Page 13 of Artifacts

Chapter Six

Spending even one night in the hospital was not going to happen. Aldric flat-out refused, despite how bad he was feeling. “I must have already racked up thousands of dollars in debt!”

Elliot frowned. “Your insurance will cover most of it. We have an excellent plan. Workman’s Comp is also going to be involved since you were hurt on the job. You won’t have to pay anything. You’re staying until they release you, then you’ll come home with me until the doctor gives you an all-clear to be by yourself.”

Aldric tried not to pout. His emotions were all over the place, which wasn’t usual for him. He’d been on the verge of tears more than once since coming to the hospital.

“Hmm. You don’t seem too keen on that. Do you have family or friends to go stay with?” Elliot scrutinized him. “Friends other than myself you’d prefer to let assist you?”

His cheeks burning hot with embarrassment, Aldric couldn’t look at Elliot. He took off his glasses and studied the new chip in the frame, courtesy of the alley’s concrete. “No.”

“Then you’ll stay with me. I’ll go to your place and grab some clothes. Is there anything specific you want me to get from your apartment?” Elliot asked.

“No.” Aldric looked down at his chest. No, he didn’t want Elliot, his wealthy, cultured boss, seeing the crappy place he lived in. Not that Elliot would belittle him for it, or say anything about it, probably, but he’d see it, and look at Aldric, and… Aldric gave up trying to sort through all the ways in which Elliot would react to both the decrepit studio apartment above a garage and to Aldric afterward.

“Or I can stop by Target and get you a few things on the way to my home,” Elliot said after a moment. “That might be better.”

Aldric would need more clothes, and toiletries, if he were staying anywhere other than his own home. He was torn between telling Elliot not to buy him anything, because he hadn’t budgeted for it and couldn’t afford it, and relief at knowing that if he agreed to the purchases, Elliot wouldn’t see his place.

“I’ll drop by Target, and you are not to worry. We’ll work out a payment arrangement for anything I pick up for you, unless it’s something you hate and want to return, of course.” Elliot stood and stretched.

That he’d be staying at Elliot’s belatedly registered with Aldric. A guest in someone’s house? And him injured, probably needing care or help or… Worry bubbled up, chased by anxiety, both of them making his head throb more. He put a hand to it.

Elliot followed the movement of Aldric’s hand, and his lips thinned. “I’m sorry you were hurt, Aldric. That shouldn’t have happened. I’ll be contacting the alarm company about installing cameras and ensuring we have the best security services available. Oh, and here comes Jonas to check on you too. I struck gold, hiring you both.”

Aldric wasn’t sure about that, not in regard to himself. He closed his eyes and remembered the article he’d read on self-confidence. Insulting himself wasn’t going to make him smarter or more successful. He couldn’t afford to go to college yet, but hecouldbecome a better person in many ways as long as he tried. To that end, he’d been researching some of the issues he knew he had, and he’d realized he didn’t have to be unseen, someone who barely survived. He had value. For some reason, an image of that police officer flashed in his head, the man’s short dark brown hair and dark eyes as clear as day. What color had they been? A kind of brown?

“Aldric?”

Aldric blinked, then blinked again as he tried to focus. Jonas was standing beside the hospital bed. A wrinkle marred his brow, making him appear older than usual.

“You drifted off.” Jonas’ frown deepened and he looked at Elliot.

“I imagine his injury has a lot to do with that,” Elliot said.

“How do you feel?” Jonas asked.

Aldric tried to focus. “My head hurts,” was the best he could manage.

Jonas sat in Elliot’s chair by the bed. “Elliot told me what happened. It’s very strange. I checked the shop as he asked me to. Nothing was missing from it. The police finished up there while I was doing a quick inventory. I don’t know exactly what was in the box of stuff you were carrying, but none of it survived.” He winced. “I don’t know why someone would do that—attack you, break your things and leave.”

“The guys who found me might have scared the person off,” Aldric said. His head pounded and he bit back a moan.

“And on top of that, some Neanderthal of a police officer was rude to him,” Elliot told Jonas.

“No!” Jonas indicated Aldric where he lay in a hospital bed, no doubt pale and pathetic-looking.

“Yes.” Elliot thinned his lips. “He was a real brute.”

“He…” Aldric didn’t know what he was going to say. “Was probably having a bad day.” He tried a shrug, or as much of one as he could manage without making his head move too much.

“I was, but that’s no excuse.”

Aldric jumped, then groaned. The jarring had hurt. He wasn’t hallucinating, was he? That guy, that cop—all crew cut and piercing gaze—from the alley was here, in the hospital room, speaking to him. He snuck glances at Elliot and Jonas to check if they saw and heard him too.

“Officer?” Elliot, his normally placid face taking on some of the anger it had at the scene of the crime, got between the man and Aldric. Jonas sprang to his feet and joined the human barrier too. “Why are you here? Do you have more questions for Aldric? Because if so, what I said earlier stands—you should ask them through my lawyer, who—”

“No.” The cop’s upraised hand cut Elliot off. “I…”

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