Balt

 

During our layover in Paris, I watched Piper huddle in a waiting room chair, her face pale and eyes half-closed. On the flight from London, she’d slept fitfully with her back to me. As the minutes passed, fear had rooted itself more and more deeply into my chest. My sense of time was scrambled – it both seemed like it had taken forever and we’d gotten here in a blink of an eye.

It was like all of her brilliance had been snuffed out. But she wouldn’t tell me what was wrong. Even worse, I couldn’t figure it out.

Reading Piper like a book was a talent of mine. Yet, beyond knowing she was exhausted and possibly sick, I only knew she was keeping something from me.

Tit for tat? Asked a sneering voice in my head. You get what you give, Kazan.

The theories racing through my head were exacerbating my headache and hangover. Shifting from foot to foot, I willed the barista at this café kiosk to move faster. But then, because I was so distracted by my runaway thoughts, I almost upended the cup of tea I was handed. Smiling and apologizing in terrible French, I hurried back to Piper, who winced as she sat up.

“Sorry,” she murmured, accepting the tea and shaking her head. “Guess jet lag caught up with me. Thank you, Balt.”

As we’d flown into London over a week ago, I knew that couldn’t be the case. But I decided to let that comment slide. Resisting the urge to ask her what was wrong yet again, I instead brushed her hair out of her face. Piper pulled back and my fingertips drifted across her forehead. Startled, I frowned and laid the back of my fingers on her skin. She was hot to the touch.

“I think you have a fever,” I said slowly. Some relief came over me – that would explain the waterworks as Piper didn’t handle colds well – but confusion as well. Piper rarely got sick. The last time was a few Christmases ago after she and Kai got into a huge fight about him skipping out on a family trip to Japan. He’d gone surfing in Tahiti instead.

“No,” Piper pulled away from my hand and slumped in her seat. “Probably… dehydrated.”

Dehydrated? I wanted to shout, but I bit back a retort and stood up. The hangover and noise of the airport weren’t helping my patience or thought processes. Glancing around the airport, I saw our flight was boarding in twenty minutes and I made a decision.

“We’re staying in Paris,” I announced, pulling out my phone and searching for the closest shifter-run clinic to the airport I could find. “You need to see a doctor.”

“No, Balt… That’s not a good idea,” Piper said. “We’re supposed to be leaving soon. We can’t–” Then she winced and put a hand to her head.

“We can," I said in a tight voice. “That’s what’s going to happen.”

Piper gave me a tired shrug and looked down. “Fine. That’s… fine.”

I paused, staring at her. Piper had never given in so easily before in her life. A cold sensation crept along my spine as the noise of the airport seemed to swing up several decibels. Snapping into efficiency, I rushed off to set up an appointment, inform the airline we were staying in Paris and see if they could find us a hotel. Once they did, I also arranged to have our bags sent there.

Now, hastening towards the exit, I had to keep stopping and waiting for Piper to catch up. She was all but dragging herself out of there and it took every ounce of willpower not to pick her up.

But when I’d tried to offer my arm, all I got was a curled lip and a dark glare. If I dared to carry her, she’d probably claw my eyes out, sick or not. And in a way, it almost made me feel better.

Finding a cab was simple, but traffic was a nightmare. After fighting through the mess outside the airport, we were finally flying down the highway and heading towards St. Denis. It was a neighborhood adjacent to Paris and had the best shifter-doctors in all of France working there.

When we finally pulled up to the clinic, I was out of the door before the cab fully stopped. Running around, I helped Piper out, then tipped the cabbie nearly triple what I owed him. He gave me a surprised look, doffed his hat as he grinned and took off, now done for the day.

Piper gave me a dull look as I swept her inside and into a chair, before once again using my clumsy French to try to get the receptionist to move us up the queue. But I wasn’t good with languages the way the Weslarks were – Piper could speak six, Kai five and Elias, I’d lost count.

Eventually, well, finally, we were sitting in a room waiting for the doctor.

Piper, who was sitting on the table, her legs hanging over the edge, back against the wall, eyes closed and face still, suddenly said, “Balt, stop.”

I’d been pacing up and down the small room for almost ten minutes. I swung around and came over to her. “I just don’t understand where the doctor is. The nurse left ages ago. I thought French healthcare was supposed to be superior to ours or something.” Raking a hand through my hair, I began to pace again. “How are you feeling?”

“Shitty,” Piper responded. “But it’s probably a 24-hour bug. Nothing to be hysterical about.”

“You were the one crying in the airport, Pipla,” I said, stopping and staring at her. A slit of blue eye regarded me. “So that was random? A symptom? Or did something trigger it?”

Or someone? I swallowed hard as the question hit me.

“We both know I don’t handle colds well,” Piper said with a shrug.

A frustrated sigh blew between my teeth. “Way to dodge the question.” Piper didn’t answer and I began pacing again. “If that doctor doesn’t get here in the next minute, I’m–”

Knocking interrupted and a blonde poked her head in. “Bonjour. Êtes-vous Piper Weslark?”

Piper sat up and nodded. “Oui. Salut comment allez-vous?”

The doctor laughed. “C’est ma question! Bien, merci. Je suis Dr. Giroux.” Dr. Giroux looked over at me inquisitively. She was a friendly looking soul with porcelain skin, freckles, and a bright smile. Glancing between me and Piper, she asked, “Ç'est ton mari, non? Oh, il est assez anxieux!”

Even with my paltry French, I knew what anxieux meant and I watched Piper roll her eyes.

“Non, il est mon ami bête,” she said in a flat voice.

Dr. Giroux’s eyebrows raised and she gave me another look. “Parlez-vous français?” I shook my head and she nodded. “Do not worry, I speak English.” After we introduced each other, she turned back to Piper.” So, Miss Weslark, what is wrong?”

“She seems to have a bad fever and won’t eat,” I interjected.

“Balt, please.” Piper was giving me an angry look. “Maybe you should wait out in the hallway.” Reaching up, I tugged on my ear and she shook her head. “Ugh. Never mind.”

“Let Piper speak, no?” Dr. Giroux gave me a hard look. “Or we could go back to French – that way you couldn’t eavesdrop – even out in the hallway.” I winced. Dr. Giroux was sharp. “Now, why don’t you tell me your symptoms?”

Throwing myself into a chair, I listened as Piper reluctantly ran through a series of symptoms – poor appetite, poor sleeping, aches and general malaise. The Doctor took her temperature, pricked her finger, and then gently touched Piper’s throat. After leaving to get the results and coming back, she looked serious and my chest constricted.

Giving me a small smile, Dr. Giroux turned to Piper and said, “Well, my dear, you have quite a high fever. Any higher and I’d send you to the hospital.” I gripped the arms of the chair as Dr. Giroux shook her head. “I must warn you if you are not careful, that’s where you’ll end up. What you have is a combination of fatigue and a touch of hypoglycemia.

“It’s almost like a bad flu – something I’ve seen before – especially with Shifters of Anubis agents.” Her eyes twinkled as Piper gave her a surprised look. “My brother works for the Paris branch. You’re exhausted and have stressed your body to a breaking point. You need rest, lots of fluids and then more rest. Oui?”

Piper nodded and asked, “Do you think it will be over in twenty-four hours?”

I groaned and the doctor sighed. “Piper, your lab results from the finger prick are telling me you are pushing yourself to a breaking point. I’d say three days of resting. A week of slowing down and being kind to your body. Maybe two. If you continue on like this – as I said – you will wind up in the hospital. You must rest and take care of yourself.”

I made a noise as I clutched at the chair handles so hard I’d thought they’d break. “See.”

Piper shot me an angry look and Dr. Giroux interceded. “Piper, when you came in, I took the liberty of calling your doctor – Monsieur Hakedo. He was concerned to hear this, especially given what happened to you.” I watched Piper’s eyelids drop and Dr. Giroux patted her knee. “I’m sorry – word does travel fast. I think everything that happened finally became too much – even for someone as indomitable as Piper Weslark. There is no shame in resting and recovering. You must take care of yourself before you can help others, non?”

I watched as Piper nodded mutely and listened as Dr. Giroux proceeded to prescribe two medications to help her recover and asked some follow-up questions. My stomach was hollowed out, foot tapping as my brain whirred with next steps and more worry. All I wanted to do was get Piper to the hotel so she could get into a bed and rest.

When we got back outside, I had a cab waiting and we climbed in. After telling the driver the address of the Grand Hotel on the Rue De Valois, I settled back into the seat and checked my watch. It was almost three-thirty p.m.

We’d landed hours ago and I hadn’t eaten a thing since early this morning. I was starving, tired, and fruitlessly wishing Soraya was here to help. She’d know what to say, where to find affordable, delicious food and how to take care of Piper without being a bumbling idiot.

Piper and I barely spoke during the thirty minutes to the hotel. Then, she stood quietly by my side, hood up and sunglasses on, looking like an incognito celebrity as I dealt with the concierge. In fact, a few people glanced her way and nudged each other, as though trying to determine who she could be. One guy even sized me up, clearly thinking I was a security guard and I glared at him. And he couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

On the elevator to our top floor room, I sighed with relief. Soon Piper would be tucked into bed and sleeping if I had to slip an Ambien into her water. Then I could sit down and order room service. I didn’t care what it cost at this point – SoA could reimburse us or kiss my ass.

“The stare-down was unnecessary, Balt,” Piper suddenly said, taking off her sunglasses and deliberately folding them up. Her brows were furrowed as she gave me a look.

“In the lobby? That guy?” I asked, folding my arms and returning her look. “It was more than necessary. I didn’t like the way he was looking at you.”

“You’re not my bodyguard – don’t make the same mistake as those tourists.” She closed her eyes. “You need to chill the hell out.”

I glared at the floor and took a deep breath. I knew Piper was crabby and sick, so she didn’t deserve any rudeness on my end. But damn she was testing my last nerve right now.

I’d never been so grateful to hear an elevator ping as the doors slid open and we exited, heading for our suite. I heard Piper huffing under her breath and my irritation grew.

“Problem?” I asked as we got to the room, yanking out the key-card and looking at her.

“How much was this hotel?” she asked, giving me a hard look. “We only have so much of a budget, Balt. I hope you didn’t pay extra because I was sick or anything. It’s already bad enough we’re behind schedule in friggin’ Paris.”

I didn’t respond. Twisting the doorknob, I prayed I wouldn’t rip it off and ushered her inside. Piper sucked in an irritated breath as she looked around at the white-paneled wood walls, the wooden floors, and signature Parisian artistic flair of the décor.

“Oh my god, no,” she muttered.

“Already paid for,” I growled.

Rubbing her forehead, Piper walked into the bedroom and went to the glass door leading out to the patio. Sunset was falling across the rooftops and lighting up the windows of buildings around us with amber and gold.

I followed her and heard her take several deep breaths. “You do have good taste – I’ll give you that.” Piper looked over her shoulder and I could tell she was trying to make peace. “How did you know about this place?”

“I didn’t. The airport found it. I’m gonna make some calls – you get to bed, okay?”

She nodded and vanished into the bathroom. Rubbing my neck and shoulders, I walked back out into the living room and collapsed onto the sofa. For a moment, I allowed myself to sink into the plush cushions and close my eyes. Then, with a groan, I found my phone and began dialing.

First, I checked in with the SoA and let them know of the change of plans. Thankfully, I got a hold of Derissa, Mirois’s assistant and she clucked sympathetically as I explained.

“You take all the time you need, Baltsaros. We’ll comp everything.” She sighed. “Take care of that girl, would you? She works too hard.”

“I know,” I sighed. “And I can’t make her stop.”

As I hung up, about to call Elias, my phone rang and I stared at in amazement. Sometimes the Weslarks were eerie. Part of me was tempted to call him back, but I answered.

“Geez, you sound like shit!” Kai Weslark chimed cheerfully down the line. “We wake you?”

"Hi, cuz!" Isla Deluca called out, her happy voice tugging a smile onto my face.

“No, no, just a long day of travel,” I said, rubbing my forehead. “How are you two? Why are you using your Dad’s phone?”

“We’re great!” Kai enthused. “And we’re in Tokyo with Dad. My phone is dead and back at the hotel. Why you need him? Oh hey, he told me about what happened with the SoA – sucks, huh? Guess I won’t be doing any freelance work for a while.”

I’d forgotten that Piper was going to see if Kai could be an on-call agent in Hawaii for SoA and shook my head. “We’ll figure it out and let you know, okay?”

“Worry about yourself for now,” Kai said, grating on my skin he sounded so jubilant.

“Japan is so much fun, Balt! I wish you guys were here, though,” Isla added and I grimaced.

Staring at the ceiling, I tried to smile and grimaced again. What was wrong with me? I was happy for Kai and Isla. But I couldn’t suppress the jealousy echoing hollowly through me.

“Balt!” Isla was saying my name and I jerked upright. “Are you still there?”

“Yes, I’m sorry, what is it?” I asked.

“Is Piper around? I wanted to ask her something,” she said.

“Oh, um,” I said, glancing up at the doorway to the bedroom. “Let me check.” Walking softly over to the door, I peered in and saw Piper about to climb into the bed. She gave me a curious look. “It’s Kai and Isla,” I said.

With a sigh, she held out her hand and I walked forward, giving her the phone. Our fingers touched for a brief moment, threatening to unleash the firestorm of desire raging inside of me. I had to step back from the bed and lock my hands behind my head.

“Hello?” Piper asked softly.

“Piper?” Kai asked loudly and she winced. You never needed speakerphone with Kai. “What the hell – why do you and Balt both sound so terrible? Are you sick?”

“It’s been a long day of travel, baby brother,” Piper said stiffly as she climbed into the bed and settled herself against the pillows. “It’s nice to hear your voice, too.”

Hovering awkwardly at the edge of the bed, I stood there, suddenly uncertain about sitting down as well. Piper and I had always been unconcerned about sharing space, but at this moment, I didn’t feel like I should. Instead, I went over to the couch against the wall.

My eyes closed as Piper continued to talk to Kai and Isla. I was so tired, I didn’t even want to order food anymore. All I wanted was sleep.

“Balt,” Piper was saying suddenly. “Here.”

Getting up, I took the phone and left Piper’s room. Isla was on the other end. We chatted for a few minutes until I heard Kai calling for her to hang-up on the Debbie Downers. She laughed at him, but suddenly she asked quietly, “Balt, are you okay?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, realizing I was pacing through the living room and stopped.

“You and Piper just sound… off.” She hesitated. “Did something happen?”

I could hear the worry in her voice and I shook my head. According to Kai, Isla was the one who’d found me out concerning Piper. I knew Isla had to be concerned if maybe she’d caused some kind of breach with her inadvertent and accurate observation.

“It was a long day of travel, that’s all,” I reassured her.

After I hung up, I went back to check on Piper and saw she was fast asleep, hugging a pillow. Relieved, I left the cough medicine and ibuprofen on her bedside table along with a glass of water. Then I went and got changed before climbing into my own bed.

But I couldn’t sleep. Piper felt to far away and the distance was pulling at me.

Climbing out of bed, I quietly snuck into her room with a pillow and light blanket. Piper was still sleeping peacefully and I curled up on the couch. This was somewhat better.

However, as I was dropping off to sleep and my mind wove together the events of the day in a fragmented pattern, I kept hearing a strange, unnerving sound.

I saw Piper’s bent head, her shaking shoulders and the face of a clock, the hands spinning around aimlessly. The white of the doctor’s office. And that sound again.

Only as I was about to fall asleep did I realize what it was.

The sound of shattering glass.