All The King's Men - On HOLD

I Had to Do This

Chapter 7 – I Had to Do This

Faeryn

I was appalled when I realized Gwion was going to harm the bunny so that I would have a wound to heal. A scream escaped my lips, "Nooo!!"

He stopped and waited for me to get ready.

I shook my head. "I can't do this! Obviously, I understand why you think it is necessary, but it would hurt me to see him harmed, even if I knew I could heal it...And we don't even know yet if I can."

He stared at me in contemplation. After another long moment, he placed the bunny back in the cage and pulled out his phone. He spoke in fluid Welsh as he ordered a car for us.

Moments later, three large black vehicles with several guards collected us, and we were speeding down the highway. I glanced at Gwion's profile in the dark. I wasn't able to ask him more questions as he was on his phone, seemingly arranging our impending visit, but I heard him murmur words like, "No, younger. Terminal? Yes, that would work. Is the mother there now? No, don't compel her."

I understood then where we were going. My heart raced as we pulled up to the Children's Hospital. We were escorted around back to a private entrance used only by the staff. Four of our guards accompanied us up to the room, while the others remained with the vehicles. I'm sure we made an intimidating picture – five very large, dangerous looking men plus me – as we made our way through the sparsely populated halls, due to the late hour.

Only Gwion came with me into the room. The instant I saw the little girl laying in the bed, all other thoughts faded away and she was the only thing I could focus on. She was very small, probably only four years old and had multiple tubes and wires coming out of her tiny little body, hooked up to various machines. Her skin was pale, almost translucent, and her chest rose and fell too slowly as she worked to breathe. Her eyes were closed. If it hadn't been for the movement of her chest and the slow beeping of the machines, I would have been afraid we were already too late. I moved closer and glanced up to find her mother staring at me intently, a mixture of hope and distrust played in her eyes.

"What is her name?" I whispered hoarsely around the lump in my throat, as I forcibly pushed back my with emotion.

"Annabel," she replied.

"Annabel," I repeated. "It's a beautiful name. What's wrong with her?"

Her mother's mouth opened to speak, but no words came out, only tears as she tried to pull herself together to answer my question. My heart clenched as I watched the love she clearly had for her daughter. I recognized it. It was the same desperate and fierce kind of love that Mama felt for me. I fought back my own tears as she was finally able to utter a response.

"She has a brain tumor. My brave girl has fought for two years, but now the cancer is back and the doctors believe that tonight will be her last night. I... Don't know how to...Say goodbye," she cried brokenly.

I felt it then. That part of my mind, that Gwion had led me to earlier, roared to life, along with the same vibration I had felt at the club. Gwion stepped up behind me and instructed in my ear, "Don't create the illusion of healing. Push that part back."

I understood what he meant and forced the vibration into silence. I wanted the girl to actually be healed, not just have the illusion of it. I reached and placed my fingertips on each side of her precious little face.

Instantly the connection was made and I was overcome by the fierce onslaught of her sickness. I gasped and hunched over, but held on. It felt like a war between her disease and I. Minutes passed while I fought, gaining only little bits of ground at a time. My entire body trembled. Gwion placed an arm under my chest to support my weight, and murmured soft words of encouragement into my ear, "You can do this."