'Don't worry about it.' Elly patted her shoulder. 'You know how it is after an encounter. You'll be all right in a day or so. That's all that matters.'
Cooper de-rezzed the engine and got off the vehicle. His face was hard and taut. 'Let's get her into the sled.'
'No problem,' Bertha said, sitting up cautiously. She put a hand to her head. 'Got a headache, but that's all that's wrong. Be right as tuned amber tomorrow.'
Cooper helped her to her feet.
'I think you should go to the emergency room,' Elly said.
'No,' Bertha replied. 'No doctors. I'm okay, I tell you. Got some supplies in the sled. Just need to clean up the mess and put a bandage on my head.'
They got Bertha into the back of the sled. Elly climbed in beside her and opened the first-aid kit. She was relieved to see that Bertha's wound, although bloody, was not as bad as she had feared.
Cooper started to get into the driver's seat. She saw him hesitate, and then step down from the vehicle.
He walked swiftly to where the blue vortex had been whirling a few minutes earlier. She watched him lean down to pick up a small, narrow object that was lying on the floor. Sliding it into a pocket, he loped back to the sled.
Before she could ask him what he had found, he was rezzing the engine.
She could question him about whatever it was he had picked up some other time, she thought. Right now she had to focus on cleaning Bertha's wound.
*****
TEN MINUTES LATER, SPORTING THE BANDAGE THAT ELLY had applied over the disinfected wound, Bertha managed to stagger up out of the cellar and into the darkened back room of her shop. She swayed a little, but she stayed on her feet.
'Need to sleep it off,' she mumbled, rubbing her temples with her thumbs.
'If you won't go to the ER, you're going to come home with me,' Elly said firmly. 'I'm not leaving you here by yourself tonight.'
For a few seconds she thought Bertha would refuse.
'Okay, okay,' Bertha finally grumbled.
Cooper rechecked his watch and then draped one of Bertha's arms over his shoulders.
'Let's go,' he ordered, obviously still in full hunter-in-charge mode.
'Whatever,' Bertha said groggily. 'Just need some sleep.'
'You and me, both,' Cooper added.
Elly watched him with growing concern as he maneuvered Bertha outside into the alley and eased her into the front seat of the Spectrum. Elly had not one but two people who were in imminent danger of collapsing on her, she thought. She had to get them both back to her apartment as quickly as possible.
'I'll drive.' She held out her hand, palm up.
'Not necessary,' Cooper growled.
'You are in no shape, and you know it.'
'Your shop's in the next block, right?'
'The keys, Cooper.'
He looked annoyed, but displaying the decisive thinking that had no doubt been responsible for taking him all the way to the top of the Aurora Springs Guild, he handed her the keys.
'Be careful,' he warned. 'The car belongs to a known Guild boss who won't be happy if it gets dinged up.'
'Yeah, I've heard those guys can be real touchy,' Elly said.
She tossed the Spectrum keys into the air. Was she nonchalant in the face of danger, or what?
Unfortunately she missed the catch. The keys clanged on the paving stones.
'Oops,' she mumbled.
Cooper watched her scoop up the keys.
'This will probably be interesting,' he said.
She drove the powerful car very gingerly through the alley. The headlights penetrated only a few feet into the heavy fog. Every trash can was a major hazard.
She made it across the narrow street that separated the blocks and drove cautiously into the alley that ran behind her own shop.
She was sure she heard a deep sigh of relief when she stopped at the rear door of St. Clair's Herbal Emporium and de-rezzed the ignition.
'See?' she said, handing Cooper the keys. 'No problem.'
He pocketed the keys without comment. With Rose hunched on his shoulder, he climbed out of the backseat, opened the passenger door, and reached down to assist Bertha.
Elly de-rezzed the heavy new lock that she had recently installed and opened the back door of the shop. The familiar scents and a pleasant trickle of psi energy wafted over her, soothing and comforting all of her senses.
She rezzed the lights, revealing the ranks of herbs and flowers that hung upside down from the ceiling and filled an array of baskets.
'My apartment is on the floor above the shop,' she said. 'We need to get Bertha up those stairs.'
Bertha grunted. 'I'm not a total invalid here.'
She grasped the handrail and trudged up the steps.
Elly left Cooper standing at the foot of the stairs while she piloted Bertha down a short hall into the darkened bedroom.
Bertha balked in the doorway, scowling ferociously at the neatly made bed.
'This is your room,' she complained.
'Don't worry, I'll sleep on the sofa.'
'Can't take your only bed.'
'Yes, you can and you will,' Elly said. 'Please, Bertha, don't go into stubborn mode on me tonight.'
'Can't.' Bertha lurched into the room and collapsed on top of the bed, eyes closing. 'Feel like a building fell on top of me.'
'I don't doubt it.' Elly tugged off Bertha's heavy boots. 'Do you remember anything at all about what happened?'
'Not much.' Bertha rubbed the nape of her neck. 'Can't think. Maybe in the morning.'
'Do you feel nauseated?'
'No.'
'How many fingers am I holding up?'
Bertha peered at her hand. 'One. G'night.'
She started snoring.
Elly covered her with a spare blanket and left the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Patient number one was under control, she thought. Now to deal with patient number two.
Rose tumbled up the stairs and drifted into the kitchen in search of her food dish.
Elly went to the landing and looked down. Cooper was still standing at the foot of the staircase. It seemed to her that he was gripping the end of the banister much too tightly.
He watched her with stark, hot eyes. An unfamiliar tension radiated from him.
A chill of awareness swept through her.
'Cooper?'
'Remember, don't tell her who I am.'
'Yes, I know.' She wrinkled her nose. 'Guild business.'
'Yeah, and it just got a lot more complicated.'
'What's that supposed to mean?'
'I'll explain in the morning.' The words sounded ragged around the edges. 'Just wanted to make sure you understood how important it is that you don't tell her about the blue.'
