When the Dead Speak, Bailey Bradford [new ebook reader .TXT] 📗

head, then stopped so suddenly Laine blinked in surprise. It—Conner—vanished in the split second Laine had blinked his eyes. Laine’s legs gave out and he scrambled across the floor to the too-still man he’d stormed out on hours ago. He’d barely reached Severo and found his pulse when the paramedics came through the door.

* * * *

He was dying. Sev knew it, and he was too frightened to open his eyes. The way his body was being rocked with painful spasms, the pricks of fire that shot up from his fingers and toes, and the damned ghosts that were pounding at his brain and trying to make him listen… Yep, he was dying and already spiraling down to Hell—feet first, if the agonizing heat in them was any indication. He’d always been terrified that he’d lose the ability to block out the ghosts when he needed or wanted to, much like when he’d first developed his ability. That had been a terrifying and humiliating point in his adolescence. Now it was happening again and Sev felt like his head was going to burst with the pressure from dozens of supernatural voices screaming for his attention.

A ghostly voice screeched in his head, the equivalent of nails digging into his temples, and Sev screamed, trying to push himself up, stop his fall. The pain and need to flee from the tormenting voices spurred him to pry his eyes open. Sev slowly comprehended that he was in a hospital. Panic speared through him and he tried to sit up. Big, warm hands pressed him down, and even though his vision was blurry and his senses disoriented, Sev was aware enough to know who was touching him. Laine’s voice was as warm as his hands, and Sev wished he could make out the words the man was uttering.

If he could just get the damned voices of the dead out of his head… Sev tried to concentrate on pushing the voices out, visualizing a burst of wind carrying them away. He pictured building a wall to block them, gray cinderblocks stacked tightly, keeping his mind safe. The whole thing only took minutes, but Sev hadn’t had to resort to such basic measures for years and doing so now taxed him and left him feeling drained.

Unsure of how long his cinderblock fortress would hold, Sev looked at Laine and resorted to pleading. “Get me out of here. I can’t be here!” Sev tried to get his arms to move and clumsily grabbed at Laine.

Laine’s dark eyebrows knitted together and his mouth tipped down. “Severo, you damn near froze to death. I don’t know why…” Laine swallowed audibly, pain dulling his eyes. “Are you sure that was Conner?”

Sev knew it without a doubt, but he needed away from this place full of misery and death. Hands clinging to the sheriff’s arms, Sev tried to pull himself up, fingers digging in to Laine’s flesh as another shudder racked Sev’s body. “Laine, do you have any idea how many people have died here? How many voices there are trying to…trying to make me listen? I can’t be here!”

“Shit.” Laine’s eyes widened with shock. “I didn’t think about that. I haven’t felt anything at all.”

Sev clenched his jaw and tried to keep his teeth from chattering. “B-because they a-are a-a-ll swarming me! Look, Laine. Really look!”

In an instant, Laine stiffened and paled. His eyes darted around the room nervously and a startled sound slipped past his lips. “Jesus Christ, how come I didn’t feel them like—like before?”

“They weren’t trying to get your attention, but they might now that you’ve acknowledged them. Laine, please.” Sev’s eyes were burning with tears he wouldn’t shed. It was bad enough that he was begging. Tears would make his humiliation complete.

Laine’s hat started to slip from the chair where he’d set it. He pulled away from Sev and grabbed his Stetson, cursing soundly. “Let’s get your clothes.”

“No, can’t we just go? I don’t care if I moon everybody in this freaking hospital!” Sev was already pushing himself from the bed, hoping his trembling legs would hold him. A nurse rushed in, clucking like a hen, glaring at Sev and then Laine.

“What do you think you’re doing, Sheriff?” She reached for Sev before he could set his feet on the cold tile floor. “And you, you need to lay back and rest!”

“Lynn, let him go,” Laine said in a tone that brooked no argument. “He can’t stay here. Got a phobia of hospitals.”

Sev dropped all pretenses and let the desperation he was feeling show clearly.

Nurse Lynn wasn’t satisfied. “Well then, I can have Dr. Hunter give him a little something—”

“No!” Sev twisted away from the nurse and swung his legs over the side. His knees refused to lock and he started forward, trying to bring his arms around to stop his fall. Laine caught him before Sev could tip more than a few inches, holding him steady much as the man had done this morning. That made Sev think of what followed right after, and he didn’t bother to censor the desire he felt as he met Laine’s steady gaze. The need he saw in those cool gray eyes calmed something inside Sev.

“See? He can’t even stand up, much less walk out of here!” Nurse Lynn shook her finger at Laine. “You need to leave him here!”

Laine helped Sev to the chair and pushed him down gently before turning to the nurse. “No, you need to get the man a wheelchair before I decide to carry him out of here. You can’t make him stay, so get me a damned wheelchair for him.”

“Well, I have never—” Nurse Lynn’s face was red, anger bringing an unpleasant flush to her already mottled skin. A voice behind her had Sev snapping his head around.

“Sheriff Stenley is correct, Lynn. We can’t make the man stay, and he isn’t in any danger, really.” A thin, older woman approached Sev. “Go get the wheelchair like the sheriff asked—and bring me