Page 57 of The Harbinger
I placed her butt on the table that slid into the machine. Her fingers clenched tight in her lap.
“It’s not her.”
My gaze snapped to his, then to the girl sitting before me, her large doe-eyes wide, her brows pressed together as we excluded her from the conversation.
Well, isn’t this a turn of events?
“Do it, then
Chapter 14
Mia
Theirconversationcontinuedasmy heart thumped in my chest like a train on a rickety bridge, ready to plummet the moment the pin fell. I wrung my tight fists in my lap as he stepped closer, his knee pressed between my knees, my hospital gown wrinkling up my thighs. Warmth seeped through the cracks of my fear and worry until a short-lived flood hit my belly.
His touch was the only thing that could ease my fear to a crescendo or nosedive.
Sacha placed his hand on his hip, his stoic features impossible to read.
Dr. Sergei must be filling him in on what happened.
It wasn’t my fault, really. Dr. Sergei had walked me through everything, including placing my head in a plastic contraption meant to keep me steady, but then he grabbed my wrist and strapped it to my side with a soft cloth.
The bright room bled away, and Dr. Sergei became my captor, his hands working to fasten my weakened body down, my protests going unnoticed. I’d tossed the contraption off my head without thinking and dove into his coat pocket, where his ceramic scissors peeked out. The next thing I remembered was Sacha’s voice calling my name through the thick haze.
“Lie back. You’ll finish your scan.”
My gaze cut to his, his hand falling to my shoulder.
“But…”
He moved his hand to my chin and cupped it. “Do as you’re told. You’ve caused enough problems for one day.”
My cheeks flamed, red hot and searing as a tear rolled down my cheek. I looked away, pulling my chin from his grasp, unable to witness the disappointment swallowing up his brown eyes. He tucked his hand under my knees and spun my butt on the table until my feet were level with me. I swallowed the asteroid-sized lump in my throat as I leaned back.
Please change your mind.
My head hit the space between the U-shape barrel. My stomach churned with unease as my nerves rebelled, contorting my gut into uncomfortable convulsions. My legs trembled as I gripped my hands across my belly.
Sacha stood over me and wrapped his hand around my wrist, his two fingers pinching the pulse beside the delicate bones.
“No need to be worried.” Dr. Sergei patted me on the shoulder, then placed the cage back over my head and snapped it into place. “Listen to my voice and answer the questions. It won’t take long.” His hand slid off my shoulder.
Dr. Sergei walked away with a slight limp I hadn’t noticed before. My gaze slid back to Sacha. “Don’t leave me.”
My chin trembled as I begged this man to show me some of the humanity he did moments ago, to give me hope that his glimpse of kindness wasn’t a fluke. Instead, he pressed his fingers deeper into my pulse point, then released.
“Be still and answer the questions.” His hand slid away from my wrist, then he walked away, tucking his hand into his pocket.
The vice squeezing my chest compressed, and the air escaping my lungs wheezed.
“I’ll ask you a series of questions.” Dr. Sergei said over the intercom. “Answer to the best of your recollection.”
“Okay.” I sniffled, tucked my hand under the cage, and then wiped my tears as the bed moved back into the small opening.
“It’s going to be loud.”
The machine started with a high-pitched beeping with varying decibels, transforming in intensity, speed, and variation. Knocks and popping vibrated through my chest, my fingers interlocking to stop from reaching out into the narrow tube.