Free Precipice (Tribe 2) by Audrina Cole Page B

open.  “You came to the hospital Thursday night?”
    “Yes,” I replied, my voice shaking.  He’s looking at me!  He’s talking to me!   I took a deep breath.  “He said you didn’t want me anywhere near you or your mother.  I begged him to just tell you I was there.  He went in the room, and didn’t come out for a long time.  When he did, he said you didn’t want to see me.”  I looked at Kline, and I sensed instantly the man had lied.  I didn’t know how I’d missed it that night—probably because I was so shaken, worried that Alex might hate me. 
    “I never saw this man before today, though I recognize his name.  He’s the doctor who called me.  But I never saw him that night, and I never knew you were there, Ember,” Alex said.  He glared at Kline, and I sensed his fury rise again. 
    Is that the reason why he’s so angry?  Was he dragged in here by Kline, rather than having turned me in on his own?  Is this entirely Kline’s doing?
    “So now you know,” Kline said.  “I was there.  I went in the room.  You were behind the curtain pulled around your mother’s bed.  You never saw me, but I heard every word you said.”  He steepled his fingers under his chin.  “Tell us what you told your mother, as she lay in her hospital bed.  Tell us all about Ember’s ability to heal.”
    My mouth dropped open, and Alex threw a warning glance my way.  I snapped my mouth shut.
    “Ember’s what?” Alex burst into laughter.  “You’re joking, right?”
    “Do I look like I’m joking?  I heard about it all—how she healed you of your cancer, how you begged her to heal your mother.  And how you regretted it, because you found out Ember was some kind of a monster…”
    My stomach soured.  Had he spoken of the blood?  Please, don’t let him have mentioned the blood…
    “Sir, I’m afraid you’re very mistaken,” Alex snapped.  “Maybe you were tired, coming off a long shift.  Or maybe you were self-prescribing?” He raised an eyebrow.  “The only thing you could have overheard was my distress over my mother’s condition, and yes, I may have mentioned Ember.  I don’t know that I used the word monster , but I was really mad at the time.  I said a lot of things to my mother, and to myself, as I sat there, worrying about my mom.  I was just angry at Ember.  I still am,” he shot me a look, “for something personal that happened between us.  But just because a guy blows off steam doesn’t mean his girlfriend is some kind of freak.  It just means he’s pissed at her.”
    Girlfriend?  Did he just say girlfriend?  Was it possible he still cared for me?  Or was he being nice, and trying to protect my family?   I pushed the thoughts away, trying to focus on Alex’s words.  I could sense his fear returning, and it mixed with my own dread…and I realized he was afraid for me, not of me.
    He was my last hope of escaping.  If he couldn’t talk his way out of Kline’s accusations, I’d never see the light of day again.
    “Don’t try that with me, young man.  I know what I heard.”  Kline turned to Sergeant Major Weston.  “He described all the details of his healing—from the changes that occurred, to the latest scans taken which confirmed the remission of his cancer.  I was there to overhear every word…and these medical records are proof!”  Kline stabbed at the file with his index finger.
    Weston, who had watched the exchange with increasing doubt, furrowed his brow.  “The boy says it isn’t true…and I’m beginning to wonder if this isn’t some desperate bid for greater funding, Kline.”
    “That’s preposterous—”
    “Don’t think I don’t know that you’re looking for more federal grants for your research.  You may have it in good with the board members of the National Institute of Health—which is the only reason Major General Colton sent me here to investigate—but as far as I’m concerned, this looks like a big waste of my