Arthur wasn’t sure how long he had been sitting there. Perhaps an hour? Maybe a day or two? His shock left him numb to his surroundings. He just continued to sit and stare. He didn’t have the energy for anything else. At some point the exhaustion from overusing his magical energy hit him and he fell unconscious upright on that bench. His figure looked more like a statue among the now empty city as the sun cast his long shadow on the ground. He wasn’t sure when Brennan initially showed up or when they ended up in the waiting room of the Falstrom University hospital. It was all a blur.

The two of them rarely left their seats in that waiting room. Nurses ran back and forth through the room always looking stressed out and overworked. Off to save the next life for less pay than they should be receiving. Each time a nurse rushed through Brennan looked up. Hoping the nurse was coming for them with an update on Emily’s condition. It was never the case. The off white walls and sterile smell were just as off-putting as Brennan remembered. He was never a fan of hospitals. Reminded him to much of his childhood.

Arthur glanced up as Brennan mumbled once again, “This was all my fault. I was too eager. Too naïve.” Escaping his self-loathing for a few seconds Arthur managed to respond his voice cracking slightly, “It’s not your fault Brennan. None of us knew how powerful the Imp would be. We had no way of knowing. It was a nice thought.” He grinned slightly trying to cheer Brennan up.

Brennan looked over in surprise at the sound of Arthur’s voice, “Sure, I know that logically, but it doesn’t change what happened to you and Emily. I don’t think I can ever fix what’s been done.” Brennan stared down at the palms of his hands studying each crease so he wouldn’t have to look at Arthur.

Arthur looked forward at a small painting of a landscape. Rolling green hills and sunlight shooting through the breaks in the clouds. It would have been a beautiful sight had it not been hung haphazardly in the waiting room. “The most either of us can do is try to be better. We can’t change the past. We just need to be stronger for the future.” It was an empty and generic reply. Arthur didn’t have much else to say. Brennan appeared to silently agree and the two sat there in silence once more.

It was another few hours before a nurse approached the two of them. She looked similar to many of the others with light blue scrubs and hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. “Brennan and Arthur? Her mother is still in the room, but you two can come visit her now if you like.” Brennan shot up ready to rush back there. Arthur was a little slower to his feet. Still hazy mentally, everything registered slower than he would like. After fully standing up he turned to Brennan, “Let’s go.”

Emily wasn’t in good shape. Her fragile figure was laid back on a large white bed. A variety of machines neither Arthur nor Brennan knew were connected to her in some way. Whatever the imp hit her with was difficult to heal. Bandages were wrapped heavily across her chest although blood was still visible soaking through them all. The good news was that she was awake. It was her mother that greeted them first. She walked steadily up to Brennan, looked him dead in the eyes, and slapped him hard. The sound echoed through the room as his head jerked back from the force. He hadn’t tried to stop it or turn away.

Although she wasn’t crying Mrs. Anderson was not as poised as she often was. Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke to Brennan. “I know it was your idea. It’s always your idea. I should hate you more than I do. You put your friends in danger with this one. You’re all lucky to be alive. Emily barely is. What made you imagine the three of you could handle an elder imp alone? And as your first hunt? You’re more idiotic than I thought!” Her voice was rising in anger, but Brennan and Arthur weren’t about to stop her tirade.

It was then a weak voice came from the bed, “Mom, stop. It was my choice too.” Mrs. Anderson calmed down slightly at the sound of Emily’s voice. It was a sudden change, but she backed off letting Arthur and Brennan approach her bed. “Go ahead and talk. I’ll be speaking to your parents later.” Mrs. Anderson went to sit back down into her seat in the corner of the room.

Emily looked up weakly at the two of them, a soft smile dancing across her lips. “Hey guys, glad we all made it out alive.” Brennan and Arthur could only nod. They were at a loss for words. Eventually Brennan spoke out, “I’m sorry Emily. I really thought we could handle this one.” Emily’s smile didn’t falter, “I think we handled it pretty well all things considered. How did you two kill the imp?” Arthur’s face froze up at the question. Brennan was the one who gave a response. “I managed to escape with you after you fell unconscious. Arthur took care of the imp on his own. I’m not sure exactly how. He just started speaking again an hour or two ago. Whatever happened was bad, really bad.” Brennan was able to roughly guess what happened when he found Arthur in an empty village filled with black sludge. He figured it wasn’t his story to tell though.

Arthur nodded attempting to form a sentence through his jumbled thoughts. “I finished off the imp, but there was a bigger cost than I expected. I’ll tell you two later. When it’s right. When I’m able to.” They both accepted the answer. They wouldn’t push their friend. Arthur walked up to Emily’s side placing his hand on the side of the grainy, plastic bed. “I’m glad to see you’re okay. I’m scared to imagine what I would get up to without you around.” Arthur forced a smile.

With no small amount of pain, Emily raised her hand and placed it on top of Arthur’s. “I just hope you can recover.” She knew him too well. She could tell something was wrong. That he wasn’t okay. Arthur, in an almost inaudible whisper, responded, “Me too.”