Chapter Eight - Heading Home
The car stops before the hospital. Andrew lifts me out. “I can walk. I’m fine, really.”
“We need to get fluids in you. I’m not sure what is going on or why you haven’t transformed, but you have two bites on you and while you were sleeping, I spoke with Reginald, his transformation was not delayed.”
“Andrew, I feel fine, really. Is Jacob on his way?”
“Yes he is returning with Jackson and Grant’s children. They should be here soon. In the meantime, I need to get you settled and help the others.”
“Where’s Reginald?”
“He took Sebastian’s body to the morgue. James wants him to extract certain organs and prepare the body in a certain way to assist him in his research.” His tone reveals his continued surprise. “Mia, I heard his heart beating and could easily smell the fresh blood as Reginald extracted it into the jug.”
“I don’t understand. I thought he was a vampire.”
“He was. He was turned over three millennia with Reginald. He was Reginald’s older brother. They were attacked one evening, Reginald witnessed his conversion and they were together for a few hundred years before Reginald thought Sebastian had been destroyed in an ambush.”
“But if you heard a heartbeat, how could he be a vampire? Could he have just been some sort of demon?”
I don’t think so. When we found him, I heard him inquire how you made him human. He and Marlena both accused you of doing something to them to convert them back.”
“But I didn’t do anything. I couldn’t even think of a spell to cast other than the repellant spell and witches use that on vampires all the time.”
Placing me on a bed in the room, Andrew is hooking up IV solutions when Gabriel enters. “Andrew, we have a problem.” His grave features concern me.
“Is it the kids?” I ask as my heart rate spikes.
“No, it’s Jamison. He was very surprised to see us arrive back here. At first, I thought it was because we had so many in need of help, but then he became very nervous.”
Andrew interrupts. “I know when you’re beating around the bush. What are you afraid to tell me?”
“Andrew you need to stay calm and remember he is human.” As Gabriel stares at Andrew, it clicks. I grab Andrew’s hands knowing what Gabriel is about to reveal. Reading my fear, Gabriel puts his hands on Andrew’s shoulders, bolting him to the floor.
“What is it?”
“Jamison is the one who told David, I mean Sebastian’s family where to find Lucas and the kids.”
The guttural growl tearing up Andrew’s chest frightens me. As much as I understand what he is feeling and what he wants to do, I fear for those in the hospital and, in truth, for Andrew if he takes revenge. “Andrew, please stop. There are others here.”
Fury blazes in his eyes just before he closes them. When he finally opens them, they are filled with confusion. “Why would he do that?”
“The ones who grabbed the children came to him after seeing a picture of the dedication and offered him immortality to tell them about Lucas and where he was.”
“But they’re children. Why would he do that?”
“I don’t think he knew what was going to happen honestly.”
“Is Reginald done preparing the body for transport?”
“He should be done shortly.”
“Take Jamison down to him and have Reginald make him forget about those two and what happened. I need to help some of the others. Margarite and Charlie are hurt pretty bad. Someone told me a wolf named Amelia is critical. I don’t want to risk running into Jamison while I’m here and we can’t leave with him knowing of our kind.”
Gabriel nods and is out the door.
Andrew turns back to me. “Will you be alright if I leave for a few minutes?”
“I’m fine go see what you can do to help the others. I want to call the children anyway.”
He kisses me gently and hands me my telephone before departing.
I speak with Nicole, Nicholas and Kayla. Thankfully they are all feeling better physically, but I could hear the change in their voices and know that the repercussions of this terrible event have forever changed them. I always knew that this day would come when they would have to deal with the dark side of the surreal, but wished it would have been when they were much older. Although we can help them, this course of events opened my eyes. I only hope that Reginald will not be too preoccupied with this new mystery to return with us and teach the children everything he knows. Either way, I need to ensure that they feel empowered and ready for any future challenges. Closing my eyes, I know that this time, someone was watching over them and offer a little prayer of thanks for His bringing them home.
A cold hand upon mine pulls me from introspection and I open my eyes.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m doing much better now that the children are safe and we are out of there. Did Andrew send you in?”
“He thought you might like some company. He is going to be a little while. Although he could start the healing process with our party easily, Elizabeth is watching her men closely and Andrew doesn’t want to reveal anything to them so Eva is helping him make it appear as if everything is happening with the hospital instruments.”
Taking Damian’s hands, “Thank you for risking yourself to get messages to the kids.”
“Mia, please, what I did was nothing. You are the brave one. Besides, you know how much we love them.”
“I do know, but what I don’t know is how you and Andrew traded places?”
“That was actually Andrew’s idea. Once you left and he learned you couldn’t see, he became desperate to get to you. He was going to go in as a small animal, but knowing how weak transformations make us and how they had already seen Jacob go from a mouse to human, we figured that wouldn’t give him enough of a surprise factor, especially since he was already weak from transforming to get Jacob away from the estate. He called Reginald and asked if there was a way for Emma to make him appear as Jacob. As Reginald was explaining how that could backfire, Reginald asked Andrew if we had ever transformed into anything but animals. In truth, we had never transformed into animals much because of the side effects. It was always a last resort. It’s my understanding that Jackson experimented so as not to impair Andrew further and as soon as he accomplished it, Andrew was off and Reginald shook me until I came back.”
I gasp. “I didn’t know that was possible.” I say more to myself.
“We were surprised too. It was probably good that we didn’t know because when we were fighting, we could have killed each other.” His head shakes as if dismissing a disturbing image. Rising, he closes off the drained IV before taking my blood pressure, pulse and listening to my heart. “How do you feel physically?”
“A little tired, but otherwise alright.”
Removing the IV, he holds his hand out to me. “You should try to eat something. Let me take you to the cafeteria.”
As we walk down the hall, the outside doors open and I fall to my knees to catch a running Jacob. Hugging him tightly, another set of arms wraps around us both.
Feeling his tears, I loosen my grip to wipe them away and kiss his cheek. “It’s alright. You’re safe and we’ll be going home soon.”
“I know, it’s just I’m so happy to see you. I was so afraid when you made me leave that I’d never see you again.”
“I know sweetie, but you listened to me, dad got you right away, just like I said, and you were safe.”
“I know, but I couldn’t help being afraid. I’m sorry.”
“Jacob you have nothing to be sorry about.”
He interrupts. “But if I was stronger, they wouldn’t have taken us.”
I always knew Jacob’s personality was similar to Andrew’s, but at this moment, I know he is his father, taking everything onto himself regarding everyone around him. “Jacob, you are strong and it’s not up to y
ou to protect everyone. That is our job. Jacob, I am the one who wanted you to grow up as normal as possible and wouldn’t let you fully explore your powers.”
Andrew interrupts us both. “Both of you stop right now.” He states authoritatively and puts his hands on Jacob’s shoulders. “Jacob, we know how strong you were for your siblings and how you kept a level head through it all. Despite being scared, you proved to be wise beyond your years and your heart is filled with compassion, but you need to remember, you are still a child. I know your mother blames herself for not allowing you to learn how to use your powers fully and you feel weak because you couldn’t utilize them to their fullest potential, but both of you need to understand that the reason you are so strong in character is because of the choices we made for you and the realization that real life takes hard work, compromise, and love. You will get stronger as you get older, but with that strength comes awesome responsibility and temptations, that is why we wanted as much of your developmental childhood to be normal and for you to learn how to be patient and work for what you want. You saw how evil that family was. They gave in to temptations and saw how they could use their strength against those who are weaker to get what they wanted without having to really work for it and despite the cost to others, but you, always think of others, trying to make them feel better. You are a remarkable young man. I know that what you saw and experienced makes you feel weak and that you were afraid, but you are stronger than all of those who held you. In time, you will learn more about your strengths and I know that you will use them to help others like we do and to protect those who are weaker than yourself, but never lose yourself or isolate yourself because you are taking on the guilt for everything that happens around you. There will be times, when the circumstances cause the outcome to become something other than what you desire, but never forget there are others who are around you to help you and to hold on to the good that this life has to offer you.” He shakes his head slightly. “I forgot that until your mother came in to my life.” Rising, he holds my hand and hugs Jacob.
“I love you dad.” He hugs him tightly. “But you really have to show me how to turn into an eagle, flying in your mouth was really awesome and I would love to try and fly myself.”
Andrew laughs. “I promise when we get home, I’ll teach you.” He kisses his cheek. “I have to go and check on some of the ones who were hurt.”
Staring into my now focused eyes, he smiles. “Mom, that was awesome too. Can I learn how to use my healing power when we get home too?”
“Absolutely, you healed my sight very well.”
Jacob’s face lights up like a Christmas tree. “I healed you?”
“Yes you did young man, but I’m sure if you want to learn more about what to do, dad will show you.”
“Mom, I know this may make you mad, but if we promise not to use our powers except when you say that it is alright, I wish you would consider letting us learn how to use all of them. I know we can’t use them all the time, but knowing that there are bad people out there like this, if something were to ever happen, we are old enough now to understand the difference about protecting ourselves and seeking revenge. I know why you didn’t let us learn earlier, because we couldn’t understand that before, but maybe now you could consider it.”
His voice and features hold such hope. “I was thinking the same thing. Jacob, it isn’t that I didn’t want you to learn, I just always knew you were safe at Sanctuary with us. I wanted you to grow up without all of the pressure that this type of strength and power comes with, but now, I do understand why you would want to know more about your abilities and from what I heard you definitely have developed a maturity level that I feel more comfortable having you experiment.”
“Thanks mom and I promise we won’t use it around the others and never without your permission or in anger. I don’t ever want to become like the people who had us.”
“I know you don’t. Are you hungry?
A huge smile lights up his face. “That depends, have I earned a little ice cream?”
“You have earned whatever you would like to eat and that we can rustle up from the cafeteria.”
Entering, we are not the only ones with the idea. It is filled with Elizabeth’s men, Grant and his family and Reginald’s people. Jacob stands in line. Taking an apple, he smiles widely and I can’t stop laughing. Taking two more steps, he takes an ice cream sundae from the freezer. Taking a granola bar, I follow him and he sits with Grant’s family.
“How is Amelia?”
“She is stable now. The nurse told me that Andrew saved her life.”
“I’m glad that she’s doing well.”
“Tell Andrew thank you. I’m sure it must have been hard for him considering what she did.”
“Grant, I told you, I understood perfectly that she was just trying to protect her family, the way I wanted to protect mine. How is the rest of your pack?”
“Most escaped without serious injury, but...” He stops, his eyes shifting to his children.
Rising, I whisper in Jacob’s ear. “I’m just going to talk to Grant for a moment, right over there, but I can still see you alright.”
He nods and Grant and I move over to the corner of the room.
“Did something happen to your pack?”
“They are fine, but have asked us not to return.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Mia, I broke direct orders, by calling Elizabeth and her pack to initiate an attack while the elders were assessing the situation. They discovered that I took weapons and blame me for putting others at risk because once the attack started, they felt forced to go in to ensure that they protected the lands.”
“Don’t they realize with David gone, their lands are safer now?”
“They do know that, but they feel that because of what I did, I am not reliable, that I could be a danger to them because of my erratic decisions and refusal to follow direct orders.”
I put my hand on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry that you got in trouble because of me.”
“Mia, you didn’t get me in trouble. This was a long time in coming. I had already broken the rules when we didn’t try to escape immediately when they began the hunt. Truthfully we let their reign of terror go on too long. They abandoned me when they refused to act immediately to help me save my children knowing what my family suffered already.” He shakes his head and closes his eyes. Opening them, they are raw and full of regret. “I can understand now why my son felt the way he did and had to leave. Maybe he was right. I need to think about a new start for my family. Maybe my next road will even lead me to seeing my son.” His tone is wistful. “From there, we’ll decide what to do.”
Andrew is now beside me, brushing my hand softly, sending tingles throughout my entire being. “You are always welcome to come to Sanctuary and stay for as long as you would like.” My eyes shoot up to him and he is focused on Grant.
Grant’s eyes shift to him, but he appears stunned. “I can’t impose upon you like that.”
“It is no imposition at all. After what you did for Mia, you are always welcome there.”
“But I’m not a physician. Isn’t it a hospital?”
“We also have a school there for children with special gifts and have established a community for their families.”
“I’m not a licensed teacher either. I have only helped our children.”
“You do have knowledge of werewolves and we are uncertain what will happen to Nicholas and Kayla the first full moon. Besides, even if they do not turn, you would still be welcome.”
As his words drive home this new issue, fear for what they could experience causes my pulse to race. “Do you think that will happen?”
Placing his arms around me, his voice softens. “Mia, we tried to get out the wolf venom and I think we did, but I just can’t be sure. We’ll know better once we’re home.”
“What will happen if they do turn? Do we have anyone ther
e that knows about werewolves?”
“We have come across werewolves before, but ...” Stopping, he takes both my hands in his. “Don’t worry. I’m sure that whatever happens, Nicholas and Kayla will be fine. Grant can give us some answers if he would like to come or if he decides to go a different path, I’m sure that someone in our group knows where we can find someone to help them. Mia, it will be alright, I promise you.” He hugs me tightly, probably hearing my increased heart rate.
“He’s right. If your children are as strong as you, they will be fine. Trust me, I know it seems bad, but you should just look at it as another source of power. I’m sure that someone in the group here knows how to get in touch with Amanda. She told me powerful witches keep in contact and your group seems pretty powerful, she can come and ensure that your children are not governed by the full moon. Besides, like your husband said, it may not even happen.”
I smile weakly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s not that I see your power as a bad thing, it’s just...”
He interrupts me. “I understand, you have had a lot to deal with and are thinking about all the issues your children will face. I grew up always knowing this life, but my mother always spoke of how terrifying it was for her, not knowing what was happening and how to control it.” He turns to Andrew. “Thank you for the offer to come to Sanctuary for a while.”
Paul joins our group. “Dad, I’m going to check on Amelia and see if she is up.” He turns to Andrew and me. “Thank you for everything you did to help rescue us. If I don’t see you before you return home, have a safe trip, Jacob was telling me about it, I can see why he is anxious to go back there. It seems you have quite a lot of interesting activity.” He laughs.
He pats Grant on the shoulder. “Dad, you may want to talk to Julianne, Elaina, Josh, and Christian. The say they won’t go home and are thinking about joining Jeff.”
“Paul before you go see your aunt, I think we should all talk.” He turns to us. “Excuse us.”
We sit by Jacob. “Mom, do you know that they can transform too.”
Andrew answers. “Their transformation is not like yours Jacob, they can only turn into wolves and their power to do this does not come from the same source as yours.”
“I know it’s just cool.”
“You’re right it is.”
“Are we going to be going home soon?”
“We’ll be leaving in a few hours. I have to help out just a little bit more and we are awaiting a plane from home to take us back.”
“Is Reginald coming with us?” I inquire.
“Yes, we are going to have Marlena moved as well and James is even going to come up for a while to see if they can get some answers.”
While Andrew tends to the wounded, there is someone I have to thank and say good-bye to. “Jacob, come and take a walk with me to see Kenneth and say good-bye.”
As we rise, so does Damian. His features appear concerned. “Jacob, can you throw away your trash and then we’ll leave.” When he reaches the receptacle, I turn to Damian. “What’s wrong?”
“Would you mind if I came with you. Look, I know that I’m being over cautious and that the ones who escaped would probably not suspect that we would come back here, but as far as they are concerned, we did something to David...” Jacob is almost back with us. “I would feel better accompanying you.”
Outside, nervous butterflies spread their wings and I hold Jacob’s hand tightly as my eyes dart in all directions straining to see if there is anyone in the shadows. Arriving at St. Ann’s, I knock on the rectory door, there is no answer, but I see a light on in the church. Entering, I hear Grant’s voice.
“I think that we will go and see Jeff. I was always hoping that I could mend some of the damage I did before he left. I can understand now why he felt the need to go. I only hope that he can forgive me for staying.”
“He already has forgiven you. This could be a new start for all of you, just be honest with him. Let him in. You were both suffering and blaming yourselves so much, that you could not reach out to each other.”
“But how can I ever explain to him that I allowed him, my only surviving son to suffer through his pain alone because I couldn’t let go of the dead. How do I tell him that I couldn’t leave because Gwyneth and Joshua were still with me and I just couldn’t let them go? I let him try to forge ahead knowing that he was in pain. What type of person am I that I sent a grieving young man who needed his father off alone while I stayed to communicate with the spirits of the dead?”
“Grant, he understands that you were hurting too and that each of you had to deal it in your own way. I’m not saying that he understood that right away or that he wasn’t angry for a long time, but that changed when he was in medical school. He learned that loss affects people in different ways and how circumstances impact people. He saw how people sometimes shut down, despite someone’s best efforts and withdraw from those closest to them. We have been in touch and I know that if you are honest with him about what happened, I’m sure you will have an opportunity to forge a new and stronger relationship. Maybe you should consider going to Sanctuary as Andrew and Mia offered, it will give you both an opportunity to meet on neutral ground where no words have been spoken and no hard feelings can be remembered. Give yourselves every opportunity to forge ahead on equal footing and allow him to get close to his siblings while you get to know your new grandchildren.”
I hear him giggle and know as he looks at Grant, whose features are frozen at twenty-one, the thought of his being a grandfather is just too humorous.
As our footsteps echo, Grant looks up and moves down the aisle. Reaching us, “I hope I didn’t disturb your talk.”
“No, I was just leaving anyway. I have to get back to the hospital and see what my children would like to do. Will you be returning there?”
“Yes, Andrew is still there with his siblings taking care of the others, I just wanted to talk to Ken and thank him.”
“Well then, I will see you back there.” He exits quickly.
Damian and Jacob go over to the statutes while I walk down to Ken.
“Mia, how are you feeling? Grant told me that your sight returned.”
“I am feeling much better now that my family is safe and home. We are getting ready to head back ourselves, but I wanted to come by and thank you for everything that you did to help us and for allowing Jacob to stay with you when they got him off of the estate.”
“You are very welcome. I am glad that everything worked out for you. Mia, can I ask a favor of you?”
“Anything, what is it?”
“When you return to the hospital, would you speak with Grant about returning with you? I know that you probably overheard some of our conversation and are aware that Grant had a son who left after his first wife and elder son were brutally murdered. He and Jeff may not realize how much they need each other and how much time they lost blaming themselves for something which sounds like was well beyond their power to stop. I met Jeff once, when he was in the area for a conference and he spoke of losing Gwyneth and Joshua. Although I wasn’t aware of the true circumstances surrounding the loss, I could see how devastated Jeff still felt that Grant couldn’t leave with him. We kept in touch and even though Jeff has gotten past that now, I know how much he still needs his father and how much Grant needs to reconnect to his son.”
“I will speak to him as soon as we return and do my best to convince him to come back with us. If you could contact his son and let me know if he would be willing to come to Sanctuary to spend some time with his dad that may help.”
“Do you have enough room for that? I know that Jeff doesn’t like to leave his family alone because he said his children get sick easily, although now I suspect I know the true nature of what he meant.”
“We have plenty of space and you could let him know that he has nothing to be concerned about regarding the children changing, we have many special families there.” His
eyes widen.
Hugging him, my voice fills with gratitude. “Thank you again for everything that you did. If there is ever anything I can do for you, please call me.” I hand him my card. “I will never forget how you helped me.”
His eyes shift to Jacob. “I had an opportunity to speak with him. Although he was shy about sharing information concerning your family, he seems like a very good boy and loves your brother-in-law and family a lot. You are very lucky to have such a close knit family, don’t ever lose that.”
“We won’t and as soon as we get back, I’ll speak with Grant about reuniting with his son and not shutting out the rest of his family in trying to deal with this new loss. I know how devastating loss can be and how certain events can forever change your life.”
Jacob comes over and says good-bye before we return to the hospital.
Walking back, I take the opportunity to speak with Jacob about his shutting down when they were trapped in the dungeon. “Jacob, can we talk about something?”
“Sure mom.”
“When you were in the dungeon, I could feel you closing yourself off, trying very hard not to feel afraid. I was wondering if you could tell me what you were doing in order to do that.”
His eyes shift from mine. Stopping, I place my hand under his chin, lifting it, forcing him to look at me. “Mom, do I have to tell you?”
“I wish that you would.”
“You’ll get mad at me.”
“I promise you that I won’t get mad, but I know how bad it can be when you don’t feel as if you can talk about bad things that have happened or the way you cope with them. The fear and impact stay with you much longer.”
He smiles widely. “Mom, you sound like a doctor.”
I ruffle his hair. “I may be a doctor, but more importantly I’m your mom and I want to do all that I can to help you. What happened to you was awful, you saw, heard and experienced things that I always hoped to shield you from, so I promise you that I won’t get mad and that whatever you say, I will try my best to understand your feelings about it.”
“Well, at first, all I thought about was how I wished that they would all go away and that we could be home, but then as they became angrier and we realized what they did and were, I wanted them destroyed. I hoped that because they were bad that what they were would destroy them and that we could just be left alone. I hoped they would keep fighting and turn on each other, maybe even killing each other.” His voice trails off. “But then, I thought about how you always said that wishing badly upon others is a slippery slope that brings us down to their level and could lead us down a very dark path. I knew you were right and how bad people eventually get theirs in the end, so I tried desperately to change my thoughts to make myself go to a place where I wouldn’t feel rage against them so that I could think rationally. I even remembered the story that you told me about the prisoner who drove his captures crazy because he would shut himself off by creating every aspect of a clock and how they were never able to touch him or reach him when he was doing that. Since I never removed the back of a watch, I decided to think about my favorite thing.”
I laugh knowing he is talking about a roller coaster.
“You know what I constructed, don’t you?”
“You constructed a coaster like the one your dad and I took you to last year.”
“Yep, but mine had better drops, twists and turns. I even constructed a surrounding. I bet you can’t guess what that is.”
“If I can what do I get?”
“How about I let you win for once at swimming when we go home?”
“Alright” I laugh. “You constructed it around the lake didn’t you?”
His shocked face tells me I’m right.
Throwing his arms around me, he hugs me tightly. We are laughing as we enter the hospital.
Andrew is still in with patients, but Eva, Jackson, Gabriel and Emma appear ready to go. Paul and Julianne are sitting in the corner, but Grant’s other children are nowhere in the lobby. Gabriel approaches us. “Jacob, come and sit with me, while your mom sees if she can get Grant to come with us for a visit.”
Walking down the hall, Ken calls and lets me know that Jeff would come to Sanctuary to see Grant and is worried about him. Grant is pacing outside of Amelia’s room. Seeing me, he stops. “Are you looking for Andrew, he is just checking Amelia, she had a setback while you were with Ken.”
“What happened?”
“Her heart stopped. They revived her and Andrew is trying to convince her to allow them to place the monitors back on so that they can see what is going on, but she refuses to let anyone near her. She has always been so stubborn.” He sounds exasperated.
“Grant, while you’re waiting, could we speak a moment?”
“Sure. What’s on your mind?”
“I heard you speaking to Ken earlier and he is very concerned about you. You have so much to deal with in losing your family and now your home, you helped me so much, I wish that you would let me reciprocate and come back to Sanctuary with us. Your son, Jeff, would love to see you and would come up there with his family.”
“You spoke to him and he would come?” Surprise and hope ring in his voice.
“I didn’t speak with him, but Ken did. Jeff said he would come up with his family so that the two of you could spend some time together. He is worried about you.”
“Really?”
“He is looking forward to it in fact.”
“But Mia, my family, his family, that is too much to impose upon you. You are going to have enough to deal with when you get home with everything that happened.”
“It is not an imposition at all and we would love to have you. I know how bad things can get when you don’t feel as if you can talk to people about what happened to you and having to hide yourselves and your family’s nature while trying to settle in a place and dealing with the unbelievable loss that you have just suffered and suffered in the past, is too much for you to deal with now. Where our special families reside, you would not have to worry about hiding your nature.” I smile reassuringly. “We have more than enough room for you and your family. In fact, one of our families has recently moved out to help in the hospital in Rome that we have friends at. They were quite a large family and the house they occupied has five bedrooms. I think it would be a perfect place for you and your family.”
He shakes his head in disbelief before smiling widely. “If it wouldn’t be too much of an imposition, maybe we could meet you there. I’m sure that you are ready to go and my other children went back to pack up some things and speak with their uncle about shipping us the rest when we get settled.”
Reaching into my bag, I take out one of my cards. “Why don’t you call your children and give them this address so that he can ship your items there. Andrew still needs a few hours before we leave, so we can meet in the lobby and leave together.”
“Thank you for this.”
“Don’t give it a second thought. I’m just glad you are coming and for everything you did to help me.”
Andrew opens the door and appears very weary.
“How is Amelia?”
“She is alert, but she is still refusing to allow us to monitor her again or reinsert the intravenous. I would like to run more tests, but she categorically refuses. If she keeps refusing, the hospital cannot hold her.”
“I’ll speak with her. Excuse me.”
As Grant enters, I caress Andrew’s cheek. “You look exhausted.”
He chuckles. “You have known me long enough to know that we can’t get tired.”
Moving my hand to his, I pull him down the hall toward the reception area. “I know healing drains you and on top of the situation we faced, you really should relax a moment.”
“I can do that in about two hours when we are on the plane home. Reginald is just preparing the organs.”
Passing a door marked physicians’ lounge, I can see Jacob talking with Paul and Gabri
el, so I turn Andrew around and duck inside for a moment. There is a small day bed in the corner. “Sit down and try to relax a few moments then.” Sitting on the back, I place my hands on his shoulders.
“Mia, I’m fine really.”
“Andrew, this has been a devastating few days with worrying for the children, coming to rescue me, and constructing a plan to fool Marlena.”
He interrupts me as I message his shoulders. “Mia, from where I stood, you were holding your own and didn’t need rescuing. You secured the release of our friends, got Jacob past his fears to come to me and brought down David.” He moves me swiftly from the back of the day bed into his arms and strokes my cheek before resting his fingertips at my temple. “I should be ensuring that you recover, not the other way around. Why didn’t you tell me what had happened to your sight? I thought we promised no secrets.”
“I wasn’t trying to keep secrets. Things were so confused already. I just wanted to give David a reason to stop. He was unstable and I panicked after I felt him throw Jacob across the room in that cage. What if I had waited and he smelled you? It could have been a disaster. I needed you here with your brothers thinking clearly because I knew that I wasn’t. I was just reacting to fear and hoping to buy us some time to avert disaster.” The unbidden tears slip from my rims.
Andrew brushes them softly away. “Your bravery got Jacob out and assured he was safe. He is here with us and we are going home to our family.” Cupping my face, he kisses me in a way that burns away all of my anxiety. His touch resonates to my core warming my heart. Drawing me into his chest, he holds me tightly as my pulse races wildly. I feel the relief and joy in his lips. I don’t hear Reginald enter. As Andrew shifts me next to him, I catch sight of Reginald’s devastated features. I can’t imagine what he must be experiencing realizing that his brother became the epitome of everything he has ever fought against.
His tone is devoid of any life and he refuses to meet our eyes. “I have finished preparing the body. We are ready whenever you are.” He turns to leave and Andrew is immediately at his side, placing his arm around Reginald, who still will not look up. “Andrew, I appreciate what you are trying to do, but if you don’t mind, I need to just get to the plane and will see everyone there.”
“When you’re ready to talk, don’t forget that we are all here for you.”
“I know. I just need some time.” He wriggles out from under Andrew’s arm and is gone instantly.
“Let’s go home.” Taking my hand, we walk to the lobby. Everyone is gathered there waiting, even Grant and his family. Jacob is still chatting happily with Paul as Grant approaches us.
“Andrew, I’m very sorry that Amelia gave you such difficulty here and I know what I am asking, after you have already been so generous is very imposing but Amelia asked if she may accompany us back to Sanctuary for a short visit. She has always been somewhat overprotective since I lost my first wife and is still suspicious about the recent turn of events. She just wants to ensure I am not getting my children in further turmoil.”
Andrew’s features turn very sympathetic as he places his hand on Grant’s shoulder. “It is no imposition at all. It may also give us an opportunity to monitor her and make sure everything is alright once she sees that there is no danger at Sanctuary. The only thing I would ask is that you request she stay silent regarding her suspicions if she enters the hospital area there. We have patients who, although they have experienced loss imposed from our surreal world, we do not confirm or fuel any of their suspicions.”
“I promise, I will watch her carefully and ensure that she does not cause any trouble. I just couldn’t deprive her of her request. She has been a second mother to my children and has always stayed in close touch with Jeff.”
“It is no imposition. Don’t even give it a second thought. Is everyone in your family ready to go?”
“Yes, your brother was kind enough to pack our things in one of your vehicles.”
Driving to the airport, Jacob’s eyes droop. I wonder if he slept in the last few days at all.
An hour into our flight everyone on the plane other than Andrew’s family, Reginald and I are fast asleep. After hanging up and allowing myself to enjoy the relief of hearing how strong Nicholas, Kayla and Nicole’s voices sound and how happy they are that we are heading home, I wonder how much longer I can fight my encroaching exhaustion.
Reginald rises and heads into the cargo hold. Despite my drifting toward unconsciousness and feeling secure in Andrew’s arms, I wrench myself up and follow him.
Grabbing my hand, Andrew’s voice is soft. “Mia, he needs some time and you should really try to rest, your body is still recovering from the loss of blood.”
“I will be right back, I promise.” Descending into the cargo hold, I hear Reginald’s voice. He is kneeling next to a now unzipped body bag, stroking his brother’s cheek.
“How could you have left me to become such a monster? If we had only stayed together, I would have helped you overcome whatever you were fighting. Why would you turn your back on humanity? You saw people’s potential, you believed anyone could be turned around and that good could conquer all. You saved me from my own destruction. I was so lost, but you fought for me, you showed me what I could accomplish, you made me believe in myself; believe in what good could be accomplished. Was all of it a lie? Who were you really?” I could see his facial features twist with pain.
Moving forward, I know he hears my approach. Placing my hand on his shoulder, I take a moment to think carefully about my words. “The brother you knew and loved was a wonderful and compassionate creature who died the day that you were ambushed. Reginald, the one who lies before you now is a stranger. You can’t think of him as Sebastian. What lies before you now is David, a creature of the darkness, something that you only recognize from the war, the very thing that you rescued me from all those years ago, nothing more.”
His eyes finally sweep up, meeting mine. “Mia, you don’t understand. My brother was always the one who was good. He always did the right thing, took the right path, and said the right words. When I was rebellious, finding trouble at every turn, ensuring my place with the darkness, although back in my human days, I did not realize what the darkness truly holds, it was Sebastian who fought to get me back on track. Our parents were wealthy and were too busy with their charitable works to even see the destruction their own son was causing, but Sebastian, as soon as he returned from school, recognized the signs. Despite my fighting against him, he was the one who turned my life around, gave me purpose. When we were converted, I was so angry over what this realm thrust upon us; I could have easily become David. It was Sebastian who made me realize that we could turn our lives around, despite our death. He was the one who convinced me to embrace our immortality for the good we could accomplish. After we were ambushed, every good deed I did was in his name, and in the memory of my sister. Seeing what he became and what he has done invalidates my entire existence, everything I thought I knew, I can’t see any longer. I never imagined someone as good as Sebastian could ever turn into something as sadistic and cruel as David. Is that what awaits me? Is there something inherent in us that turns us to become what he became. With the knowledge, connections, and information I have, my turning like my brother would impair our side for all eternity.” Desolation rips through his features.
“Reginald, stop! You can’t think that way. I know that you feel betrayed and as if your entire world has been thrown into turmoil, but that is not the future that awaits you. What lies before you now is not your brother. Sebastian died on the night you were ambushed. You were not wrong, your brother was destroyed that night and what emerged was never to touch your life, never to hinder your existence.”
“But Mia, if it was never to touch me, then why did our paths cross again. Every life that crosses our paths, I believe does so for a reason, a bigger purpose than sometimes even we are not aware of, but I believe our encounters are not random. I spent most of my exi
stence convinced that although my brother was destroyed that night, that encounter cemented my path, set my course to ensure that those who desired to fight against the darkness never felt like they were on their own, helpless, and the way we had been that evening. My entire existence has been dedicated to it and now to find my own flesh and blood to be the epitome of the darkness that we had once fought so hard against makes me wonder if anything I did at all changes the scales.”
I grab his arms, turning his body away from David and facing me. “Of course what you have done changes things. You can’t invalidate everything you have done because of this creature’s actions. Just look at all the people you have helped on this plane alone and I don’t only mean tonight. What you do matters and what your brother did is on him, if that even is any part of your brother.” Although I’m shooting off the cuff and hoping that this makes sense to him, I am desperate to give Reginald something to hold on to knowing that he feels his world spinning out of control.
“Reginald, did you ever consider that the night you were ambushed, Sebastian really did die?”
Skepticism sparks, replacing the desolation, at least in his facial features, despite not leaving his eyes. “You see him here. Mia, you know what he was like. My God, he almost cost you your family.” His eyes close as his voice breaks. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am for that. I hope that one day you can forgive me for what he did to you.”
Moving my arms around him, I hug him tightly. “Stop right there. You didn’t do anything to my children, except protect them since before they were born. What happened to them now is not your fault and you cannot take it upon yourself for what David did. That is not Sebastian. That is not the loving soul you knew.” I retort loudly, pulling back and pointing at him. “That is a creature, a soulless receptacle taken by darkness. What you thought centuries ago about your brother being destroyed is exactly correct. You have no ties or affiliations with what lies there now. Sebastian died the day you saw him destroyed. You need to hold on to that.” Opening his mouth to object, I raise my hand to stop him. “I will make you a deal if you will consider what I am saying.” I see the disbelief immediately enter his features at the thought that I have anything that could take his mind off of what is before him, but he allows me to continue. “I will give you something else to think about. I know how much you love a mystery and how curious you are as to what happened between David and me to have possibly converted him back to his human form.” He raises and eyebrow. “I heard the curiosity in your voice when we were traveling back from the estate and know that you believe I have some sort of connection to the conversion. The answer may even be in my blood.” I joke, but can see curiosity beginning to ignite in his eyes at the possibility of unraveling such a mystery. “If you will keep an open mind as to what I said, you can have my blood to compare and begin your tests when we return to Sanctuary and I will answer all of your questions after I have some time to see how the children are doing.”
His eyes widen and I know that the idea of throwing himself into this mystery appeals to him. “Look Reginald, I know what I’m asking isn’t easy but you fought not to lose Andrew, his family and even me to the darkness. Now, I am going to fight for you and ensure that you don’t allow doubt about all the good you have done creep into your thoughts opening a window to let the darkness try to take hold of you. We need you, my children need you, and so do all of those who still hide in solitude, afraid of coming into contact with others.”
I back away slightly, still holding his hands. His eyes shift between me and David’s body. The curiosity which momentarily raged in his eyes is now dimming, replaced by doubt and fear. I refuse to lose him to such feelings. He will not be a casualty of this war nor a puppet to be mastered by the darkness. “Reginald, we desperately need you to continue your efforts. I need you now, more than I ever have, and not to just throw yourself into this mystery, but to help teach my children how to use their powers wisely and expertly. You know this experience has forever changed them and that Nicholas and Kayla may even be facing werewolf issues in their not too distant future.” The pain of what his brother did to them overtakes his features and I soften my voice. “Reginald, I did not say this to you to make you upset, I need you to help me right the wrong that he did to them and help my children feel empowered so that they can protect themselves with confidence as they travel into their unknown future.”
He always wanted to teach the children and I see the appeal of righting some of the damage take hold. “Mia, I can’t promise you that this will not haunt me or that my mind will not wander to places of doubt, fear of what ifs, because things could have been different if I had only realized that he was not destroyed in that ambush and fought for him. However, I will promise you that I am going to stay at Sanctuary for a while to work through my own issues, this mystery, and help your children come into their own.”
I smile. “That’s all I can ask. I know it can’t be easy to look at him and move past what he did, but nothing he did is part of you. I’m very glad that you will be staying at Sanctuary and I want you to know that my door is always open to you whenever you want to talk.”
“I know that, but thank you for saying it again.”
“I love you. You are part of our family. I will give you a few moments, but please don’t stay down here alone too long.”
“I’ll be up momentarily.”
Ascending the stairs, I should have known Andrew would be waiting for me. Taking my hand, we return to our seats. “That was quite impressive. I could see his darkened aura get brighter as you spoke.”
Gabriel is sitting by us. “You should know, he is very intrigued by what you said concerning his brother, although he is fighting his curiosity on what you mentioned, I believe that if you are persistent with him on this and in concentrating on the mystery of what happened to allow David’s heart to beat once more, we may be able to hold on to him. Right now he is reeling, but his curiosity factor may save him.”
After all these years, I know when he is restraining not to say more. “What aren’t you telling me?”
He chuckles. “I thought I was the mind reader.”
“Your face is getting easier to read.”
He laughs. “Mia, it’s just that he is in a tumultuous place right now and even though we all know how much he loves the children, I heard you saying that you wanted him to help them learn about their powers and how to use them. Right now, that may not be the best thing.”
My eyes shift between them and I know they must have talked about this while I was with Reginald. “I can understand your concern and I do realize that he is in a dark and doubtful place right now, but I know how guilty he feels about what David did to them, how much he loves them, and I know no matter what he would never do anything to hurt them. I believe that his helping them feel empowered will not only help them but will help him as well. He will feel that he is righting the wrong. I promise both of you that I will keep a careful eye on him, but I really believe that it would be best to give Reginald as many contacts to grab hold of as possible. Otherwise, you know what will come for him. He has impaired their side for millennia and they would love nothing more than to bring him down.”
Andrew turns to Gabriel. “She’s right and all he has ever done is help us and ensure the children were born safe. We can all ensure that the children do not become overwhelmed or learn things they shouldn’t.”
“I’ll go down and see if I can get him to come up. Maybe I can get a better read on him and continue the conversation you began.” With that, he’s gone.
Jacob and our friends are still sleeping. Andrew lifts the arm rest, drawing me into his side. “You should get some rest as well.”
I am absolutely wiped and the adrenaline has worn off. I place my head against Andrew’s cool chest and drew myself into his side. I hear him whisper something, but my mind cannot process anything more and I quickly drift to sleep.
Andrew kisses my ear softly. “Wake
up beautiful, we’re home.”
As the plane descends, I wrap my arms around him tightly. “I love you.”
“I love you too. I can’t wait to get you home so that you will know that our family is fine and everything will be alright. Mia, do you remember your dreams, can you tell me about them?
“I don’t even remember dreaming. What did I do?”
“You were talking in your sleep about the children, but you were jumping all around. None of it made any sense.”
“It must have just been these last few days because really I don’t remember anything.”
The plane stops. “Why don’t we get Jacob up and go home. I’m sure that it will be better once we are there.”
“Don’t get him up. I’ll carry him. I’m sure that he is still exhausted.”
Driving home, everyone is still a little disoriented. Thankfully Jason came with a bus. “Nicole, Nicholas and Kayla would have come, but they crashed in their chairs waiting for the plane to arrive, so Catherine and I put them to bed. I hope you don’t mind. They haven’t slept at all since coming back.”
“Thank you. How are they doing really though?” Andrew inquires.
“Nicholas and Kayla seem to be running a little hotter than usual and their heart rate has increased slightly since coming home, but we don’t know if it is because of their anxiety over the situation or if they are going through any changes. Nicole seems to be doing better. She seemed to relax somewhat when she learned you boarded the plane, but I have to warn you, she saw the imposter Jacob destroyed and for a moment, she couldn’t differentiate the two. She was screaming out for him and then even tried to attack Lucas when he was taking him down, but we have been talking to her and I think that once she sees Jacob, she will be on the road to recovery. Mia, you should also know that Marlena has not changed back to whatever she looked like before she bit you. We have been keeping her away from everyone, but before that, when they were on the farm, Nicole was around her and Lucas said he could see the stress it was placing upon her.”
“Thanks Jason, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Andrew interjects. “Do we know any more about what is going on with her physically?” Reginald moves closer to the front of the bus so that he can hear our hushed conversation. “I can’t explain it but all the tests come back as if she is a normal twenty-five to thirty year old female. Her heart beat is normal, her blood is AB negative, her pulse rate is high, but that is probably because she doesn’t understand what is going on. We have performed MRIs and Cat Scans, tested for brain waive activity and it all comes back within normal range.”
“How can that be?”
“We don’t know. Even James is at a loss. He is redoing the tests and checking all the results, but he is amazed. Mia, I hate to ask this, but are you sure she is the one who bit you? Is it possible that she is a witch and was never a vampire?”
“I know what I heard. David called a woman Marlena over and instructed her to bite me, but I couldn’t see anything.”
“Mia, James wants to get your blood drawn as soon as possible, he is afraid that the more time that passes, the more diluted the results will be.”
I withdrew a small cooler pack from my purse and handed it to Reginald. Andrew’s eyes shoot to mine in surprise. “I had Damian draw some blood when he came to see me in the hospital. I knew you would be upset because I had already lost so much already, but I knew questions needed to be answered. I want us to be able to eliminate my involvement with it by having the closest counts possible. I don’t think that it was me or my blood, but I know it’s important to have the circumstances closest to the time period.”
Reginald places his hands around the cooling pack. “Thank you.”
“I hope that it leads you to a road with answers, but remember what we talked about. Even if it gives you some type of physical answers, the ones that you are truly looking for will never be answered from such contents and it would be best if you consider that he was destroyed the day of the ambush.”
“I will try to keep that in mind.”
We finally pull through the gates and despite knowing that we will be facing an uphill climb with the residual effects from this incident, my body relaxes for the first time, knowing that the children are safe here.
Eva comes up to me. “I’ll show Grant and his family the house and help them get settled so you can see the kids.”
The bus barely comes to a stop, Andrew picks up Jacob and we are flying up the residency stairs. “Dad, I’m awake, you can put me down.” He states groggily.
“Let’s get inside first.”