CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Claudia~
Ryan was almost catatonic by the time she drove into her yard. She had called her mother on the way, only to find that Robin had already done so. Not that Mom thought that there was much she could do for him, except airlift him to the hospital in Portland.
She and Mom helped Ryan into the house and onto the new couch. His face was greasy with sweat and his amber eyes unfocused.
“What did you say was the matter with him?” Mom cut off his coat and shirt and applied a blood pressure cuff.
“He was bitten by a cobra shifter. He received antivenin – ordinary antivenin – but he is suffering from intermittent fever and his wound won’t heal.”
“How long ago?”
“Six weeks.”
“Hmm.” Mom poked her digital thermometer into his ear. “107 Fahrenheit. He’s in convulsion range. I can give him antibiotics, but I think he needs a hospital.”
“He’s been on antibiotics. I think he has some in his bag. Let me look.”
She brought back the bottle. Mom scrutinized the label. “If he’s under the care of Dr. Salinas, he’s already seeing the doctor I would refer him to. Salinas is a shifter himself. And if these antibiotics haven’t done the job, Ryan needs to be upgraded to intravenous ones.”
“Can’t you tweak his aura and bring him out of this?” Claudia asked. “I think he’s already had several different treatments.”
Virginia’s eyebrows fought with her hairline. “His aura is very unstable, honey. Messing with it could be dangerous.”
Although they had been conversing in low voices, Jimmy appeared, rubbing his eyes. “Is Daddy hot ‘gain?” he mumbled sleepily.
“Yes. You need to go back to bed now and let Grammy make him better,” Claudia said severely.
Jimmy darted around the couch and threw himself at Ryan. His little hands gripped Ryan’s cheeks and pressed so hard, the cougar’s mouth gaped like a fish’s. Jimmy squeezed his little eyes shut and his whole body stiffened. “Help me, Grammy,” he sobbed.
What on earth did Jimmy think he was doing? But Mom was leaning forward and placing both her hands over Jimmy’s.
“Not like that, Grammy,” pleaded Jimmy.
Virginia’s eyebrows shot up again but she too concentrated fiercely. After a while she removed her hands from Jimmy’s and took one of Ryan’s between her palms. Claudia was desperate to know what they were doing, but dared not interrupt.
“No, Grammy,” Jimmy sobbed.
Virginia replaced her hands over her grandson’s. “Claudia, cut off his pants. I want to see that wound.”
Claudia found scissors and cut Ryan’s slacks above his knee. Virginia used one hand to remove the gauze bandage revealing two black and oozing pits. There were two more on the other side. Jimmy stared for a moment and then pushed his Grammy out of the way and covered the open wounds on top with both his small hands. Virginia placed her hands on the ones underneath.
“Claudia, we need you too,” Mom said calmly. “You need to unbind this.”
She was no healer. But then she had not supposed Jimmy was either. She placed her hands over theirs. Jimmy’s taut body relaxed a trifle. The vicious evil of the snake that had bitten Ryan passed through the backs of their hands into hers in erratic waves. Her stomach lurched.
“It’s too much for Jimmy,” she protested.
Mom ignored her comment. “Ryan’s pulse is weak and irregular,” she said wearily. “Look for the low points and work from there.”
Claudia closed her eyes to concentrate better. Every fiber of her being wanted to haul Jimmy away from the nauseating waves of poison pulsing at them. It was not precisely a spell Ryan was under, but she found that she could tweak the structure of the poison much as she would tweak an enchantment when unbinding it.
Jimmy fell asleep doubled over Ryan’s thigh. Virginia shook her head when Claudia would have moved him. “I think he’s still adjusting his dad’s aura in his sleep.” Her mother’s voice was awed. “Don’t you stop. We need to clear the toxin from his system, and get his vitals stabilized.”
“I’m no healer,” Claudia protested. She was muzzy and shaking from the unceasing effort to hold a focus.
“You’re doing fine,” Virginia assured her. “His aura no longer has flat patches, and the cloudy areas are becoming translucent again.”
Ryan’s temperature had now dropped and his skin was returning to a healthier color. The flood of poison in Ryan’s bloodstream had dwindled to a trickle, but the malice and vindictiveness of the cobra shifter was still surprisingly strong. Claudia was tiring but she kept probing and dampening the currents.
“What are you guys doing?” Ryan tried to sit up.
“Cleaning out the poison in your bloodstream,” snapped Virginia. “Don’t move.”
He subsided back against the cushions. “Good to know. What’s the cu-kid doing napping on my bad leg?”
“Adjusting your aura. Now shut up and let us work.” Virginia closed her eyes and focused.
Now that he was awake and aware, Claudia could feel a renewed surge from Ryan’s immune system. What if she amplified that as if she were binding a spell? Couldn’t hurt to tune up his natural defenses. She zeroed in on the lymph nodes and began minute adjustments. Her exhaustion vanished as the thrill of exercising her talent revitalized her body.
Gradually she became aware that Ryan’s hand was stroking her hair, giving her some of his physical strength to reinforce her psychic stamina. It was an intimate connection that seemed to include her mom and son. She could not waste energy reveling in it however. Not while she still had work to do.
It was Mom who called a halt. “Let’s stop and let Ryan take over. It’s time this little guy went back to bed,” Virginia said.
Claudia’s back and neck announced that they were painfully stiff. She rose to her feet and stretched, immediately missing the comfort of Ryan’s hand.
“What did you do?” Ryan bent his knee and stretched out his right leg. Looked astonished. Did it again. And yet again.
Virginia had her arms full of sleeping child. “We neutralized the cobra venom,” she whispered. “Jimmy is going to be one strong healer.” She kissed his sweaty little head.
Ryan stood, testing out his leg. He put an arm around Claudia. “I felt you,” he said softly. “What were you up to, wife?”
“I’m not sure. I never did anything like that before. It was as if I unbound the venom’s potency. We’ll have to ask Mom.”
“Ask me what?” Virginia came back into the room.
“What the heck I did tonight.”
“Beats me.” Mom yawned. “I’m going to send you kids to bed. I’ll sleep on the couch. I’m in no condition to drive home.”
Ryan smiled broadly. “Thank you, ma’am,” he said gravely. “I think you saved my life tonight.” He tugged Claudia toward the bedroom.