Patient Admission

Beryl was going to check on Lisa, and Erebus, but was stopped at the front desk by a wary nurse. Neither would be accepting visitors at the moment, despite the hour. She agreed to wait in the lobby, but bits of conversation drifed below.

“Wright could find no signs of physical trauma and Kasa found nothing unusual in his blood work.” “It is unlikely Mr. Rookswood could have done this himself.” “What about Cyan’s or another duplicate?” “No, they went with Book’s duplicate to the America’s”

Beryl turned to the nurse with a smile, “On second thought perhaps you would rather have a drink? The ‘Cabbage’ is just across the bridge.”

It wasn’t as easy as that sadly, she wasn’t mad, but before long Beryl was riding up the elevator. Dr. Wright stood with arms crossed and puffing smoke rings at the feline. He blocked her path through the doorway to the patient rooms. Sonnerstein stood beside him in solidarity to block her path, though it appeared Kasa was curious and confused. There were other patients and visitors present as well, Nellie being among them talking to Erebus.

“Hello,” Beryl greeted them wondering what this could be about. Protecting Mr. Rookswood perhaps? “Going to let me pass?”

Erebus called out to know what was happening, but Nellie brought a finger to her lips in answer.

Dr. Sonnerstein cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence, “Good evening, Beryl. Came to see Cyan?”

Beryl masked her shock as every eye turned suspiciously towards her. She slowly flexed her claws and took a quiet breath, she had not thought it would be that bad, “No. I came to see Erebus. Is Cyan here? I lost track after the fool…”

“What fool?” Wright puffed smoke at her his eyes narrowed, “You mean Cyan? Yeah, he’s comatose. You got something to say about that? You seemed to have some inclination at the pub…”

Beryl did not respond immediately, and Doctor Sonnerstein frowned softly, “Do you know anything that might help? We’re a bit at a loss.”

She remained silent as she inspected the others. Kasa was watching quietly, unsure of what to think, Nellie was scrunching her nose. Rayn has emerged from Cyan’s room to look at her with concern in his eyes. Beryl turned back to the doctors, “Can I see him, or are you going to stand in my way?”

“That’s up to you.” Wright said gruffly. Dr. Kristos Sonnerstein raised a brow at Wright in surprise as the wolf moreau continued, “Do you really want to see him, or are you just asking to to keep up appearances? If i remember correctly, the last time you two were in the same room together he ran out in tears.”

“I don’t know.” Beryl thought about it for a moment. She had been shocked, but did she really care what happened to that boy after what he did? She had told him what his order had turned her into and he had scoffed. The feeling in her heart thinking of it was…numb. “If you want to judge and chastise me, I can just leave now.”

Rayn looked up at the others from his lower vantage point, “Let her through…”

Wright looked down to the small fox, and then nodded to the others as he stepped out of the way. The familiar nodded quietly and made her way into Cyan’s room, shutting the door behind herself. He was laying there motionless, breathing shallow and devoid of his spirited energy.

She looked down at him, without the others to see her she lowered her head and watched the boy silently a short time, realizing what had happened last night, that she had pushed him too hard, “This is my fault.”

Everyone was outside the room, but clearly able to hear. “Is there a way to reverse it? Is he okay?”

“No.” Beryl responded to both of them quietly. “He’s in danger…and its my doing.”

“Do you know what happened to him?” Dr. Sonnerstein asked expectantly, while Wright added, “Do you know how to fix it?”

Beryl slowly took the chair beside the lad who had hurt her so badly, and blamed her for it the night before, “I know what happened, but no one can fix this.”

“What makes you so certain?” Dr. Sonnerstein demanded to know. Wright asked sounding more pissed, “So, he’s going to spend the rest of his days as a vegetable?!”

“Because…the fool did this to himself…” Beryl finished sadly as she moved the bangs out of his eyes. Cyan had tried to summon her Tuesday night, to trap her for his own reasons whatever they might have been. He must have borrowed something from Lady Byrne or someone else. A child attempting to master something adults could not in a city where magic went wrong. And now no one could reach him in the prison of his own making with her.