The Deathless Trilogy

3.20. Tempest

Joe is in the wheelchair I sat in my first day on the Immortal. He looks like he is leaning back, with his head falling lazily to his shoulder, but I know it's because of the trauma to his brain. Joe has lost most of his motor function control. Even when he sees me and smiles, only one side of his face lifts. I can't bring myself to smile back.

"Good to see you again," he croaks. His voice is dry from disuse.

I strain for the right words to say. "How are you feeling?" I ask.

I immediately scold myself for the question. Of course he's not feeling well, I think. But then Joe replies, "Alive and real. I'm glad to be out of the computer. I never thought I'd see real faces again."

Dr. Guzman wheels him back to his hospital bed, and two nurses help the doctor lift Joe back onto the mattress.

"He'll have to go through intensive physical therapy," Dr. Guzman says, folding the chair and propping it against the wall beside Joe's bed. "And he may never regain full range of motion in his face, but like he said, he's alive."

Just then Winston bursts into the room in a flurry of tears. "Phoebe," he calls as he rushes to her side. A nurse is checking her eyesight by asking her to follow a light she's shining into her eyes. She hasn't said anything to me yet, but her voice comes alive with Winston's name. She flings her arms open to embrace him, and knocks the nurse away in the process. Winston falls into Phoebe's arms, and they grip each other as if they're trying to make sure this is reality. Then again, maybe they are. I wouldn't blame them.

The nurse walks past me smiling. "I'll finish testing later," she says.

My eyes fill with tears as I watch Phoebe and Winston's reunion. They once plotted to make me into a martyr, so I shouldn't care about them. But we all went through so much together that I can't justify feeling angry or resentful toward them now. Unlike Declan, Eleanor, and Ian if he's still alive, at least Winston and Phoebe can be with the person they love. Everyone deserves a fair chance to live, but they also deserve a fair chance to love. Holding onto my anger towards them isn't fair. Not now.

"I waited here every day," Winston says when he finally comes up for air. "I knew you would come back."

Phoebe starts to speak, but her voice is raw. She clears her throat, and says, though barely audible, "You always waited for me." She smiles, and then meets my eyes. Her smile fades. "Isla," she strains to say. "Come here."

I walk toward her, and though Winston appears hurt, he moves to make space for me on Phoebe's bed. I take a seat beside her. "Hey Phoebe," I say. "I'm glad to see you awake."

"I have a few things to say," she says. Always business with her. "First, I saw what Gunther put in your mind, and I just did my best to help Ian."

She doesn't say anything else, so I thank her. She nods.

"Second... I was wrong about you. You have always been loyal to the Deathless. Thank you for taking care of all of us." She looks at Winston after she's said this, and he pulls her hand to his lips for a kiss.

"Sure," I say.

"Third... we are going to destroy Gunther Quail, but it may mean more loss." She waits for me to process this statement, and it takes me a second, but I understand what she's trying to tell me: Ian is likely going to die if he hasn't already.

"Okay," I say.

"Are you sure you're stable enough to fight? I'm not asking to be condescending. I'm asking, because I saw what Gunther has been putting you through. It's perfectly fine if you need some time to make sure you're okay."