Simon yanked the key out of the ignition, and the van came to a shuddering halt. "We're here" he said, opening his door and stepping out into the sunlight. Clary flinched, although she knew the sun wouldn't hurt him. It was a strange ability for a vampire to have, going out in the sunlight. It defied every myth there was, not to mention every fact his kind had known.
Undoing her seatbelt, Clary opened the passenger door. They were in the parking lot of the local drugstore, the morning sun beating down on the asphalt. Clary's heart was racing, and she took a deep breath to steady herself. Simon was beside her in seconds, his hand on her waist. She took it in her own hand, and he pulled her towards the store.
Stepping through the double doors was like stepping into her worst nightmare. She was instantly afraid of being judged. She wished Jace were there to hold her close and smile down at her, reassuring her that everything was going to be okay, no matter what happened. A pang of guilt stabbed her chest. Jace was tragically injured, maybe even dying, and she was worrying about what other people would think?
Composing her face, she marched into the aisle, grabbed a box of pregnancy tests, and went straight for the register.
The woman behind the counter was reading a STAR magazine, with a picture of Snooki from Jersey Shore on the cover. She looked up as Clary approached, popping a baby pink bubble from her gum. "Can I help you?" she asked, seeming slightly irritated that somebody was here so early in the morning.
"Yes. I'll take this please." It took all of Clary's strength just to keep her hand from trembling as she handed the package to the cashier. She won't judge you. Just pretend you have Jace beside you. She looked to her side to see that Simon had returned to her and was staring into her eyes. She squeezed his hand, and turned back to the register.
Nodding, the woman rang up the items, and Clary handed her the money. With the swish of a plastic bag, Clary and Simon exited the store. It was done. "Now let's go home and find out if you're a mom." Simon whispered, opening the passenger door of his band's dirty banana yellow van. She smiled and stepped inside, just as her cell phone buzzed.
Frowning, she pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the screen. It was a number she didn't recognize, but it couldn't hurt to answer the phone. She flipped it open and pressed it to her ear.
"Hello?" There was a faint buzzing sound on the other end, the ambiance of people talking and bustling around in a crowded space.
The voice on the other end spoke, a low male voice. He seemed like he was a professional of sorts, delivering an important message. "Clarissa Fray?" he asked.
"Yes, this is her. May I ask who's speaking?"
The other end went silent for a moment, and Clary heard the rustling of papers. "This is Dr. Vikram. I am a doctor at the Infirmary for wounded Shadowhunters. We were informed that you were the girlfriend of a Mr. Jace Wayland."
Clary's heart fluttered, and Simon's grip tightened on her hand. She fought back tears. "Yes, that's right."
The man on the phone said something to himself, presumably scrawling notes on a pad or something.
"Very well." He said. "We request that you come to the Infirmary of 8th Avenue. Mr. Wayland is awake. And he's asking for you."