Wednesday
“Buddy, your stop.”
Grim slowly moved his head off the back seat and with half-lidded eyes focused on the cabbie. “What?”
“Your stop.”
Grim moved like he was stuck in quicksand. He wasn’t this bad when he left. He was able to get out the door before Ben asked questions. He walked two whole blocks before calling a cab. He was fine, just fine – until right now.
He got his hands around the door handle and pulled. Nothing happened. He ended up forcing himself to pull really hard.
“You need help back there?”
“I think I got it.”
He shoved open the door and practically rolled out into the gutter, but righted himself by holding onto the door for dear life. He straightened, and focused again on the cabbie, who looked him over. “Buddy, you don’ look so good.”
“Thanks,” he said, and got onto the sidewalk. “How much?”
“Thirty-two.”
Grim went in his jacket and pulled out some money. He couldn’t tell a ten from a one, so he just shoved it all at him. Then he turned and stumbled into the doorway of the Academy. He started to cough. All this pain, and now a cold.
He got the door open, after dropping the keys once. He moved down the hall, holding onto the walls. Why did he even bother to come here? He couldn’t make the magic work even if he tried.
What am I without magic? A useless hulk. Wracked as he was with pain, loss of concentration, fatigue and now a persistent cough, he doubted he’d be worth anything to anyone. Even to Ben.
He responded to Ben’s ministrations last night, though it took a lot of effort. He didn’t think Ben noticed. He might have noticed when Grim drifted right off to sleep, something that he didn’t usually do. Now he would be lucky if he could just lie there.
He negotiated the stairs, and turned the corner into the kitchen he planned on rebuilding. He couldn’t think of what he was going to make. He couldn’t think of what he needed to do. He swayed, suddenly dizzy. “Vlot,” he muttered, hoping he could fly, but it didn’t work at all. He crashed to the floor, slamming his head on the wood. He saw stars, and then black.