"Dan?"
Dan woke abruptly, snapping his mouth shut. Sitting bolt upright in his chair, he looked about himself blearily, feeling a desert where his mouth had been and desperately needing a glass of water.
Chloe lay in the hospital bed across from him, frowning.
The light outside the windows was dull, suggesting rain at the trail end of the day.
"Chloe? What's up?"
He bounced up from the seat, surprised at how sore he was. As if he'd been in the same position for a long time.
Scratching his head, he looked back at the chair, trying to remember when he'd decided to take a nap.
He drew up a blank.
"Have I been there long, Chloe?"
"Help me, Dan," Chloe whispered.
Dan turned and moved quickly to her side, reaching to take her hand.
"What's wrong?" he asked, feeling a quick rush of fear. She had her head pushed back against the cushion, and her eyes were showing a lot of white.
She shifted her hand from his, and he saw the ring on her thumb. It looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
"Help," she said again, as her eyes grew wider. "Something's really wrong, Dan."
A little freaked, he grasped her shoulder and stroked his thumb there. "What? Are you in pain? Do you want me to get the nurse?"
Something changed then, as the muscles of her neck loosened and she rolled her shoulders with a smile.
"No," Chloe said softly, closing her eyes. "I'm fine, Daniel, thank you for your concern."
"Uh..." Dan said, wondering what just happened. "You didn't seem so fine a minute ago."
"Mmmm," she hummed, and nodded, before opening her eyes again. Something about the way she looked at him was odd.
"All better now. How do you feel?"
Frowning, he pulled back. "I'm... fine. I'm... a little confused."
"By what?"
"By..." he looked back at the chair, then around the room, and finally at Chloe. "Was I sleeping a long time?"
Chloe lifted her hand and stroked the ring on her thumb. She smiled, her eyes still focused on the black stone.
"Yes."
Dan's brow furrowed, following her gaze. "Where'd you get the ring? I didn't see you with it before?"
She raised it and splayed her fingers, allowing the silver to catch the light. "It was Lucifer's."
"Oh! I knew it looked familiar." Nodding, he took a closer look. The stone within was black and featureless. "What kind of gem is that?"
Chloe folded her hands against her stomach. And that seemed odd too. Was it a trick of the light or was her belly bigger?
"A very old one," she said, drawing his eye back.
She smiled.
Dan frowned. Looking into Chloe's eyes was strange. He couldn't put any kind of feeling to it either. It was just... strange.
"Are you sure you're okay, Chloe? You're acting a little weird."
"I'm fine," she said with a soft smile. "But you look tired."
He yawned, widely, then blinked, wondering where that had come from. "No, I'm good. I just had a big nap."
"You did. You look like you need more."
Dan sagged against the bed, feeling a sudden weight upon his limbs that made little sense. Frowning, he looked up at Chloe, into those eyes that didn't feel right. "What's going on?"
"Time to go back to sleep, Daniel. The chair is very comfortable, wouldn't you agree?"
He turned to look, and indeed the chair looked like the best place to rest for a moment. How odd. He could have sworn he'd just gotten out of it.
His head dipped, and he caught himself, looking at Chloe with an apologetic smile. "Yeah, sorry Chlo, I'm beat."
"I completely understand," she said warmly. Then she reached out to grasp his arm before he left. The grip was strong and cold. "One more thing, Daniel."
"Yeah?" he mumbled, struggling to keep his eyes open.
"Who's Trixie?"
He frowned, and opened his mouth to answer, but couldn't think of what to say. He shook his head to clear it and bounced the name around a bit, looking for a face.
He had nothing.
"Don't know. She a nurse here?"
Chloe's expression shifted, from an unconcerned pleasantness to dawning horror.
"Dan, no! Don't say that! Trixie's our daughter!"
He staggered back, his sluggish mind recoiling from what his ex had just said.
Daughter?
What the hell was she talking about?
"What?!"
Chloe's eyes squeezed shut as her mouth twisted in a grimace.
Then she relaxed again.
"Oh, you are strong, mother," she whispered with a grin. "I am very proud."
Dan stumbled from the bed, desperately seeking the oasis of the chair. "W-what's going on?"
Eyes of ice sought him through Chloe's, and his breath misted before his face as he sagged against the cushion.
"Sleep."
The lights went out.
