Page 59 of Bones
—“drink something. C’mon, Bones.”
Mac’s angry face came into focus. He always seemed angry when he looked at me.
“Bones,” he said sharply, “try to drink.”
I realized I was lying on my mattress in the clinic. Mac's hand slid under my neck, lifting my head as he brought a mug of water toward my lips. I managed to get a few swallows of water down. Daylight streamed through the windows of the clinic. My throat and lungs burned as though I'd inhaled a shit ton of smoke?—
I stiffened in horror, my eyes snapping up to Mac’s face. “Did she die?” My voice came out raspy.
Mac lowered my head and removed his hand from the back of my neck, seeming to hesitate as he stared at me with those dark grey eyes. I squeezed my eyes shut as they flooded with tears, already knowing the answer.
“It’s not your fault,” I thought I heard Mac say, but I must have been dreaming because itwasmy fault.
“No.” Mac’s voice came out even sharper, startling my eyes back open. “You saved thirty-six people, Bones. You healed until you fuckin’ passed out. You did everythin’ you could.”
“She was just a kid,” I choked out.
“You did everythin’ you could,” he repeated, and he sounded like he believed that.
He had a bandage wrapped around his forearm. I reached out, intending to wrap my shaking fingers around it, but he grabbed my wrist and yanked my hand away. My eyes shot back up to his face.
“No.” he snapped, glaring down at me.
Tears started rolling down my face, and the angry lines of his face softened to confusion.
“What’s—” he started to say, but words bubbled out of me.
“Please let me heal you,” I sobbed. “Please. I know you don’t like me, but I gotta…I gotta…let me dosomethin’,please?—”
“Bones!” His voice was a quiet command as he leaned in, holding my gaze. “You need to rest. It’s just a small burn.” He hesitated for a moment, and I felt his thumb ghost over the inside of my wrist. “And I don’t dislike you. I just don’t want you to burn out again.”
The clinic door opened and shut, and Mac released my wrist and moved, his form blurring as the room spun. My tears trailed off as I shivered. My fingers fumbled for my blanket, but I couldn't find it, and then warm hands wrapped around mine.
“I know you’re cold,” a gentle voice said next to me, “but we gotta bring your fever down.”
I squinted to see Trey kneeling next to me, his eyes soft and concerned.
“Why are…what…what?—”
I paused, trying to remember what I’d been about to ask. I focused on his face and suddenly realized he wassafe. Tears filled my eyes again as relief overwhelmed me.
“You’re ok,” I whispered.
He smiled, his eyes warming. “I’m ok.”
“You scared me,” I mumbled, my eyes drifting closed. “I didn’t see you.”
“You worryin’ about me now?” he asked, his gentle voice teasing.
“Yes,” I replied, exhaustion crashing over me.
“I’m alright, Bones,” he murmured.
I couldn’t decipher the intense emotion in his voice. I wanted to open my eyes to see his expression, but my eyelids were too heavy.
“Don’t leave,” I tried to say, but shivers violently wracked my body.
A gentle hand smoothed my hair back from my sticky, sweaty face. "I'm not goin' anywhere, darlin'."
