February Thaw Read Online Free Page A

dipped down. "She put a date in the hospital?"
    Beginning to feel like part of a Three Stooges routine, Carlene dragged a chair over to the bed. "I think he works here, Mom."
    "Well, I wouldn't be surprised if she had put a date in the hospital." Thin fingers clutched at the blanket. "She's an eccentric little person."
    Circumstances helped Carlene resist the urge to announce it takes one to know one . As a child, her mother's eccentricities had been fun, as a teenager they'd been embarrassing, and as an adult, well, they put Alynne's in perspective. "I don't want to argue with you, Mom. Not here, not now." She caught up her mother's hands in both of hers. "Tell me what’s happening?"
    "Didn't they tell you? I'm dying."
    "Mom, you're not dying." Elbows braced on the mattress, Carlene leaned forward until she could capture her mother's pale gaze with her own. She knew it was a mistake the moment she did it – no argument could stand against that pale stare. When shaking her head failed to dislodge the unwelcome truth, she leaned back. "Oh my god. You really are."
    "I really am. We all have our allotted time and mine has run out. I meant to end this properly, but I thought I had another year. Such a pity because I was so looking forward to seeing how the experiment came out. Let this be a lesson to you." Her fingers returned the pressure of Carlene's grip. "Always check your math."
    "Mom, what are you talking about?"
    "What do you think?"
    "Mother!"
    "Sorry, force of habit. That whole answering a question with a question thing; we're all trained to do it." Beth frowned slightly. "It's supposed to make us seem mysterious. Can't see how."
    Silently vowing not to lose her temper at her mother's deathbed no matter how surreal things got, Carlene fought to keep from grinding her teeth. "Mysterious, no. Annoying, yes."
    "Thought so." Beth snorted. "Make them work it out for themselves, they told us. Once you start solving their problems, they'll expect you to solve all their problems."
    "Mom."
    "But enough about me, I'm dying..."
    "Stop saying that!"
    "...we need to talk about you."
    "I'll be fine."
    "No, you won't."
    Releasing her mother's hand, Carlene pushed back the chair, walked over to the window, counted to ten, and returned. Only her mother could turn what should be a touching moment of resolution into a petty argument. "Yes, I will. I'll miss you very much, but, after a while, I'm sure I'll be fine."
    "Fine is a relative term."
    "Mother..."
    "I’ve enjoyed being your mother." Sagging back against the pillow, Beth seemed faintly surprised by the revelation. "Watching you grow and learn was the most fun I ever had."
    "Even when I got suspended for pounding Terry McDonnell's head against the playground?"
    "The little snitch deserved what he got."
    Carlene returned the smile. "Thank you. I’ve enjoyed being your daughter."
    "You're not human, you know."
    "What?"
    Her free hand raised to forestall further protest, Beth suddenly struggled to draw a breath. "What time is it?" she gasped as she released it.
    "Ten thirty."
    "Oh, bloody hell." The eyes that locked on Carlene's might have been the eyes of a dying woman, but they were also the eyes of a woman who expected to be obeyed. "Stay away from the oxygen tanks."
    Carlene waited for the next breath.
    There was no next breath.
    Barely breathing herself, Carlene slowly stood and backed away from the bed. The too conditioned hospital air had picked up a shimmer and she could hear nothing through the sudden roaring in her ears.
    Her mother was dead.
    Beth Aswith was dead.
    Bindings began to unwind.
    Carlene remembered.
    "Oh crap..."
    She barely had time to move away from the curtains before she returned to her true form.
    The flesh she'd worn for twenty-four years turned to ash so quickly there wasn't smoke enough to register on the alarm over the door. The flooring got a little scorched and the ambient temperature of the room went up about fifteen degrees, but she managed to