RAMSEY WATCHED THE nurse sweep candy and glass from the floor. Seeing him awake, the nurse had taken his vitals and temperature, asked him some inane questions to make sure his brain still worked, gave him some water, and told him to continue to rest, as if he could do anything else. Another nurse had entered and asked everyone in the room to leave while the doctor came in and checked him again, asking similar inane questions and examined his injury, which—according to the doctor’s opinion—was healing nicely. His brain was foggy, but he remembered his encounter with Y vividly. Remembering the pain, he tried to think of something else.
The door opened, and Leroy looked in. “We all clear?” he asked the nurse. “We promise to behave.”
Leaning over to pick up the get-well card that had fallen to the floor, the nurse said, “Sure. Come on in.” She placed the card on the bed beside Ramsey. She glanced at him. “I think he’s ready for a little company.” Leaning back down, she picked up the dustbin full of candies and broken glass, walked to the trashcan, and threw the debris away. “Don’t wear him out, though. He needs plenty of rest.” She walked out as they all came in.
“Don’t worry,” said Declan. “We’ll keep an eye on him.”
Leroy walked up to the side of the bed. “Glad to see you back with us,” he said. “How you feeling?”
Declan walked up from the other side. “You had us a little worried. About time you woke up.”
Finally clearing some of the cobwebs from his brain, Ramsey blinked. “Glad I’m still among the living,” he said, his voice still cracking.
He looked at them as they surrounded the bed, with Hannah and Sarah at the foot. Sarah watched him, but she seemed reserved.
“You all right?” he asked, focusing in on her.
She nodded. “I’m fine. I’m just relieved you’re okay.”
“Give me a few days, and I’ll be good as new.”
“Give it a few weeks, at least,” said Leroy.
“Try a few months,” said Hannah. “You need to go easy, Ramsey.”
Catching Hannah’s look, he unavoidably thought back to their encounter with Y. “You saved my life.”
“I just did what I was trained to do.”
“Regardless, if you hadn’t been there…”
“But I was there.”
He didn’t say anything, but the events leading up to his hospital stay replayed in his mind. His eyes narrowed as he considered the obvious question. “Where is Y?”
“Gone,” said Leroy. “He disappeared after attacking you. No sign of him.”
Ramsey wasn’t surprised at the news. He looked back at Sarah. “You didn’t see him? He didn’t come after you?”
“We got there after he left. Never saw him,” said Declan, speaking to Ramsey but watching Sarah.
Ramsey noticed the look. “What is it?” he asked. The more he came out of his fog, the more he began to sense something was off. “Something going on?”
“No, nothing,” said Sarah. But the way she said it told Ramsey she was lying.
“I wouldn’t say that,” said Declan. “We’ve had some developments.”
“What developments?”
“It appears our girl here has full power restored.”
“What? You mean your abilities have returned?” He tried to hold his head up, but he didn’t have the strength to keep it level.
Leroy found the bed controls and adjusted it to a more upright position.
“Apparently so,” Sarah answered, although not with the excitement that Ramsey would have expected.
“How? Why now?’
“I’ve been wondering that myself,” said Declan. “I think I may have an idea as to why.”
“Well, don’t keep us in suspense,” said Leroy.
“It’s a theory, but I think it’s probable,” said Declan. “Think about it. When’s the last time we’ve all been in a room together since Sarah completed her Shift and we moved to the new house?”
They all took a second to think about it.
“The last time we were all together?” asked Leroy.
“It had to be when we left the original house,” said Hannah. “You and Ramsey brought Sarah, and Leroy and I went home.” She thought about it some more. “I honestly don’t think we’ve all been in the same room together since then.”
“What? Does that have something to do with it?” asked Ramsey.
“Well, based on the little we know about Reds, I believe that when they shifted, they were kept in isolation as much as possible.”
“That wasn’t possible with Sarah,” said Ramsey.
“No, it wasn’t,” Declan continued. “Which makes me think she must have somehow connected to each one of us in the house. Used our energy in some way as she shifted. And now, at least for the time being, she still needs us around in order to access that energy.”
“Which is why, when we all ended up in the same room, everything fired up,” said Sarah, glad that there was now an explanation.
“Exactly.”
“So does this mean that she’ll always needs us to be with her to do anything?” asked Hannah.
“For now, yes,” said Declan. “Her reliance on us will likely decrease in time as she adapts and learns to utilize her skills without our help.”
“So I guess this means you all are stuck with me,” said Sarah, crossing her arms and studying the floor.
“Or better said,” added Leroy, “you’re stuck with us.”
Sarah glanced up and gave him a half smile and then looked at Ramsey, who watched her from the bed, his expression unreadable.
“There’s something else, though,” he said. “What’s bothering you?”
Nobody said anything as Sarah regarded the floor again. “You don’t need to worry about it. I’m fine.”
Ramsey didn’t buy it. “Is somebody going to tell me what is going on?”
Hannah finally explained. “I told her about the serum and the mirror and where she came from.” She paused. “About an hour ago, right before you woke up. And right when we realized her abilities were back. I have perfect timing, as usual.”
“It’s the reason the candy jar shattered,” said Leroy.
“And why there’s a foot-long crack in your window,” said Declan. He’d managed to close the blinds just enough to keep the damage from being obvious to the staff. The earlier commotion had prevented them from noticing.
Hearing the news and finally understanding, Ramsey watched Sarah, who remained at the foot of the bed, still reserved. “You better now?”
“I’ve got it under control, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Her posture remained rigid, as if she forced herself to stand still and not pace. He knew she liked to move when she had something on her mind.
“That’s not what I’m worried about.”
They both exchanged a brief look before Declan interrupted. “We’ll help her out as much as we can while you recuperate.”
“I’m okay,” she said defensively. “Please stop treating me like I’m an egg about to break.”
“Sorry,” said Declan. “That’s not what I meant.”
Sarah dropped her arms, found the foot rail and gripped it. She closed her eyes. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be snappy.”
“Don’t apologize,” said Declan, making Sarah think back to Morgana’s advice. “You’ve got a lot on your mind.”
Leroy decided it was time to change the subject. “So what happens next? Do we all need to camp out in Sherlock’s room for now?”
“That would be cozy,” said Hannah.
“No. I don’t think we need to go that far,” said Declan. He turned back to Sarah. “I think taking an occasional break away from us would be good for you.”
Sarah could only nod.
“But we will need to plan on spending some time together for now. Let you adjust again to your abilities. Once we get that stabilized, we can focus on maintaining them when we’re not all together.”
“What about Y, though, Declan?” asked Leroy. “What do we do about him?”
Declan looked at Ramsey. “You think you could tell if he was close again?”
Ramsey didn’t hesitate with his answer. “Oh, if he’s in the vicinity, I’ll know it.”
“I think all of us would get some indication of his presence, so keep your feelers up.”
“What do we do if he shows?” asked Hannah.
“I doubt he’ll show up here. He doesn’t seem to like to come out in the open. He can’t easily use his powers around humans without too much risk of exposure. He should stay under the radar.”
“I’m not too sure about that,” said Ramsey, losing what little color he had in his face.
They looked down at the card he held in his hand. It was the card that had been in the candy jar. Ramsey had seen it on the bed and had picked it up while Declan talked.
“Sherlock,” said Leroy, “you okay?”
Ramsey handed him the card.
Leroy opened and read the inside. His posture straightened. “Son of a …” He handed the card to Declan.
“What?” asked Sarah.
Declan read the card, and his face paled a little, too. “It says ‘Hope you feel better soon.’ It’s signed X, Y, and Z.”
“Oh my God,” said Hannah. “He was here?”
Declan pulled out his phone. “I’m getting you protection. I’ll have someone outside your door at all times.”
“You’ll only get them killed, too,” said Ramsey.
“Nobody’s getting killed, Sherlock. Declan needs to take precautions, though. The more we can do to keep Y from coming around, the better.”
“He’s just messing with me. With all of us. He’s trying to keep us intimidated.”
“Well, it’s working,” said Hannah.
Declan left the room to start his phone conversation. Sarah could only stand and watch as she felt the emotion in the room kick up into high alert. She had almost forgotten what it was like to feel so many sensations at once. As Declan left, though, she could feel her sensitivity decrease. She must have appeared lost in thought, because Leroy asked Hannah if she wanted to get some coffee, and before she knew it, she was in the room alone with Ramsey. Realizing it, she went to stand next to the bed.
“Pull up a chair. Sit a while,” he said.
She grabbed a chair and pulled it up close. After sitting, she faced the bed and took his hand. Even though her sensitivities had lessened further since Hannah and Leroy had left, she still felt that familiar pull whenever she was near him, as if she’d always known his presence.
He squeezed her hand, and she knew he felt the same.
“So tell me, you sure you’re all right?” he asked.
“You’re in the hospital bed, not me.”
“My wounds are healing. What about yours?”
“I’m not wounded.”
“But you’re upset.”
She didn’t respond.
“What is it?”
“I guess finding out you’re a science experiment is a little troubling.”
“You’re not a science experiment.”
“Yes, I am. I was created, wasn’t I?”
“Yes, but so were numerous other babies. It’s pretty commonplace now.”
“I’m a little different than other babies.”
He watched her emotions play across her face, and he could feel her confusion as she tried to understand her conception and her purpose.
“Sarah,” he said. “Regardless of how you actually came to be, you were born to parents who wanted you. They could not conceive, and they wanted a child. You were very much loved by both of them. You made them very happy.”
Looking down at their clasped hands, she moved her thumb across his skin. She couldn’t deny what he said. She had been blessed with wonderful parents.
“Did my mother ever know?”
“I don’t know,” he answered, enjoying the easy feeling of being with her. “From what I hear, though, she had some abilities of her own, so who knows?”
“She was an amazing woman.”
He watched her face as she stared at their hands. “Her daughter’s not half-bad either.”
She met his gaze and began to feel better, as if a weight had been lifted.
“I know what you’re dealing with is difficult,” he said, “but selfishly, I’m glad they experimented. You wouldn’t be here right now otherwise.”
“You wouldn’t be here either,” she answered, patting the hospital bed with her free hand.
“This is not your fault. Y did this, not you.”
“But you’re dealing with him because of me.”
“And if I had the choice, I wouldn’t change a thing. I’d rather have you here, with me fighting for you, than not here at all.”
She almost called him a liar, but she stopped herself, because she knew it wasn’t true. His unwavering sincerity fluttered through her.
“Will you say that if I can’t read that mirror?”
“Nothing will change if you can’t read the mirror.”
“Nothing other than all of you dying off before my eyes.”
He squeezed her hand. “Hey, I just survived a battle with a knife, and I seem to be doing okay. Don’t count me out just yet.”
She appreciated his attempt to lighten the mood and take her mind off what troubled her. Deciding that there was little that could be done to change anything, she chose to let him.
“You are pretty tough,” she said. Her face relaxed, and she let his calming energy move through her.
Her felt her mood finally begin to shift. “Mom always did call me Superman.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.” He could feel her continue to unwind. The more she did, the more at ease he felt. His eyelids became heavy as her troubled energy dissipated.
She could tell his strength was waning. “Well, Superman. Looks like you could use some rest.”
“Me? I’m doing fine.”
“You are, but you still need some sleep. Close your eyes. I’ll stay with you.”
He managed to perk up at that. “You’re not going anywhere?”
“No, I’m not going anywhere,” she said, finding the controls and lowering his bed. And she couldn’t help but add, “Just consider me your Protector. And I’m good at what I do.”
Laying fully back in the bed, he could only smile as he drifted off to sleep.
**
The next morning, Hannah and Sarah rode the elevator up to Ramsey’s floor. Sarah had slept fitfully the night before. Nightmares of Ramsey lying in his hospital bed, looking pale and ghostly, had haunted her. She’d been at a window, looking in, but she’d had no way of entering his room. He’d looked at her and smiled, sending chills through her. Banging on the glass, she’d still found no way in. He’d started to cough uncontrollably, and blood dribbled from his mouth. Panicked, she’d heard alarms sounding, and she knew they came from the machines next to his bed.
From nowhere, a doctor appeared, carrying a large syringe. He’d approached Ramsey’s bedside and inserted the needle into the end of Ramsey’s IV tube. Now completely terrified, she tried to break the glass. Hearing the sound, the doctor turned toward her, and Sarah’s blood turned cold when she realized the doctor was Y. As she screamed “No!” Ramsey sat up in bed, staring at her and speaking in her head: “Trust destiny.”
She’d awoken abruptly then, shaking and sweaty. She hadn’t slept since. Now, riding the elevator, she couldn’t get to his room fast enough.
The previous day had ended uneventfully, with Ramsey having slept through most of it. The police had stopped by to talk with him regarding the attack, and he’d spoken with them, telling them only what they needed to know. He’d been allowed his first bites of food that night, when he’d had some chicken broth and Jell-O. Visiting hours had ended soon after, and Hannah and Sarah had returned to their room at the hotel. Before they’d left, they met Marco, part of Declan’s protection detail who was stationed outside Ramsey’s door, and ensuring no more unexpected visitors. Now, as they stepped beyond the elevator doors and headed toward Ramsey’s room, they were greeted by a woman who watched them approach.
“You must be Sarah and Hannah?” she asked.
“Yes,” said Hannah.
“I’m Mary. I have protection detail today.”
“Nice to meet you, Mary,” said Hannah. “Thanks for helping us out.”
“Happy to be here. I’ll do my best to stay out of your way.”
“Don’t worry about us. Just do whatever you need to do.” Hannah went to reach for the door handle, but the door opened before she could enter and Leroy stepped out of the room.
“Leroy,” said Sarah with surprise. “You’re here early.”
He stepped just outside the door. His usual confident demeanor was absent, and Sarah felt a wave of anxiety emanate from him.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“We need to wait outside. The doctor’s with him.”
“Why?”
“Sarah,” he said, “his temperature spiked in the night.”
“What? But he was fine yesterday.” The dream replayed in her head and Sarah’s stomach turned.
“I know. Hopefully, it’s minor. We’ll see what the doctor says.” Leroy’s face conveyed nothing to ease Sarah’s mind. Crossing his arms, he moved away from the door and paced in the hallway.
“How high is his temperature?” asked Hannah.
“One hundred and one,” he said.
Hannah didn’t say anything, and Sarah knew that her silence revealed her concern.
Ten minutes later, the door opened and the doctor stepped out.
They crowded around him.
“How is he?” asked Leroy.
“His temperature has climbed to one hundred and two. Right now, we’ll continue to try antibiotics to see if we can eradicate the infection.”
“Infection?” asked Sarah.
“Yes.”
“But he was fine yesterday. He’s been doing so well.”
“It’s not uncommon for this to occur. Our hope is that the medicine will kick in and he’ll improve within the next twenty-four hours.”
“And if not?” asked Hannah.
“We’ll need to run some tests. Make sure that nothing is wrong internally. If the wound has reopened, then we’ll need to bring him back into surgery.”
“Reopened?” asked Sarah.
“With an injury such as his, the area is repaired with internal sutures. If one has ruptured, he could be leaking bacteria back into the abdominal cavity, creating infection and fever. If that’s the case, then we’ll need to go in and repair it and clean it out.” Seeing their worried faces, he tried to downplay the news. “That’s only the worst-case scenario. More likely, the antibiotics will take care of the problem.”
Sarah nodded and tried not show her fear. “Can we see him?” she asked.
“Yes. Just make sure he gets plenty of rest. I’ll be back in a few hours to check on him.”
“Thanks, doctor,” said Hannah.
With that, he turned and walked down the hall.
Sarah pushed open the door to Ramsey’s room and went inside, with Leroy and Hannah behind her.
Awake but tired, Ramsey looked up at them. His face was flushed and his eyes were glassy, as if he’d rested little in the night.
“Hey,” said Sarah, trying to mask her worry. “What are you trying to do? Stay in this hospital forever?”
He swallowed dryly. “Guess I just like all the attention,” he said, but without the energy he’d exuded from the previous day.
“How do you feel?” asked Leroy.
Ramsey appeared to debate how to answer. “I wish I could say what you wanted to hear.” Leroy’s face conveyed what they all feared, but Ramsey didn’t voice it. They all knew what his symptoms meant. “You up to watering my plants?”
Leroy released a pent-up breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “You don’t have any plants, Sherlock.”
“Oh.” Ramsey shifted on the bed, trying to get comfortable. “Well, that’s one less thing to think about then.”
“Besides, I wouldn’t water them anyway,” said Leroy. “You can do it yourself when you get out of here.” Standing close to the bedrail, he held eye contact with Ramsey until Ramsey finally looked away, the silent message communicated.
“That’s the plan, Leroy.”
“Damn right it’s the plan.”
Sarah stood on the other side of the bed. She listened to the two men talk, and she heard and felt the message behind their words. She wouldn’t accept it, though. It was entirely possible that the doctor was right. Ramsey could be better within the next twenty-four hours. His body might not be showing the signs of breakdown due to lack of the serum. It could be a ruptured suture. It could be an easily treated infection. Believing that he could survive this was crucial, not just for Ramsey’s sake, but for hers as well.
Standing next to Hannah, though, and feeling the doubt arise from her, Sarah’s hope faltered. Needing to do something, she grabbed the water glass by the bed and offered it to Ramsey. “Thirsty?” she asked.
Ramsey felt her distress, but since he was barely strong enough to keep his eyes open, there was little he could do to help.
“Yes, thanks,” he whispered, conserving his strength. His bed was raised high enough to enable him to sip from the straw.
The door opened again, and Declan entered. “I got your message,” he said to Leroy. He looked toward Ramsey. “You always did like to make things difficult.”
“The easy way is boring,” said Ramsey.
“You might reconsider that right about now.”
“I would, but my body might need some convincing.”
Declan glanced at Hannah. “What are the odds that this infection will clear up?”
“I don’t know, Declan.”
“You think this is because of the lack of serum?”
Hannah didn’t answer at first, but after a moment, she spoke honestly. “In all likelihood, yes.”
None of them said anything. Sarah closed her eyes and took a breath, the emotion in the room ramping up with all of them together.
“Sarah,” said Declan, “you okay?”
She opened her eyes. “I’m just dealing with all the energy in the room. When you came in, it all sort of hit me.” A thought occurred to her. “Declan,” she said. “Do you think…?”
“What?” he asked.
A sudden flashback occurred. She saw in her mind’s eye her hands on Leroy’s belly, blood staining her fingers.
“Sarah?” asked Ramsey. “What is it?”
She snapped back to the hospital room. “Could I heal him like I did Leroy?”
The unexpected question surprised Declan and he didn’t answer. But before he could say anything, Ramsey spoke. “No. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?” she asked.
“It almost killed you when you helped Leroy.”
“That was different. Leroy was mortally wounded. You’re not.”
“Sarah,” Declan finally replied, “the issue is you were shifting during that time. You had access to energy levels you have yet to experience since, energy levels over which you exercised control for almost an hour. I don’t know that you have that ability at this point. I don’t know that you could summon what’s needed for the amount of time required.” He paused when her face reflected her disappointment. “John’s right. It could drain you. If you lost control, it could affect him, too.”
“At some point, it may be worth the risk,” said Hannah. “His condition is not as serious as Leroy’s, so it shouldn’t require the same amount of effort. The risk will be less to both of them. It can’t hurt to try. Like you said, Declan, we don’t know what she’s capable of.”
“Then we can wait. If he’s worse tomorrow, then we can consider it.”
“If he’s worse tomorrow, then all the more energy required to heal him,” said Leroy.
“I don’t like it,” said Ramsey.
“What’s not to like?” asked Sarah, looking down at his flushed face. “If I don’t try and things go bad for you, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. I can’t not try.”
“We’re all here in the room,” said Hannah. “Why not now? We can stop it if we need to.”
“How do we keep from getting interrupted?” asked Leroy. “If a nurse walks in at the wrong moment, it will be a problem.”
“They come about every hour. They just checked on him. Should be a while before they come again,” said Hannah.
“We have Mary at the door. She can keep an eye out,” said Sarah.
Declan listened to the group talk. He met eyes with his brother. “You up for this?” he asked.
Ramsey blinked heavy lids. “I’m pretty much at your mercy. I’m not up to putting up much of a fight.” He sighed and looked over at Sarah. “If you try this, you promise me you’ll back off if gets to be too much?”
“I’ll stop her myself if I sense she’s endangering herself,” said Declan.
“You’re assuming you’ll be able to stop her,” said Ramsey.
“Stop worrying. I’ll back off if it’s too much,” said Sarah.
“I don’t believe you,” said Ramsey.
“We can debate this all morning, but if we’re going to do it, we need to do it now,” said Leroy. Addressing Declan, he said, “Tell Mary to keep an eye out. Let us know if we’ve got company.”
Declan hesitated before finally deciding to act on Leroy’s suggestion. He walked to the door and opened it. He spoke briefly to Mary and then returned, closing the door behind him.
“You’re sure about this?” he asked Sarah.
“I’m not sure at all. But I want to try.”
“Okay,” he said. Sarah found the bed controls and lowered Ramsey into a flat position. “Do you know what to do?” Declan asked.
“I have some recollection, but not much.” Sarah went still, knowing that they watched and waited for her guidance. Feeling anxious to start, she said, “Put your hands on him. Wherever you feel pulled to.”
They all moved closer. Sarah placed her hands on Ramsey’s stomach. Leroy leaned in and placed his hands on Ramsey’s chest, and Hannah moved to his lower legs. Declan placed his hands between Sarah’s and Leroy’s.
Ramsey closed his eyes. “Man,” he said, “if I felt better, I’m sure I’d have something creative to say.”
“Just relax, Sherlock,” said Leroy. “Try to rest. Let us do the work.”
Ramsey took the suggestion to heart. His fatigue took over, and he felt the tug of sleep as the hands on him combined to lull him into a placid state.
“All right,” said Sarah. “Here goes.” She took a deep breath, let it out, and told the others to do the same. “Everybody send him energy. Imagine him healthy and strong.”
She closed her eyes and focused on the force emanating from the group, directing it throughout Ramsey’s body. She didn’t know exactly what she had done to help Leroy, but all she could do was trust her instincts. The heat within her began to build as her own energy joined with the others’. She gathered and guided it through Ramsey, focusing on his midsection and injury and then directing it up through his chest and head and down through his legs and feet.
“Is it just me, or is it getting hot in here?” asked Hannah.
“It’s getting hot in here,” said Leroy.
“It’s the power she’s generating,” said Declan. “She’s definitely building up the intensity.” Sarah continued to work, and Declan was amazed at how well she controlled her power, despite her lack of experience.
Unaware of the conversation, Sarah continued to drive the energy through Ramsey, intent on removing any level of infection within his body. She visualized the flow as it traveled through and from him, taking anything that affected him negatively with it. Once she moved it out of him, she let it dissipate into the air. Maintaining her focus for several minutes and breathing deeply, she finally began to feel an inkling of completion, but she continued, ensuring that anything that didn’t serve Ramsey’s health was removed. She sent several more rounds through him before she began to slow the pace. Taking another deep breath and allowing the energy within her to contract, she began to disengage.
“Sarah, how are you?” she heard Declan ask.
She opened her eyes and took a moment to center herself. Taking one last breath, she removed her hands from Ramsey’s midsection and stood back. “That’s it,” she said. “I don’t know what else I can do.”
They all took their cue from her and stood back too. Ramsey slept, surrendering completely to the experience.
“Did it work?” asked Hannah.
“I don’t know,” said Sarah. She shook her hands, ridding herself of the excess remnants of energy. “Strangely, I didn’t feel much sickness in him.”
“That must be a good sign,” said Leroy.
“It may just be that he’s not that sick. If you were expecting something as challenging as Leroy, then maybe it threw you off,” said Declan.
Sarah continued to stare, seemingly not convinced. Finally, she shook her head as if clearing whatever concerns she had from her mind. “Well, all we can do now is wait.”
Just then, the door opened and Mary poked her head in. “Nurse is doing rounds. She’ll be here soon.”
“That’s fine,” said Declan. “We’re good.”
Sarah looked at the clock and was surprised to see that thirty minutes had passed since she’d begun to work on Ramsey. She could only wish the next twenty-four hours would move as quickly.