Chapter 12
Hunter wondered if the hospital had a free bed he could borrow.
He’d barely slept a wink since he got the call that his two girls had been in an accident.
At first, he’d been frantic about Zoey when Faith had told him she’d hit her head.
But by the time he’d gotten to the healer’s office, Zoey was fine and Faith was the one they were rushing to the emergency room, with Gerry Whipple by her side.
There was a lot the healers could do with magic, but when it came to internal bleeding, they preferred to use hybrid healing with a traditional surgery.
It had been explained to him that while the spleen could be repaired with Healer Whipple’s magic, she wanted to see what was going on inside of Faith’s body so that she didn’t miss anything.
It was a good thing, too, because the damage had been more extensive than they’d first thought.
But the healer had assured him that Faith would heal just fine.
How long that would take was anyone’s guess.
Healer Whipple said she’d witnessed patients that were as good as new as soon as they woke up, and others took a more traditional time of a few weeks until they were back on their feet.
Hunter didn’t care how long it took, just as long as she was with him.
“Where’s Mommy?” His six-year-old Amy demanded as she ran up to him.
Hunter looked up to see Lincoln and Clair walking with his two other little girls hand in hand.
It figured that Amy was the one that had broken free.
She’d always been the most adventurous. He sometimes worried about the teenage years ahead of them.
He just knew that Amy would be the one to turn him gray.
“She’s right through there, sweetheart.” He pointed at the door to Faith’s room and then swept Amy up into his arms. “Are you ready to see her now?”
“Yes!” Amy threw a fist in the air like she was at a concert and her favorite artist had just walked out on stage.
He chuckled softly. “Okay. Let’s go in. But remember, Mommy had an accident and her side is hurt, so be careful and don’t throw yourself at her, okay?”
“Okay.” The little girl nodded seriously, her blond curls bouncing around her face.
“Did you hear that, girls?” Clair said kindly to his two other young daughters. “Be careful with Mommy. She’s got a booboo on her side, and we don’t want to make it worse, okay?”
They nodded, and together, the six of them walked into the room.
Faith was sitting up in bed, her eyes bright, looking nothing like she had just five hours earlier when she’d first woken up. She was grinning at them and held her arms out. “Oh, there you three are! I’ve been waiting for you. Get up here on this bed and give me big hugs.”
Amy tried to squirm out of Hunter’s arms, ready to do exactly that, but the other two hesitated.
“Daddy and Grandma Clair said you’re hurt,” Jo offered as she tentatively made her way to the side of the bed.
“Nah. I was, but I’m all better now. Climb up here and give me a hug,” Faith said. She glanced at Hunter, Lincoln, and Clair, giving them all a big smile.
Meg ran to join Jo by the bed while Amy twisted out of Hunter’s grasp and piled on.
Hunter lunged for Amy, but he was too late. She was already up on the bed, piled with her sisters, smothering their mother. “Girls! Be careful.”
“It’s okay, Hunter,” Faith said. “My side doesn’t hurt anymore. I woke up pain free.”
He eyed her suspiciously, wondering what she’d be willing to endure as long as she got to hug her girls.
“I swear,” she said. “Ask Healer Whipple if you don’t believe me.”
“You know what? I think I will,” he said and then turned to Lincoln. “Keep an eye on her. The way the past few days have been going, I just don’t know what to expect anymore.”
Lincoln chuckled. “Don’t worry. I have plenty of experience.” He winked and then went to kiss his daughter on the cheek.
Clair reached for Hunter’s hand and squeezed it. “She looks a thousand times better than she did yesterday.”
Of course she did. Yesterday she was unconscious. But Hunter just nodded and walked out of the room, looking for the healer.
He found Healer Whipple in her office, holding a cup of coffee.
“Hunter. There you are.” She waved him in. “Have a seat. I suppose you want an update on Faith’s progress.”
He sat in the chair opposite her and leaned forward. “I just saw her. She appears to be a new woman. Says the pain in her side is gone. Is that normal?”
The healer shrugged. “There’s not much that’s ‘normal’ when it comes to magical healing. After all these years, I’ve seen just about everything there is to see. So no, not necessarily normal, but not unusual either if that makes sense.”
It didn’t, but Hunter was too tired to worry about it. “So her side really is healed? Because she just invited our six-year-olds to climb all over her, and I’m worried that will set her back.”
Healer Whipple gave him a kind smile. “Her side really is healed. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the swelling she had this morning, I’d be releasing her already.
But since the wound had an unusual reaction after surgery, I want to keep her one more night just to make sure we aren’t releasing her too soon.
If she’s still feeling good in the morning, then I’ll sign her out. Do you have any more questions?”
Hunter sat back in the chair, relief washing over him. She had said that magical healing was different for everyone. “Does she need to be on any pain meds or supplements or potions or anything?”
“Nope. The magic combined with her own healing ability appears to have done the trick. As long as she’s feeling good, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Okay. Thanks.” Hunter stood and held his hand out to her. “You’ve been a godsend. You have no idea how much I appreciate what you’ve done for my family.”
“I have an idea,” she said as she walked him to the door. “Now go spend some time with your family and stop worrying. Your wife is going to be just fine.”
Hunter nodded and went back to Faith’s room, where she was talking to a nurse, begging for a caramel frappe and a couple slices of deep dish from Mystyck Pizza.
“I’m sorry, Ms. McCormick,” the nurse said. “Healer Whipple still has you on a bland diet just to make sure you don’t get sick after not eating for a few days.”
“But my girls are here, and we want to have dinner together,” Faith said. “Right, girls?”
All three of them cheered. Zoey was in the corner of the room, watching the scene with raised eyebrows.
Hunter walked over to her. “Does it seem like Faith is acting strange to you?”
She laughed. “A little, but mostly I think she just wants out of that bed. The triplets have really cheered her up.”
He could see that. Hunter figured it was because they were just joyous and full of life.
No one was talking about the spa almost burning down or the car accident or her sudden stay in the hospital.
They were just climbing all over her, telling her all about the time they’d spent with Grandpa.
Considering she was sitting up, her legs crossed as she entertained the triplets, he couldn’t see why she couldn’t go home now.
He respected the healer’s judgment, but he also couldn’t deny that he just wanted his wife home.
When Faith got out of the bed and started a dance party with their girls, that’s when he made up his mind and went to find the healer again.