Page 120 of Security and Submission
What was that beeping noise?
Why was everything so white?
Yasmine tried to turn her head. The last thing she remembered was Zeus… Zeus looking down at her just like this. Because she’d been in an ambulance. Because she’d been shot.
She tried to jerk upright, but she barely twitched in response.
Nothing hurt. But she remembered everything hurting. But now it didn’t. Like magic.
Drugs. I’m probably on lots of the good stuff. Cuz I got shot. Getting shot gets you the good stuff, I bet.
Yasmine giggled.
“Baby?” Maman bent over Yasmine, exhaling as she squeezed Yasmine’s hand, putting her forehead against Yasmine’s. Her eyes closed, and she shuddered, several tears sliding from beneath her lashes to her cheek.
“I’m okay.” This time Yasmine’s mouth and tongue moved, and actual sounds were emitted, but they didn’t sound quite right. Her tongue felt too big for her mouth. And fuzzy. Like a sock. Sock tongue.
She giggled again.
Maman lifted her head and smoothed Yasmine’s hair back as Papa returned to his position. When he looked down at Yasmine, his eyes were suspiciously glassy.
“You have quite a crowd waiting to see you,” Maman said, still stroking Yasmine’s hair. “There’s even a senator waiting to find out when she can visit you. One of her aides is in the waiting room with everyone else.” Her lips curved upward in the semblance of a smile, though it wasn’t quite her usual expression.
“You don’t have to see anyone until you’re feeling up to it, though,” Papa said, patting her other hand.
“We can send them all home.” Maman sounded almost hopeful. “Papa and I aren’t going anywhere, of course.”
“Zeus.” His name didn’t come out sounding quite right, although it was at least audible. Just slurred, and she was having trouble with the Z and the S.
Papa and Maman exchanged a confused glance, and Yasmine redoubled her efforts to make her request clear.
“Zeus.” Ending on a hiss was at least clearer than a ‘th’.
Both her parents looked at each other again, worry clear in their expressions.
“The Greek God?” Papa’s frown deepened. “Maybe we need to call the doctor back in. Did they say if she hit her head?”
If she didn’t want to see Zeus so badly, she would have cackled.
“Claw-dee-ah,” she said, enunciating as clearly as she could. Claudia would know who Zeus was and why Yasmine wanted him. She could do introductions.
The relief on her mom’s expression made Yasmine giggle again.
“Claudia! I’ll get her.” Maman turned and went to the door while Papa curved his fingers around Yasmine’s. He gave her hand a squeeze, slowly exhaling as he did so. Yasmine watched, fascinated, as he swallowed and his Adam’s apple bobbed.
“It’s okay, Papa,” she tried to say, reaching to pat his hand, but she was having trouble moving. Her limbs were all floppy. Nothing was working quite right.
A moment later, Claudia was standing over her.
“Thanks for scaring the shi— I mean crap out of all of us. Sorry, Mrs. Jafari.”
“Claudia, I am temporarily in favor of cursing. If there was ever a situation for it, this is it. She scared the shit out of us, too.” Maman smiled weakly. She’d joined Papa on Yasmine’s other side.
Yasmine looked up at Claudia and did her best to enunciate again.
“Zeus.”
“That’s the second time she’s asked for a Greek God,” Papa said, his face falling again.
