Night's Favour (29 page)

Carlisle snorted.
 
“Exactly.
 
It’s no coincidence that they want you in for tests.”

“This is different.”

Carlisle stared at him again.
 
“Walk me through it.”

“Ok.”
 
Val checked points off on his fingers.
 
“One.
 
My doctor is not involved in a grand conspiracy.
 
He played golf with my Dad on Sundays.
 
Two.
 
I need to know what’s going on with me.”

Danny put a hand on his arm.
 
“Like what?”

Val tapped his phone’s screen, then held it up beside his face.
 
The photo on it was him, but much fatter.
 
“Like this.”

“So.
 
You lost some weight.”

“That photo was taken last week.”

The room fell quiet, the only sound the light scratching of Adalia’s pens against paper.
 
John spoke up.
 
“It’s true.
 
He’s lost a heap of weight.”

“I bought new clothes.”

“He bought new clothes.”
 
John nodded.

“That’s not all.”
 
Val looked down at his hands.
 
“There’s… other stuff.”

Danny searched his face.
 
“Like what?”

He stood up, walking to the window.
 
“Your neighbours are having a fight.
 
About the rent.”

“What?”

“I can hear them.”

“The boundary wall is soundproofed.”
 
Danny coughed.
 
“You’re imagining it.”

“Her name’s Jasmine.
 
He’s an asshole.”

“You’re not imagining it then.”
 
Danny frowned.

“There’s more.”
 
Val turned to face them.
 
He started to tap a rhythm with his finger against his thigh.
 
“There’s this.”

John looked at him.
 
“White men can’t dance?”

Val ignored him, finger still tapping.
 
“Can you guess?”

Carlisle spoke up.
 
“I can.
 
It’s not possible.”

Val’s finger kept tapping, speeding up a little now.

“Christ.
 
Stop it.”
 
Carlisle watched his finger.

“What is it?”
 
Danny looked at Val, then at Carlisle.
 
“I don’t get it.”

Carlisle turned away.
 
“It’s my pulse.”
 
She took her hand away from her wrist.
 
“Perfect time.
 
How —”

“I can hear it.”

“Bullshit.”
 
John put his cup down on the table.

“Ten cents!”
 
Adalia piped up from the table.

John felt around in his pocket for some change, then dropped a coin into the jar on the bench.
 
“It’s racketeering, is what it is.”

Val stood up.
 
“Guys.
 
Look.
 
I.
 
Well.”
 
He put his hands in his pockets.
 
“I haven’t been drunk in days.”

John looked at him.
 
“You on the programme?
 
Nice work buddy!
 
When —”

“No, John.”
 
Val’s smile was sad.
 
He walked towards the kitchen.
 
“I’ve tried to drink.
 
Last time, when I took Danny out.
 
It doesn’t do anything.
 
But there’s one other thing.”

They watched him as he fiddled about in the kitchen, pulling open the waffle iron.
 
“I’ve left it on.
 
For seconds.
 
Anyone want more waffles?”

Carlisle shook her head.
 
Danny didn’t move.
 
John said, “I could go another round.”

Val popped a dollop of butter on the plate of the waffle iron.
 
It hissed and sizzled as he moved it about the plate, coating it.
 
He ladled some mixture into the waffle iron.
 
The smell of cooking waffle started to waft into the room.

After a minute, Danny spoke up.
 
“I don’t get it.
 
What’s the other thing?
 
You can make waffles?”

Val kept looking at the waffle iron, then popped the cooked waffle out of the iron and onto a plate.
 
“That’s the thing.
 
I discovered it this morning.”
 
He smiled that same sad smile again as he put some more butter on the waffle iron, then turned to Adalia.
 
“Could you head to your room for just a sec and see if you can find Maddy a friend?”

“It’s Madeline!”

Val tousled her head, then sent her off with a pat on the back.
 
“She probably shouldn’t be here for this.”
 
He turned back to the waffle iron.

Danny looked after her daughter, then back to Val.
 
“What?
 
She shouldn’t be here for what?”

He took a few deep breaths.
 
“This.”
 
He put his hand in the waffle iron, shutting the lid.
 
The searing sound was audible above his hissed breath.

John leapt out of his seat, running to the kitchen.
 
“Motherfucker!”
 
He wrenched open the iron, tossing it aside, and flipping on the faucet’s cold tap.
 
He reached for Val’s hand.

Val held it up and away from him, towards the rest of them in the room.
 
The burn marks were clear, the hash pattern of the iron stark and red against his palm, blisters already forming.
 
They watched as the marks faded away, leaving his hand smooth and clear.

John stared at him for a few moments, then slowly turned off the faucet.
 
“I’m not hungry anymore.”

Val flexed his hand.
 
“You sure?
 
It’s good as new.”

Carlisle whistled low.
 
“This is an, ah, interesting development.”

“You’re telling me.”
 
Val pulled out his phone.
 
“So yeah.
 
I think I need to go see Barny.”

Adalia came back in carrying a small sheep.
 
“I’ve brought Shawn.”

Val smiled at her.
 
She didn’t seem to notice the strain around his eyes as she sat back down at the table, putting Shawn next to Madeline.

John leaned against the kitchen bench.
 
“At least take one of us with you.”

“What for?”

John stared at him.
 
“To help.”

“I don’t think Barny needs help doing more tests.
 
He’s got nurses and shit for that.”

“Ten cents!”

“Christ.”
 
Val pulled out his wallet, dropping some notes into the swear jar.
 
“There.
 
I’m in credit now.”

“He’s right.”
 
Carlisle shifted in the gurney.
 
“Everyone needs backup.”

Val’s finger hovered over the dial button.
 
“You’re going to come?
 
You’ve been shot.”

“I’ll go.”
 
Danny stood up from the floor.

Pack mate
.

“Absolutely not.”
 
Val cleared his throat.
 
“I couldn’t —”

“Couldn’t what?”
 
Danny rested her hands on her hips.

John held up a hand.
 
“I think a team approach is best.”

“Exactly.
 
I’m on the team.”

John smiled.
 
“Look, we’ve got a bed case here —”

“I’m a science major.
 
Just because I’ve got tits, I’m the nurse?”

“I don’t need a nurse.”
 
Carlisle started to get out of the gurney, then fell back.
 
“I wouldn’t mind a hand up.
 
I need to take a piss.”

John’s megawatt smile came out.
 
“It’s not like that.
 
What I was thinking is we split up.”

Val looked at him.
 
“Where are you going with this?
 
I don’t want to put Danny in danger.”

“Relax.
 
Work with me here.
 
The way I see it is, there’s some weird shit going down.
 
We’ve got a missing cop,”
 
and he nodded to Carlisle, “Your partner, right?”

Carlisle nodded back.

“Right.
 
Missing cop, weird shit number one.
 
Number two, the police station was busted up by soldiers.
 
I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve never heard of that one before.”

“Terminator.”
 
Danny was looking out the window.

“What?”

“Terminator.
 
Arnie movie.
 
You must have seen it.”

“Sure.
 
I’ve seen it.
 
I didn’t see any freakin’ robots though.”

“Ten cents!”

“I said ‘freakin’,”
 
not ‘fucking.’”

“Ten cents!”

“Oh for f…
 
Fine.”
 
Coins clinked into the swear jar.

Val spoke up.
 
“Three, they need a sample, when I feel the best I’ve felt in years.”

“That’s medicine buddy, not weird.
 
But we’ll include it.
 
Right?”
 
John patted Val on the arm.
 
“Chin up.
 
Number four, you can heal major burns and hear heartbeats.
 
And that’s not the weirdest thing.”

“It’s not?”

“No.
 
Five, the soldiers have silver bullets.
 
Right?
 
Silver,” said John, “Bullets.”

“Ok, I’d agree that’s weird, but not the weirdest thing.
 
Me hearing heartbeats is pretty weird.”

“I haven’t got to the weirdest thing.”

“What is it?”

John scowled at him.
 
“No showmanship, that’s your problem.
 
Ok.
 
Six.
 
There’s a freakin’ werewolf out there.”

“Don’t be silly.
 
Werewolves aren’t real.”
 
Adalia looked up from her colouring to Danny.
 
“Are they, Mommy?”

The silence sat heavy in amongst them, like another person in a chair.
 
Adalia looked between them all.
 
“Werewolves aren’t real.”

Danny scooped her into a hug.
 
“Of course not, honey.”
 
She kissed the top of Adalia’s head.

Carlisle sighed.
 
“Labels aren’t important, but I know what I saw.”

“What?
 
You were unconscious when we pulled you out of the hospital.”

“There was a werewolf at the hospital?”
 
Carlisle sat up.

“Wait.
 
What?
 
Yes.
 
Where did you think we were talking about?”
 
John looked around the room at the rest of them.

“I.”
 
Carlisle looked down at the blankets on the gurney.
 
“Seriously, I need to take a piss.”

Val stepped forward.
 
“Where, Melissa?”

Carlisle sighed.
 
“Vince — my partner — was showing me some surveillance footage.
 
From across from where you guys got mugged.”

“We didn’t get mugged.”

John nodded.
 
“Yeah.
 
Yeah we did.”

“I’d remember something —”

It spat its puny fire at his face.
 
He batted it aside, reaching for —

Val sat down slowly on the kitchen floor.

John crouched down.
 
“You ok, man?”

“I — when was this?”
 
Val looked up from the floor.

“Couple nights ago.
 
Remember, I was in the hospital?
 
You came and got us out.”
 
John gestured at Danny.
 
“You met
her
.”
 
He wiggled his eyebrows.

“I don’t remember.”

“Hey.”
 
Danny spoke up.
 
“You don’t remember meeting me?”

“We’d been drinking pretty solid.”
 
John smiled.
 
“See?
 
It’s not all bad.
 
The booze still gets you.
 
It’s just got to be enough.”

“It’s not that.
 
I remember Danny.
 
How could I forget?”
 
A smile darted across his face, then was gone.
 
“That was…
 
It was the morning after that I went to get the blood work done.”
 
Val thought for a moment.
 
“I think some of my teeth came out.”

“Definitely mugged.”
 
John helped him up.

“I don’t think —”

Danny broke in.
 
“It’s all fine that you don’t remember meeting me —”

“I remember!”

“But I want to know.”
 
Danny turned to Carlisle.
 
“What was on the tapes?”

Carlisle shrugged.
 
“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Something big.
 
Fast.
 
I remember that.
 
Tore a bunch of guys apart.”
 
Carlisle looked at the window.
 
“I really need to take a piss.”