Radiant (23 page)

"At least a car won't
come and break your butt after you've gotten out of it," she said. "Please. Let's go."

"
Hey kid!" A bubble-bellied cowboy from the prep area pointed at Phos. "You're up next. Come on!"

Mary looked at Phos.
"
You're
in this?"

He smiled sheepishly.
"Surprise?"

She didn
't return the smile.

"
Come on! We ain't got all night!" the cowboy shouted.

Phos stood.
"I'll be right back."

He walked towards the prep area
, where the handlers were getting a gray bull ready. This animal had to be bigger than the first two by at least a billion pounds.

Mary
jumped to her feet and ran after Phos, catching him by the arm. "Phos, don't! This is stupid."

"
It'll be all right, Mary," he assured her.

"
No it won't!" she cried. "Look, I know you find our human recreational activities fascinating. But you'll get killed!"

"
Killed?" he asked. Then he chuckled. "Mary, I can't be killed. I'm not made like that." He took her hands. "I'll be fine. You'll see."

She tried to argue more, but he was already walking i
nto the restricted area. A couple of clowns told her she needed to go back to the stands. Mary told them where they could go as far as she was concerned. She went and sat down with crossed arms, determined not to enjoy this.

Phos strapped on
a padded vest and gloves. Then he mounted the gray bull. This one was just not having it. Even in the narrow space, he jumped and got his front hooves over one of the lower bars on the chute. The handlers eased him back into place.

Phos had
apparently given the announcer a phony name, which he bellowed into the speaker. Then, the air horn sounded, and the gate flew open.

The bull
raged out onto the field. He twisted and snapped about with such force that he looked like he would break
himself
in half. Wild snorts and clods of dirt flew. Mary swore that fiery breath came from his mouth.

Phos held on.
With all the bucking and snapping and twisting, he managed to hold onto the reins. The seconds on the clock ticked down. The crowds went ballistic.

The air horn sounded again. Eight seconds had passed. Phos had
done it! Even the announcer cheered with the audience as clowns ran out to distract the bull so that Phos could jump off unharmed.

Mary slumped in her seat and breathed the biggest sigh of relief she had ever breathed.
Down in the rink, Phos looked at her and waved excitedly. She shook her head and couldn't help laughing.

The clowns were getting the bull back through the gate when he suddenly stopped and turned his massive gray head around.
He eyed Phos and charged.

Mary jumped. "WATCH OUT!"

Too late.

Phos still had his back to the bull when it struck. It grabbed him with its
blunted horns and tossed him into the stands like a toy.

"Phos!"
Mary tripped and stumbled down the steps into the crowd of people swarming around him. Someone called for the medics, who came immediately.

"
Let me by!" she cried as she shoved her way through. Panic welled up in her. All she could think about was if he was injured, paralyzed, or even dead. She hadn't even considered the fact that he was her only way home.

A
s if on cue, the crowd cheered and Phos stood on his feet. He looked a little dazed. But mercifully, he seemed all right.

"
Mary!" he said as he made his way to her. "Did you see that? Did you see me?"

She
stared at him.

"
Mary?" Phos asked, his smile fading.

She said nothing. Suddenly, Mary balled up her fist and punched him. Pain surged through her hand.

"Ooo!" the crowd gasped.

Shaking the soreness from her hand, Mary stormed out of the stands. She was walking into the parking lot when Phos caught up with her.

"You're upset," he remarked.

"
Really, Captain Obvious?" she said. "I hadn't noticed."

"You're also crying," he added.

"That's stupid," she said. "I can't cry."

Phos took her arm
gently but firmly so that she would stop walking. He touched her face with his feverish hand and showed her a tear on his fingers. Somehow, it had found its way out of her tiny tear ducts.

Mary stared at her tear
on his hand. She touched her own face and felt the wet trail it had left.

"I frigh
tened you greatly," Phos said. "Didn't I?"

Mary looked in his eyes and nodded.

Phos wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry."

But Mary pulled away and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "No. This doesn't make what you did okay. You could've died!"

"Mary," he said calmly. "I was never in any danger. I told you before. I can't be killed. I'm not made to die."

Mary wiped her face again
. "What are you saying? You're indestructible or something?"

"
Well, not exactly," he said. "But my energy is constantly regenerating Carter's body. I'm healing all the time and very quickly. Look." He raised part of his shirt, revealing a disgusting bruise on his torso.

She wrinkled her face. "Ew."

"Three of my ribs are broken," he explained.

"
Omigosh!" she cried. "We need to get you to a hospital!"

"
Just wait for a minute and watch," he said.

Mary
stared at him. But she did wait and watch. The bruise was quite large and had different shades of black, blue, and some red on the edges. Suddenly, the bones slowly moved under his skin. They made all kinds of sickening noises as they went back to their proper places. The colorful hues on his skin began to morph, like someone was pushing paint around with a brush. Then, the bruise started to fade.

Mary didn
't even blink for fear of missing something. In just over a minute, the broken bones and bruise were completely healed. Speechless, Mary touched his side. Healthy, whole, and blazing hot.

Phos smiled. "
See? Good as new." He lowered his shirt and wrapped his arms around her again. His lips brushed hers.

"
That's not fair," she mumbled.

"
What isn't?" he asked.

"
You're making it hard for me to be mad at you," she answered.

"
That's the idea." He gently pressed her back against a car and kissed her. "Is it working?"

She didn't answer, since her
lips were busy. She knocked his hat off so that she could run her fingers through his hair. When her mouth started hurting, Mary turned her head up slightly so that Phos could kiss her chin. He worked his way along her jawline to her throat.

"Uh, can we have our
car?"

Mary and Phos jumped apart. A man and a woman
stood in front of the car, looking at them awkwardly. Mary blushed and fought to keep from bursting into chuckles.

"Our apologies," Phos said. "Have a good evening."

The couple got into their car and drove off. Once they were gone, both Mary and Phos broke down in laughter.

"Are you still mad at me?" he asked.

When Mary caught her breath again, she shook her head. "No, I'm not mad anymore. But please, no more bull riding."

"If you knew what a beating this body
takes when I have to burn space debris, you wouldn't think much of bull riding," he said.

"Then don't burn anymore space debris either," she said.

"It's my job," he said. "I can't get out if that."

She sighed. "Fine. But still, no more bull riding."

He smiled. "All right. No more bull riding."

"Promise?"
she asked.

He looked at her curiously.
"What?"

"Promise," she said. "It's something humans
make when we say we'll do something and then actually do it."

"I see," he said. Then he nodded. "I promise."

"Good." Mary pointed to her throat. "And whatever you were doing here just now felt really good."

Phos laughed. "Blame Carter. I learned it from him."
He took her in his arms again and kissed her once on her neck. "There. Now time to get you home."

"Can't we stay out a little longer?" Mary asked.

He shook his head. "I told your mother I wouldn't take advantage of you. The longer we stay out, the harder it's going to be for me to keep that
promise
."

Mary stared at him. Then she sighed and laughed. "All right. Let's go."

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- 23 -

Wish

On Sunday afternoon, Mary and Mom cleaned the apartment together. They folded laundry on the couch while Mom talked about work. "Three more kids were released this week."

"Really?" Mary said. "That's great!"

Mom chuckled. "Isn't it? We gave them one big party. It's so strange. Ever since Scotty went home, the other kids have been responding positively to their treatments. Two of the ones that left this week were actually scheduled to stay longer, but now they don't need to."

"Strange but wonderful," Mary said. She wondered, after they had talked in Vietnam that one time, if Phos had anything to do with it.

Just then, the door buzzer rang.

"
Who could that be?" Mom asked. "Were you expecting anyone?"

Mary shook her head as she went to the speaker next to the door. "Who is it?"

"Carter," she heard Phos say. "May I come up, please? It will only be for a minute."

Mary and Mom looked at one another curiously. He'd never asked to come to the apartment before.

Mom shrugged. "Sure, let him in."

Mary pressed the button to let him into the building. A few minutes later, a soft knock came to their door.

"Hello," he said with a smile. "I apologize for coming unexpectedly. But I wanted to personally invite you both to my birthday dinner next week."

He gave Mary the invitation. It had Carter's house address and directions. She passed it to Mom.

"Your birthday?" Mom asked. "And you want
me
there, too?"

He nodded. "As well as
Mrs. Phan. I hope you will all be able to come. My parents would be delighted to meet you."

Mary looked at Mom.

Mom looked at the invite once more. "Well, I don't think we have anything to do that night. Thanks, Carter. We'll be there."

He smiled. "Thank you
. Until then."

"Can I walk with him downstairs?" Mary asked.

Mom nodded. "Just don't be long. It's your turn to vacuum."

On the way downstairs, Phos said hi to Bruce. "Oh, and I brought this for you." He took a DVD case out of his pocket.
It was
Enter the Dragon
, a Bruce Lee film.

Bruce's eyes lit
up like stars. "You get dis fo me?"

Phos nodded. "I hope you like it."

Mary had never seen Bruce so happy. Actually, she had never seen him happy period. "I go watch tonight," he said. "See you at pawty."

As Bruce scurried to his apartment, Mary asked, "You invited Bruce?"

Phos nodded.

Mary
laughed. "You just make friends everywhere you go, don't you?"

"
I've never had a birthday before," he said. "I want to know what it's like."

Mary smiled. "Anything I should bring?"

"You," he answered.

She rolled her eyes. "I meant, like, chips and salsa."

"I know," he said and pulled her close to him. "But I don't want chips and salsa."

She laughed. "
What about a gift?"

He kissed her.

"I guess that's my answer," she said.

He
chuckled. "See you at school."

On the day of Carter's birthday party, Mary
poked her head through the open bathroom door. "Mom, can I borrow some shoes and a scarf to cover my scar?"

"Sure, S
weetie. Get whatever you want from my closet." Mom was leaning into the mirror, outlining her eyes with a makeup pencil.

Mary
examined Mom's dress. "You look nice. Why are you so dressed up?"

Mom smiled.
"It's a dinner party. It's one of the few times I get to wear something other than scrubs or sweats, and I want to make the most of it. Besides, who are you to talk? You're wearing that white dress again."