by Pamela Davis
The Hospital, Cape Fair
Maria and Zack watched in fascination as Perceval typed on his laptop computer. Zack found himself reaching for a camera that wasn't there, thinking they had to get this recorded. Maria was forming interview questions, only to look at Zack and smile sheepishly. She saw they'd both been on the same wavelength and shrugged her shoulders. Time to get a new job.
BRING MERLIN TO LISANNE
SHE CAN HELP HIM HEAL
NOT SO BADLY INJURED AS HIM
CAN STABILIZE HIM
"Healing abilities?" Maria asked skeptically. "Nobody said anything about healing. All I've heard of are dreamers and what do you call them? Animal talkers? You're saying they can heal also?"
Mrs. Philpott was frowning slightly. She'd brought Perceval to the Farm to help with the search for Abby, only to rush back out and head for the hospital once events there became clear. She started to say something, and then stopped as Perceval continued.
NO NOT ALL CAN DO IT
NOT YET
BUT MERLIN-LISANNE DID IT
BEFORE
MIGHT WORK
Their little group was in the white-tiled corridor of the hospital where Lisanne had been placed in a room. Merlin and Waldo were being examined in the emergency room by a paramedic who had arrived earlier in the day. No one knew when or if Clay would be up to handling vet duties in the near future.
Mayor Dubois marched briskly up to them, Alan and Phoebe trailing behind her. Phoebe seemed brighter looking and more together than Maria had seen her look in ages. Then she got it. A hospital. All clean and white--no mess. She had visions of Phoebe asking to live at the hospital.
"So this is the smart cat--can I read this?" Mayor Dubois asked. Mrs. Philpott turned the screen to her. "Ahh. You haven't any experience with this healing thing?"
"No," Mrs. Philpott replied wearily. "But I guess it's worth a try. Merlin's in bad shape--internal injuries, we think. Lisanne will recover, just needs watching mainly for the next twenty-four hours or so. But the one thing none of us knows about is their connection."
She stopped and looked as though she was trying to decide what to say. Perceval growled a bit and swatted at the computer. Turning it back to him, they all peered over his shoulder at the screen.
IF STRONG CONNECTION
NOT KNOWN WHAT HAPPENS IF ONE DIES
DOES THE OTHER ONE DIE
"What?" Mayor Dubois asked. "You mean, if a person is strongly connected to an animal, they might die if the animal dies? But that's--that's---"
"That's bad," Alan Beakman said slowly, "because a lot of animals don't live as long as humans."
"Surely not," Maria said. "It can't be they would die!"
Silence reigned in their hallway as they all contemplated the implications of the problem. Finally Mayor Dubois shook herself, (really, Perceval thought, much like a terrier) and said, "Well, we can't worry about that now. I say you get Merlin in to see that girl there and find out what she can do. And while you're at it, shouldn't that dog, whathisname? Wally? Willy?"
"Waldo," Phoebe supplied.
"Right, get that Waldo into the operating room. Maybe if he's close to Andy he can help him."
Perceval typed into the computer.
SLAPS SELF IN HEAD
OF COURSE
SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT
Mayor Dubois pointed to Maria and Zack. "You two--go find the dog and get him moved to the O.R. Alan, you and Phoebe go find the cat and bring him here to the girl."
Mrs. Philpott and Perceval watched as all four took off running to do the mayor's bidding. Perceval thought to himself that this mayor person was going to be a big help. Like a short, dumpy little general, she was. Definitely would be a help to John--if she didn't take over outright. He heard Mrs. Philpott chuckle discreetly as she picked up his thoughts.
"Now then," Mayor Dubois said, turning to them with her hands on her hips. "Where the hell have they put that nutjob, Margaret? I'd like a word or two with her."
Mrs. Philpott just pointed down the hall and managed to contain her giggles until the mayor was out of sight. Oh, my, she thought, bemused. It just might be worth it to miss seeing the whole healing thing in order to hear the mayor flay Margaret verbally. Her thoughts soon sobered, however, as she wondered just what they were going to do with Margaret. She heard the clicking of the mouse and looked down at the screen.
SAM WILL KNOW WHAT TO DO
The Farm
Alexandra had raced to the Power Station with the others, beating them there in her sports car. She'd brought Mark and had been as shocked as everyone else at the scene inside the control room. For a few seconds there, she'd thought both Andy and Lisanne were dead. Mark had gone to the hospital in a van someone had the foresight to drive, with Andy laid out in the back, Lisanne next to him, animals following in the SUV behind them. Alex had stayed only long enough to load John and the sobbing Samantha into her car. Harry sat in the back seat, whimpering, while Sam had not stopped crying the entire trip back to the Farm.
Now Alex stood in the doorway of Abby's bedroom, watching as John approached his wife and as he set Sam down to stand in front of her mother. Part of her thought she shouldn't be watching this moment--yet another part felt strongly that she needed to know what would transpire here. She was a witness of sorts, an observer, of Samantha's life now. So she leaned against the doorjamb and watched. She noticed how Harry padded softly into the room to stand next to Samantha. Alex didn't think the little girl even noticed how automatically her hand reached out to rest on top of his head.
"Mommy," Sam said brokenly, "I shoulda been here. I shoulda found her in time. It's my fault--" Then she broke down into tears again.
Jessica seemed to wake from a kind of hazy far-off place. Samantha was here and needed her. She gathered the little girl up, settling Sam on her lap, hugging her tightly at first and then rocking her gently. Jessica felt her own tears start to flow as she murmured, "It's not your fault, not at all. There was just too much, honey. Too much. You couldn't fix it all."
"I couldn't fix anything, Mommy," Sam said in a low trembling voice. "Andy and Lisanne and Merlin and Waldo--they all got hurt. And Grandma Abby died. And I--"
Her father protested, "No, Sam, no. What you did was so important. It had to be done. Margaret had to be stopped--and you were the only one who could do that. You did the best you could--it's just that sometimes--"
"Sometimes bad things happen, Sam," her mother explained. "And nobody can fix them, not even you. But you did stop Margaret from shooting anyone else, from damaging the power plant. You did good."
Alex watched Sam's face. Would she accept this? Understand that there were indeed limitations in what she could accomplish with her gifts? It was crucial that she get it, Alex thought. As harsh a lesson as this was, learning she could not control everything was vital to her future well-being. Otherwise, Alex didn't think those small shoulders could handle the weight of the world, all that crushing responsibility. After all the disasters, all the death--the end of the world left a lot of fixing up to do afterwards. Too much for one girl.
Sam's crying slowed down now, and the adults saw her trying to work out what was being said to her. Finally, she asked hesitantly, "But was it okay? What I did to Margaret? That was the mind pressing thingie you told me not to do anymore. But, I had to, Mommy, it was the only way to stop her."
Jessica pulled her close again. "Oh, Sam, honey, I know you had to do that. And it wasn't just you doing it anyway, was it?"
John spoke up, "That's right, Sam. There were a lot of people and animals and other things helping you do it, weren't there?"
Jessica nodded to her daughter. "I know I felt it, and I heard the others talking about it--a lot of people were connected to you in that moment, Samantha. It wasn't just you doing it. And, honey." She reached out to the nightstand and grabbed a Kleenex, wiping her daughter's face. "Even if it had only been you--you did what you did to protect us all. That is a good thing, n
ot a bad thing."
Sam looked at her mother and father and nodded, but still had a confused look on her face. Alex cleared her throat, and then as they turned to her, entered the room. Harry walked over and licked her hand while he wagged his tail at her.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I heard what you were talking about. I wanted to tell you that I think it's important we talk about this more--later on, when we have time. But what you need to understand now, Sam, is that there are all kinds of abilities people have, things they can do, that can be used for good or for bad. Just like...Black. He can shoot a gun really well. Margaret shot a gun and almost killed someone. Does that mean that shooting a gun is a bad thing? No. We trust Black to use good judgment if he ever has to use his gun. We trust he will use it only for the protection of all of us. I think if we know you will work on using good judgment with your mind pressing ability, then we can trust you to do the right thing with it. Just like you did tonight--you used it to protect us all. Do you understand?"
Jessica gave Alexandra a grateful look. Just as she was about to say more, Harmony burst into the room.
"Sorry guys, but the hospital just called. Andy's not doing well. Somebody named the Mayor got on the phone and said you gotta bring Samantha down there. I wouldn't have listened to her--she's kinda bossy, and who calls themselves the Mayor anyway? But then Mrs. Philpott got on and said Perceval says Sam may be able to help. Some kind of healing or something."
Jessica started to object, but Samantha spoke before she could get the words out.
"If I can help him, I gotta go," the little girl said determinedly.
Alex kneeled down in front of Sam. "Just remember this, kiddo. You may not be able to help him--okay? He may be too badly hurt. And as far as I know, you haven't tried to heal anyone with this connection, this link you have to the planet, right?"
"No, not really. I talked to Harry about it one time."
Harry barked affirmatively.
"Okay," Alex continued, "so you talked about it, but you never did it. All I'm saying is that you need to remember it may not work. It might work, and if it does, then great. But Sam, if it doesn't work--you need to be prepared for that. Andy could still die."
John started to object this time. That seemed too stark for a child to hear. But Samantha spoke up.
"I don't want him to die! I don't want anybody else to die!"
Alex looked directly in Sam's eyes. "Remember when you said I'd be your advisor? Well, I'm advising you now. I don't want you to go in there thinking you can make Andy all better--and then find out you can't and get all freaked out by it. The only thing you really know, the only thing you can be really sure of, is that you can try. Trying is what counts."
Sam's big brown eyes stared at Alex's face. And stared beyond the face to the inside. And she saw that Alex was looking out for her. Caring, worried that Sam would get hurt. Not holding her back. Just telling her the truth. It was Alex's job, Sam realized, what she'd known Alex would become. The Advisor.
Solemnly, Sam said, "Okay. Trying is what counts."
Then she slid off her mother's lap and turned to her father. "Daddy, Alex is gonna drive me in her sporty car."
John said, "No, honey, I can take you." Only to see his little girl shake her head.
"No. Mommy, Daddy...Janine and Max, Grandpa Clay and Nathan...they're bringing Grandma Abby to the house now."
"Oh," Jessica said, rather bleakly.
John leaned down and, feeling torn yet again tonight between two crises, resignedly gave Sam a hug. "All right then, I'll stay here with your Mom and Grandpa. And Alex," he said sharply, "no speeding."
As Alex took Sam's hand and walked out of the room with her, John heard her saying, "Now, see, there's another thing--driving a car. A car can go really fast. Which can be a good thing when you need to be somewhere in a hurry. But there are also dangers in that. So your father is trusting my judgment to drive safely with you in the car."
Harry whuffed as he followed them down the stairs.
"But, Alex, shouldn't you drive safely even when I'm not in the car?" Sam asked innocently.
"Um...well," Alex murmured. John heard a small giggle coming from Sam. A brief bark from Harry. Maybe not so innocent.
The Hospital
Waldo lay on a stretcher in the operating room, one paw outstretched to touch Andy's hand. The smells and sounds in the room as the surgery went on and on made him want to sneeze or growl or run away. But he stayed motionless, his head in Samantha's lap. Alex had lifted her up onto his stretcher when they arrived, and Sam's little hands gently soothed Waldo as she lightly ran them over the silky black fur on his head. He felt her connection to him...like a golden braid of light, it twisted to him. Then he sensed the strand get thicker, stronger, as Samantha brought others into this glowing connection. First Harry--what a great dog he was, Waldo thought. A true friend. Harry stood next to Alex, quivering with the need to help. And as the shimmering braid of light touched him, Waldo saw it glow clear and pure with Harry's strong sense of duty, purpose, and devotion to Samantha. Waldo then heard Alex say, "Oh, wow," and knew she was gripping tightly to the stretcher rails to keep from falling down. Well, Alex was still new to all this. Waldo let his own senses expand with Sam's, joining more fully with her.
He watched as she made a circle of connections, an ever-widening loop, one that ignored boundaries, passing through walls and doors and buildings. There was the group in the chairs outside the operating room, Maria and Zack--new people, others he didn't have names for, Mrs. Philpott and Perceval--they were right outside the door. Doctor Mark had only let Sam, Harry and Alex in the room with Andy. But Perceval was a very strong strand in the gleaming bonded threads of Sam's creation. There were Black and White with Rachel. The sphere of connections reached out to Lisanne, and Waldo felt her love for Andy spilling into the deepening braid of healing energy swirling around them.
Waldo noticed how carefully Sam kept the light away from Margaret, and how she kept the center of the circle clear. Inside the center were just Andy, the doctor and the nurse, the latter two working furiously to save an ebbing life. Hurry, thought Waldo. Yes, he heard the reply...time to hurry now.
With breath-taking suddenness the circle expanded to encompass the entire town. Some people caught up in it were just vaguely there, just thin tiny bits of the glowing radiance...but all were touched on some level. People at the Farm, mourning, but still connected in this moment. Those at the Power People's House, and at the Power Station, stopping their repairs of the minor damage Margaret had done, Sarge and Tommy Sinclair joining the connection. Even Cap'n Joe out at the lake, sitting in a boat with Mutt, both were brought into the intricately woven skein of light. Then the trees, the horse mind, the individual animals roaming around in fields and forest...finally, the rock. And now the light contracted into the center, focusing, narrowing to the body bleeding to death...concentrated on Andy.
Waldo didn't know all the details of what happened. He knew the doctor and nurse stepped back in surprise, he dimly noticed Andy's breathing get better. He heard the heart monitor beep in a steady way again. He didn't know the medical terms for what was happening inside Andy's body, he just sensed--knew--that things were knitting up, things that needed the most help were getting help. He knew that not everything was healed good as new--this was instead a patching up of the worst of the injury. Recovery could happen now with the doctor's help.
The only word that came to him during the whole thing, the only sound, was in his head. A clear, bell-toned voice, saying, "Life."
And then it was over, threads unraveling, not in haste but in order, the braid growing smaller and smaller until it was just made up of Sam and Waldo. He heard her say softly aloud, "There...he'll be okay now, Waldo." Then he heard a gasp from Alex and a bark from Harry as Samantha fainted.
Chapter 24
The Samuels' House
Jessica woke to the rich smells of coffee, cinnamon, and bacon. Her stomach growled and for a moment
she smiled as she realized someone else had taken over kitchen duties this morning. Then it all came flooding back, all the events from yesterday. A small sound escaped from her lips.
"Shh, honey, it's going to be okay," John said from behind her. She remembered crying herself to sleep last night, and how she'd lain on her side and he'd wrapped his arms around her, molding his body to hers, just holding her, keeping her safe next to him while she cried and cried.
She heard him clear his throat and say, "What I mean is that it will get better in time. I know it won't be okay, ever, that Abby is dead."
"Yes," Jessica murmured. "My mother is dead. It doesn't seem possible, John."
She felt him sigh. "A whole hell of a lot happened yesterday that doesn't seem possible, hon," he replied. "Lately it's like we live in a world of impossibilities, springing into reality just like they've always been there--only they haven't. It's all so new. Some of it awful, some of it wonderful. And pretty much all of it surprising. I'm amazed we haven't collectively gone into a state of shock."
Jessica mused, "Yes, it is another part of the strangeness that we have all kept functioning--except for my mother. But everyone else, while we've had our moments of disbelief, basically we've just gone from one thing to the next, one crisis to the next, doing what needed to get done to set things up here in our little community, our safe zone."
Her husband felt her shudder slightly. "What?"