Sunflowers and Ink

Part 2: Chapter 13

Mrs. Yazdi had planted herself in Josselin's vacated seat the night before and hadn't moved since. She slept there, she ate there, and her husband left and returned and brought her laptop in that morning so she could work on numbers and ordering from there while he worked in their shop with Danny, who came back and forth on and off throughout the day. Meara could barely move or even keep his eyes open and spent most of the time sleeping, but having Mrs. Yazdi there, talking to him, telling stories and jokes, was so comforting in the cold room among all the beeping equipment and noise in the hall. Even though they weren't related, she was his mom, and he didn't need that woman who'd given birth to him.

Danny and Mr. Yazdi came in and out as their time in the family's shop would allow. Someone had to man the storefront while Mrs. Yazdi was here handling the finances.

With each day that went by, as Meara slowly started to recover and rehydrate, he grew more and more anxious to get back to work. What little energy he had was all directed toward getting back. Knowing Stacey, Adam, and Josselin were keeping an eye on it and able to open for at least a few hours each morning helped, but it wasn't the same as being in there himself. He missed his plants, his missed the fairies, the brownies and pixies and the pranks they played and the way they'd help around the shop. Were his friends and boyfriend taking care of them properly, too?

He was finally released Wednesday afternoon. Mrs. Yazdi, who had stayed the entire time, drove him home and made him a cup of tea. Stacey and Adam were both at work, and she asked if he wanted her to stay with him until someone got home or until Danny was done at the store and could come over, but he smiled and declined.

"Thank you, though," he said. "But I'm sure you want to get home to your own bed, and I'm fine, now. But if you could send Danny by when he gets out that would be awesome."

"All right, sweetheart." She kissed his forehead, wagged her finger at him, and said, "Don't you think about going back to work until tomorrow. Not only doctor's orders, my orders, too."

Once she'd left and he locked the door behind her, Meara went back to his room and a windchime going crazy and an upended sugar bowl on the house spirit offering plate.

"Guys, guys, calm down," he said. "I'm back now. I was in the hospital."

We were all very anxious about you, the Sea Hag said. We wanted to wait until she was gone.

It wasn't out of fear for Mrs. Yazdi, but respect: everyone in the apartment respected her, human and not, and magic was forbidden in her religion. She'd never made an issue of Meara's practice, but he had asked them to respect hers, too. She would probably find a way to explain the movements with a stretch of science -- she was very logical -- but Meara didn't want to risk frightening her or making her uncomfortable.

"Yeah," Meara said. "I always appreciate that you do that for me."

It's as much for her. She has always been good to you, and we respect that. He picked up the sugar bowl and moved the stones and flowers from the offering plate so he could pour the spilled sugar back in. As he righted everything, he said, "I'm glad to be back. The hospital was horrible. Were Stacey and Adam good to you while I was gone?"

They lit some incense for us one night, she said. The glittery one the pixies like. I think they just picked it because it was on top and everyone was getting angry he was going through your things.

One of the plants on the windowsill rustled, almost defiantly. The Sea Hag laughed.

He said they're 'our things,' you're just holding them for us until we need them.

"I guess that's true." Meara laughed and lit a stick of incense for each of the four altars, as well as a candle for the Sea Hag. He pulled a small cloth bag out of one of his work drawers and fished out a handful of tiny vials full of white glitter and crushed flower petals, and placed one on each altar beside the incense.