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WHEN I RETURN TO TAISHI in the earliest hours of the morning, I don't have a chance to talk to him about any of the stuff he said to me last night. He's focusing on Alroy, and with good reason. Our charge barely has any life left him him. In fact, when I try to check his pulse, I can't feel anything.
“Taishi!” I cry. “You said he'd be alright! You said he'd survive the night!”
“And he did survive the night,” Taishi counters. “He isn't dead yet.”
“Maybe not, but look at him! He's worse!” When I kneel beside Alroy, he rolls on his back and moans.
“Was that... an angel?” Alroy whispers. His eyes are barely open, but I wonder if he caught a glimpse of me? “Angel, are you with me?”
“Did he see me?” I ask my instructor, who answers my question with the tiniest of nods. “But how?”
“When a soul is hovering close to death, they start to see fragments of the other side,” Taishi explains. “He probably saw you for an instant... and then you were gone.”
Alroy cries out to me again. “Please, angel, please! Help me get home!”
I put my hand on top of Alroy's. His skin is so cold, it feels like I laid my hand on a brick of ice. “He's not going to make it back to his wife and daughter, is he?”
“I haven't given up on him.” Taishi's answer is somewhat reassuring, but I have my doubts. “Riley-chan... I want you to heal him.”
I don't say anything. I just give him a puzzled look. I thought healing was an advanced technique that wasn't learned until way later?
“I think you can do it.” Taishi's answer matches the question in my mind. “You're a good student. You grasp things quickly, and your will is strong.”
“You can't heal him again?”
“Maybe. But I want you to try,” Taishi insists. “Lay your hands on his head, Riley-chan. Put your hands on him, and clear your mind as much as you can.”
I follow his instructions to the best of my ability, but it's hard to turn off the chatter in my head. Random thoughts are always popping into my mind, and it's difficult to quell them. When my hands are on Alroy's head, I ask, “Okay... what now?”
“This is going to sound corny, but you need to heal him with thoughts of... of love,” Taishi reluctantly sputters the word. “Love can heal anything. If more people had love in their hearts instead of hate, it would be an entirely different world down here.”
I can't really dispute what Taishi is saying. Alroy just came from a battle, after all. People are always trying to hurt each other. Why don't they try to uplift each other instead?
And once again, I've got random thoughts floating around in my head. I'm really bad at this concentration thing.
“Imagine the faces of people you love,” Taishi continues. “Hold their names in your mind. Remember what you like about them. Remember times they made you laugh, and times they made you feel good about yourself.”
First, I think of my sister. I remember sitting cross-legged on the bedroom floor, playing with dolls and chatting about boys.
Then I think of my mom. We used to go to the mall all the time. She would always buy me snacks at the food court and clothes from my favorite stores. Looking back, I probably didn't appreciate her enough.
My dad is next. I would have done anything for that man. One time, he got pneumonia, and we were afraid we were going to lose him. I prayed every day for him to come home to us. And he did.
To my surprise, Taishi's face floats into my mind. Good God, he's so handsome. Every time Alyx talked about how hot he was, I used to pretend I wasn't interested, but I was lying to myself. Taishi is gorgeous. But that isn't what I love about him. He's confident, kind, smart and reassuring. He gives me encouragement without holding my hand. He's gentle and strong, and I treasure all the time I've spent with him.
All of a sudden, my fingers are enveloped by a warm, soft light. The glowing white light pours into Alroy's forehead, and a few seconds later, his eyes snap open.
“I think you did it,” Taishi says. “Well done, Riley-chan. I knew you could do it.”
Alroy draws a sharp breath as he forces himself to his feet. Then he charges forward with new strength and conviction.
With a roll of my eyes, I gently criticize my instructor. “Love heals anything, huh? That is kind of cheesy.”
“Yeah. But it works. How do you think Alroy's held out as long as he has?” Taishi asks. “His love for his Eleanor and Aisling keeps pushing him forward.”
Alroy is moving so quickly now, Taishi and I are sprinting to keep up. My healing technique must have really worked. I'm impressed with myself.
Just like before, Taishi updates me on Alroy's progress. After twenty minutes of charging through the forest, he reports, “two miles to go...”
“Come on, Alroy, you can do it!” I cheer for him. I always hated cheerleaders, but maybe he needs one? “Go, Alroy, go! You're almost there! Woo hoo!”
Taishi's giving me a strange look, but I don't care. I think my cheering helps, because Alroy picks up his pace again.
“Alrooooy! Wooooo! Look how far you've come!” I keep cheering him on. “You can do it! I know you can!”
After another twenty minutes, Taishi whispers, “One mile left...”
Tears flood my eyes as we follow our charge. I'm so proud of him. And I'm proud of myself, too. I can't believe I got him on his feet again.
When Alroy finally reaches his little thatched cottage, his wife is outside in the garden. Unfortunately, he doesn't make it all the way to the front door. As soon as he sees his wife, he drops to his knees with a bellowed sob.
“Alroy?” Eleanor tosses aside a bundle of carrots and races to her husband's side. “Alroy!”
“Aisling...” Alroy croaks. “I want to see Aisling too.”
“Aisling!” Eleanor screams at the top of her lungs, then she throws herself on the ground next to Alroy and carefully moves his head to her lap. As her fingers comb his hair, a deluge of tears drips down her cheeks. Like us, she knows he's going to die.
A few seconds later, Alroy's six-year-old daughter bursts from the cottage and runs to her dad. Despite his rapidly fading strength, he reaches for his daughter, catching her in a hug.
“I hope Aisling isn't traumatized by all the blood,” I whisper to Taishi, who promptly shushes me. Maybe he thinks I'm ruining the moment?
“I love you,” Alroy whispers. “I love you both.”
“I love you too, da,” says a sniffling Aisling. Eleanor is sobbing so hard, she can't echo the sentiment.
“I'll be gone soon.” He pulls his wife's hand to his lips and kisses her knuckles. “Take care of my mum when I'm gone.”
Eleanor finally speaks. “Yes! We'll take care of her, Alroy. Don't worry.”
“Good.” When Alroy sighs, the lines on his forehead seem to fade. In the arms of his wife and daughter, he seems content. “I'm glad I got to see you both... one more time. My god, you're beautiful. Both of you. You've blessed my eyes with your faces. I was a lucky man.”
And then he's gone.
His spirit is suddenly standing over his body, looking more than a bit confused.