Lightning Game (GhostWalkers 17)

They’ll be the same about anything you do, Lightning. They get overprotective. I’m fine. You’re in my head. You can tell I am. If my brother cared to, he could look as well. He doesn’t like the fact that we’re going to this island. He wanted to go and check it out ahead of us.

She noticed he hadn’t just included Diego when he said “over-protective.” He’d used the pronoun “they.” She glanced around the boat. None of them looked that happy, although after Gino’s explanation, they were a little more accepting.

Was there a risk to your life, Rubin? Ezekiel asked, straight to the point.

No, examining a patient is simply checking to see what’s beneath the skin, much like a scan. There’s no threat to me whatsoever. She barely noticed.

Rubin was telling the strict truth. There wasn’t a risk when one scanned a patient. All the healer was doing was conducting an examination to see what was wrong. The healing was much more difficult. What had taken place with Patricia Sawyer and Nonny was difficult and tiring, but the “surgeries” Rubin had performed on Luther and she had on Rubin were something completely unheard-of. Something none of them talked about or wanted others to know about. That kind of surgery was life-threatening.

Did you just examine her or did you attempt to heal her injury? Ezekiel pursued.

Jonquille knew Rubin and Diego had told Joe and Ezekiel about her ability. They had asked her first. They’d explained what her talent was and how it differed from being a healer. How rare it was and how she could never allow Whitney to know about that particular psychic capability. There were only a handful of people, as far as they knew, who could perform surgery with their minds. She was one of them.

Jonquille denied she had the ability. Rubin had mapped out what she needed to do. She’d followed his instructions to the letter. It had taken some persuasion to convince her that she had the same gift as Rubin and he would help her develop it. She wanted that, was excited about it, but knew the cost to him was great, so at the same time was apprehensive. Now, seeing the way the others went so still, even though they all, including Gino, were extremely concerned for Zara, they were more uneasy over risking Rubin.

She knew a healer would have a difficult time examining a patient and then not following through to try to help them. She’d been in the room with Zara, and her need had called to Jonquille. It was only her promise to Rubin that had kept her from at least trying to help her. The answer to Ezekiel’s question was of course he had tried. Rubin couldn’t do anything else but try to heal Zara. She had the feeling every single person aboard the boat knew that about him—and they would eventually know that about her. She realized what Rubin had to have felt all the time living in a glaring spotlight with others making his decisions for him as if he were one of the triplets at Nonny’s.

I spent a very small amount of time working on the tendons. They’ve been severely damaged. I knew I had to come here, so I told Gino I would try again when I could really take my time, Rubin admitted. Zara has an interesting problem. The man who attacked her knew anatomy, and he knew what he was doing. He did the most damage to her tendons that he could possibly do without actually severing them.

Jonquille heard the interest in his voice. He wasn’t going to drop it. He would find a way to help Zara no matter what. He might not get her to a point where she was running like the wind, but he didn’t want her in pain. She couldn’t help but smile up at him. That was her Rubin. No matter how many others might frown on him, he would go his own way.

You didn’t exactly answer my original question, Ezekiel persisted. Did you put your life in danger?

For God’s sake, Zeke, do I look two to you? No, my life wasn’t in danger. I did a favor for my brother. I looked at his wife, who has been in pain for weeks. I’ve wanted to help out, but no one asked me, so I kept a distance. I was grateful he asked me. It doesn’t feel all that good constantly being kept out of the family circle.

There was a long silence. Rubin’s tone was low, not at all accusatory or self-pitying, but just his words alone told the others he’d been hurt.

It’s meant for your protection, not to push you out, Ezekiel said eventually.

Rubin didn’t reply, but Jonquille was firmly entrenched in his mind when she realized he’d already detached from the others. He looked out over the water, his dark sunglasses shielding his eyes and his expression as unreadable as ever. He appeared remote. Distant. Just as she’d first seen him in the cabin when he’d confronted her. This was the man who went off by himself so often. She felt the affection the others had for him. Their respect. Their need to keep him alive at any cost, even when he didn’t want them watching over him. This was how they made him feel. Alone in the middle of a crowd. In the middle of his family. Pushed out. Held at a distance.