Magnificent Folly - Iris Johansen [37]
“How can I leave her?” Lily strode toward him across the room. “I have to see her.” She pushed past him into the bedroom. “Cassie, I’m here. Are you—Oh, my God.”
Cassie was lying on the bed, still dressed in the pajamas she’d worn the night before when Lily had tucked her into bed at the cottage. Her apparel was the only hint of similarity between that child and the effigy lying before her. A waxlike pallor clung to Cassie’s face; her eyes were wide open and unseeing, her muscles locked in the same deathlike rigor as those of the men in the living room.
“Cassie?” Lily whispered as she moved slowly across the room toward the bed. “Baby?”
Cassie didn’t answer. Her gaze remained unflinchingly fixed straight ahead.
Lily sat down on the edge of the bed, unaware of the tears rolling down her cheeks. She brushed a lock of sandy hair gently back from Cassie’s temple. “Answer me, love.”
Cassie showed no reaction.
“What have they done to her?” Lily asked dazedly.
“Nothing.” Andrew was standing beside her, his hand clasped comfortingly on her shoulder. “She’s done it to herself, Lily. She’s withdrawn inside and locked everything out.”
“Locked. You said that about those men out there.”
“It’s not the same,” Andrew said gently. “There’s no pain where she is. It’s as if she’s sleeping.”
“Comatose.”
“A little like that.”
“Why?” Lily asked brokenly. “How could this happen?”
“Shock. She loves you more than anything in the world, and she saw you lying on the floor hurt and bleeding. She called to you, and you didn’t answer. She thought you were dead. There was too much violence, too much horror, and she had to shut it out.” Andrew’s hand moved to rest gently on Lily’s head. “But it’s not permanent. I can bring her out of it.”
“You?” Lily shook her head violently. “We have to get her to a hospital. She needs medicine, doctors.”
“It wouldn’t help. She wouldn’t respond. They wouldn’t know how to help her.”
“And you would?”
“I’m the only one who could know,” Andrew said quietly. “We’re alike. I can reach her. I hoped I’d be able to wake her before you had to see her, but she’s very stubborn.”
Lily’s hands tightened on Cassie’s blanket. “I know you mean well, but can’t you see that Cassie has to have professional help? Look at her.”
Andrew nodded. “Cassie will have professional help, Lily. This is what I do. This is my job.”
“You’re a doctor?”
He smiled. “No, but I fix things that are broken. The way Cassie is broken.” He gently pulled Lily to her feet. “Now we have to get Cassie out of here and back to the cabin. Gunner and his men will be here soon to pick up Kalom and Baharas.”
“What will they do with them?”
“Put them on a plane for Sedikhan. Gunner has a jet standing by at a private airport near here.”
“You said the Clanad was more efficient,” Lily said abstractedly, her gaze moving yearningly over Cassie’s face. “Sweet heaven, I don’t know what to do. This is all so crazy.”
“Then trust me. You know I care about Cassie and would never hurt her. I can fix what’s wrong with her. Just this once, trust me, Lily.”
She gazed up at him and was caught by the sheer intensity of his plea. He believed what he was saying. He believed he could help Cassie. Why not let him try? “What do we do first?”
Relief brightened the gravity of his expression. “You’ve already started.” He bent and lifted Cassie in his arms. “You’ve given me your confidence. That’s always the most important step. Now let me do the rest. We’ll take her back to our cabin, and Ill get to work.”
He turned and carried Cassie toward the open door.
Andrew placed Cassie carefully on the bed and turned to Lily and Quenby. “I need one more thing from you, Lily. Leave me alone to do my job.”
“Why can’t I stay?”
“You wouldn’t understand, and you’d undoubtedly be upset.” Andrew smiled crookedly. “I can usually close everyone out, but I wouldn’t be able to do that with you. My concentration would be blown.”
“Why do you have to concentrate? You’re not performing brain surgery, for Pete’s sake.” She ran her fingers nervously through her hair. “Or