Beloved Healer

by Bonnie Dee

  And Ava, who’d never asked him for anything, and who’d supported Mason, considering his needs even though he knew she hadn’t wanted him to go—Ava was asking for something from him too. He could not, would not disappoint her.

  Mason summoned up the power and allowed it to flow through him. The heat of it left him to enter Bryan and sweep over the infection, erasing it like a rag wiping up that oily mess.

  Bryan sat straighter, eyes widening. Doug noticed the change and rammed the mic into his face. “What are you feeling?”

  “It’s… My head doesn’t ache anymore, and my throat and chest feel…sort of warm and tingly,” Bryan answered. “Better. A lot better.”

  “How about your legs?” The reverend asked.

  Well, what the hell? He’d gone this far, why not see what else he could do to help the kid. Mason dug deep and pulled. More energy roared through him, a busy, throbbing ball of electrons or whatever the power was. He corralled and focused it, concentrating now on Bryan’s debilitated muscles and the nerve endings damaged by disease.

  This was bigger. It was along the lines of what he’d done for the woman with the degenerative affliction in her spine. Many minute repairs to be made, nerve connections to be soldered together in order to recreate a harmonious system.

  Mason closed his eyes and saw where he wanted the power to go—leg muscles, arm muscles, joints, and all those weakened nerves. He made himself loose and relaxed, a conduit for the power to pass through. Drawing on that thread that plumbed the depths of his being, he pulled up more and more energy, an intense column of energy arching from him into Bryan. He saw the cells knitting themselves together, stronger and better than ever, and those pesky nerve endings also reforming connections.

  But the surge of power left Mason feeling like a shell left behind with no juice to run his own body machinery. It didn’t hurt. It was more like a weakness, an emptiness, a loss of feeling as his systems began to fail. No more. I can stop now. I’ve done the best that can be expected.

  Then he made the mistake of shifting his gaze from Bryan’s amazed expression to Ava’s. How much easier her life would be, how many possibilities would open for her if her brother wasn’t an invalid with a lifetime of therapy and medical bills before him. Why stop at the symptoms—which would only return in the long run—if he could get to the root of the problem with another push?

  I can do even more. Bring him back to normal. The overwhelming desire to heal urged Mason onward. Even though his head was swimming and he’d lost awareness of where he was in the physical world, he couldn’t stop now. Nothing mattered but delving to the core of the disease and fixing it!

  He continued to haul the power up from the depths like some huge fish he hoped to land. Scraping bottom now. There was no more energy to gather. He sensed it. Knew it as another surge of energy shuddered through him. He literally felt his life force leaving him and his own body beginning to fail. But he wasn’t afraid. For Bryan and for Ava he would finish this if it was the last thing he ever did on earth.

  He released the last push of power, directing it to the complex genetic coding of Bryan’s body. Praying that it would be enough to make a difference.

  His final thought before he went dark and toppled from the chair was Guess I’m truly fucked now.

  *

  Before Mason even hit the floor, Ava was beside him, on her knees. He’d gone too far. He’d given too much. And just as he’d warned her, it had depleted him completely.

  She pulled his shoulders onto her lap and held the upper part of his body. “Mason, wake up.”

  He didn’t respond. His face was paler than Bryan’s had been earlier, his lips tinged blue and his hand in hers ice cold. She pressed two fingers to his neck, feeling for his pulse. It was weak but still there.

  “Call 911!” she yelled at the usher/roadie who stood nearby. Her own cheap phone service gave terrible reception in these hills, and besides, she didn’t want to let go of Mason. The man indicated the cell phone already in his hand, to let her know he was on it.

  Ava leaned to whisper to Mason, “I’m so sorry. I promised I wouldn’t ask you for anything, but Bryan was so sick.”

  But if she was being honest with herself, this had been a test. In the back of her mind, from the moment she’d turned off the highway instead of going to the medical center, she’d wanted to know if Mason would make the effort if she asked him to. And now look what her demanding had done. He hadn’t stopped with the infection. He’d poured everything he had into Bryan.

  She looked at her brother rising carefully from the wheelchair. Bryan stood and remained standing, upright and without the support of crutches for the first time in years. Joy and shock waged a war in Ava—and as she turned her attention back to Mason, fear joined in. His eyelids fluttered. His breathing was so shallow. He appeared to be visibly fading right in front of her.

  In the background, she was aware of shouts of hallelujah from the crowd and Rev. Croyden launching into another round of prayer, while the choir broke into song. Ava continued to clutch Mason’s unconscious body and sent up her own prayer.

  God, I’ve never asked for anything before, never begged you to fix Bryan or my mom. I figured it was just the cards life dealt, and it was up to us to make the hand work as best we could. But now I’m asking. I’m begging, don’t let Mason die. Help him. Heal him. I—I love him.

  She didn’t hear that still inner voice people talked about assuring her everything was going to be okay as she leaned over Mason, covering his body with hers.

  Breath barely puffed between his slack lips now, and underneath her palm, his heartbeats grew slower, fainter. “Do something! Don’t you have an AED machine, or a medic?” she shouted at Rev. Croyden.

  The man leaned over them, frowning doubtfully at Mason. “No, but this has happened before. He passed out and eventually came around. I’m sure he’ll be all right. But we have to get him offstage. People are watching.”

  Mason’s eyelids opened slightly, and Ava could see his eyes were rolled up. Was he going into cardiac arrest? Should she do CPR? But that was only for when a person wasn’t breathing, and air still passed shallowly in and out of Mason’s lungs.

  “I’m not letting you go. Stay with me. Don’t you dare—” The strength of emotion filled her body with heat, with energy. Powerful desire to save Mason rushed through every cell. This is what I want. For once I’m asking for—no, demanding what I want, what I need. You will stay alive, damn it!

  A familiar buzzing sensation shot through her nervous system, the same tingling she’d felt before with Mason when they kissed or when their gazes met, not always but sometimes connecting with an almost electrical charge. She’d almost managed to convince herself she’d imagined the sensation before. It was too weird and unearthly. But now she embraced it.

  Mason had given everything in him to help Bryan. Now she would do the same for him. She pressed both hands against his chest, closed her eyes, and let go. The energy that had swelled inside her now swept into him. She experienced the sudden loss, which left her body weak.

  But just as she registered that sensation, she received a surge of strength back from Mason. Her life force flowed into him, his into her, and together they made a complete powerful circuit. Yin and yang, perfect unity.

  His heart beat steadier underneath her hands, and his chest rose and fell more deeply. Mason gulped a breath of air, his throat arching as his head tipped back. His eyes opened, and he looked at Ava.

  Exhilaration overflowed her as she gazed into his eyes. Alive and aware of every atom that made up her body, his, and everything around them, she felt powerful, strong, and completely charged with energy. She’d lost nothing by giving of herself to Mason. They’d both gained from their connection.

  She took hold of his hands and gripped them. “You’re back.”

  “Mm,” Mason grunted, wet his lips with his tongue, and swallowed. “Feel like crap,” he muttered.

  “I’m not surprised. Lo
ok what you did.” She nodded toward Bryan, still testing out the new strength in his legs as he took careful steps.

  Catching sight of Mason restored to consciousness, Doug Croyden clapped his hands together and addressed his audience once more. “Praise be to Jesus. Your prayers have brought our healer back from the edge of the grave. Let’s all sing together in celebration.”

  The choir ramped up into another rousing hymn while the reverend snapped his fingers at the roadie to get Mason the hell off his stage. With Ava’s help, the man lifted Mason and set him in the wheelchair Bryan had vacated. The usher pushed him toward the wings and the ramp there. Before Ava could follow, she needed to check in with Bryan. She dragged her brother into a fierce hug as the audience cheered.

  “You okay?” she asked him.

  “I’m fine. I’m perfect! He really did it.” Bryan’s voice cracked from tenor to baritone. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Ava held his arm, not supporting him at all, and they walked side by side off the stage.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Mason felt as if he’d gone ten rounds with a heavyweight boxer, got knocked down, but somehow staggered back onto his feet for more—and then went down for the count. Except he hadn’t stayed in blissful darkness. Electricity had shot through him and resurrected him like Frankenstein’s monster. His coordination was about on that jerky level as he tried to lift an awkward hand to scratch his cheek. And the noises and sights around him seemed to rise and fade in pulses as if he was on the edge of passing out again.

  “You okay, bud?” the usher asked. He’d parked the wheelchair behind the stage risers, amidst the black cords that snaked to amplifiers and sound system.

  “Um,” Mason said.

  “I’ll get you something to drink. What do you want?”

  “Water.”

  Time shifted. The usher was gone. The loud noise of the revival hurt Mason’s head and his eyes were too heavy to keep open. He desperately wanted to lie down in a quiet room. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, Ava was crouched beside him, pressing a cool hand to his forehead.

  “Hey. How are you feeling?”

  His gaze shifted to Bryan standing behind her.

  “Hey, man,” the kid said. “Thank you so much. More than thanks. That’s too weak. I don’t even know what to say.”

  “Thanks is fine. No problemo.” And that was five words too many. He was exhausted and had to close his eyes again.

  “I’m so glad you’re okay. I didn’t think you were going to…” Ava trailed off as the usher returned with a bottle of water and handed it to Mason.

  He drank it down in deep gulps and immediately began to feel better. The heat from his super-wonderful magic gift must have burned all the fluids out of his system, leaving him totally dehydrated. He swallowed the last sip with a sigh and focused on Ava.

  “Something happened between us,” he groggily recalled.

  She nodded. “That same thing as when we…” She glanced up at her brother. “Bry, can you give us a few seconds alone?”

  “Sure. I’ll just walk over there, because I do that now.” He grinned and strode off a few yards to give them some privacy.

  “When we had sex,” Ava continued. “And other times when we touched, I’d feel a surge of energy between us. I didn’t know if you felt it too, or if I was imagining it.”

  “Oh, I felt it,” Mason said. “And just now it was as if you jump-started me with battery cables.”

  A little smile tipped the corners of her lips, making him want to kiss them. God, was she blushing? How adorable. “So…there’s that. Weird. But pretty cool.”

  “Very cool,” he agreed. “Especially since I think you just saved my life.”

  She slowly nodded. “When I thought you were about to stop breathing, it felt like… I thought I’d… Oh crap, I’m so bad at talking about feelings.” She leaned in closer and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I was so scared. But you came back.”

  “Yeah.” Mason hugged her as hard as his numb arms were able. He nuzzled his nose into her neck and inhaled the scent of her hair and her skin. “I think I was almost gone. That near-death stuff people claim they see? Well, there wasn’t a tunnel or a light, but I felt something. But then I came back.”

  He didn’t want to say more than that. What he’d felt was too vague to put into words. It was beyond words, so brief and almost faded from his memory already, like one of those dreams that seems so vivid and important while in the midst of it and almost incomprehensible later. Besides, the memory of the other…place…was eclipsed by the massive power surge that had arched between him and Ava, bringing him back to the physical world.

  “Anyway,” he finished.

  “Anyway,” Ava echoed as she pulled away to look into his eyes. “You’re here now. Can I take you home with me?”

  “I’d really like that.” He frowned. “I’m sorry I left the way I did. I don’t want to be that guy anymore, the one who takes off when things get a little complicated.”

  “And I don’t want to be the girl who never asks for what she wants. Frannie has called me a doormat more than once. Maybe she’s right. What I want is for you to stick around town for a while, Mason Reed. Be my boyfriend.”

  He smiled and nodded. “I can do that. If people hound me for healings, I’ll have to learn how to set limits, because I’m not going to walk away twice from the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

  Ava pointed to her chest and lifted her eyebrows in a silent who me? that made him laugh.

  “Yes, you. Guess it took almost dying for me to realize what’s important.”

  “That’s extreme. I could’ve told you if you’d asked.”

  “I’m sorry.” Mason grabbed her hand, suddenly desperate for her to know he wasn’t taking this lightly. “Sorry if I made you feel like you were just a rest stop for me or something. I never thought of you like that. In fact, I think how hard I fell for you scared me into hitting the road again.”

  Ava leaned to kiss him, a lingering kiss that was more rejuvenating than the water. She pulled away and looked into his eyes. “I’ve fallen for you too, and I’ve been as freaked out about it as you. I haven’t had a real relationship before. It takes a lot of trust, doesn’t it?”

  “You can trust me,” Mason promised, gazing back at her. Then he added, “Now, let’s get the hell out of here. I don’t ever want to see the inside of this tent again.”

  “Is there anything you need before we leave?”

  “My duffel is in one of the buses. And I suppose I’d better talk to Doug before I go.”

  Bryan joined them and Ava pushed the wheelchair toward the rear of the tent, bumping over cords and maneuvering around obstacles. Before they reached the exit, Croyden had wrapped up the show and left the stage. He spotted them and hurried over.

  “Speak of the devil, and he appears,” Ava leaned to mutter in Mason’s ear.

  The reverend’s white hair must have lost a layer of shellac since it actually appeared rumpled, and a sheen of sweat glistened on his brow. “How are you doing?”

  “Not great,” Mason replied. “I quit.”

  “But we agreed on one more night.”

  “We also agreed you’d stop bringing people to me when I gave you the signal. I can’t do this anymore. It nearly killed me tonight.”

  “Looks like you bounced back okay.” Croyden wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. “And as for taking on one more case, you could have refused, but then your young friend here wouldn’t be walking. In the end, it’s up to you, isn’t it? To decide where to draw the line.”

  Ava pushed the wheelchair forward, bumping the evangelist. “We have to go now. Mason needs to rest. He’s fulfilled his obligation to you, and he’s finished.”

  Croyden glanced at her, then turned that piercing gaze back on Mason. “Except you’re never really finished are you? You can’t find it in you to turn anyone away.”

  Mason pressed his lips together an
d nodded his head. “Actually…I can. Good-bye, Doug.”

  He thought Ava would roll over the preacher in her hurry to get past him. She rammed the wheelchair through the doorway and out into the night. It wasn’t raining, but a fine mist hung in the cool air, damp and clammy. Mason shivered and hugged his arms tight around his body.

  “Where’s your stuff?” Bryan asked. “I can run and get that if you want while Ava pushes you to the car.”

  “I can walk.” Mason tried to rise, but his body felt like lead. “Or maybe not.”

  He didn’t protest again as Ava pushed the chair across the parking lot—quickly, before the crowd coming out of the tent and getting into cars noticed Mason. In fact, he lost a bit of time, drifting into a sleepy haze and only coming to again as Bryan helped him into the car.

  He slumped into the seat, head resting against the window, and only roused again when Ava stopped the car in front of her house. The windows glowed yellow and warm, welcoming, and Mason recalled the other night he’d come here worn-out from a healing. The sense of comfort and relief he’d experienced that night filled him again. He was coming home.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Almost ready, Bryan?” Ava yelled up the stairs at her brother while rolling the lint off her dress and wondering if it was way too classy for the occasion. A Cozy Café Christmas party was hardly a formal event, although Deb had sprung for the back room at the best restaurant in Brag’s Hollow. There certainly weren’t many occasions in Ava’s life to wear a little black dress and high heels, so why not go all out? Besides, she wanted to see Mason’s expression when he saw her in the dress.

  “Come on, if you want a ride to Garrett’s house,” Ava called again. “Otherwise you’re going to have to walk there. I’m serious. We’re not waiting around for you.”

  “Coming!” Bryan bellowed. His bedroom door slammed—he kept it closed with a Keep Out sign now, his teenage sanctuary—and he thumped down the stairs two at a time.

  The sound and sight of her brother moving like any other thirteen-year-old boy still filled her with awe sometimes. Ava smile up at him before going to set the lint roller on the table and figure out which coat to wear. Unfortunately, she didn’t have anything dressy enough to match her outfit so she fished her parka out of the front hall closet.