Time's Tragedies- The Books Of Beginning [2]

28. A Heavy Price

Twelve hours passed, twelve restless, horrible hours that seemed to last forever. Kate had been inspected for surface damage, but on the outside appeared perfectly healthy. The blast Robert shot her with must have done something other than cause a bloody injury. What that was, no one could figure out.

Twelve hours passed and Kate did not wake up.

Rafe had been by her side for almost the entire time, only trading off sitting with Kate with a Emma, so he could get the children dinner and put them to bed. Of course, none of them slept - how could they? They were all anxiously holding their breath, waiting for their mother, the strong and loving center of their family, to get better. But that just wasn't happening.

When they gathered in the morning, the mood was grim. Jake had made eggs for breakfast, but his usual joy at cooking for the ones he loved was replaced with numbness. Abby was constantly on the verge of tears. The shadows under Lili's eyes were heavy. Eternity knew the girl had barely slept a wink. She hadn't either.

Emma nursed a cup of coffee, looking at the time on the clock. 8:00. It had been twelve hours and nothing had changed with Kate. Gabriel looked at her with sympathy, hovering by the sink, "she will be ok. She is strong, she is your sister, and she has her family to look out for her."

Emma nodded, but it was clear Gabriel's words didn't reach her. Even as an adult, she looked to Kate for advice and support. To see her steady sister so helpless made her feel on the verge of collapse.

Something else was thick on the room too. Guilt. Guilt for getting captured, guilt for being arrogant and running into a fight, guilt for being too afraid to do anything to help, guilt for not being able to control the power and chaos inside. Guilt for Kate's condition being the price of safety.

Rafe entered the kitchen then. There was a shadow over his face, despair radiating from him as he ran a hand through his already mussed hair.

"Nothing?" Emma asked anxiously.

"I don't know what's wrong. This is something I haven't seen before. I can't fix it and wake her up," Rafe said bleakly.

Tears began to well in Abby's eyes. Jake's fork fell from his hand. Emma frowned deeply, "then where do we go from here?"

"Michael and Wilamena returned to Loris in the past two days, for the new council session. Michael is the researcher, he knows the archives better than anyone. Maybe he can find something," Rafe offered up.

Emma nodded, all traces of her usual humor and fire gone, "I'll call him."

Solidarity passed between the man and his sister-in-law. Kate had always been there for them when they needed her. Now they would be there for her.

........................

Kate was taken to Loris. They could use magic to keep her safe while she was comatose if she was taken to a magical world hospital, and Michael would be able to examine her easily and figure out what was happening. It was the best chance they had at healing her. Of course, Rafe didn't like it one bit. He wanted to be there for her and hold her until she woke. But that wasn't logistical. Kate needed healing that he didn't know how to do, and he was needed at home, protecting his children. He had to trust that Michael and Emma and Wilamena would take care of her.

He knew they would. She was their family after all, and as Wibberlys, they prized their family. But that didn't make it any easier.

As Kate lay in a hospital bed on Loris, Rafe felt dread in his stomach. They had no idea what this magic was or how to fix it. But he could sense it was strong and it was bad. He was doing the right thing for Kate.