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Alexandra was becoming weaker inside. But whenever her resolve to recover began slipping, Merlin would start in on her.
Why are you falling asleep in the middle of the day?
Alexandra opened her eyes to meet the feline ones staring at her. I’m tired.
Huh. From what, lying around doing nothing? Not like you’re a cat.
Maybe I’ll die and come back as one. Push you off all the best nap spots.
Die? You want to die so you can have a nap? That’s just stupid.
Hey, no name calling.
You know what they say, if it walks like a duck...
Cass was right, you’re a sarcastic bugger.
She never called me a bugger.
Splitting hairs.
Good one. We could have a war of clichés.
Idioms.
Merlin tipped his head.
Gotcha on vocabulary. She’d have grinned if she could.
So what’s it like being a vet?
Nice subject change. It’s hard work, and fun, and heart-wrenching and rewarding and frustrating.
Like regular life.
True.
Why are you a vet?
“You’re talking to the cat, aren’t you?” Dhillon was looking into her eyes as though trying to see words written there. Should she admit it? Maybe, maybe not.
“I don’t know why he won’t talk to me. I have a gift with animals. Everyone says so. And I’d rather be with these guys than with people sometimes, but not all the time.”
She knew exactly how that felt. She didn’t do small talk, but she regularly had one-sided conversations with any animal she came across.
Merlin, why won’t you talk to him? He seems like a good kid.
Humph. He’s too smart.
Saying I’m not?
I only talk to people who need my help.
So if we’d met under other circumstances, like, say, I’d just walked into the room, you wouldn’t have talked to me.
Exactly. Do you like being a vet?
Yes.
Why?
I like being able to help animals.
What’s your favorite thing?
Diagnosing lameness, and delivering foals.
I get the baby thing, but lameness?
Sometimes I can sense when a horse is in pain, even though he’s not actually limping or even favoring a leg. And often I’ve been called in for a different reason, such as a stomach problem, or behavior problem. But I can see the pain in his eyes, so I put my hands on him, run them over every inch of his body and then work my way down each leg.
What do you expect to feel?
I don’t know.
Hmmph.
No, seriously, there could be swelling, or extra heat, but the best is when my fingers transmit knowledge to my brain. I somehow just know. My hands will keep going back to the same spot.
What about all the stuff I’ve watched vets do over at Haven, the lifting feet and making them trot and all that stuff?
Great diagnostic techniques. And fantastic when they work, but then there’s just knowing. Maybe it’s the horses talking to me and I don’t even realize it. You’ve been to Haven? I thought it was too far to walk, according to Eve. She’s been filling me in on everything about the ranch and the people here.
I made Cass take me when they got a horse in that needed help. Thought he hated life and people and everything. The donkey and I won him over. Dhillon has him now, and he’s a happy camper. Like you. You’re feeling better now.
The conversation with the cat had indeed lifted her mood. Reminded her of just one wonderful aspect of the life she was determined to return to.
You’re good.
I know. He lifted a paw to lick between his toes.
Oh, if only she could laugh. Hey, seeing’s you’re so smart, and so helpful, can you get Julia to come and talk to me?
Why?
There’s something I’ve remembered, from when I was kidnapped.
Okay.
He stood and arched his back in a beautiful feline stretch, then hopped off the bed.
She could hear him scratching the door. “Hang on,” said Dhillon. The door was opened, then closed. “I wonder where he’s headed in such a hurry. I guess Cass must have a box for him somewhere.”
Dhillon stepped back into view. “The meeting’s been going on for quite a while now, and it sucks that I don’t know what’s happening.” He grimaced. “Not that I mind keeping you company, but something’s up, and my mom’s in the field, so I’d like to be in the loop. I know I’m just a kid, but I was the only kid for so long, I got to be in on all the adult stuff. I’m not used to being left out.
“Hey, do you want Chance up here now that Merlin’s gone?”
She blinked twice and his easy grin flashed yet again. “Hey, Chance, it’s okay.” He pointed and the greyhound leapt up and stood staring down at Alexandra, obviously unsure what to do until Dhillon patted the bed and said, “Lie down.”
The dog curled up against her legs and Dhillon sat beside him. “It must suck sideways to not be able to do anything. I’d be bored out of my mind, like when I was sick. Well, not really sick. But when I was in the hospital before, I was only allowed out of bed when they took me for walks like a dog.” He laughed. “I even called my IV line a leash.” He pointed to her arm. “They took yours out. That’s good. A sign that you’re getting better.”
Actually, Eve had put in a PIC line, but it was hidden by long sleeves.
“Ya know, I wondered about the mind over matter thing. You know, like willing your ears to wiggle. See, I can do it, but it takes a sec while I concentrate on them.”
He leaned toward her, with a frown of concentration on his face while he willed his ears to move, and once one started he turned his head so she could watch while he worked on the other and sure enough, it began to move too.
If she’d been able to, she’d have given him a high five.
“See? Now you do it.” He pushed her hair aside and watched. “You have to concentrate really hard. Come on, you can do it.”
She’d never been able to move her ears, so this was like trying to play the piano when she’d never so much as tickled keys before.
“It’s not working. Are you sure you’re trying really, really, really hard?”
Well, no, she wasn’t.
“I know. Not everyone has ears that move. Let’s try your toes. Everybody can move their toes.” He shoved the covers off her feet somewhat more awkwardly than Eve had earlier when she was doing her usual reflex tests. Alexandra hated when she ran her pen across the ticklish arch because she could feel it but couldn’t pull away.
Dhillon put the pad of his finger under her big toe. “This one. Close your eyes and concentrate really hard. Try to push down on my finger.
Alexandra knew it wouldn’t work, but for the kid’s sake she tried anyway. Closed her eyes.
“Visualize the end of the toe moving down just a millimeter. I’m going to be a doctor, so I think in metric instead of inches and feet. Okay, I’m going to count slowly, and each number I get closer to fifty, you’ll get closer to moving. Okay, start now. One, two, three...
Then with the counting came encouragement, like, you can do it. Try harder. Concentrate. And by the time he reached thirty-five she found herself mildly annoyed by his persistence. It wasn’t like she could just overcome the drugs in her system. They were blocking receptors, preventing—
“Forty-seven. Come ON, Alexandra. DO it!”
Dammit! Back off, kid. And her toe pushed against his finger.
He jumped to his feet, arms raised over his head. “Yes! We did it!”
Holy shit.
The kid danced around the room while his dog watched him and whined.
What the hell had just happened? How could she move that toe purely by determination? Were the drugs finally wearing off? Please God, let them be wearing off.
When the kid finally finished dancing around he scooted back to the bed and grabbed her other foot. “Okay, now we’re gonna do this one.” He grinned at her, and she wished she could give him something back but all she could do was blink twice.
With his finger under the toe he started counting again, but like before she felt nothing, and unlike before, the toe didn’t move. He stared at her. “You weren’t trying hard enough. Channel the energy.”
He stepped back. “Maybe Rachel should work on you. She’s a healer. Made my heart start again. But your heart is working okay, right? So that’s no good. Let’s just try this again. Okay. One, two, three...”
Did she dare to believe the first time had been more than a fluke? Hell, maybe the kid was onto something. She closed her eyes and started trying harder and harder, visualizing the toe moving and when she could feel nothing it started to piss her off, just like before, and his voice grew louder with words of encouragement, and then he said, “Come ON. Alexandra, you can DO this. NOW.”
And it happened.
While he did his celebratory dance again, she kept the toe moving, up and down, and could feel the rest of them joining in. She could move her toes. What about her fingers? Did she dare try? What the hell did she have to lose? Hope. If her fingers wouldn’t move, she could lose hope again. No. She wouldn’t. This pity party was officially over. She’d been tied to a freaking bed for far too long. It was time she got her life back.
***
Julia glanced again at the white cat sitting quietly in the doorway. He’d showed up half an hour into the meeting, and stared at her the whole time. Was he trying to impart a message? Considering he’d been left with Alexandra, Julia could only surmise whatever was up had to do with her. But as a woman who trusted animal senses and reactions, she didn’t see anything about the cat’s posture that indicated anything was terribly wrong, so Alexandra would just have to wait until the planning was finished here. Because the sick feeling in her belly said James was in trouble, and it was up to her to get help to him.
There were two ways to get into Mountain House, and the usual method wasn’t available, since anyone inside the house could see an approaching helo on the video surveillance. They’d have to go in the hard way. Over land, to the tunnel entrance, where the only camera was specially coded to assure it was only used by one of the people meant to see the footage from that location, a built-in security method intended to allow access if there were unfriendlies in the house.
But at this time of year, accessing the emergency tunnel wasn’t easy.
Julia was determined to go, and Broughton didn’t want to take her. A man who didn’t mess around, he said, “The terrain will be as rough as rough gets. Snowshoes and ice picks for the worst patches and taking a sixty-year-old woman along just doesn’t make sense.
While her family sucked in a collective breath, she said, “I’m the fittest, strongest-minded sixty-year-old female you’re ever likely to encounter, and I’m not naive, either. I know what I’ll be up against, and I know I can handle it.”
Was she leading with her heart instead of her head? How could she do anything but? The team was in danger. Her husband, her daughter, her nephew and his wife. How did she dare to trust her own judgement? Fuck.
Definitely a bad sign when you’re using my favorite word. Grace’s voice held a hint of humor.
Julia strolled to the far side of the room, stared at the map on the wall. I want to go to with Broughton, but I know I’ll slow him down, and I hate that.
Logan’s suggesting he could go instead. He can pick up any thoughts as well as voices, possibly give the team a clue of what they’re going to find before they even get there.
The smarter choice. Where are you?
Just leaving your office. We’ve managed to tie things up at home, and I had an interesting conversation with Sarah.
Grace’s half-sister, Kelton’s wife.
Does she think he’s there with James?
An educated guess only. Sarah was a psychologist. He’s been building up to something major in her estimation, and with the arrest of Rollins looming, she’s seen glimpses of him devolving. She’s afraid she’s losing her husband, and she’s terrified enough to talk to me about it. That said, I’m not sharing this with the team. Whatever I tell them will be my own observations and conclusions.
That’s fair.
Grace stepped around Merlin, and Logan came in behind her.
Julia nodded, and Logan said to Broughton, “I’d like to go in with you. I think my skills will be better utilized there than here.”
“Agreed,” said Broughton.
“Julia?” Gage, like the others, used his mother’s first name when things got tense.
“Thank you, Logan.”
He nodded.
Broughton shifted in his seat. “We’ll need to get moving. It’s a long trek in over rough terrain.”
“We could shave hours off the trip by sky-diving, if you’re game.”
“Excellent idea,” said Julia, and then she had the pleasure of shocking Broughton. “I’ll do the drop so Trent will still be on the ranch in case of an emergency here. He can fly the helo. I can’t.”
She enjoyed watching Broughton struggle to keep the surprise off his face, and couldn’t resist saying, “My age doesn’t affect my ability as a pilot.” And she’d much rather fly the plane than jump out of it—one of the few things she’d never done with her adventurous husband.
“I’m sure it doesn’t.” He smiled and shook his head. “What time do you want to leave?”
“I can put you closer to your target if we go in at night, but either way will get you to the tunnel entrance at the same time. Just less trekking.”
“I’m good for a night drop,” said Broughton.
“Me too,” Logan added. “It will give us extra time here for contingency planning, and I’ll try for some long-distance listening.”
“Takeoff in three hours, then. Trent, you’ll make arrangements for a drop plane from Montana?”
“Will do.”
She left them discussing possible scenarios and detailed approaches. Allowed for plenty of time to work out the kinks between them before she rejoined them for finalization. Meantime, she followed the cat back to the infirmary, pushed open the door and stopped dead.
Dhillon and his dog were dancing around the room and Alexandra was lying still as ever, except for her feet. They were moving. Considering the presence of her exceptionally bright grandson, she stepped closer, looking for strings or pulleys with something invisible like fishing line. But there was nothing.
Her eyes met Alexandra’s. “You can move your feet.”
“I did it!” Dhillon announced. “I made her move just one big toe. She put everything she had into it, and it worked. And then the other, and then when Chance and I were doing a happy dance for her, she just started moving her feet like that.” He punched a fist in the air. “Power of the mind. I’ve been reading about it, and it works. Fucking A.” He slapped a hand over his mouth. And his eyes widened.
Julia stared him down until he squeaked out an apology, then she turned her attention to Alexandra and smiled. “Go, you.”
Eve came in then, and Dhillon had to deliver the whole explanation again before she got a chance to speak. “It’s wearing off. Thank God it’s wearing off. We’ll increase and change the physical therapy accordingly.” She glanced at Julia. “I wish I could consult with Lissa. Wish she could be here to manage Alexandra’s PT.”
Julia thought about that. Lissa, Kyle’s wife, was an extremely talented and intuitive physiotherapist, and she was currently at Mountain House, possibly in danger. What about... “I’m going to see what I can do.”
She breezed out. This felt right. When she marched back into the war room, she had everyone’s attention instantly. Obviously she’d brought the excitement along with her.
“Good news first. Alexandra is able to move her feet.”
Cheers rose from the group, and there were lots of high fives. Good news was good. Lifted things. Brightened them. “Now, with that in mind, the best thing we could do for her right now is bring Lissa in to manage her PT. If anyone can get her back on her feet quickly, it’s Lissa.”
Gage tapped the table with an index finger. “Gives us a perfectly normal reason to make contact. A call to set up a consult.”
“It would be a good way to establish that we don’t suspect anything untoward is going on there,” said Matt.
“Eve will have to make the call, but Logan, would you listen in and see if you can pick up anything?”
“Do it from Eve’s desk. She has a special line to Lissa,” said Dhillon from the doorway.
“Good idea,” said Matt. And that was when Julia was reminded that Dhillon’s mother was also at Mountain House. They had to be cognizant of the boy’s feelings, fears.
“Did Eve tell you what’s been going on in here?” When he nodded, she glanced up to make sure the boy’s father was getting her intent. “Matt, maybe Dhillon would like to say hi to his mom when we make contact.”
“Good idea. Hey, you got any new codes she’s up on?”
Dhillon’s grin was as always quick and took up his whole face. “Matter-a-fact...” He winked. “Tell me what you want to say, and I’ll relay the message.”
Within minutes they were back in Alexandra’s room, gathered around Eve’s landline. Julia and Logan wore headphones to listen in on the call, Julia sitting back while Logan leaned his elbows on the desk and kept his eyes closed.
Lissa picked up right away, and there was obvious tension in her voice when she responded to Eve’s inquiry. No, she couldn’t get away for a day or two. But she suggested a few exercises and stretches for Alexandra’s rehab.
“That’s great,” said Eve. “I definitely appreciate the help. We’ve been beside ourselves here, unable to do anything for her, while knowing full well the meds should have worn off days ago.”
“An unusual case, for sure,” Lissa said. “And the sudden change is so unexpected, I can understand why you’re scrambling to catch up.”
“Hey, before I let you go, can Dhillon say hi to his mom?”
“Aww, sorry, she’s busy doing maintenance on the Steed. You know how she lives and breathes that bird. Always has it ready to fly at a moment’s notice.”
“Hang on, Dhillon’s waving his arms.” She passed the phone over.
“Hi.”
“Hey, Dhillon, your mom’s in the dungeon with the Steed.”
“That sucks. I had something good to tell her.”
“Want me to give her a message?”
“Yeah, okay. Just tell her that last night, Chance finally puked up the red sock he ate, so she doesn’t have to worry about his guts anymore. Oh, and I cleaned it up.”
Lissa laughed. “Okay, make sure I have it right. Last night Chance puked up the red sock. So Angie doesn’t have to worry about his guts anymore, and the mess has been cleaned up.”
“Yeah, that’s it,” he said, and glanced at Logan who nodded and circled a finger in the air. “Thanks, Lissa. ’Bye.”
Julia wrapped up the headphones while she waited for Logan to speak. Dying to ask him what he’d picked up, but curbing herself.
“She gave me some confusing visuals, and I wasn’t able to pick up anyone else’s inner voices.” He stood and ruffled Dhillon’s hair. “You did good. Sounded very natural. Angie should get the message loud and clear that we’ve got a good idea what’s going on and help’s coming in tonight.”
He shook his head. “Lissa was insisting that Kelton’s lost his mind, yet giving me visuals that appear completely normal. James, Kyle, and Kelton, moving around the war room at will, working together, her going in and out, taking them food, picking up dishes.”
“What about Angie?”
“Images of her sitting in the great room with Lissa, and them working together in the kitchen.”
“Anything of Kyle upright?” asked Eve.
“No. Always in his wheelchair.”
“So he’s hiding his exoskeleton from Kelton.”
“One disturbing view of Kelton. He’s wearing a shoulder holster.”
“With a weapon?” Julia had to ask.
“Yes.”
“Well that’s certainly new.” She glanced at her watch. “We need to discuss this at length in our own war room before we take off.”
Julia, what’s going on?
“Eve will fill you in.” She hesitated in the doorway to flick a glance at the cat. Thanks for the heads-up.