Chapter 16

 

 

August came with a flourish of activity for Alex, Gaius and their family. They spent their days in mission work, through Holy Island’s St. Vincent de Paul Summer Youth Camp, and their evenings in fellowship at Elysium once more. Their participation in the program’s mentor training in April allowed their large group to lift the spirits of youth from across England who arrived for the annual retreat.

Alex and Sabina used the weekends and several days in between to help Emily before her wedding to Wallace. Most often, Gaius and Jack would accompany them on their treks to Oxford, and twice Rohan flew along with them, just to enjoy the family’s fellowship and hone his piloting skills. It was turning out to be a month full of promise and hope for them all.

But it was on the last Tuesday of August, just eleven days before Emily and Wallace’s wedding, that a call came to Elysium which none of them could have expected. A call that changed the course of their days in an instant.

Archimedes was walking through the foyer that evening, and heard Alex’s mobile ringing in her purse. He made his way over to where she had left the handbag lying on a table near the front door. He answered the call and when he heard what Lady Juliana had to impart, he ran immediately in the direction of the kitchen where Alex and Gaius were.

Everyone sensed his distress the instant he came into the room, for his aura was broadcasting his unease in thick waves.

“It’s your mother, Alex,” Archimedes said, as he handed the phone to her. “You need to take her call, dear. Now.”

Archimedes shook his head at Gaius in dismay. Jack and Elrick each took a step closer, intent on learning what had upset Archimedes so.

“Mother, I’m here,” Alex said, while she watched Archimedes’ interaction with Gaius.

“Alex, we need you and Gaius to come home immediately. There is no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to tell you. Jameason has suffered a massive heart attack, and he’s en route to hospital as we speak. Can you come now? He needs you. We need you,” Lady Juliana said through her emotion.

Gaius’ head was bent close to Alex’s and he heard her mother’s every word. He settled a hand on her lower back to steady her as they listened to the grim prognosis for one whom they loved so very much.

For Alex, it felt as if her entire world had simply stopped spinning. But her heart propelled her into motion and enabled her to speak.

“Of course! We’ll be right there, Mother. I promise,” Alex breathed.

She ended the call, and looked momentarily at Gaius. And then she began to run as fast as her legs would carry her. Alex snagged her purse from the foyer’s table, and bolted for one of the S-92s on the front lawn, with Gaius only a step behind. Jack, Sabina, Rohan, John, Heath, and twelve more of their immortal friends were with them, as the word went out on the currents of their power.

Gaius took the seat alongside Alex at the helm and together, they swiftly went into motion. Alex had them in the air in record time, though her hands were shaking so badly she was surprised she could operate the controls at all. She pushed the aircraft to its limits and willed her aura to travel ahead of her.

Alex commanded her Light to find Jameason’s heart and be with him until she could physically touch his body. A loud boom sounded throughout the S-92 and surrounding air, as her power immediately surged forth from her chest. It raced ahead along its journey south, in a direct line to where his weakened heart was fighting to hang on.

While they were in the air, Alex heard Heath calling the airport and arranging vehicles for them. The kilometers quickly fell away, but for Alex, it was the longest flight of her life. The helicopter was moving as fast as it could, but it was not fast enough for her. The minutes drug by, and Alex prayed as she never had before.

“Please,” she begged the Lord, “do not let me be too late.”

Her aura continued to build, until it enveloped the S-92. She urged the machine forward with her power, trying to give it additional speed. Gaius finally reached for her hand, and drew her attention to him.

“Alex, love, we will make it. Roll back your aura surrounding us, and focus your power on sustaining Jameason. That’s what he needs most from you right now, until we touch down,” he said calmly, and nodded his head.

“Okay,” Alex whispered, hearing her voice quiver as she fought her emotion.

“Okay, my love,” Gaius said gently, echoing her. He patted her again and then took his controls back in hand.

Alex bit her lower lip to keep from saying more. She wanted to cry and scream at the same time, and she had never felt so trapped in all her days. It was as if the helicopter was slowly closing in on her, mocking her that they could not cut their way through the air fast enough.

She felt Gaius’ hand on her shoulder, but she looked straight ahead as his power flowed over her. She knew he was trying to hold her steady, and Alex finally took a deep breath and drew in all the love and comfort he was sending her through the currents of his aura. And it was just enough to help sustain her a little longer.

 

As soon as they touched down in Oxford, Alex raced from the pilot’s seat in the direction of an SUV. Archimedes and Iain remained behind to handle the paperwork, but Alex, Gaius, John, and Jack sped away, with the remainder of their party following directly behind them. Gaius had taken the wheel, and Alex was so grateful. She honestly didn’t know if she could manage the trek from the airport to Oxford’s hospital, without hurting all of her loved ones in the vehicle with them.

When they pulled up to the hospital’s entrance, Jack leapt from the back seat before she could get her safety belt off. He swung her door open and lifted her so fast, that Alex had to hold on to his arms momentarily to get her balance.

“I’ll find parking, and then catch up to you guys. Go, Alex!” Jack issued his order with all haste.

Alex nodded at him and left the SUV in Jack’s care. Gaius extended his hand and began to lead her swiftly forward. The others arrived in their Rovers as her feet met the sidewalk, and the immortals raced to share their auras.

They quickly found the area where doctors were working to save Jameason, and John’s credentials gained him access to the room immediately. Lord Errol and Lady Juliana were waiting for word in the hallway, but Alex paused only long enough to embrace them. And then she stepped back, disappearing from their view.

She hid herself, Gaius, and her immortal brethren under her aura’s protection, and then they moved to Jameason’s bedside together. The entire group had to squint momentarily as they filed inside the room, for the portion of Alex’s aura which had raced ahead was blanketing the space in a dense cloud of Celestial power. The currents dipped and undulated in synchronization with her own heartache and Alex’s determination that Jameason not perish.

A low moan escaped Alex when she beheld all of the medical staff within the room, and the many monitors and tubes that were attached to his body. Several doctors were there at his side, but Alex raised her hands and froze each and every mortal within the room.

“Our power is stronger than their medicine,” she murmured, and then stepped closer to Jameason. She hastily pulled the wires away from his chest and placed her hands directly over his heart.

She gasped as she felt the damage to the muscle. Alex willed herself to remain focused, and she began channeling all of the love and devotion through her aura, which lay within her for his beautiful soul. And though Alex was the first to lay her hands on him, Gaius and the others were right beside her. Their hands quickly found purchase on Jameason’s body, and Celestial power in incredible waves surged and undulated through his weakened heart.

Alex prayed as she never had before, that the Lord would allow Jameason to remain in their lives for a while longer. She began to whisper aloud all of the reasons he was still needed, and of the children she was sure Wallace and Conner would have who would require his strong, spiritual leadership. She begged that he know more Groabans, and that they know him, for she would be taken from their lives far too soon. Alex told the Lord that the new additions to the family would greatly have need of him, just as she had when she was a little girl.

Tears poured down her cheeks as she confessed her heart and bared her soul before her husband and brethren. But Alex was in communion with the Lord, and she knew not their minds in those moments. Her solitary wish was to see her dear, sweet Jameason restored and every second that ticked by was devoted solely to that desire.

Alex felt more energy surging through her aura in response to her prayer, and she looked over her shoulder for a moment to see Ganymede appear. He was smiling, and he placed his hands on Jameason’s chest with her, just as Gaius’ father, Haniel, came to the opposite side of the bed and did the same. Alex swallowed past the knot in her throat and nodded at them, still offering up her heartfelt pleas to the Lord.

At last, Ganymede spoke aloud as he turned slightly to face Alexandria.

“Daughter, Jameason has been healed from the danger that threatened to take him from your lives. Your prayers have not gone unheard. It is not his time to move to the Lord’s side, just yet,” he gently intoned.

“Oh, Ganymede!” she gasped and covered her mouth to stifle her sobs.

“Shhh. Come here, daughter,” he said tenderly.

Ganymede smoothed her hair back from her face and hugged Alex to his chest as she cried against his heart. She felt Gaius’ aura touching her as he tried to calm her, and finally her father released her so she could move into her husband’s arms.

The intense emotion and sheer panic that she had experienced, as adrenaline flooded her system while at Elysium, worked its way out in a torrent. Gaius kept his arms around her for many minutes and gently stroked her back. He tried to bring Alex comfort as her heart came to terms with the near loss of the man who had helped to rear and shape her into the person she was. And Gaius also drew strength from Alex, as her arms stayed firmly anchored around his waist, for Jameason had come to mean a great deal to him as well.

“Alexandria, we should move away from Jameason’s bedside now and surface from behind the veil. We need to focus on supporting your parents at this time. They need information about his well-being, too,” Ganymede quietly advised her.

She lifted her head from Gaius’ chest and nodded her understanding.

“Go, Alex,” John urged her. “I’ll reattach the monitors and deal with things in here. Listen for my mental call, and then release everyone within the room from your hold for me when I’m ready.”

“Okay,” she quietly agreed.

Alex asked her aura to release her loved ones from the cloak it had provided, and then Ganymede led them out into the hall. She saw her parents and Jack immediately rise from the chairs they occupied in a nearby waiting room, where they sat staring through the large windows for some sort of news. Lady Juliana was the first to reach Alex, and she clasped her daughter’s hands.

“He’s healed and restored. He’s going to make it,” Alex managed to say. But then she had to move into her mother’s arms as they held one another and more tears worked themselves free.

“Thank the good Lord!” Lady Juliana breathed. She closed her eyes and held to Alex just as tightly as her daughter was clinging to her.

Lord Errol embraced Gaius, then Ganymede before he turned and hugged Haniel and each Nephilim. “Please accept our heartfelt thanks and most humble appreciation,” Lord Errol whispered, though he could not manage another word around the emotion still constricting his throat.

Gaius remained by Lord Errol’s side. He kept an arm around his father-in-law’s shoulders as he channeled his aura into him, seeking to bring Lord Errol strength and comfort. They all remained together, holding to one another until John sent Alex word that she should unfreeze the doctors and nurses still held under the influence of her power. He joined them several minutes later.

“I’ve altered the doctors’ knowledge within the room, so that it does not appear Jameason’s heart attack was as severe as first suspected upon his arrival. I’ll go now and seek out the admission paperwork, so I can change that as well,” John offered.

“Thank you, John,” Alexandria said earnestly, as she extended a hand to him.

“No thanks are necessary, dear. He’s part of my family now too, you know? I’ll be back with you all shortly,” he said, and kissed Alex’s cheek before he walked away.

A few moments later a doctor came out of the room and spoke with them, giving everyone the encouraging news that Jameason had suffered an event, but not the large scale heart attack they had first supposed it to be. He told them Jameason was stable and would remain overnight for monitoring, but that they could go into the room in small groups to visit with him.

Alex, her parents, Gaius, and the two angels went in first and stood by Jameason’s sleeping form. Alex gently smoothed his hair back and sent wave after wave of her aura cascading across him, still seeking to heal and restore his weakened body. After many passes of her palm, Alex felt Jameason stir slightly. He moved his head faintly and finally opened his eyes to look around.

Lady Juliana moved forward to gather his hand in hers and he frowned at her.

“Where I am, Juliana? What has happened?” he asked, clearly disoriented.

She wiped a few fresh tears from her eyes, and then told Jameason what had transpired over the last few hours. He looked shocked and at a complete loss for words. But his eyes traveled up to Alexandria, who still stood at his side gently caressing his head.

Alex smiled tenderly and leaned forward to kiss his forehead, sending another large surge of her power into him. He gasped softly and reached out with his free hand to hold hers. She could feel him squeezing her fingers, as they silently gazed at one another and let their eyes say it all for them. And Alex was glad they needed no words, because she was unable to form a single utterance as the enormity of it all struck her again.

 

After several hours, John convinced Lord Errol and Lady Juliana to return to the Manor to rest. They agreed, knowing Jameason was out of immediate danger. Alex, Gaius, Jack, Sabina, and Rohan took over the night watch and the remainder of their party went with her parents to sleep. Jameason thanked Ganymede and Haniel before they took their leave, and Ganymede promised Alexandria he would be only a breath away as they hugged each other tightly.

Rohan and Sabina went in search of dinner for them all, and Alex sat on the bed by Jameason’s side holding his hand and smoothing her fingers over his. Though he protested and told them all he was just fine, Alex would not be moved far from his side. She encouraged him to close his eyes and sleep. Eventually, Jameason allowed the fatigue from his body’s battle to win out over his stubborn nature and he drifted off.

Jack and Gaius pulled chairs into the room so they would all have a place to recline. They ate when Sabina and Rohan returned, talking quietly among themselves. Though a few nurses tried to tell them the room was too crowded, Alex calmly convinced one and all that they had permission for their party to remain. Each staff member would nod their understanding and leave them to continue their vigil with no further complaint. In time, their conversations dwindled too, and Alex opted to stretch out beside Jameason and keep a hand on him as she slept, rather than move into a chair.

 

When the morning’s first light filtered in through the windows, Alex was roused by Jameason’s hand passing over her hair. She opened her eyes and immediately lifted herself onto her elbow.

“Are you in pain, Jameason? Do you need me to call Ganymede?” Alex whispered, even as her hand settled over his heart and her aura began to stream into his body.

“No, dear,” he said softly, as he slowly shook his head. “I love you so very much,” he murmured sincerely. “Do you know, Alexandria?”

“I do. And I love you just that much and more, Jameason,” she breathed. “I’m so thankful you’re here.”

“No more than I am, Alexandria,” he chuckled quietly.

She felt tears pool in her eyes, and she nodded her understanding. Alex hugged him, and then turned to see everyone else waking and listening to their conversation.

Alex made her way off of the bed and Gaius moved to stand beside her. He took Jameason’s hand in between his and lightly caressed his fingers. His tender smile made Alex’s eyes continue to cloud, as she watched her husband send more of his aura into a man she considered to be her grandfather, trying to strengthen and protect him.

“You gave us all quite a scare last night, Jameason,” Gaius said softly.

Jameason’s eyes crinkled at the corners and he cleared his throat so he could speak to them all.

“I cannot offer any words that will thank you enough for what you did for me,” he said, and then coughed to purge the emotion still heard clearly in his voice. “I have no doubt that it was your power that kept me here.”

“There is nowhere else we would have been, Jameason, than by your side in your hour of need,” Gaius said affectionately. “And though we all lent our auras towards your restoration, it was Alexandria who fought for you the hardest and pleaded for your healing.”

Jameason looked from Gaius to Alex, as a few tears gathered in his eyes.

“Shhh, don’t cry,” Alex said, as she leaned forward to smooth his hair back again. “If you cry, then so will I.”

“I’m trying not to, dear,” he chuckled half-heartedly.

Jack stepped forward and settled a hand on Jameason’s shoulder. “Feel like getting out of here and going home?” he asked, with a gentle smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“I would love nothing more, Jackson,” Jameason replied.

Jack nodded and then went in search of a doctor. Soon, he returned with two.

Jameason was thoroughly checked over and told that if he could eat breakfast and take a few successful walks along the corridors, he would be allowed to go home. Alex called her parents to impart the good news that they would all be home in time for lunch, and she heard their relieved sighs on the line. All five remained by his side to support and guard over Jameason, until finally he was released.

Alex, Sabina, and Rohan stepped out in the hall while Gaius and Jack helped Jameason change his clothing, and Alex found she needed to lean against Rohan for strength. She was mentally and emotionally exhausted. And sensing her need, Rohan placed an arm around her shoulders, then sent his aura directly into her body. Alex patted his chest and leaned against him more.

When the door opened, Jameason could be heard protesting, but Jack came out smiling.

“I may not be as old as you, Gaius; but I assure you, I can fasten my own shirt buttons,” Jameason grumbled a bit too loudly.

“Of course, you can,” Gaius was heard saying, though from the tone he used, they knew Gaius was only humoring Jameason as he continued dressing him.

“Gaius won’t let him leave unless he’s rolled out,” Jack chuckled over Jameason’s obstinacy, which they could still hear being voiced through the closed door.

“I will take care of it,” said Sabina, smiling too as she strolled away.

She headed to a nurse’s station to request a wheelchair, and soon they were all moving in the direction of the exit. Rohan retrieved their SUV, and when he came to a stop before them, he left his seat and lifted Jameason before he could object. Gaius moved to open the passenger door and the two immortals settled him gently for the ride home.

Their journey did not take long, and Alex found her mind traveling back to the ride she had taken home from the same hospital after Bertrand had attacked her. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose trying desperately not to remember those dark days. Gaius’ arm came to rest around her shoulders, and she leaned against his chest until they pulled up to the Manor House’s front door.

Gaius released her only when he was needed to help Rohan take Jameason from his seat. And Jameason did protest then, and loudly.

“Now just a minute, here. I can walk up the stairs to my own room! This has become ridiculous,” he vowed.

Rohan smirked as Alex chuckled and moved to their side.

“Jameason, hush. They are only trying to take care of you. So stop your fussing, and let Rohan carry you upstairs,” she admonished him. “If for no other reason, do it to make me happy. Okay?” Alex arched an eyebrow at him, trying to win that round.

Though he still grumbled, Jameason acquiesced and allowed Rohan to carry him up to his room. Lord Errol and Lady Juliana met them at the front door and then walked with them. They helped to settle him in his own bed, smiling over his desire to have them stop fussing over him so.

John and Heath offered to take the next watch and share their auras with him, so that the five who had remained at the hospital all night could eat and rest.

“Behave yourself,” Alex warned him. She kissed Jameason’s cheek before she walked down to the kitchen with Gaius, Jack, Sabina, Rohan, and her mother to eat a late breakfast.

They sat quietly at the island while Iain, Nikolaj, and Elrick prepared their food. And the longer Alex sat there, the more she wanted answers. Jameason had seemed fine the previous weekend when she, Gaius, and Sabina had flown to Oxford, and she wondered how she could have missed such an impending event.

“Mother, please tell us exactly what happened. Don’t leave out any details,” Alex finally said. She propped her arms on the kitchen island and stared at Lady Juliana.

Her mother nodded, and then shared the full accounting of what had led up to the frightening event.

“Alex, Jameason took it upon himself to reorganize the large gardening shed in the heat of the day. And despite earlier spells of vertigo and pain, he persisted. Honestly, he has experienced several episodes of chest pain over the last two months, but he’s always brushed them off.”

“What?!” Alex asked in disbelief. “And no one thought to mention this to me, or any other immortal who could have examined him a bit more closely?”

“No, Alex, we didn’t. We thought it was, as he said, nothing. But I can see now that we will have to be more vigilant in making him pursue timely checkups,” she sighed, and shook her head sadly.

“Well, visiting his doctors is a step in the right direction. But I want us to see to his care from now on too,” Alex clarified. She was honestly reeling inside from what she was hearing, and feeling guilty too that she had missed the signs.

But Lady Juliana knew her daughter well, and she knew the self-admonishment broadcasting loud and clear in Alex’s eyes. She shook her head and moved to her daughter’s side to cup her cheeks.

“Alex, listen to me now, and take my words to heart. You know I don’t believe in second guessing what has already taken place and wishing that it were not so. We cannot change the past, no matter how much it upsets us. What we can do, however, is count our blessings and move forward as a family. And in doing that, I must say this: I am so very grateful that you and your brethren were close enough to reach him in time. There will never be any words spoken that can thank you all enough.”

Alex felt tears welling in her eyes in response to those she saw threatening to spill from her mother’s. They embraced each other for several quiet moments before Lady Juliana moved over to hug Gaius, Jack, Rohan, and Sabina. She whispered her thanks to each, and even kissed Rohan’s cheek before she released him. He gave her a tight nod, unable to say more through the rare emotion tightening his throat.

“I love you all, and I hope you know and feel that each time you’re here with Alex. This is your home now, just as much as it is hers,” Lady Juliana said and looked around her kitchen at the immortals filling the room. She saw the quiet and raw emotion lurking in many an eye, and she reached out to touch Gaius’ shoulder while she nodded at the amazing souls around her.

“We love you, too, Lady Juliana,” Gaius said, and then leaned forward to kiss her cheek.

“You have to stop calling me that, Gaius,” she chuckled half-heartedly through her tears. “I’m your mother-in-law. So call me Juliana or Mother Groaban, or… Well, anything that’s not so formal. Alright?”

“Alright,” he chuckled in return. “How about Mother Groaban? It has a nice ring to it, wouldn’t you say?”

“Absolutely,” she grinned and then pulled him into her arms.

Gaius smiled as he was enveloped in a motherly hug, the likes of which he rarely received as the years passed by, but one he craved all the same. It was the kind of hug that spoke of a love that ran soul deep – one from a mother to her child. The kind of embrace his own mother had always shared with him, until she passed from this world and moved on to the Lord’s presence.

 

After they ate, Alex thanked her friends for cooking. Then she, and those who had remained with Jameason in hospital, moved towards their bedrooms to shower and rest. Alex learned that Ahadi, Benen, and Archimedes had flown back to Elysium and gathered clothes for everyone during the night. She mentally thanked them for caring for her family so well.

“Alexandria, your family is now our family, too. So of course we were with Jameason, you, and Gaius in your hour of need,” Archimedes said in reply through their mental connection.

“Thank you for that, Archimedes,” Alex murmured privately.

She let Gaius lead her towards her childhood bedroom, the room that they claimed as theirs each time they visited the Manor. When they were alone in the room, Gaius helped Alex disrobe and he quickly took them into the shower. They bathed and gently held each other, allowing the warmth from their embrace and the water to soothe their hearts and bodies. He soon led her out of the stall to dry off, and then he moved to the bed, determined that she might rest and know a little peace for a while.

For he knew Alex well enough, to know that a great torrent of tears was poised to flow as soon as she completely let down her guard. And now that they were alone, it would not be long before she also let go of all the hurt and sadness the last near twenty-four hours had wrought.

When he opened the luggage Archimedes and Ahadi had placed within the room for them, in search of sleepwear, Alex placed a hand on his and stopped him. She shook her head as he stood to his full height once more.

“Gaius, don’t look for clothes. I don’t want us to dress for bed, because I just need to feel your skin against mine. I just need you,” she said softly.

He could hear the sadness in her voice and see it welling over in her eyes. He gently cupped her face and gave her a tender smile as he nodded slowly.

“I need to feel you next to me, too, Alex. Come; let’s lie down and hold one another.”

She gave him a brief nod, and then led the way to the bed. Soon, she was snuggled against his side, her head on his shoulder. Gaius wrapped both of his arms around her and kept her anchored firmly to his body. He kissed the top of her head and then began to slowly glide a palm across the skin on her back.

After many minutes of silence, Alex drew in a deep breath and spoke again. Haltingly at first, but with all the heartfelt conviction she could will into her voice.

“Gaius, thank you for your unwavering love and support. Thank you for being beside me through all of this. And thank you for being my rock, when I was sure I’d falter. I was so scared I was going to lose him,” Alex whispered, as her tears returned in earnest.

“Shhh, my love,” he intoned, and kissed her forehead. “Jameason is restored, and he will grow stronger each day. You did very well, Alex. Very well, indeed. Let that knowledge sustain you, now that the worst of it is over.”

He began to trail his fingers through her hair, sharing his aura with each pass and eventually, Alex’s sobs quieted. He knew that they would have to experience such moments many more times throughout the years, as her human family became older and more susceptible to illness or injury. But it was a thought that neither one of them wanted to dwell on too long.

Gaius had deliberately tried to teach Alex to savor the moments of the present, so she could call those happy memories to her again and again in the centuries to come. And because he was a part of her family now too, Gaius felt the same need to hold on to the heartfelt experiences with each and every member of the Groaban family. To never take even one second for granted.

As if in answer to his need, Alex spread her aura over them. He felt her desire for their hearts to bear the sadness wash over him, in a warm and comforting wave.

“I love you, sweetheart,” Gaius murmured. He heard her whispered pledge in return and he smiled, despite it all. He gently kissed Alex, before they both closed their eyes and tried to rest in one another’s arms.