Exton

I start when Rowan touches me on the shoulder.

"You can come in now, Erik, but be aware that this isn't gong to be pretty. She's still very weak, very pale… Mortuis and I will be in and out, checking the donors in the room next door.

Just come in and sit beside her… send her your love and strength… she'll know you're there, I promise you; but be ready to move quickly in case we need to perform some emergency procedure." She sighs. "Come on, now, quietly."

She leads me to the room I've been in before, but stops just short. "I want you to see this. Just be quiet, don't disturb them." She takes me to the doorway of the adjoining room. Inari is lying on one bed, Laila on the other. Plastic tubing leads from the IV in the inner elbow to a Y-shaped connector; a single tube combines the two streams into one, and Wish has hold of a section of the line. From there the blood flows into a single plastic bag. One looks to be completed already, maybe nine-tenths full; and the one in use now is just over halfway full. Inari looks up and smiles and gives me a little finger-wave with her free hand.

"Stay here just a second." Rowan enters the room and adjusts the flow on Laila's line, then carefully removes the needle, covering the wound immediately with a gauze pad and surgical tape. She props Laila up and hands her a glass of orange juice. "Just sip that for awhile; I'll be back in a few minutes."

Now we move to Star's room. Prepared as I am to see her, I'm shocked at her appearance. I've seen men dead a week that looked healthier. Mya is lying on the nightstand next to the bed, on a "bed" made of cotton batting, wearing a miniature cast and sling.

"She's very weak, Erik. The loss of blood has caused one seizure already. I gave her something for it, but we need to begin the transfusion soon. Just sit beside her, hold her hand if you like." She gives me a penetrating look. "I know you're not a mage yourself, but you have power; everyone does, most just don't know how to use it.

I want you to concentrate on giving her strength; that's really all she needs just now, just the strength to hang on - and a little bit of luck. Think about how much you love her, how much she loves you. You can do this, Erik, and your help could make all the difference in the world to her recovery."

Then she does something strange. She bends down and kisses my cheek. "Blessed be." - and she's back across the hall to check on Laila.

I take Star's hand in both of mine and concentrate….

Star, come back to me… I need you, I love you… the animals need you, your friends need you, Mera needs you… don't leave us alone in this world… Star… love, we have a son now, our son… I need you to come back to help me give him a name, to give him a mother… come back to us, please….