Fairysitters
Part 9 (Epilogue)
When
I woke up, I honestly thought I was in a morgue. That's just how terribly quiet
it was. Kathy sat at the foot of my bed, cradling Christine in her arms. Both
of them looked tired and worn, if not asleep. Daniel was at the window, his
back to me. I took a deep breath, then quickly stopped as the soreness from my
abdomen hit me. The noise attracted Kathy's attention and she opened her eyes.
"Hi,"
she said, simply and quietly.
"Hi,"
I replied, my throat feeling dry and scratchy. "Am I in big trouble?"
"Mm-hmm.
Your funeral's in a couple of minutes. Ya want anything?"
"Yeah,
lemme have a McDLT, large fries and a medium Sprite." Kathy smiled.
"Would
you like a hot apple pie with your order?" she asked.
"Nah,
I'm countin' calories this year." We both giggled with as much effort as
we could muster (which amounted to a couple of snorts and a grin), then stopped
when I felt the soreness in my gut remind me of its presence.
"Don't
laugh," said Kathy, "it'll hurt."
"She
makes me laugh, then tells me not to. That's sooo like you, Kath," I
replied, sarcastically rolling my eyes. There was a mutual pause, then she set
Christine gently on the bed and came over to hug me. We held each other for a
long time. "Okay, how deep in the red are we?" I finally asked.
"Well,
it all depends on your optimism level," she shrugged.
"Let's
hypothetically say my optimism sucks," I suggested.
"Then
so does the outlook for everything you've created or helped to create,
including parts of the link and Pyrope." Daniel, as if suddenly noticing
my presence, looked directly at me, then turned and left slowly. Kathy shook
her head as he went. "He's pretty bummed over Robin."
"Robin?"
I echoed.
"The
only thing you have left right now is a few strands of the link and this one,"
she said, gesturing to Christine. I put a hand on the beautiful mass of energy
and imagination I call my little sister and swallowed. Some things are
impossible to duplicate and this child was one of them. "She was beginning
to forget a lot of things, too. A couple of times, she'd look up at me and
there'd be this blank look on her face, like she didn't know me." Kathy
paused. "She was more scared than I was, I think."
"With
good reason," I replied. Kathy shook her head.
"Not
for her," she said, "for you. But, then, she loves you more."
"Yeah,
there's that." I sighed. "Did she tell you what she did to Corwin and
Naomi?"
"Yeeeah,"
replied Kathy, in an awed tone. "A nightmare void. Fallon taught her to do
it."
"I
was wondering what the heck that was! I mean the castle was gettin' totally
trashed, dude."
"Man,
I didn't know she could do that!"
"I
didn't know anybody besides Cloak and Dagger could do that," I nodded.
"But she was pretty upset." There was another pause.
"Everybody?"
"Even
Target. Fallon saved him from the forest and she never came back. He faded
before Robin did and they both watched their children disappear right before
their eyes." Kathy paused sadly before continuing. "Robin took it
pretty well, though. She started acting like her old self, Miss Icicle."
I
sighed again. "At exactly what point did I lose control, I'd like to
know."
"Probably
about the time I told you to let Corwin shoot you," said she answered
softly.
"Don't
even start, Kathy," I said, closing my eyes. "He wasn't the one who
shot me, anyway. Besides, if I hadn't done it, we'd all be his personal slaves
by now. At least this way, I don't have to worry about him for a while. Not
until he gets out of that void, anyway."
"Yeah,
I know," she said. "Alright, get some rest so you can get your mind
back together. I have to leave."
"I
can't believe you came over here in the first place." I replied.
"Hey, you know what? Somethin' just hit me..." I began thoughtfully.
"What?"
she asked.
"You
lied to me!" I replied. "When I asked you if I was gonna die, you
lied to me!"
"What
did you want me to say, yes?" Kathy shrugged. "What good would that
news have done you then? Besides, technically I was telling the truth. Nobody
kills my Mouse but me, so I knew you'd be okay."
"A
comforting thought, strangely enough," I said, rolling my eyes. She
smirked as she tucked Christine in next to me. Daniel came back in as she stood
up, his eyes red-rimmed with what I hoped was just fatigue.
"How
do you feel?" he asked. I tossed him a "how-do-you-think" frown
and he smiled faintly. "That look is a good sign," he added. "At
least your normal humor is back."
"Wasn't
she morbid?!" agreed Kathy. "You even had me nervous, man!"
"Aww,
you were nervous? A perfect Kodak moment and I missed it!" I replied,
grinning.
"Did
I say me?" asked Kathy, innocently. "I meant Daniel."
I
grinned at her and shook my head. "One day I'm gonna figure out exactly
why I hang out with you." Christine stirred sleepily in my arms, with a
little yawn, then put her arms around me in her sleep.
"Awww,"
said Kathy, sincerely. "Now there's your Kodak moment, Dain."
I
smiled, feeling a sentimental lump in my throat. She was right, as usual.
I
made the camera myself.