by C. G. Powell
“Is there something you two want to tell me?” Beck moved out of the doorway, so the pilot and stewardess could board. He crossed his arms and eyed them as he waited for an answer to his question.
Aidan clasped Meredith’s hand. “It looks like Meredith and I are going to have a go at it again.”
Beck smiled at his friend, he knew the peace and quiet he enjoyed so much would be forever interrupted as long as these two were together, but that was okay with him. Deep down he always knew they belonged together and had much to learn from one another. For as long as Beck had known Meredith, she had been completely grounded, taking life far too seriously even for Beck’s logical taste and Aidan did not have a serious bone in his body, even in the most arduous of circumstances.
Meredith smiled back at Beck and replied sarcastically, “Yay…eleventh time’s a charmer,” she teased, poking fun at their previous track record.
Beck walked over to Aidan and shook his hand, then leaned over and kissed Meredith’s cheek. “I wish you both happiness, but we need to get going. I cannot abide being away from Mae.”
“That reminds me,” Aidan said, pulling out a note from his pocket. “Alexis called while you were in the Council meeting. She wanted to let you know, Mae is still healing slowly, but is healing none-the-less. They plan to wake her from her drug-induced coma either tonight or tomorrow depending on when we get back to Dublin. She wanted you to be there when they do. If all goes well and she is breathing on her own and responsive, they will allow you to take her home, provided you have the facilities and medical staff to care for her.”
Before Aidan could even finish what he was saying, Beck took his phone out of his pocket and immediately started making arrangements to bring Mae home.
Meredith and Aidan gave a small chuckle. Beck had always been a man of action; it was one of his more endearing qualities, especially when it concerned Mae. Even though Beck had not even so much as cracked a smile, they knew he was happy at the news.
After several phone calls, Beck took his seat and prepared for takeoff. His bond with Mae left him feeling heartbroken and empty, despite his good mood but he knew it was a feeling that would resolve itself as soon as he were by her side again. He placed his hand on his chest where her ring still hung around his neck. Its hum comforted him as he allowed its energy to flow through him.
He closed his eyes and embracing its energy, a vision started to form…once again he saw Mae sitting under the oak tree with a toddler on her lap, only this time he could see the child clearly. He had a head of blond hair and ice blue eyes, leaving no doubt that this was his child. As he took the babe from her lap and spun him around in his arms, the baby’s laughter permeated the air. The vision ended as quickly as it began and Beck opened his eyes to find, Meredith and Aidan standing in front of him, dumbfounded by what just happened.
“Why are you two staring at me?” Beck asked, looking up and furrowed his brow.
“What the hell just happened? Aidan and I were sitting in our seats getting ready for takeoff and all of a sudden everything went white then this vision of you, Mae, and a baby just infiltrated my mind.” Meredith was alarmed at the fact that the vision had permeated her barriers.
Beck looked down at Mae’s ring, “There is something about this ring that has caused me to have visions when I touch it. I had the same vision at my apartment right before I left to come to London, except it was not as vivid last time.”
Meredith put out her hand; Beck took off the ring and handed it to her. “I have heard of some witches being able to use crystals to see the future, but this was projected with such strength that I could not even barricade myself against it,” she said, eyeing the ring in amazement.
Aidan looked at Meredith, “Are you saying that this is Mae and Beck’s future?”
Meredith smiled, “Yes…If I’m right, I suppose I am. It looks like Beck is going to be a father, but how is that even possible?” she handed the ring back to him. “I need to look into this further, before I can say for certain. I don’t know if it’s the future as it will be or just a wishful future of Mae’s fabrication.”
Beck put the ring back on the leather cord around his neck. “I do not know what it is, but I hope you are right Meredith, about it being our future. This is a future I would gladly accept.”
They all buckled themselves back in their seats as the plane taxied down the runway preparing for takeoff.
Chapter 13
It was not long before the plane touched down in Dublin. Donald was already waiting at the airport for them to arrive and take them straight to the hospital. Mae still remained in the ICU. Large, armed bodyguards monitored who entered the room, including which doctors were allowed to treat her.
Beck walked in to find Gemma and Alexis at Mae’s bedside. Gemma looked up at Beck, her eyes red from crying. Getting up from her chair she rushed to where he was and threw her arms around him.
Beck returned her embrace and apologized, “Gemma, I am sorry I did not call you as soon as everything happened. I was not thinking straight…I hope you will forgive me?”
She released her hold and grinned, “Everything you did was in Mae’s best interests, how can I possibly fault you for that? Alexis told me what happened after I left. I should be angry at you for not telling Mae about Helen sooner, but I know she loves you, so for your sake you better not break her heart. My only concern now is when she wakes will it be Helen or Mae?”
Beck let out a deep breath before telling the story of his ghostly encounter with Helen. Sadness and relief etched his face while he explained Helen’s departure. “So you see, everything I have done the past couple of days is all for Mae…I love her,” Beck said in conclusion.
Gemma hugged Beck again, she could see how painful all of this was for him. Alexis wiped her eyes, acting like she had something in them, too tough to own up to her tears. Aidan put his arm around Meredith after Beck’s story left her in tears. She grieved over the loss of Helen, who had once been her good friend. A tap at the door snapped everybody out of their melancholy and Dr. Thomas entered the room.
“We’ve decided that it would be best to let her rest one more night before we try to wake her. I suggest everyone go home and get some rest, we plan to wake her at seven a.m.” He walked over to the monitors and started writing on her chart.
Everyone started to leave the room. Beck stayed behind to have a word with the doctor. “How is she doing?”
“As far as I can tell, she should be ready to breathe on her own and she showed lots of brain activity today, which is a good sign,” he said, continuing to write on Mae’s chart.
“Do you think we will be able to move her tomorrow?”
“If all goes well tomorrow morning, I will release her into your care by evening. I have also decided to take you up on your offer of employment. I will accompany her on tomorrows ride,” he replied placing Mae’s chart on the table.
Beck reached out and shook the doctor’s hand, “That is fantastic news, welcome to the team.”
“Do you know if Alexis is seeing anyone?” the doctor asked.
“My good man,” Beck grinned. “It takes a special kind of person to be a part of that one’s life. She is not one to give much thought to other people’s feelings and has a tendency to bring her partners to tears,” Beck warned.
The doctor laughed, “I have seen the way she handles those guards out there and there is much to be admired about a woman who can carry herself with such confidence.”
“Well, you cannot say that I did not warn you,” Beck chuckled, thinking about how long it would take before she had the good doctor crying like a baby. He leaned over and kissed Mae on the cheek, then left the room.
Everyone had figured out their sleeping arrangements before Beck made it to the lobby. Gemma and Alexis would go with Beck to his townhouse and Meredith would go with Aidan to his apartment. The plan was to grab an early breakfast at the townhouse, then head to the hospital. Alexis would take one of Beck’s
cars and head out early. She wanted to be there when the security team switched shifts. Plus, she didn’t trust the non-witch staffers and planned to use her powers of persuasion to ensure, when Dr. Thomas okayed the move, the non-witch staff would also agree.
~~~***~~~
It was already eight by the time the doctors decided to take Mae out of her drug-induced coma. They removed her breathing tube and replaced it with an oxygen line to her nose. Fortunately and to everyone’s relief, Mae was finally breathing on her own. The only sound in the room was the constant beeping of the equipment, while everyone waited to see if she would wake. Beck sat in the chair next to the bed, holding her hand, after a few minutes he felt her fingers move and he started to talk to her. “Mae, wake up,” he whispered softly as her eyes fluttered open.
“Beck,” she whispered back and closed her eyes again.
They all let out a sigh of relief. Her brain was working enough for her to talk. Gemma walked around to the other side of the bed and held her other hand. “I’m here too,” she said, squeezing Mae’s hand.
Mae opened her eyes again, “What happened?” she asked in a dry, raspy voice.
“I will not go into details right now, but you were shot. You need to save your energy, no more talking,” Beck didn’t want her to wear herself out asking questions, it was a story that would have to wait until later.
“I need water,” she struggled to say, almost breathless from the effort.
One of the nurses dashed out of the room and returned with a pitcher of ice water and a cup. Gemma pushed the button and raised the head of the bed, so Mae was sitting up while Beck poured the water into the cup and brought it to Mae’s lips. She managed to take a couple of sips before she could drink no more and Beck placed the cup back on the table.
Alexis walked over to Beck. “I will start making transportation arrangements,” she said to him before leaving.
Once the doctors felt she was not going to crash, they all left, save Dr. Thomas. When he was sure that the others had gone, he spoke. “Now that she is out of the coma, it would be a good idea to try and heal her with magic again.”
Aidan walked up to the bed. “I’m not good at healing, but I can monitor her and tell you what areas to take care of first, if you and Meredith want to work together.”
“What about Alexis? Can she help us?” the doctor asked.
“I don’t think that is a good idea, she’s very powerful but lacks the finesse to do the delicate work required to heal a brain injury,” Meredith replied, much to the doctor’s disappointment.
Beck moved out of the way, allowing Aidan to get closer to monitor her. “Mae, I just need you to relax and clear your mind.” Aidan placed his hand above her wound, closing his eyes and concentrating on the areas that were slow to heal. Mentally, he directed Meredith and Dr. Thomas to the areas most damaged, continuing to look for other places that required repair. He made sure Mae didn’t become distressed while her cells and nerves were being manipulated. They worked on her for about an hour, before becoming exhausted. Mae had slept through most of it and when she woke, only Beck was left in the room.
“Hello sleepy head, how are you feeling?” he asked.
“I feel a little tired, but better,” it had become easier for her to speak; her mind seemed to be working better for their effort. “Where is Gemma?”
“She said she wanted to get a few things while you were sleeping; she should be back soon.” Beck lowered the side bar of the bed and sat next to her. He clasped her hand and grinned as she leaned her head on his shoulder. “I hope you have forgiven me, I will never keep anything from you again,” he promised, raising her hand to his lips and kissing it.
Mae let out a deep breath and paused for a few seconds before she spoke. “To be honest, Beck, I forgave you before I went to sleep that night. I just wanted you to hate yourself long enough to make my point. Although, I did nothing but think about you all day in Killarney and couldn’t wait to be in your arms again,” she admitted, squeezing his hand and smiling.
He let go of her hand and removed the leather cord with her ring on it from his neck. “Would you please take your ring back? I promise to never make you mad enough to throw it at me again.”
Mae gave him her hand allowing him to place the ring back on her finger where it belonged. “And I promise to give you a chance to explain yourself, before I start throwing things,” she laughed.
Beck kissed her cheek. “I also want you to know that Helen is gone. She is no longer a part of you and shall not be coming back.”
Mae sighed and held his hand once more, she knew he loved Helen and it was not easy for him to let go. “When I woke up, I realized she was no longer with me. There were things about you that she helped me understand through her memories and now there is just emptiness there.” In some ways Mae would miss Helen’s constant reassurance that everything would be okay. Helen was the reason she accepted who and what she was without question.
Dr. Thomas tapped lightly on the door and then entered the room. “I need to examine Mae, that way we know where she stands as far as her motor skills.”
The doctor gave her the once over, saying that everything looked well. However, Mae was unable to move her legs. When Dr. Thomas poked the bottom of her foot, she could feel pain and her reflexes seemed to be working fine, but she was still unable to move her legs.
“It looks like her brain is not fully communicating with her spine. In time I think that will correct itself as her brain heals. Other than that, everything else looks great.” Dr. Thomas sat at the small table writing the results of his test in her chart.
“Does that mean we can take her home today?” Beck was being optimistic, but still very concerned about her not being able to walk.
“Yes, in fact I’m writing her release orders right now. You should be out of here before lunch,” he smiled, completing his entry and closing her chart.
“That is fantastic!” Beck smiled, squeezing Mae’s hand in excitement.
Mae was ecstatic too; she had always hated hospitals so the sooner the better. “That makes me very happy.”
“She is still in no condition to get on a plane, Alexis made arrangements for an ambulance to take Mae to Lough Currane, we will ride with Mae,” Dr. Thomas explained.
“I will have Donald follow you with the security team and Aidan. Gemma, Meredith and I will jet back and get everything ready.” Beck would rather have accompanied Mae, but he knew he needed to make sure everything at the house was ready for their arrival.
“The nurse should be in shortly to change her bandages, remove the IV, and disconnect the equipment. Do you have any questions for me before I leave?” he asked.
“Can I have something to eat? I feel like I haven’t eaten in a week,” Mae asked, her stomach rumbling.
Dr. Thomas stood up, “You can eat whatever you want, just not too much. Your body needs to readjust to eating again. I will check on you later while the nurse does the bandage change. I want to make sure the wound is closing,” he winked upon departing the room.
Beck called Aidan. He and Meredith were on their way back to the hospital, he asked them to pick Mae up something to eat on the way. “I hope you are in the mood for steak and potatoes,” Beck told her.
“I don’t know why, but I’m craving raw meat.” Mae was not much of a meat eater and was surprised by her bizarre craving.
Beck laughed at her, “I think it has something to do with you being a vampire. Don’t worry I ordered it rare.” It was the way he liked to eat his steak and figured she might like hers that way too.
Mae smiled, “I completely forgot about that…I’m such a mess.”
“You are the most beautiful mess I know.” He leaned over and kissed her lips.
“I’m sorry, my lips are all rough and dry,” she apologized, rubbing her finger across her lips, trying to slough off some of the dry skin.
As if on cue, Gemma entered the room, her arms filled with bags and a bouquet of flower
s. “Good, you’re awake. I had to get you a few things.” She put the bags down, added water to the flowers in the vase and pulled out a small tin from one of the bags. “Girl, your lips are scaring me, I got you some lip balm.” Gemma handed the tin to Mae.
Beck began to laugh, “Gemma sometimes I think you can read Mae’s mind. We were just discussing Mae’s dry lips seconds before you walked in.”
“What else were you discussing, because I also bought her hand-cuffs and edible underwear,” Gemma joked.
Beck’s face turned red from embarrassment. He was left speechless by Gemma’s insinuation.
Mae let out a big belly laugh, “You should have seen the look on your face, Beck. That was priceless!” she exclaimed, giving Gemma a high-five.
Gemma sat in one of the chairs by the bed, “The doctor just told me we’re busting you out of here in a couple of hours.”
Mae applied the lip balm to her lips. “Yes, but I won’t be walking out of here. It appears that my legs are not working at the moment.”
Gemma was not sure how to take that news, especially since Mae didn’t seem to be bothered by this fact. “Are you going to be able to walk again?” Gemma asked in a concerned voice.
“The doctor thinks she will be able to walk again as soon as she is fully healed. It is just taking longer than usual, considering she is a vampire,” Beck answered.
Gemma rolled her eyes, “I keep forgetting that you are not human, Mae.”