Serve and Protect

Chapter 40

[CONTENT WARNING: This chapter contains scenes depicting the symptoms of drug withdrawal. Please take care while reading.]

The mood in the Brightmoon home was tense. After four cups of tea were poured, Adora and the others settled around the dining room table and sipped from their mugs in silence. Had Adora been any less preoccupied, she would have found it strange to be sitting across from Scorpia. But the only thing on Adora's mind at that moment was Catra. Not knowing what was happening behind that bedroom door was eating Adora alive from the inside out. Her knee bounced anxiously as she eyed the clock on the wall and agonized over every passing minute.

When their cups were almost empty, Scorpia cleared her throat. The Best Friends Squad looked at her with expressions that varied from surprise to expectant.

"So," Scorpia ventured as her gaze darted furtively to Glimmer, "is that doctor lady related to you or something?"

Glimmer raised an eyebrow at her. "I thought you said you've been spying on us — shouldn't you know that already?"

Blushing, Scorpia let out a nervous laugh. "It's not like we had your place bugged or anything. We just had a few stakeouts, y'know? To be honest, we didn't even do it that often."

We. Adora imagined Catra sitting with Scorpia, watching the house from a car down the street for hours on end. It certainly sounded like something Catra would do. Adora wondered how often Catra had been out there, watching her in secret. She wondered what went through Catra's mind every time she saw her.

"That doesn't make it any less creepy," Glimmer told Scorpia. "But if you must know, Castaspella is my aunt. She's the head of psychiatry at Mystacor Memorial."

Scorpia's face fell. "She's a shrink? I thought she was a doctor! Will she even know how to—"

"Will you relax?" Glimmer rolled her eyes. "Psychiatrists go to medical school. And thanks to the Runestone epidemic, she has the same overdose intervention training as everyone else at the hospital. Trust me, she knows what she's doing."

"Okay, good. I'm glad..." Scorpia chewed her bottom lip and drummed her fingertips along the outside of her mug. "Does it normally take this long though?"

Adora was wondering the same thing but was too afraid to ask. She turned to Glimmer, but judging by her friend's irritated glare and deep frown, Adora didn't think any of them were going to get an answer. Perhaps Bow sensed the impending meltdown, because he changed the subject.

"Does the gang know where you are?" he asked. "We're not in any danger with you here, are we?"

"Oh, no!" Scorpia waved her hands and shook her head, looking distressed. "Nobody knows we're here."

As if on cue, the doorbell rang. The sound was so unexpected that it made everyone in the small group jump.

"What now?" Glimmer growled as she rose from her seat. From down the hall, Adora heard the master bedroom door open.

"Get that!" Castaspella shouted before slamming it shut again.

Confused, Adora and the others dashed to the front door for the second time that night. This time it was Perfuma they found waiting for them on the steps. Her cloud of blonde hair was pulled back in a messy braid and her eyes were heavy with fatigue. In her hands she clutched a medical transport container.

"Do I want to know why Dr. Brightmoon needed an I.V. kit delivered in the middle of the night?" Perfuma asked, doing very little to hide how annoyed she was to be there.

Before anyone could answer, the bedroom door creaked open again. "Bring it here, Perfuma!" Castaspella bellowed from down the hall. "Quickly!"

Perfuma cast a startled look at everyone before hurrying away to complete her task. Adora followed her like a lost puppy, hoping to get an update or even catch a glimpse of Catra. But Castaspella was ready for her, and she shut Adora out of the room without so much as a word of acknowledgement.