“Why can’t we go to Embrose’s acceptance ceremony?” Mateo had no idea what he was saying, but he did have the urge to have fun–to live like the twenty-one-year-old he was. “I want to have fun.” He kicked off his bedsheets and prepared to climb out of bed.

Krysta and Maria caught him before he could. They did not need the break in his shoulder to get worse. Mateo was already suffering too much.

Scared, Maria said, “You can’t go, babe. You’re too sick.”

“I am not sick!” Mateo desperately peered into her eyes. “Maria, I just don't want to lie in bed.”

“You need to in order to get better, my son.”

The voice scared the living daylights out of Mateo. He shot to a sitting position and pushed Maria and Krysta away from him.

“What is it?” Maria inquired.

“He sees something,” Krysta said. However, from what she was looking at, there was nothing in the tent. Were the drugs causing Mateo to hallucinate?

The ring Euphorbia gave him–the one that allowed him to temporarily transform into a fairy–reappeared over his right ring finger. The left was reserved for the wedding ring, whenever the wedding happened.

Confused, Mateo studied the ring.

Krysta gently patted his hand. “It’s the Guardian’s Ring,” she observed, “which means...!”

Maria also studied the piece of jewelry. “What does it mean?”

Mateo stared at Faelyn, who appeared at the tent’s entrance. He pointed at him and asked, “Who’s that?”

Maria looked in the direction where he pointed. “There’s nothing there, babe,” she said. “You need to lie back down. You can’t stay sitting for long.”

Mateo refused to lie down. He was too curious. “But why does he seem so familiar?” His ring flickered a few times.

Nervous, Faelyn gulped. Did his son finally see him? Did he? He rubbed his sweaty hands together. It was incredible how much he and Mateo looked alike.

Inhaling, Faelyn dropped his wings behind him. “Ma-Mateo,” he stammered.

Mateo could have sworn he was looking at a direct clone of himself, only this clone was a little older. His head spun, so Maria laid him down on his pillows. She grabbed the rag that fell from his forehead when he sat up and put it back over it.

Faelyn’s ghostly presence chilled the tent as he stumbled over to his son. Thank you, Keegan, he said in his head. He was the reason why Mateo could finally see him. Since Maria and Krysta weren’t fae, they weren’t able to.

Faelyn tucked a strand of Mateo’s hair behind his right pointy ear. “I’m here, son,” he said in a low voice.

At the sight of an invisible force touching her fiancé, Maria freaked out a little. “Is there a ghost in here?” she asked Krysta.

"It's Mateo's dad," Krysta elucidated. She gestured at the ring. “The Guardian’s Ring proves it. It means that Mateo’s metamorphosis into a fairy is nearly complete.”

Coughing and half asleep, Mateo took Faelyn’s hand. “Da-Dad?” he stuttered.

A tear ran down Faelyn’s cheek. That was the first time he had ever touched his son, and it felt wonderful. He just wished that Mateo wasn't in such horrible shape–that the circumstances under which he did were different. “Yes,” he choked out.

“Da-Dad?” Mateo asked again. He poked Faelyn’s cheek with his good hand.

Krysta and Maria left temporarily so they could have their reunion. The drugs Krysta gave Mateo were meant to put him in a medically-induced coma, so he needed to spend some time with Faelyn while he was still awake. The hospital had plans to put him in the ICU when the helicopter delivered him to the trauma center.

All Faelyn wanted to do was comfort him, just like Abigail. He settled down on Mateo’s bed and tightened his grip on his hand. “I’ve waited twenty-one years to finally see you,” he whimpered.

“How are you here?” Mateo asked. “I thought you were... you know...?”

Faelyn was not offended. He expected him to be a little bewildered. “Yes, I’m dead,” he said, “but the fae can see their dead. I’m a spirit, son.”

“But I thought I wasn’t a full-fledged fairy yet.” A part of Mateo told him that he was already in a coma and dreaming, but another part said no. He knew a coma was on the near horizon–he could feel it–so that was technically all he could think about at the moment.

“You’re not, but you’re almost,” Faelyn answered. “Let me show you something interesting, my son.” He rested his thumb and index finger on the Guardian’s Ring. “Now you see me. Now you don’t.” Faelyn removed the ring.

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Mateo’s jaw dropped. His father was there a second ago, but now he was gone! He had vanished into midair! However, he still felt his presence. Mateo remembered the fawn from before. He smiled softly and asked, “Where did my father go?” in the voice he used around her.

Faelyn returned the ring to his finger. The second he did, he reappeared again.

“There he is!” Mateo said. He again poked his father’s cheek. His childish behavior was a combination of two things: the drugs he was on and his youthful side.

Faelyn brushed a tear from his eye. “I’m proud of you, son. You’re starting to look on the bright side of things.”

Mateo smiled goofily–like a little kid. He struggled to sit back up, but he leaned his back on his pillows to help him. A fly, who managed to slip into the tent, buzzed by his ear. Mateo waved it away. “After seeing Maria’s baby bump, I’ve made a decision," he said to Faelyn. “I am going to fight for her and Isabella. They don’t need a chicken for a father. They need a strong young man. I’m determined, Papá.”

“From what I’ve seen these past few days, you’re always determined,” Faelyn joked. “It’s just who you are, my son. You have the spirit of a Pinta Park Ranger. Your determination is what earned you the title of ‘Ranger Anthony’, and I couldn’t be prouder.”

“Thank you, Papá.” Mateo rubbed a tear from his own eye. “I’m going to get through this. Isabella is the apple of my eye. She is the bridge that will take Maria and me on a journey to a life that is better for all of us.”

Faelyn understood the mindset his son was coming from, but it was still going to be a while before Isabella was born. He had to stop worrying about her and Maria all the time and just focus on getting himself back on his feet. Determination was a funny personality to live life on because it came with both pros and cons.

Faelyn kissed Mateo’s temple since he couldn’t exactly reach his cheek with the mask over his face. “I know that you love your fiancée and child, my son, but you need to stop worrying about them and just focus on getting better.”

Mateo’s smile vanished. He reached for his head since it was starting to spin again. “But isn’t that selfishness?”

“No! Of course not!” Faelyn pulled Mateo into a tight hug. “You are the least selfish person I’ve ever laid eyes on. Your mother knows this, and so does Maria. Why do you think she’s been with you all these years?”

Mateo returned Faelyn’s hug. He wrapped his arms around his back and set his head down on his shoulder. “But, Father, you don’t understand. I hurt her the night it happened. I-I...” He hated to say it out loud, but he had to. “I assaulted her. I don’t remember doing it, but I know I did.”

Faelyn patted the back of his head. “It was a mistake. Maria knows you well enough to understand that you weren’t in the right mindset.” He let Mateo go and clamped his shoulders.

He sniffed. “She told me that she tried to stop me, but I didn’t. I only hurt her more. Apparently, I said, ‘I am going to force you to have a kid!’ I mean, what kind of person says that?” He shivered just remembering Maria’s take on the story. She told it to him the day before he left for the Paperblank Forest.

“That’s in the past. This is the future,” Faelyn said. “You can’t change the past, but you can change the future. Life is all about learning from your mistakes, my son.”

“I know,” Mateo cried. “I just don’t want to hurt her ever again.”

“Maria knows you won’t. Trust me,” said Faelyn. “She hasn’t dumped you. So that says something. She still loves you, and she still wants to marry you. Now, rest, my son. You have a long journey ahead of you.” He noticed that Mateo was starting to fall asleep. His eyes drooped, and his head rocked back and forth. Faelyn put his pillows down, and then he laid him on them.

“My head hurts,” Mateo complained.

“It does? Don’t worry. I’ve got you.” Faelyn pulled his sheets over his bare torso. He scooped up the rag and soaked it in the bucket. He dabbed Mateo’s forehead, neck, and shoulders.

While he worked, Mateo said, “Father, can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” Faelyn said. “You’re my son. I’ll listen to you.” He took the rag away from Mateo’s brow.

The young man examined the Guardian’s Ring. “Well, actually two things.”

“I’m all ears.”

“Okay.” Mateo tried to take a deep breath, but he couldn’t do it without coughing.

Faelyn waited until he caught his breath. His left hand hovered over his chest.

Mateo nodded to give himself confidence. “The first question is, when you found out you were going to be a dad, what did it feel like?”

“I was just like you: nervous, scared, but also excited,” Faelyn answered. “A child is the greatest gift the gods can give you. It means that love is real. Love is what makes Pinta Country Pinta Country. Your mother and I tried for so long, but we finally got you. Funny because we wanted a little boy, too. Mateo, we knew you were special, even from the beginning. And it’s not just because you’re a prince. You’re our son.”

Mateo sniffed again. “Am I really that special, even though I’ve caused so much pain in the past nine weeks? That leads me to my second question. Do I really deserve to be the Green Guardian?"

Without even thinking, Faelyn nodded. “You do. Euphorbia never wanted a perfect person to succeed her. None of the Green Guardians throughout history have been perfect. Heck, look at Embrose. Euphorbia wanted somebody human... somebody who knew nature like the back of their hand... somebody like you. Just wait, my son.” Faelyn freed the falling tears from Mateo’s cheeks. “Once you’re stronger, you’re going to get your wings. You’re going to be the one who returns Sam to his own time. You’re going to change this forest for the better. I know it. You just need to believe.”

“‘Believe.’” Mateo let the word sink in. “Thank you, Papá.” The coma would give him plenty of time to think about his father’s words. Before dozing off, Mateo cupped his cheek. He stared deeply into Faelyn’s dark eyes. His lips quivered, but he managed to pull off the four words he wanted to say before he fell victim to the drugs' effects: "I love you, Dad."

Faelyn pecked his youthful skin. “I love you, Mateo.”

And that was that. Mateo lapsed into a coma. His hand dropped from Faelyn’s cheek and landed on his injured belly. He tilted his head to the right and became completely still. However, he still breathed gently under his oxygen mask.

Faelyn cried like a baby. He knew it would happen, but it was still heartbreaking to watch. This was his son, his only son, but he was right. Isabella was going to be the start of a new journey for him and Maria. He just had to make it through this difficult point in his life.

Krysta and Maria soon re-entered the tent, with Maria crying, too. They approached the side of Mateo’s bed. Both of them felt Faelyn, so they knew he was still in the tent. Even though she couldn’t see him, Maria asked, “Mr. Brook, has he slipped into a coma yet?” Her voice was beyond choked.

Krysta checked Mateo’s vital signs and shook his injured shoulder. He did not respond to the pain, which was enough proof for her. The drugs did their job. Krysta took a deep breath and faced Maria.

“He has.”