Page 136 of Fangs
I gathered her up in my arms and stood, holding her tightly as she sobbed into my shoulder. Lee moved silently to my side and put an arm around my waist, helping support me. It made me feel even shakier, tears sliding down my face. How many tears did I have to cry before they finally dried up?
After a while, Apple raised her head and noticed Lee, her body tensing.
“Hi,” Lee said, his voice gentle and playful. “I’m Lee, and you must be the Queen of the Vault.”
“I’m not the queen,” she said, her little voice hoarse.
Lee clutched his chest and gasped. “You’re not?”
She giggled a little, resting her cheek on my shoulder, one hand absentmindedly playing with my hair as Lee reenacted pulling out a pretend map and asking Apple silly questions about castles and dragons until she was giggling too hard to speak.
“You want to come to the clinic with me?” I asked Apple as Lee folded up his invisible map.
“Yes,” she chirped. “Wolverine has your broth.”
A startled laugh escaped me. “You mean Wolf?”
She grinned. “That’s what I said!”
Lee grinned wickedly. “Well, we don’t want to keep Wolverine waiting.”
When we arrived, Wolverine, Kai, and Sable were installing my new window. Sam and Scar stood off to the side talking, and Sam’s entire face was lit up in a way I hadn’t seen for a long time. I brought Apple inside the clinic and then stopped in my tracks. The new window faced south, and the sun wasbeaminginside. I didn’t think one window would make that much difference, but the clinic felt warmer and homier.
“Wow,” Apple breathed.
I stepped into the middle of the light pouring through the window. The sun warmed my face, and tears filled my eyes again. I’d never see Trey’s sunshine smile warm the clinic again, but I would think of him every time the rays shone inside like this.
Apple suddenly wrapped her arms tighter around my neck and pressed a sloppy kiss to my cheek. I turned to look at her, startled.
“What was that for?” I asked, trying to muster a smile.
She gazed back, solemn again. “Cause I love you, and you looked sad.”
My chest ached but with a surprising softness alongside the sharp pain. I set her on the counter to give my arms a break but stayed right there.
“I should’ve told you this months ago, but I’m so sorry I didn’t stop Zip from hittin’ you.” The words tumbled from my mouth, and her eyes widened. “I should’ve protected you from him better, and I never should’ve yelled at you like that. I didn’t mean any of it. I was just… just so scared he was gonna hurt you even worse.” My voice wobbled. “I knew Zip wasn’t a good person, and I never should’ve stayed with him. But that’s on me. You’re not responsible for me, okay? I’d never forgive myself if somethin’ happened to you ’cause I… I love you, too.”
She watched me with those huge, serious eyes, but when I reached the last part, her entire face lit up, and she threw her arms around me again.
“I forgive you,” she said, so sweet and innocent, which only made me cry harder.
After a few seconds, I forcefully choked my tears back as she released me and took a shaky breath. I needed a mindless distraction. I ran my hand over the counter and frowned at the layer of sawdust from the window installation coating my palm.
“I’ll get the broom!” Apple said with a grin.
As the day progressed, I became more nervous about seeing Lana again. Wolf and his pack prowled restlessly around the clinic, muttering to each other. Apple stayed for most of the day, chattering at me or Sam. It was late afternoon when we finally heard the rovers approaching.
“You ready?” Sam asked in a low voice.
I nodded, chewing on my cheek, and we walked toward the main gate. Unsurprisingly, Wolf and his entire crew followed along. When we neared, a single rover was just pulling in. Mac was driving, and his eyes immediately found me. He parked but didn’t get out. Nemo approached and spoke to him. Sam and I started moving closer, and fear gripped my lungs. Where were the others?
Nemo met my eyes and beckoned to me. I picked up my pace.
“Lana and the others are outside the hold. They didn’t want to bring her in here while she was still ill just in case she’s contagious,” Nemo said, and the relief made me shaky. “Mac can bring you to her to heal, and then you can all come back in.”
I nodded, already climbing into the rover, but as I sat, I glimpsed Wolf and Lee striding forward, their faces dark.
“Sam, can you?—”
