When Ali opened Fern’s door, she appeared to be asleep, her lips were wet, a cup of water sat half drank on the table along with a handful of small stones. Ali walked over to stand by Raina who sat in the chair next to Fern's bed. She noticed that the pale color of the girl's cheeks from the night before had been replaced by a warm healthy hue. Ali walked to the other side of the bed and placed her hand on Fern's head. A groggy but smiling girl opened her eyes.
Ali continued to look at Fern's face categorizing every inch of the girl who by all rights should be dead and smiled while watching mother and daughter holding hands. Impatiently she Interrupted, “Fern, how are you feeling?”
Fern winced in conjunction with a loud noise outside the room and weekly replied, "Does everyone have to be so loud?”
Hearing more noise in the house Ali left the room to chase out the people who were responsible for the noise and cautioned the others to remain quiet. Ali returning to the room, looked in at her charge, and glad to see Fern feeling better, but she couldn’t figure out what had occurred. she thought about the herbs she gave her patient earlier they really weren’t a cure for anything just something to help the girl sleep. Those who she had seen sick with the Seven Deadly Ills in the past either recovered after only a few days or got worse until they were gone. Thinking about the week Fern had been sick and the deterioration of her body and unconscious state, to recover so completely was astounding. Ali was relieved but still concerned and really wanted to know more about how the girl was feeling so she quietly asked, “Is it ok if I take a closer look at you, maybe there is something I can do to make you more comfortable.”
Fern shook her head up and down slowly, so Ali approached and began a basic exam. She bent and placed her ear to her chest and listened to her lungs and her heart. Her heartbeat was strong and her lungs clear. She continued checking but Ali could find nothing amiss. Fern seemed healthy now though she looked very thin It didn’t seem possible after seeing her less than a day ago. Ali would have said she had been hours from death, but as Ali stood there watching the girl seemed to get stronger, her shaking lessened and her voice stronger.
Ali’s mind was still working trying to figure out what was going on when Fern Shakely pulled herself up and wrapped her mother in a tight embrace. Raina picked up her daughter and held her close rocking her slowly while more tears of joy ran rivulets down her face.
Ali seeing, they didn't require her help left the room to give mother and daughter a few minutes alone. She heard a whispered lullaby as she pulled the door closed. Ali headed for the kitchen she could make some tea to help with her recovery and someone needed to get on with cooking breakfast which had been left unfinished when everyone had gone in search of Willow. That was another mystery she would love to have an answer to. Why would her daughter go running off who knows where and scare everyone half to death? She had always been sensible as a child someone who followed rules so completely she even sometimes harassed others when they broke a rule. Ali needed to talk with her that behavior couldn’t continue it worried Ali to her core. Ali opened the door to the kitchen and found Zerin trying to cook the eggs and bacon, but he had the heat up too high, and the pan of eggs was smoking.
Ali spoke in a hurried voice, “Here let me give you a hand.” She pulled the pan of bacon off the stove first to keep it from burning and then reached for the eggs which were already beyond saving. Placing the pan aside with a thump and pulling her hand away while shaking it before plunging her hand into a cup of water. She cursed herself after getting a burn through the potholder then strongly suggested while motioning with the other hand, “The heat needs to be turned down a little could you close the damper on your side of the stove?” Ali took leaves from her pocket and crushed them into her cup of water it would take a few minutes to dull the pain.
Zerin flipped the damper closed and it didn't take long for the stove to cool enough to continue cooking breakfast. Zerin and hoped to escape cooking but seeing Ali burn her hand put the pan back on the stove to continue cooking the bacon. He looked over and frowned at the burnt eggs and hoped he would be more successful with the bacon it would be a shame to ruin bacon.
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Zerin turned to Ali with downcast eyes and said, “Thank you for the help you came along at just in time to keep me from burning perfectly good bacon.” I told Willow I didn’t know how to cook, but she said she would be right back. “She disappeared out the door and didn’t return. I really thought she would be back by now. I do not know what is going on with her.”
Ali nodded at Zerin and sighed. Agreed, Zerin's words mirrored her own thoughts, but kept that to herself instead saying, “Did she tell you where she was going or what she was going to doing when she left?”
Zerin didn’t know just what to share, Willow had confided in him and couldn't tell anyone without ruining her trust, so he simply said, “I tried to talk with her, but she gave no real explanation." In his head he thought I am even more confused now than I was when she disappeared in the forest.
Ali grabbed another large cast Iron pan placing it on the fire tossed in some oil then broke and whipped up another batch of scrambled eggs. “The bacon looks done set it aside and grab the hot water I want you to take your sister some tea if she can keep it down then I will make some broth for her.” Ali handed Zerin a cup with ground herbs.
Zerin smiled and said, “Sure, I like to help out and delivering tea is more up my ally than cooking it is really not my thing."
Zerin removed the bacon from the stove and shoved a piece into his mouth as he poured the water into the cup of leaves Ali gave him and left the room. It struck Zerin as funny how people seem to know when the cooking had been done and the food ready, because as Zerin left, he saw people heading to the dining room like someone had announced that food was ready.
Ali's burn was feeling well enough so grabbing a plate of food she headed for the dining area. Her mind kept going back to everything that had happened and was relieved that with Fern on her way to recovery she was anxious about Lake and Geo unaccounted for. She was hopping to leave today despite the excitement, because they had a long journey ahead. As Ali sat there eating a dark feeling came over her, it sent a chill through her body, and she could feel fear. Searching the feeling she felt it coming from far away and realized it was coming from her husband. She just knew something was happening and it wasn’t good.
Ali had a gift a second sense which connected her in a way to her loved ones it didn’t always happen, but she got glimpses of things. In the past when she tried to ignore the feeling, she soon regretted it. Like the time she got the feeling that Willow was in danger but didn’t react because Willow was asleep. She had just finished hanging the laundry and went to Willows room to find her missing. She frantically looked for her daughter in the house, but she was gone. Ali was about ready to totally lose it but instead connected to the energy. She followed it behind the house and found Willow face down in the pond. It didn’t take her long to get Willow out but there was no telling how long she had been there. Ali blamed herself for not listening to that little voice more quickly, but she didn’t have time for grief and her daughter wasn’t going to die. It had only been a couple of minutes since the warning what was the purpose if not to give you time to help. Ali used all her medical skills after laying Willow on her side she checked for breathing then a pulse. Her pulse was slow but there, water ran from her mouth, but she wasn't breathing so she began chest compressions using her fingers. Time seemed to slow down, and panic gripped her, she felt like she had been working to revive her daughter for more than the few seconds that had actually passed, but her daughter still lay unmoving. Finally, when she thought all hope was gone Willow started coughing. The feeling was something to take seriously it was always important and she wasn’t going to ignore the message today if no one else would go she would go by herself. She would find and help her husband and Lake, because If she was being given a message it meant there was something she could do. She could no longer wait she would push to leave immediately as she finished eating her food Raina entered with Fern and sat at the table. Excitement erupted at the table and a cheer went up and as breakfast turned into a virtual party Ali’s hope of getting anyone’s attention was dashed. Should she just grab her stuff and head out? Should she take Willow? That might keep her out of trouble. Would the people who agreed to go still willing to leave right away? Holding her head in her hands she sighed.