“Greer, please don’t … Jessie, stop him, please … He’ll die.”
Logan jumped off the bed, running at Greer and pummeling him on his waist. “Stop it! Stop it! You’re making my dad cry!”
Instead of pushing him, Greer bent down to Logan. “I don’t want to make your pa cry, boy. I’m trying to save his life. None of us want to lose him. Trust me … Please … God, both of you, trust me.”
Crying, Logan ran to Holly’s arms.
Dustin’s head fell back to the pillow. Turning it, he stared up at Greer fatalistically. Greer was an unstoppable force when he set his mind on something. This was what he had tried so hard to prevent.
“Trust me, Dustin. If it takes too much, I’ll stop. It’s not like I can’t cut it off if it takes too much out of me.”
“You’re not going to listen to me anyway, are you?”
“No.” Greer reach for Ema. “Give her to me. I can’t concentrate with that screaming.”
“Greer ….” Cash and Rachel spoke at the same time.
“I know what I’m doing. I wouldn’t do anything that would hurt Ema.” He stubbornly held his hands out for Ema. “Rachel, you know.”
Rachel nodded, bringing her hand to her belly. “Dustin told me in his letter it was a boy. He gave me the picture that Logan had drawn.”
Greer sat a still struggling Ema down on Dustin’s bed.
Scooting over, Ema lay back down next to him. “My Dusty.”
Greer sat down on the bed by his side. “Why is he your Dusty?” he asked.
Ema took her thumb out of her mouth. “I have to fix him. His head hurts.”
“How do you know?”
Ema shrugged, putting her thumb back in her mouth.
“Can I help?”
The thumb came back out. “No! My Dusty.” Back in it went.
“If this is what I’ve got to look forward to, we’re only having one,” Tate said as he sat down at the end of the bed.
“You all making yourselves comfortable?” Dustin looked down at his brothers.
“Yes, it’s a hell of a lot better than being in the waiting room crying.”
Dustin felt ashamed that he wasn’t doing his part. Once he died, he wouldn’t be in pain any longer, but his family was going to be left with the pain of his memory.
Dustin felt Jessie take his hand. If he died, sooner or later, she would find love again. Another man would be the father of her child.
The last night he had spent with her, he had imagined her pregnant with his child, their baby nursing at her breast. He could let that be the last memory of them together when he died, or he could let Greer help.
Dustin could tell that Greer was watching Ema, who was curled up against him.
Slowly, Greer reached out to touch his arm. Ema swatted it away.
Greer stood up, going to the head of the bed and laying his hand on top of Dustin’s head. Ema got onto her knees, reaching out and swatting his hand again.
“Let me help, Ema.”
“No! My Dusty!” Ema stood on the bed, grabbing Greer’s wrist. “No!” Ema held Greer’s hand to her side and laid her other one by his head. “My Dusty!”
“Oh God …” Rachel gave a laughing cry of understanding. “I understand what she’s trying to do. She’s doing what you and I do.”
Greer turned his hand to grip Ema’s. “I guess I’m not the big hoss in town anymore.”
“What does that mean?” Jessie asked.
“I’ve always been the stronger one between me and Rachel. When I heal, Rachel feeds me her strength. We combine it.”
“Is it working?”
Dustin felt something changing, but he couldn’t explain it to Jessie. He turned to look at her, seeing the beginning of hope in her eyes.
He looked around at Sutton, Holly, Logan, Drake, Bliss, Rach ….
He started to feel the beginning of something … until the dark figure came through the closed door.
“No!” Dustin screamed in his head. “No! Not yet! I don’t want to go!”
He wildly looked around the room, seeing their eyes turning to horror, but they weren’t staring at the dark figure approaching the bed. They were staring at him.
38
The pain bursting in his head wouldn’t allow him to see. Where was he? His screams reverberated against the walls of his mind.
This darkness was different than he had ever experienced before. Before, it was like he was floating. This time, it was as if he was in a locked room.
Putting his hands out, he found that he could move. He took several steps forward before he came across something that stopped him. Sliding his hands sideways, he skimmed along the dark wall, moving sideways as if he were in a circular room. When his hand touched something new, he had to think for a second before he realized what it was.
He was afraid to open the door. And afraid not to.