The Gathering (68 page)

Kaley took Chris's hand and touched his face.

"Chris?
 
Chris?
 
Can you hear me?
 
Please Chris, squeeze my hand if you can hear me."

"Chris, please show us you can hear us?"

Kaley held his hand loosely as she pleaded with him to squeeze.
 
Then she looked at Bev, the hope from a few moments before starting to falter.
 
Then Kaley saw something change in Beverly's eyes.
 
The sparkle that she had always seen was rekindled.

"Now you see here, Christopher Andrew Stark!!
 
You do as your sister tells you and you squeeze her hand!
 
You hear me, Boy?
 
You squeeze your sister's hand!"

Sean burst through the door and stood at the end of Chris's bed.
 
Beverly, now determined, looked at Sean.

"You tell him, Sean!
 
You tell him to do as he's told!"

Sean was confused, but looked at Chris.
 
He immediately noticed the change in his color and then looked at Kaley.
 
Her fragile features ready to crack.
 
Then he turned back to Chris.

"You heard the lady, Christopher!!
 
Do as you’re told!
 
Do it now!!"

Kaley started to cry.
 
There was nothing.
 
She sat staring at her brother's face.
 
There was no movement.
 
Then suddenly, she felt his fingers move, only slightly then harder.
 
Then she felt his fingers close against her hand.

"He can hear us!!
 
He can hear us!"

Sean put his hand to his face and Beverly clapped her hands together as Elena walked into the room.

"What has happened?"

She saw everyone smiling and laughing.
 
Then she walked over to see Chris and smiled.

"I suppose the antidote worked."

"You suppose correctly, Darlin'."

Elena stood near Chris's head, next to Beverly.
 
She opened his eyes and looked at them and then looked at the wound in his side.
 
It had healed into a scab.
 
She smiled and took a vial from her pocket.
 

Elena uncorked the vial and tipped it over Chris's mouth and let several drops fall onto his lips.

"He will not awaken tonight, but that is good.
 
He still needs his rest."

Kaley held Chris's hand to her lips as she cried.
 
He was getting well.
 
Sean laid his hand on her shoulder and she looked at him, smiling.

He smiled back and brushed her face.

"C'mon, Kid.
 
Let him rest.
 
You look like you could use some rest too.
 
C'mon."

Kaley let go of Chris's hand and hesitated as she stood up.

"Don't worry, Sweetheart.
 
We'll make sure to call if he does wake up, ok?"

Kaley nodded and allowed Sean to guide her to the door, then she stopped.

"Bev?"

Beverly turned to look at her.

"No more thinking about all that other stuff, ok?"

Beverly smiled and nodded.

"No more.
 
Thank you, Kaley.
 
Go get some rest now."

Kaley and Sean walked from the room.
 
As the door closed behind them, Beverly took Elena's hand.

"Thank the gods you were here, Elena.
 
You saved this boy."

"No, we saved this boy, all of us.
 
Even him.
 
Had he not wanted to live, nothing we did could have saved him."

Beverly thought to herself.
 
It was funny how one good thing can ease the pain of the bad.
 
They stayed watching him until a nurse came in to relieve them.
 
Then they walked down the hall, arm-in-arm.
 

99

The rescue party had ridden as fast as they could in the darkness.
 
They had made their way through Pasadena and worked their way through the hills and mountains.

They slowed to a walk so as to give the horses a rest and be mindful of the terrain.
 
The grayness of early morning began to creep over the eastern sky and Alia marveled at the colors that reached ever further into the heavens.

They continued on until they came across a small pond.
 
Alia ordered them all to rest and water their horses.
 
They all gathered around the pond.
 

Myron and Molly walked up to Alia.
 
Myron cleared his throat as Alia turned to look at him.

"They should be fairly close, Your Highness."

"Stop with the formalities, Myron.
 
I was thinking the same thing."

"Maybe we should send out a scouting party, Your Highness.
 
Just to see which direction they went."

Alia turned to Molly.

"Ok, I'll leave it to you, Molly.
 
We'll rest here for a while.
 
You send out a few of our men to see if they can pick up their trail."

Molly nodded and bowed as she turned and left to get volunteers to search.

"We need a real plan when we get to the castle, Alia."

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that.
 
They obviously know that we're coming, so surprise isn't an option."

"Yeah, I've also been thinking that they probably have no idea how many we are… that might work in our favor."

"What?
 
You mean like have some of the soldiers hang back?"

"Yeah… I mean if they catch us, they may not let your soldiers live, you know?"

Alia had thought about that.
 
She looked at the ground and put her hands on her hips.
 
Then she looked to the east.

"Maybe we'll catch a break, Myron.
 
Maybe we'll catch up to them."

She turned and looked at Myron.
 
His face was grave.
 

"Maybe."

Before Alia could say anything else, Molly returned to let them know they were starting out.
 
She, Jones, Tanner and several other recruits were heading to the northeast and Sam, Scott, Ian, Elian and Grant were heading southeast.

Alia nodded.

"Every minute we wait here they get further away, Molly.
 
Make sure that you only go a half an hour out.
 
That way we only lose an hour total, ok?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

Molly rallied the troops and they set off in their assigned directions.
 
A falcon watched and then flew southeast.

100

"We all want to see Chris."

Rebecca was looking at Sara over the kitchen table.

"They said one at a time, Beck."

"Ok, so one of us at a time then."

Sara looked over at her sister, unable to tell her why she was trying to keep them from seeing their brother.
 
Then she looked at Brian and the twins.
 
Amanda stared at her food.

"Ask Kaley when she comes down."

"He's dying, isn't he?"
 
Amanda asked.

Sara looked over at Amanda.

"I don't know, Sweetie."

"He's not dying!
 
Shut up!"

"Brandon!"

"Everyone keeps saying he's dying!
 
He's not dying!
 
He can't die!"

Amanda started to cry and covered her face.
 
Brandon hugged her.

"I'm sorry, Amanda, I'm sorry," he said.

"What is going on in here?"

Kaley walked into the kitchen.

"We wanna see Chris."

Brian stood up.

"We wanna see him."

Kaley sat down and looked around the table and smiled.

"Ok."

They all looked at her.

"Ok.
 
We'll go after breakfast."

Sara looked at Kaley and shook her head, but Kaley continued to smile.

"Did he…"

"He's not awake… yet.
 
But last night he squeezed my hand.
 
He's getting better."

Amanda sniffled and looked at Brandon.

"He's not dying?"

Brandon looked at her and then Kaley.

"No, he's not dying.
 
He's getting better," Kaley said.

They all started to laugh and Rebecca lunged at Kaley, wrapping her arms around her sister.

"Alright, if you've finished eating, go get dressed.
 
Maybe he'll wake up for you guys."

They all scrambled away from the table and ran up the stairs, except Sara.
 
She looked at Kaley and smiled.
 
Kaley smiled back.

"He's got all of his color back, Sara.
 
It's amazing!
 
I couldn't believe it."

"So he's really going to be alright?"

"Bev and Elena think so."

Sara frowned at the mention of Beverly's name.

"What?"

Sara shook her head and forced a smile.

"Nothing."

"No, what is it?"

Sara looked at Kaley.

"She could have saved her if she had been there, I know it… I feel it."

Kaley sighed and closed her eyes.

"Oh, Sara… there was no saving Alisha.
 
When are you all going to understand?"