“What do you mean, I can’t come in?” A shrill voice hauled River out of sleep, and she instantly tensed.
That voice could only belong to one person.
Blearily, River lifted her head from the flat hospital pillow and blinked away the last vestiges of sleep. Sure enough, Tertia Waterborn was standing outside the hospital room. Dressed in a plum blouse and matching A-line skirt, her hair was in a tight bun at the back of her neck. She looked like she had just stepped out of a meeting.
She probably had.
Tertia was talking to a young blonde woman whom River recognized as Lynette, the night nurse who had introduced herself a few hours ago. Or rather, Tertia was berating Lynette, and the nurse was barely speaking a word. She looked like she wanted to run away, which tracked. Talking to Tertia was never a delightful experience.
A soft snore came from beside her. Nikhail’s lower half was on the hospital chair he’d dragged over, while his arms were crossed on the mattress, providing a pillow for his head. River didn’t see how that was comfortable, but he’d fallen asleep quickly, so it must not have been that bad.
The air fae, foolish man that he was, had refused to leave River’s side when they left the bunker. He’d remained with her as the medics had stitched the claw wounds in her chest, even though River had insisted that they were shallow and would heal on their own. Then, the doctors took care of Nikhail’s wounds right there in her hospital room. He’d had a nasty injury on his side that required immediate attention, and though he remained silent while the doctors worked, he’d fallen asleep as soon as they left.
Nikhail needed to rest, and he wouldn’t be able to do that if the screaming continued. River knew more than most how persistent Tertia Waterborn could be.
With a sigh that resonated through her entire body, River threw back the covers and slid out of bed. The hospital floor was cold beneath her socked feet, and she pulled on a pair of hospital slippers.
Thanking the gods she was in a pair of proper pajamas and not a flimsy hospital gown, River cracked open the door, interrupting Tertia in the middle of her tirade.
“Hello, Mother,” River said.
Tertia turned. She studied River critically, frowning when she noticed her piercings, before her gaze lingered on the bandage poking out from beneath the collar of her shirt. “Daughter.”
There was the ice that River was used to. The hatred that she had dealt with for years. It didn’t carry its usual sting, though.
Or maybe River just didn’t care what her mother thought anymore.
“Sands, Mother. This is ahospital.” River pinned Tertia with a look that she hoped expressed how extremely disappointed she was in the Representative’s behavior. “Keep your voice down. People are trying to sleep.”
Nikhailwas trying to sleep.
Tertia’s lips thinned, clearly displeased.
River found she didn’t care about that, either, and she turned to Lynette. “Is there somewhere my mother and I can talk privately?”
The nurse nodded, seeming relieved that River was taking over. “This room is empty,” she said, pointing down the hall. “Feel free to use it for as long as you need.”
River thanked Lynette, who returned to the nurses’ station. Without looking to see if her mother was following, River made her way to the room.
Running her hand along the back rail of the empty hospital bed, she turned around as Tertia made her way inside. The door clicked shut behind the Representative.
A long moment passed as mother and daughter silently regarded each other. The air, thick like mud, was uncomfortable. Several minutes passed before River rolled her lip ring through her teeth and gripped the bedrail.
“What are you doing here?” She was proud of herself for keeping her voice steady. Calm, even.
Tertia raised a well-manicured brow. “Can’t a mother show up for her daughter?”
“Sure, some can.” Good mothers. Ones who didn’t hate their own flesh and blood. River tilted her head. “But you and I both know that’s not why you are here.”
A minute that felt like a lifetime passed before Tertia lifted a shoulder. “Ignatia sent me to check on the situation. She is not pleased.”
The Chancellor’s moods were none of River’s business, but her mother’s words provided the clarity she sought.
“So, you’re here for work,” River said flatly.
Not for her daughter. Not because she’d almost been murdered.
“Yes.”