Secrets Of Sanctuary Hospital Nightmare Of The Dark Shadows (36 page)

With deliberate, slow motions, I move my lips
to his ear. “Nicholas, it’s mom, I know that you are trying to
fight to keep control, it’s alright. It’s almost daybreak. You are
doing it. I’m so proud of you. I love you, you’re going to be
alright; everything will be alright. Relaxing more with each word
spoken, he sinks to the floor, placing his head on my knee. Kayla
follows suit, placing her head on my other knee. Stroking her head
slowly, I croon softly. “Kayla, honey I’m here. Hold on for just a
little while longer, it’s almost over. You made it, the morning is
almost here. You did so well, you didn’t hurt anyone. You are doing
fine.” I stroke their backs and for the first time, they are still
as their eyes shift to the un-boarded window which is now showing
the hints of a rising sun. As the sky becomes lighter, I continue
whispering in their ears. As the first stray sunbeam hints that the
sun will release the moon’s hold, their bodies begin contracting
violently. Jeff jumps at me, pushing me away as Grant jumps between
them separating them from each other.

After several hair raising growls and
vibrating wolves, my children are again before me curled up tight
in balls. The door opens as Grant and Jeff phase back to their
human forms. I race toward Nicholas and Kayla as Andrew rushes
through the door to us all.

As I reach Kayla, Andrew reaches Nicholas.
Kayla’s eyes are wide, filled with uncertainty and fear. “Is it
over? What happened? Did I hurt anyone?”

“It’s all over and you did wonderfully. You
didn’t even leave the cabin and no one is hurt. Don’t worry, you
didn’t do anything. How do you feel?”

Pausing as if assessing her body, her reply
reflects her astonishment. “Strange, my body feels as if it has
been in a fight and sore, but I can’t remember last night. I can’t
remember it happening. Did I really change?”

Nicholas chimes in. “You sure did and mom is
right, you did really great.” He brushes Charlie’s charm. He was
right, it brought you luck. I told you that you weren’t going to do
anything bad and you were worrying for nothing, but I will tell you
that you have one vicious roar.” He laughs, but her eyes grow
wider.

“Did I roar at you?” She inquires
quietly.

“You did and I roared back.”

“It sounds like you remember a lot of what
happened.” Andrew looks at him, his relief, pride, and amazement
flit across his features.

“I do, sometimes I felt lost, but when I came
back, I could see mom trying to talk to us and Grant and Jeff
trying to keep us inside.” He turns to me. “Did I make it outside
once and go after Reginald?”

“You did make it outside, but you didn’t go
after anyone, Grant forced you inside and we boarded up the window.
Do you remember why you tried to leave?”

He sits contemplating. “I remember Kayla
trying to get out and then you screamed something and she went
flying, but when I looked at the window, I could see a reddish haze
coming through, it hit you, knocking you into the wall.” His eyes
close in concentration. “I smelled something and everything inside
me was telling me that it was dangerous and after what it did to
you, I wanted to destroy it.” His hands fly up to his face, he’s
shaking and mumbling. “You said Reginald was outside. I was going
to hurt Reginald. I wanted to kill him.”

Andrew’s arms enfold him instantly. “It’s
alright. You didn’t do anything to him. He’s fine. You must have
realized that the spell he was casting to keep you inside touched
mom and you thought there was a danger. You were trying to protect
mom and you didn’t hurt anyone.”

“But dad, I could have. My senses felt
overloaded by something. If Grant didn’t stop me I would have gone
after Reginald. I could feel myself fighting when I saw who it was,
but it was too hard to fight to control myself, I was losing and he
could have gotten hurt or killed!”

Jeff moves closer to him. “Nicholas, you did
amazing, especially for your first time. I have never seen someone
who went through his first transformation be able to stop himself
or fight against their instincts the way you did and I promise you
it will get easier with each transformation and with Amanda’s help.
I’m sure that you will master control over your transformations and
instincts in a very short amount of time. You have amazing control,
you should be very proud of yourself.”

“But what if it was my dad or someone in my
family… what if I went after them?” His hysteria and desperation
seep through his words as he fights back the tears.

“You didn’t go after Reginald. You recognized
him, fought your wolf instincts and gained control ensuring you
didn’t move against him. Your instincts to protect your family will
be even stronger.

I interrupt. “Nicholas, Jeff is right. Just
think about how you comforted Kayla when I repelled her.”

Kayla inches over to him. “I’m sorry that I
growled at you. I just wish I could remember what happened. I don’t
like this.”

Turning my attention to her to answer,
Nicholas responds. “I know you don’t, but we are in this together.
I’m sure that next time you will remember. I think you were just so
frightened that you couldn’t close yourself off and calm down the
way Jacob and Charlie were trying to teach us to do when we get
frightened, that fear blocked out everything else. You need to come
up with something really cool to build in your mind. I think you
just haven’t found it yet, but as soon as you do, you will start
remembering too. I promise, when we get home, we can try to
concentrate together.” He turns to me. “Can we go home now or do we
have to stay here until the passing of the full moon stage?”

“I think we should go home for now. I’m sure
you’re hungry. Uncle Gabriel is probably whipping up some waffles
and your sister and brother are anxious to see you.” Andrew
rises.

Before leaving, Kayla goes over and hugs
Grant and Jeff. “Thank you for keeping me in here and from hurting
anyone.”

Jeff gently reassures her. “You are very
welcome and your brother is right, you will remember soon and it
will get easier once you are not so afraid of it. I see Charlie
gave you his good luck piece, why don’t we get you home so you can
tell him it worked.”

We travel quickly home. Entering the
recreation room, we are met with the relived faces of our family.
Nicole and Jacob practically throw themselves at Nicholas and Kayla
hugging them as Jacob whispered another impassioned apology.
Charlie waits off to the side and as Kayla is released, she turns
and hugs him. “Thank you for this” She moves to remove the charm
from her neck, but Charlie’s hands stop her.

“Hold on to it until this is over. By then, I
will be done crafting you your own good luck charm.”

The children eat and talk animatedly about
last night as Andrew and I speak with the others. Cecil will be
arriving in a day or two, but we still have to wait for the passing
of this phase of the moon. I can feel the butterflies returning to
my stomach as I offer a silent prayer up that everything will go as
well as the first.

After breakfast, I know Nicholas and Kayla
need to sleep, but Andrew tells me that Jacob and Nicole were up
all night worrying too, so we tuck them all in. Leaving their
rooms, I catch Andrew staring with concern as he has all morning.
“What’s wrong?”

“How bad was it really and how sore is your
back?”

“It was very hard seeing them change and I
couldn’t really stay connected to them, but I was happier as the
night progressed. They could hear me more and at least I could
comfort them.” He is now staring at me skeptically. “Andrew my back
is fine, lifting the board wasn’t that hard and I had help. It was
very clever of you to place boards near every window.”

“Mia, that’s not what I’m talking about.”

I’m puzzled. “I don’t understand.”

Removing the jacket he placed on me when we
were walking back to the car, he takes my hand. Leading me into the
bedroom and over to our mirror, he turns me part way around. For
the first time, I see the back of my shirt is shredded and bloody.
I gasp, not because I’m hurt, but because I didn’t realize anything
had happened. I turn to Andrew. “I’m fine. I didn’t even know that
I had gotten hurt. I remove my tattered shirt and head toward the
bathroom to shower and clean up.

Andrew grasps my hand. “Mia, how did you not
know that happened? Those lashes are pretty deep, you must have
felt that and from the looks of your shirt, you lost more
blood.”

“I was so focused on the children, honestly,
I didn’t know it happened. It must have happened when the children
were transforming back. Maybe that’s why Jeff pushed me out of the
way and Grant jumped between the children putting space between
them.”

“When you get out of the shower, wrap
yourself in a towel, I’ll be back with some supplies.” He kisses my
forehead and is gone instantly.

As the warm water washes over the lashes,
they sting and I wonder how I hadn’t felt them before. Returning to
the bedroom, Andrew is waiting with a portable EKG and IV. “That
really isn’t necessary. I feel fine.”

“Humor me, I want to bandage your back and
then see if the loss of blood has put a further strain on your
heart.”

Before lying down, I wrap my hands around his
waist and stretch to kiss him. “If you really want to get my heart
started, I know of a way.”

Although he kisses me back, I feel his
distraction. He is focused more on me medically. Gazing up, his
eyes are filled with concern so I lay down. After beginning the
healing process on my back, he stretches out beside me stroking my
arm as the IV is running and we talk about the night’s events.

After removing the IV and packing up the
supplies, he finally allows me to sit up. “Mia, I think that you
should consider allowing Grant and Jeff to take them up alone
tonight. I’m not sure how much good the solution is doing in
bringing up your counts. You said you couldn’t really connect to
them until it was almost daylight and you need to consider the
effects if they swipe at you again or worse. I know that Nicholas
did well last night, but even he is going to be weaker tonight. A
little rest is not going to be able to compensate for how fatigued
he is. Tonight may be worse. Reginald said he would stay outside
again this evening to try to keep them contained in the cabin.”

Grabbing his chin and forcing his face to
meet my own, I clear my throat to ensure my tone reflects my
resolve. “You know I can’t let them go through this alone. Andrew,
Nicholas struggled so much last night and I could feel his
unbridled fear that something was going to go wrong and you know
how frightened Kayla is. I have to be there, even though my
connecting with them does not always hold, I was some help last
night. They need me there, the way Nicole and Jacob need you here.
I will be fine. I promise. I feel fine now and it won’t be much
longer.”

Rising, we check on the children who are
still fast asleep. “Why don’t you let me get you some juice and
something to eat, you didn’t eat at breakfast.” Andrew heads toward
the kitchen. Wanting to remove the worry reflected in his eyes and
tone, I grab his hand. “I’m really not hungry just yet, but I know
of a way to work up an appetite.” Moving my free hand to his top
button, I brush my fingertips along the v in his shirt and begin
unfastening his buttons.”

Stopping my deft fingers, his tone turns
serious. “Mia, I know you are trying to distract me and as much as
I love you, I don’t want to make you more tired.”

“You won’t be, I promise.” Moving my hand out
from under his, I quickly unfasten the last button and glide my
fingertips gingerly over his torso. Shuddering, he sweeps me into
his arms and places me on the bed. His kisses go from tender to all
consuming and I am lost in his embrace. As I lay with my head on
his torso hearing his breathing slow as I struggle to slow my own,
I hope this feeling of contentment stays with me tonight when we
will once again be separated and facing the unknown.

Trudging to the cabin for the last night of
the full moon, I see how tired not only Nicholas and Kayla are but
also Jeff and Grant. If I am being honest with myself, I’m not
feeling in the best form either. We finally arrive at the cabin as
twilight sets in, graying the mountain range and forest.

By tomorrow, Cecil will have arrived with
Amanda who agreed to help us. Despite, Kayla’s fear, Charlie and
Nicholas manage to get her to face tonight somewhat calmer and more
relaxed.

The moon rises, the children’s bodies
contract and contort, but at least tonight their conversion to wolf
is faster. Although Nicholas claims that there isn’t any pain while
their bodies change, I’m wondering if he actually pushes it out of
his mind considering how their bodies jerk about and their bones
sound as if they are breaking. As the children transform, Grant and
Jeff phased.

Tonight, I connect with them during the
transformation and by some luck, Nicholas does not kick me out and
Kayla seems more responsive. Despite the growls and occasional
lunges at each other, it seems easier with Nicholas and Kayla, more
containable.

Four-thirty a.m. rolls around leaving only an
hour of so more to go, Nicholas and Kayla seem to be drifting, at
least they are lying down. Suddenly, Jeff bolts toward the door.
Before he reaches it, Nicholas and Kayla spring up, pacing and
growling wildly, they are almost a blur. Kayla lunges toward the
door, crashing over Jeff who is thrust to the floor and breaks the
door.

She’s off before the scream is out of my
mouth, Nicholas quickly follows with Grant and a rising Jeff behind
neither is quick enough to catch them. Reaching the door, they are
moving faster than lightning. Despite Reginald throwing spells at
them, it does not slow them down enough for Grant or Jeff to
contain them. Running out into the night, I am nowhere near fast
enough. Vicious growls echo off the trees.