She didn't take it. "How do I know you're here to help me?" she asked.
Max wasn't sure how to answer that. He looked around for inspiration. "Well, you were praying, right? And I arrived. I'm here, in the church. And I'm not recoiling from all this religious imagery, so I'm not some devil or something. “
"True," Shania said, clearly weighing Max's words. "So you're saying you were sent by God to answer my prayers? “
"Not exactly." Max was uncomfortable. He wasn't sure he believed in God, or at least the one that many Earth religions espoused. But he didn't want to cause any rifts in the girl's metaphysical mindscape by getting into a theological debate.
"I'm here because what happened to you yesterday afternoon was wrong, and I want to right that wrong," he said simply, hoping it would be enough.
She considered his words for a moment, then her face brightened. "Okay, I can accept that." Taking his hand, she rose to her feet.
They began to walk down the aisle through the colored lights, toward the vaulted doors that loomed in the far-off distance. "It's very pretty here," Max said.
She smiled serenely. "Just like I imagined it would… “
A loud noise interrupted her, and a harsh voice echoed from in front of Max. "What the hell are you doing with my sister? “
Max felt himself pulled away from Shania's hand, sucked back into his own body in an instant. The dimness of the hospital room was a stark contrast to the colorfully bright cathedral he'd found in the injured girl's mind. It took him a moment to focus his eyes enough to see a twenty-something woman standing next to the opened door of the room. Her expression was guarded but slightly hostile.
"I asked you a question," she said. "What the hell are you doing with my sister? “
"Can we get some help here, please?" Isabel called out. Kyle was leaning on her, and she struggled to keep him on his feet. He wasn't exactly light.
A male nurse stood up from where he was sitting with Liz in the waiting area. "What's the problem?" he asked.
"My boyfriend just got really dizzy and passed out," Isabel said. "And he's having trouble breathing. “
"Let's get him over here," the nurse said, pointing toward an area that had several gurneys and hanging curtains. He took one arm, and helped move Kyle.
Isabel was about to say a "thank you" to Kyle, when a burly security guard stepped up beside her and grabbed the other arm. "Let me help you there, miss," he said.
"Thanks," Isabel stammered. Where had he come from? How many other guards were patrolling the hospital? She and Kyle had watched from the outside as Liz and Maria had performed their distractions, and no guards or orderlies had been evident.
As the nurse pulled up Kyle's shirt, he put a stethoscope to the young man's chest. "Breathe in, breathe out. Not so deep. Okay, that's fine." He let the stethoscope go, and it bobbed on the rubber cords that connected its earpieces. Taking a penlight, he lifted one of Kyle's eyelids and shone the light into his eye.
"Have you been drinking, or taken any drugs tonight?" he asked.
"No, sir," Kyle said, each word punctuated by a breath.
"Is he going to be okay?" Isabel asked.
"I don't hear anything in his chest, and his pupils are responsive. How did this happen? “
Isabel did her best to blush. "We were… making out in the car, and suddenly he couldn't breathe. “
The guard standing nearby smirked, and the nurse nodded. "Just kissing," the nurse asked, "or something more… strenuous? “
Isabel was both amused and interested in the question. At times, she had been attracted to Kyle, but she never would have acted on those feelings, especially now that she was married. But the nurse didn't know that, and they were buying Max time. "Well, you know, we weren't doing the freak or anything like that, if that's what you mean. “
As she looked toward Kyle, Isabel saw his eyes suddenly widen. She realized that he was looking past her at something. At the same time, his breathing started getting ragged.
"He's doing it again!" Isabel said, concern in her voice. What is Kyle up to? And then she heard Kyle's voice in her head. Do anything you have to do to distract them. We're on the TV news! As the nurse started treating Kyle, Isabel let out a wail and flung herself at the security guard. "I don't want to lose him! Help him, please! “
The guard put his arms around her protectively. "It's okay, miss. The nurse will be able to help your friend. Why don't we go over here to the waiting area? “
Out of the corner of her eye, Isabel saw Maria returning to the front area just as Liz hopped up to the counter to distract the female nurse.
"I'll be fine. I just want to stay with Randy," Isabel said, giving the guard the most plaintive, puppy-dog look she could muster.
Max had better hurry up, Isabel thought. There don't appear to be any other emergencies tonight, and I don't know how much longer our distractions can work. Especially when our faces are all over the cable news channels.
Max put up a hand, palm outward, to calm the woman who had just entered the room. "I'm here to help, Ms. Cameron." He hadn't seen a wedding ring on the woman's hand, so he'd guessed that she still shared her younger sister's name.
"Who are you? You don't look like a nurse or a doctor." Shania Cameron's sister looked at him with obvious suspicion. "Give me one good reason not to call security right this second. “
"I'm trying to help your sister. I was… “
"She's in a coma," the woman said sharply. "How exactly were you going to "help' her? “
Max struggled to come up with an explanation, but wasn't sure that he could.
"Lisa?" The voice was tremulous and weak, but Max recognized it as the girl from the church. He looked down and was elated to see she was awake. He also realized he was still holding her hand.
"Shanny! Oh, you're awake!" Relief flooded the woman's features. She moved over to the bed and squeezed her sister's other hand.
"He helped me," Shania said weakly. "He was in my mind, and he helped lead me back out. “
"What do you mean, baby?" Lisa asked. She was still looking at Max with mistrust.
Shania took a deep breath and offered a wobbly smile. "I think he's an angel. “
Max was about to correct her, when he heard Kyle's voice in his head. Do anything you have to do to distract them. We're on the TV news! Shania looked at him questioningly. "What does he mean, you're on the news? “
"What does who mean?" Lisa asked, and then Max saw something register in her eyes. "You're one of them, aren't you? 1 thought you looked familiar. You're one of the guys from the mall. “
"Things aren't always what they seem," Max said. "I can't explain, but whatever or whoever you think I am, you're wrong. I came here to help your sister. “
"You're the reason she's here," Lisa said, sounding defensive. "The car she was in got hit while the police were chasing you. “
Shania grabbed at her sister's arm. "He helped me come back, Lisa. Don't yell at him. “
"So, what, you came in here and healed her somehow?" Lisa asked. "Is that it? Did you help that other woman, too? “
Max just stared at her blankly. Anything I say will only make her angrier. Better to let her jump to her own conclusions. "Please, just let me leave in peace," Max said quietly. "I've helped your sister, and now I have other things to do. “
"What, like running from the law?" Her voice was full of anger. Max assumed most of it was not specifically because of him, but rather a product of all the emotional trauma she had faced during the previous day.