Shadows

Chapter Five - Evelyn's Point of View

I wake up in the hospital, and my first thought is about my daughter. I don't care about my own safety, but I need to know that my child is safe. I try to move, but strong hands restrain me.

"Ms. Brightlight, please. You're in critical condition, and need surgery. Please stop fighting." a voice says above me.

"My daughter! Where is my daughter?" I cry.

"She's in critical condition as well. She's being taken care of. Please relax."

I relax as best I can as I hear that my daughter is being taken care of. Soon I am rolled into an operating room, and the world goes dark.

I wake back up in ICU. A surgeon comes in and gives me a litany of things he had to do. I need to rest and recover. I ask about my daughter, and am given the update that she is still out cold.

I begin to recover as the healers work with me to get my health back. I constantly ask about my daughter, and am told that nothing has changed. Days turned into a week. A week turned into a two weeks. My daughter's condition does not change, and I begin to worry that she is going to die. I can not lose my daughter.

One evening I am visited by Healer Shadowdancer. He explains that he is my daughter's healer, and that a solution to my daughter's condition may have been found. I ask him for the details and he provides what he can.

"What is the risk to her if I don't agree?" I ask.

"She has a two percent chance of pulling through without this ritual. She has a fifty-fifty chance of pulling through or dying with the ritual. I am sorry Ms. Brightlight."

"Hand me the paper work. I will sign for my daughter. A 50% chance of survival is better than a two percent chance of survival." I say as I sigh. "Please save my daughter!" I beg.

"We will try Ms. Brightlight. If you have any family, you may wish to call them before we do the ritual. I will allow her to be seen by the family before the ritual. It will happen in two nights." Healer Shadowdancer told me as he left.

In tears, I call my second eldest brother, Henry. I tell Henry what I have just learned, and plead for him to call my other siblings. I need them with me if only to help me say goodbye to my daughter. I turn on the TV and watch my soap operas in hopes that it will deaden the pain I feel about losing my daughter if this ritual goes wrong.

The next morning all four of my siblings are in my hospital room giving me a hug. I tell them all about what Healer Shadowdancer had explained about the ritual, and how it is being preformed tomorrow night. They leave in pairs to see Minerva. My siblings are all opposed in magic therefore they can go in pairs to see my daughter. I plead with my healer to be allowed to see her once more before the ritual.

My healer agrees and asks the least volatile of my siblings to escort me. Henry is that sibling unfortunately. I am moved to a wheelchair and Henry pushs me to the room where my daughter is on monitors checking every aspect of her life. I cry as she doesn't even look at me.

I take her hand in mine, and understand immediately why Healer Shadowdancer gave her only a 2% chance for natural recovery. She is bleeding mana as fast as her body is producing it. I try to find the breaks in her mana battery and can't.

I look to my brother who is standing on her other side with her other hand in his. He immediately understands as well, and both of us understand the implications of this ritual better. Its still better than her dying of a slow mana bleed. I kiss her forehead and go back to my room.

My siblings and I talk well into the night about Minerva, life, and various other things. They have one sibling stay with me over night in case something happens. The next evening we talk again as Minerva is prepared for the ritual. All of my siblings stay due to the importance of this ritual. We link hands to pray for the ritual to work. The hospital goes suddenly black, and I feel a powerful ritual circle close.

I keep my eyes closed focused on the circle of my family praying for Minerva's recovery. I can feel the pressure of the ritual, and its causing issues with our own circle. Eddie, my eldest brother, squeezes my hand to refocus me on the task at hand. The ritual circle is released, and I feel the power flow into my daughter. I can only pray it worked as the lights come back on. I fall into an exhausted sleep with my siblings surrounding me.

Morning steals into the room, and I awaken to find the room deserted. My healer is above me fixing me still. I ask him about my daughter, but he explains that Healer Shadowdancer is out of the office until mid-afternoon. I nod as I begin watching my soap operas again. I can almost hear Minerva griping at me.

Seriously mom? You can not find anything better to watch than soap operas? There's a new show on about haunted locations around the world...

I smile at the thought, and settle back for a long day of soap operas. I am informed of my daughter's change in condition, but it could be temporary. We will know more 48 hours after the ritual. I go back to my soap operas and wait for more news.

I wake up the next day expecting that there is no change in my daughter's condition. Healer Shadowdancer comes in with a smile as he explains that Minerva is up to 20% of her total mana. I breathe a sigh of relief because she is retaining mana, and she is awake.

I see my own healer who is determined to move me to the rehabilitation hospital tomorrow. I agree that its a good idea. I lean back for another day of soap operas. Night falls and a soft knock sounds on my door. I allow entry and my brother, Henry, walks through the door.

"Good evening brother." I greet him.

"Evening, Eve." he responds. I catch at the use of Eve. He only says that when the issue is serious.

"What's up?" I ask him quietly.

"I was called into the police station today. Officer Bob told me that he had been investigating the attack at your house. Eve, I am sorry I raised such a terrible child."

"What are you talking about?"

My brother sighs as he looks me in the eyes. "Jonathan was the one who set the ice blast that nearly killed you."

I look to my brother in shock. "Your son Jonathan? Why would he want to hurt me or Minerva."

"I asked him directly. His response was that he asked to stay with you and you told him, no. He was so upset that you couldn't convince Minerva to take him that he set the charge with a wand he had gotten. I told him that he may have actually killed Minerva, and my son laughed hysterically. His exact words were 'Mernie, died? Well at least the dark spot on our family is gone!' I didn't want to believe Jonathan had anything to do with this."

"Henry, you can not be blamed for Jonathan's behavior. That ex-wife of yours is to blame. She put thoughts of theft in his head as a youth." I tell him.

"I still feel responsible. He tried to kill his own aunt and cousin. Did you know he took 40 boxes of stuff from Minerva's house including all of the small appliances and her 50 inch TV?"

"Yes, I did. He also took the chest freezer where Minerva had put almost $400 worth of food. No one ever reimbursed her either. She had to spend over $3000 to replace what he took."

"I am sorry, Eve. I didn't know that Minerva was using the freezer until it was unloaded. I had thought my son learned his lesson when mom disowned him."

"Apparently not. He is sitting in jail because he attempted to kill me."

"How's Minerva?" my brother asks almost silently.

"She's begun recovering mana according to the healers."

"So she will live?"

"Seems like it."

"I am glad. I have a lot to apologize to that girl for. She's always been the black sheep, but Jonathan made himself a pariah."

"I will bear the scars until I pass away brother."

"I am sorry, Eve."

We fall silent and soon sleep over takes my brother. I feel shadow magic going off nearby, and I can tell it's my daughter. Soon I feel another stronger shadow mage work with my daughter's magic. I sense my daughter relax. I can only sense this because I am her mother, and I have learned to get past her shields. I fall asleep as well.

My brother and I are awoken by a nurse. "Ms. Brightlight, your healer is sending you to the rehabilitation hospital. I am going to get your vitals then you'll be transported to the rehab."

A transport technician is waiting patiently to take me where I need to go. I am shifted to the wheelchair and a binder is placed on my lap. The transport technician moves me at a quick pace, and my brother follows behind. I am soon being settled into a chair in the rehabilitation hospital.

I find the remote and find my favorite soap opera, Worm Talk. I begin watching and growl "Come on Andrea! Quit lying about cheating with the doctor." I hear a conversation next to me.

"Can I get you anything Ms. Nightshade?" the nurse asked.

"Some ice and apple juice please." my daughter requests.

"I will bring you some alright? Would you like to see your roommate?" she asks.

I don't hear a reply, but the curtain between us is pulled back."Can I get you anything Ms. Brightlight?"

"May I get some orange juice please?" I request.

"Yes. I will be back in a few minutes." the nurse says as she leaves.

I look at my daughter with tear filled eyes. This lasts until my daughter says "Seriously mom? You can not find anything better to watch than soap operas? There's a new show on about haunted locations around the United States."

"Oh no. You keep that haunted history crap to yourself, Minerva." I tell her as the nurse brings the drinks and ice.

The argument continues until I turn the TV over to the true crime channel where there was a documentary on gangsters. We were having a conversation about it when my siblings came in. My siblings added to the conversation while including Minerva.

I look at the boxes next to my daughter. "Minerva? What is in the boxes?"

"I don't know. I would like to wait until I'm in a chair before looking."

A few minutes later physical therapy came in to assist my daughter into a chair. She clung to the therapist as she was moved, and I know she's not used to clinging to anyone for assistance. Minerva was settled into her chair, and she opened the first box.

It was full of small gifts, and I don't know where she got them from. In the second box was a tablet, some chocolate, and a black dinosaur plush. My daughter hugged the plush, and pulled the third box to her. It was full of more small gifts.

I stare at the dinosaur plush and I am reminded of something my daughter said years ago. "The dinosaurs make me feel safe." I begin to wonder who could have sent it.