his shoulder, “There’s nothing more you can do here tonight. Finch will be looked after, and if there are any changes, I’ll send word. You need to go home to Rosie.”

Patrick nodded. Of course he needed to return home, but somehow he was much more terrified of that than of bashing a few skulls together. He breathed in deeply and let out a sigh.

“Why can’t I seem to manage to keep the people around me safe?”

“Perhaps it isn’t your job to keep the world safe.”

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