Read The Siege for Free Online Page B

She burst into tears.  Cid had tried to comfort her in his awkward way.
    “I called your mother and father.  They’ll be here soon,” he told her.
    “It’s so late.”
    “Your dad insisted.  I called Matt too. I hope you don’t mind.  I found his number on your phone,” Cid explained.
    Audrey briefly wondered how Cid got beyond the password but pushed it away, grateful for his interference.  “Thank you.  I’m sorry for the tears, but I’m so tired…”
    “You’ve been burning it at both ends, haven’t you?” Cid guessed.
    “Yes.  I’m halfway through an evaluation for the old cereal factory.  The community wants to buy it and convert it into a youth center.”
    “Can I be of help?”
    Audrey brightened.  “Actually, you can.  I’ll pay you for your time.  I got as far as the east building in my evaluation.  I still have two more buildings to do.  I could give you instructions of what I’m looking for…”
    “I’ll come in tomorrow when you’ve had some rest, and we’ll discuss it.”
    “But how will you do this and PEEPs…”
    “Oh, I quit.”
    “I thought I heard something like that, but I was in and out of it at the time.  You didn’t…”
    “Yes, I did.”
    “Because of me?”
    “Partly.  I’ve had enough of the Burt train.”
    “You’re not the only one,” Audrey confided.  “Take some time and think it over…” she said, her voice trailing off as the sedative worked its way through her system.
    “You rest.  I’ll stick around until your people show up.  I’ll stop by tomorrow, and we’ll make plans for the factory.”
    Audrey nodded.
    She pulled out of her memories into the present and managed to croak, “Matt.”
    Matt’s eyes snapped open.  He got up and moved to her quickly.  The doctor in him had taken over.  He looked over her dressings and adjusted the sling before he spoke a word.  “What were you thinking?”
    “Just now? I don’t think this is the place…” Audrey teased.
    “No, Cid said you caught a heavy lamp.”
    “Yes, I misjudged the weight of it.  When they say leaded glass, they mean it.  Ouch, what are you doing?” she asked as he probed her ribs.
    “I’m just…  Hell, Audrey, you scared me to death.”
    Audrey pushed the pain away to try to comfort her boyfriend.  “Sorry, but part of the job I guess.  This is my first paranormal injury.  Did I ever tell you how I impressed the gang by fighting with a puppet?”
    “I heard it was a full length marionette.”
    “Well, it had an attitude,” Audrey joked.
    Matt pulled out his phone.
    “Am I boring you?”
    “No, I promised to call your parents when you woke up.  I sent them to the cafeteria.”
    “Before you call them, come closer.”
    Matt leaned in, and Audrey, instead of giving him a kiss, whispered, “Morphine.  Where’s my button for the pump?”
    He kissed her anyway.  He then set the button in her hand and suggested, “Before you go to la la land, let your parents see you.”
    “Call them, and tell them to hurry,” she said clenching her teeth.
    He nodded and dialed the phone.
     
    ~
     
    Burt arrived back at the peninsula and set his gear bag down before going back outside for the bag of quarter pounders with cheese he’d left on his front seat.  He looked over at the open door of the guestroom and walked over to see if Dave was still up.  An empty room greeted him.  It looked like Dave had cleared out, leaving the drawers open and the closet door ajar.
    “Damn,” he said.  Burt was hoping to talk some sense into the young sensitive.  You didn’t simply quit a job, even an unpaid internship.  Well, his loss.  He wouldn’t be getting a good reference from PEEPs.  He’d call Mrs. Hult in the morning and explain why her son wasn’t finishing his internship.  He wasn’t that upset by Dave’s defection.  He didn’t really like the young man’s attitude.  Sensitives were rare, but he heard that Beth was working with a good one.