Curtain Call (The Jewel Project #7)

28. Death and Destruction

Sometimes, he could avoid the nightmares, but even then, they seemed to be lurking on the edge of his consciousness, especially when he was on the verge of waking up.

And if he was lucky, the dreams would morph into Kay. Seeing her, even inside his head, helped him heal faster than all the sleep and medicine in the world. It hurt, but it was bliss at the same time.

"You can do this. All you have to do is keep going."

He knew she was right. "I'll get back to you. And I promise I'll make up for all the time I wasn't there for you, for all the pain." Empty words, but it was all he had.

He would keep this promise. If only he could...

A sharp scream jolted Kyle awake. Groggy and still confused, he quickly searched the surroundings for any danger. He'd become so proficient at it, he could tell everything was fine from just one sweep of the ground. No reptiles, insects or animals. No strangers bursting into camp, brandishing weapons.

It was just him and Snitch Gravel. Except the latter had dropped to the ground on the other side of the still roaring camp fire, clutching his head in his hands.

Kyle rolled out of the cot. It was still dark, but he felt alert and rested which was an obvious improvement.

Snitch Gravel let out another strangled scream and Kyle hurried over and knelt next to him. He wasn't bleeding and he didn't look hurt. But Kyle wasn't fooled. It was the third time he was witnessing this.

"Migraines again?" he asked, looking around for Snitch Gravel's luggage.

He didn't answer, just gritted his teeth together and pressed his hands harder against his temples. The answer was obvious and sent Kyle's heart into a convulsive dance. Because if it was migraines, there was one more thing he was painfully aware of. Snitch Gravel was out of medicine.

"Come on, try to breathe," he said. What the hell else could he do for splitting headaches? "Do you have anything else that helps?"

Water. Coffee. Knocking him out?

Snitch Gravel wasn't helping. His eyes were shut tight and Kyle wondered if he could actually hear him.

"Let's try drinking some water." He grabbed a nearby bottle and snuck his arm under Snitch Gravel's shoulders to lift him a little.

The scream he let out had Kyle dropping him immediately. Tears streamed out of the corners of Snitch Gravel's eyes as he gave up on trying not to scream.

"It's okay, it's okay," Kyle said though he had no idea why he was saying. It was obviously not okay and he wondered if Snitch Gravel would pass out or if his head would explode.

He felt so helpless, just like he used to feel when Jenny and Alex were babies and had colic and there was nothing he could do to ease their pain. Back then, all he had was singing and rubbing their backs.

Snitch Gravel moaned and hugged his knees to his chest.

Kyle put his hand on his back and closed his eyes. He could practically feel the pain radiating through his palm. It did nothing to ease his panic. But what could he do? Except...

He took in a deep breath. "Hush little baby, you'll be alright. You're gonna make it through the night. Even if it hurts, it won't be forever, I promise things will soon get better."

He opened his eyes once Snitch Gravel moved. He turned over, glaring at Kyle, his jaw trembling from the pain. There was confusion and disgust there, visible even through the agony.