“It will be,” Gabriel averred, hoping he was speaking the truth.
Rat nodded again, clearly unconvinced, then wiped a hand over his face.“I’ll get that food and sleep.It will no doubt make a considerable difference in my attitude.”With that, he turned and left.
Gabriel had barely a moment to take a breath and attempt to regain his equanimity when his parents came barreling in, both looking as if they expected the worst, Nic following behind with an apologetic expression.
“Selly!”his mother cried, rushing toward the bed.Gabriel caught her before she could disrupt Asa’s work.Daisy fought him in a burst of fury, reminding him of wrestling Selly just now.
“Mom.”He held her firmly, as gently as possible.“You have to calm down.”
“Don’t you tellmeto calm down, boyo,” she shouted.“I changed your diapers.”
“Daisy.”His father was there, extracting his mother from his hold.“Trust Gabriel.They’re only doing what’s best for Selly.”
“What is that man doing to her?”Daisy demanded on a sob.
Nic slipped up next to him, taking his hand, her magic flowing into him like a heady draught of wine, soothing as a summer afternoon redolent of roses.Her presence steadied him as nothing else seemed to, making what felt impossible to handle only seconds ago suddenly within grasp.
“That’s Wizard Asa,” he told his mother.“You met Asa.He’s a healer.He’s helping Selly.You can’t disrupt him now.”
His mother collapsed into tears, but his father gave him a nod of support.“Give him a moment, Daisy, and we can see our girl.”
“What’s wrong with her?”Daisy demanded.
Gabriel wasn’t sure how to answer that question—one she should already know the answer to, as he’d explained it before—without upsetting her further.During his moment of hesitation, Daisy pulled herself together, extracting herself from her husband’s arms and facing Gabriel with a stalwart stare and a spine of steel.“It’s the being a familiar thing.”Her gaze slid uneasily to Nic and back again.
“Yes,” he replied.“That’s what has made her so crazed all these years.And she’s suffered from running wild, so Asa is helping her body recover from that.Then I can take steps to release the pent-up magic that’s been clouding her mind.”
“Pent up, eh?”his father repeated.“Like dammed pond gone stagnant.”
“Just like that,” Gabriel answered with considerable relief.“I have to release the old water, so fresh can flow in.”
“And then she’ll be back to her old self?”his mother asked, making it sound like she expected nothing less.
Nic squeezed his hand.Warning?Support?He wasn’t sure.Asa and Nic had both warned him about permanent damage.“We’ll do everything in our power to make it so.”
“But you don’tknow,” his mother persisted.“You can’t promise.”
He was tempted to promise.To say whatever would make everything right again.But no mere words could ensure that.He could only forge ahead, do his best, and hope that all would be well.“I can’t promise,” he admitted, “because we don’t know.”
Nic squeezed his hand again, her magic warm, and he knew that she, at least, approved of his answer.His mother’s chin wobbled slightly before she set it, then dipped it in acknowledgment.“Thank you for your honesty.”
He nearly protested that he’d never been anything less than honest with her, but that wasn’t precisely true.What a difficult line to walk when you were trying to protect people, especially those you loved.“I only want what’s best for all of us.”And why did that seem to be such a difficult place to find?
She softened.“I know.None of this is your fault.You’ll see when your child is born… Sometimes being a parent isn’t a rational thing.”
As Gabriel already didn’t feel fully rational, he could only imagine what adding a child to the equation would do to him.He supposed he had time—well, seven and a half months?—to work himself up to it.Glancing down at Nic, he found her watching him with mingled compassion and amusement, her emerald-green gaze steady.At least they would be in that particular exercise in insanity together.
“Lord Phel?”Asa called.“Your sister is awake.You all can come see her now.”
Gabriel only hoped she’d be somewhat sane.