“That would do it. Your Guild health record says you’re AB Positive. That right?”

  “It is.”

  “Okay, then that’s a definite. We’ll repeat the lab tests at noon. If all those numbers are headed in the right direction, you can go home. But we’ll wait until then to make that decision. One step at a time.”

  Katia yawned, still exhausted. “Can I have some water? My mouth is really dry.”

  “Sure. You up for some ice cream, maybe?”

  That sounded good. “Yeah, bring it. For some reason I’m hungry.”

  Simon’s weary grin said he thought that was good news.

  “You don’t have to stay,” Katia said. “You have to be as wiped as I am.”

  “Not going anywhere,” was the swift response.

  “I already tried to get him to go home and failed just like you,” the doctor admitted. “Now that you’re a bit more stable, we’ll move you into an observation room, one with an actual door. There’s a real bed in there, so it’ll be easier for you to rest.” She looked over at Simon now. “And a recliner that makes into a decent spot to nap, so you can rest as well.”

  Ten minutes later he was asleep in that recliner, tucked under a couple of blankets. As he slept, Katia downed a second small container of ice cream. It was plain vanilla but tasted like heaven. Once it was done, she set the carton aside, used the remote to lower the head of her real bed, then tugged up the covers and closed her eyes. She was still wired to all the electronics, but that was fine.

  I almost died last night.

  A trapper knew their job was dangerous, terminal even, but coming that close to the grave, again, had changed something within her. It was time to rethink several things in her life. Family issues, her job in Atlanta. Simon. Exactly where she’d start on all that, she didn’t know.

  One thing was sure: Katia would make sure her friend’s prayers hadn’t been wasted.

  † ~ ‡ ~ †

  “Katia?”

  The voice wasn’t familiar. Probably one of the many nurses who’d checked on her overnight. Repeatedly. No complaints about the care here, that was for sure.

  Opening her eyes revealed someone standing near her bed, someone not in the clinic’s teal uniform. The lady was probably fifty something, with bright blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes.

  “Mrs. Adler?” she guessed.

  “That’s me,” the lady said, and smiled in return. “Please call me Jeanine.” She raised her hand to display a paper bag from Katia’s favorite fast-food place. “The doc says you can eat, and my son informed me that you love egg and sausage sandwiches and hash browns, especially if they come from this restaurant. Oh, and I have fresh-squeezed orange juice, too.”

  A quick glance over at the recliner showed it was empty, the blankets neatly stacked on the seat.

  “Is he okay?”

  “He’s doing fine. I took him home about an hour ago. I insisted on it, actually. Like you, he just needs time to heal.”

  “Thank you,” she said, relieved. “I couldn’t get him to take off. I really loved that he stayed here with me, but he needed to rest.”

  “The only reason he’s gone is because I had to use my Mom Voice, so no way were you going to pull that off.”

  Oh, yeah, Katia remembered the Mom Voice. Her own mother wasn’t that good with it, but her grandmother had been.

  Jeanine placed the paper bag on the tray table, waited as she raised the head of her bed, then rolled the table over. It was only then Katia saw the clock on the far wall and realized it was just after noon, which meant she’d been here for probably twelve hours. The bill for all this care was going to be unbelievable.

  Beats being dead.

  A glance down at her hands suggested some cleaning was needed before she touched the food. “Ah, can I wash these first?” she asked, wiggling her fingers in the air.

  “Sure. Hold on.”

  As she waited, the electronics showed her blood pressure and heart rate had continued to fall, her blood oxygen was good, and she was down to one I.V. Somehow Katia had missed the blood transfusion, but that was fine.

  After her visitor secured some soapy paper towels, she cleaned her hands, then dried them on even more towels. Smoothing back her hair, she paused mid-move. Something felt different, like the hair had a different texture.

  “Ah, is there anything . . . here?” she said, pointing at the area just above her right eyebrow.

  “No. It’s just the lighter part of your hair.”

  “Lighter? It shouldn’t be.”

  “Hold on.” Jeanine dug in her purse and came up with a small makeup mirror. When Katia held it up, she gasped. It wasn’t just lighter, it was stark white. “What the hell is that?”

  “That’s something new?”

  “Yes.” She wet a finger and rubbed that section of her hair. Nothing happened. “Huh, I think it’s permanent.”

  Had this happened when she’d channeled the spell away from Simon? Maybe. She remembered him staring at her now. He’d known about this and not said a word, but then there’d been bigger things to worry about. Like me trying to die.

  Katia angled her head one way and then another, then smiled as she handed back the mirror. “You know, I kinda like it. It looks cool.”

  “I agree,” Jeanine said. “I thought it was something you’d done on purpose.”

  In some ways she had.

  Her stomach growling in anticipation, Katia removed the contents of the bag. An extra-large breakfast sandwich, three hash-brown squares, and one large container of OJ. This was a gourmet meal.

  “Perfect,” she said. Then she remembered her manners. “Thank you so much for bringing this to me.”

  “Not a problem,” Jeanine said, parking herself in the recliner. “You need food. You’re thinner than you should be. I’m guessing things haven’t been great in your life. And no, Simon didn’t give me any details, but I can read between the lines.”

  Katia hesitated before she tore open the sandwich wrapper. “It wasn’t great in Kansas. It’s been challenging here, but in a different way.”

  She’d just opened the sandwich, inhaling the glorious scent, when one of the nurses popped into the room. The lady’s timing wasn’t great.

  “Thank you for bringing us lunch,” the nurse said, this directed at Simon’s mom. “That was really good of you to think of us.”

  “Happy to help the cause. You guys do great work.”

  As Katia reluctantly held off diving into her meal, the nurse made note of her vitals, then drew what looked to be at least a thousand vials of blood.

  “We’ll let you know when the results are in,” she said and then left.

  “Thank you for thinking of them. The lunch, I mean.”

  “It was Simon’s idea,” Jeanine replied. “Which tells me that my husband and I must have done something right when we raised that boy.”

  Katia couldn’t hold back the smile. “You did good. He’s got a kind soul. He’s been really . . . nice to me.”

  “He said the same of you.”

  It was more than that, but she wasn’t about to share that with his mom. As she opened her mouth to take her first bite of the sandwich the door opened again. This time the newcomer was a male in a teal lab coat. He was probably the same age as Doctor Carmela, with curly red hair and a twinkle in his eyes. He smiled at Mrs. Adler, thanked her for lunch, then turned his attention to Katia.

  “I’m Doctor Bergersen, or Doc B to most people. Compared to when you were admitted last night, your vitals are much, much better. If the results of your blood work are decent, I’ll cut you loose. There are restrictions, however.”

  There always were. “Like not trapping demons for a few days?” Katia guessed as she set the sandwich back down on top of its wrapper. At this rate she’d never get breakfast.

  “More like no trapping for at least a week, or two, depending on your vitals and labs.”

  She groaned. “Okay, I won’t fight you on that. No way can I mess with those damned things right now.”

  “Exactly what a doc wants to hear.” Bergersen eyed the heart monitor, then looked back at her. “Do you have someone who can keep an eye on you for the next few days? Someone to check your vitals and change your bandages?”

  “Ah, not really.” Simon wasn’t well and didn’t need to worry about her. “I live at Grand Master Stewart’s house and I don’t think his housekeeper knows that kind of thing.”

  “If you’re okay staying at Simon’s for a few more days,” Jeanine said, “I can keep an eye on both of you.”

  That she hadn’t expected. “You sure?”

  “Absolutely. I’ll send our youngest kiddos to their great aunt’s house for the duration. They’ll love it, and so will she.” At that, Jeanine turned toward the doctor. “I’m a family nurse practitioner, so watching over these two won’t be a problem. Just let me know what you need and I’ll send in regular reports. If anything changes, I’ll let you folks know at once.”

  The doctor lit up. “There you go! Can’t get any better than that. One thing, does this house have stairs?” Jeanine shook her head. “Good deal. We don’t need to stress this young lady’s heart any more than necessary, at least not in the short term.”

  It was so amazing to watch these people in action. “Thank you,” she said, grinning. “Thank you for everything. You guys are incredible.”

  “Right back at you, Journeyman,” the doctor replied. “You didn’t give up, and often that’s half the battle. I’ll let you know what the lab results are as soon as we get them.” Then after a wink, he left them alone.

  Katia dove at her sandwich, refusing to be sidetracked any longer.

  Jeanine quickly typed out a message, then sent the text. “I let Simon know what’s going on, so he’ll worry a little less, if that’s possible. I’ll leave you my number so you can notify me when they discharge you. Because I’m betting they will later today. When that happens, I’ll swing by and pick you up.”

  This lady was so nice. “Thank you.” The words seemed inadequate.

  “I’m happy I can help. You are very important to my son. Now I’ll go stock up on food and medical supplies for you two. See you soon, Katia. It was good to finally meet you.” After gathering up her purse, Jeanine shot out the door, intent on her mission.

  Simon had said that his mother was a force of nature.

  He hadn’t been exaggerating.

  † ~ ‡ ~ †

  It was silly, but Simon kept walking to his front window every time a car drove by the house. Until today he’d never realized how many vehicles that would be. He’d been doing this window thing ever since his mom sent him a text saying Katia’s lab reports were in, the doc was pleased, and she was being set free.

  His pacing continued, which was ridiculous as he had a fever and really should be in bed. The only reason he wasn’t sitting on his porch waiting for their arrival was because the neighbors would drop by and want to chat. Including Mrs. Carmody, who would chew him out about something or other she didn’t like. The length of the grass in his front yard, for instance, even though it had been recently mowed. He had zero patience for that kind of crap today.

  Instead, Simon kept pacing even though his mom had told him they’d be at his place in a few minutes and that Katia was stable. His phone pinged and he grabbed it off the couch. It was a text from Riley.

  Thought you might like to know that a decapitated body of a bulked out Mezmer was found in the Gulch, along with the head. Someone cleaned house.

  I asked Fireman Jack to credit you for the kill.

  The fae had chucked the fiend’s corpse back into our world. He would have done the same. He’d be sure to share the trapping fee with Katia.

  As Simon debated just going to bed, the sound of a vehicle pulling into his driveway moved him back to the window. His mom’s car. He sighed in relief, as if something might have happened between the clinic and his driveway.

  “I’m an idiot.”

  He watched as his mother patiently helped Katia out of the car, and then walked her to the house. From the tentative way she moved she hurt as much as he did. And yet he saw that determination, that inner strength that always awed him.

  “You’re a godsend,” he said, then opened the front door.

  Once up on the porch, she sent a weary smile his way. “Hey.”

  “Hey.”

  Her face was still pale, her eyes tired, but she was here, and she would heal. Jeanine Adler would not allow any other option.

  “How are you?” Katia asked as she slowly entered the house. It was only then he noticed that she was mindful of each step as if her balance was off.

  “I’m sore, tired, chewed up. The usual.”

  “Situation normal, as Riley would say,” she replied.

  “That’s for sure.”

  His mom was right behind her. “Let’s get you settled, then I’ll check your vitals,” she said. “Are you hungry?”

  Katia thought about that for a couple seconds. “Yeah, I am. That’s so weird. I had no appetite for days, and now I can’t get enough food.”

  Before Simon could offer to make something for her, his mother cut in.

  “Go to bed. You look like you’re going to collapse. I’ll check on you once I have Katia settled.”

  He knew better than to argue. “Yes, Mom. Katia, we’ll talk later.”

  After he shut the door to his bedroom, Simon sank onto the bed. He heard voices in the other part of the house and smiled. She was safe. All his prayers had truly been answered.

  † ~ ‡ ~ †

  They quickly fell into a routine. Every two hours Jeanine would wake Katia, let her relax for a few minutes, and then check her vitals which she typed into her phone. Then that data would make its way to the clinic and whichever doc was on duty. Since everything was headed back to normal, no action was required on the clinic’s part.

  After the vitals check, her wounds were inspected, and bandages changed as needed. Then there was a snack waiting for her on the nightstand, something light like a peeled orange or an apple, a few nuts, maybe half a sandwich. Beverages were there too, usually fruit juice. Healthy stuff.

  There were also over-the-counter vitamins and minerals to take, along with a prescription for a special Vitamin B complex. Katia ate the snacks, downed the meds, tolerated the dressing changes, and then went right back to sleep. From what Jeanine reported, her son was getting the same treatment, minus all the supplements.

  It was that sense of ordered calm that put Katia at ease. She slept without nightmares, though she knew those would show up soon enough. It was as if being in Simon’s house made the healing go that much faster. By the next morning Jeanine announced that she only needed vitals taken every four hours now.

  “You’re getting there,” she’d said. “All of these are headed in the right direction.”

  “You know, I wonder if this anemia and electrolyte thing was happening in Kansas and I didn’t realize it. I was really tired there, but then I wasn’t eating much.”

  “Might have. I’d best go check on my son, who will immediately ask me a bunch of questions about you.”

  “He worries a lot,” Katia said, laying back down in bed.

  “In this case that worry was warranted,” his mom said, giving her a “you know I’m right” look.

  And so it went. Jeanine had made it all quite bearable. How the woman dealt with six kids she had no idea. Katia certainly wouldn’t have had the patience.

  On the morning of the third day after they’d been injured, Jeanine got the “all clear” from Dr. Carmela, so she packed up her gear, gave them both hugs, and headed home. In her wake she left a medication schedule for Katia to follow, as well as roast beef, carrots and potatoes simmering away in a crockpot.

  Those few days had driven home just how much difference there was between Simon’s mom and her own. The contrast was stark. If this had been her mom the routine care would have been delivered, but also endless criticism about Katia’s job, how it inconvenienced the family, and how she was being so selfish because she refused to turn in her trapping license.

  It’d been easier to just stay quiet and not argue. But what had that achieved? Nothing, as far as she could tell, other than a feeling of guilt.

  In the middle of one late night bandage change, she’d asked Jeanine why it was some parents were cool, and others weren’t. Why did some make it so hard to love them?

  Simon’s mother had paused in her wound cleaning. “Is it your mom, or your dad?”

  “Mom. She’s never liked me. I tried, but I never did anything right. My sister and brother, they’re fine. But not me.”

  “That’s sad, for both of you.” More cleaning, then Jeanine paused again. “I’m an impartial observer, so let me just say that everything I see in you is good. You’re a strong young woman, Katia. I’d be proud to have you as my daughter. I don’t know what’s making your mom that way.” She finished the wound care, then looked directly at her.

  “What we sometimes think is our problem, is their problem. It’s up to your mother to deal with her own insecurities, not lay any of that on you. Once you determine where the boundaries are, you’ll know how to handle her. Don’t let her ruin your life just because she’s not happy with hers.”

  Silence fell between them as Jeanine finished the bandaging, wished Katia a good night, and quietly shut the door behind her.

  Don’t let her ruin your life just because she’s not happy with hers.

  Jeanine Adler had spoken the truth about a woman she’d never met.

  Her mother had always worried about what others would think of their family, all because Katia wasn’t “normal” like her brother and sister. That shouldn’t have made her any less worthy of being loved. But it had. It always had.