"Grandma, didn't you come home?" Keelin was surprised. She realized that she hadn't seen her car last night after all. She fell asleep so quickly after returning to the house that she hadn't heard if Fiona had come in.
"No, Finnegan is deathly ill. This is beyond what I can handle on my own. I need you."
"Grandma. I don’t know what to do! What if I make it worse?" Keelin paced, flinging her hand out as she spoke.
"Keelin. I need you. I am failing. I can only take so much of this in myself. He's only seven. He deserves a chance at life."
Keelin realized she was letting her insecurities get in the way of saving a life.
"Okay, what do you need me to bring?" Keelin grabbed a pencil and wrote down all of the supplies that Fiona needed. She looked down at Ronan. She didn't know how long she would be gone. She popped the door open and whistled long and low. Moments later, Flynn's dog popped over the ridge. If she had the man's phone number like modern people she would just call him, she thought sarcastically. Instead, she tied a brief note to Ronan's collar and sent him up to Flynn's dog. They raced together over the ridgeline and she hoped that Ronan would be safe. Gathering her supplies, she slipped on jeans, a simple t-shirt, and the crystal necklace that Fiona had given her. The necklace was warm against her breast and seemed to hum with energy. Good, she thought. I can use any energy that will help me. She had no idea what she was about to walk into.
Keelin hopped into her ragged truck and made her way into the village, following her hastily scrawled directions. She pulled up at a small house as Cait came out of the front door, a haggard look on her face. Seeing Keelin, she glared and stomped off.
"Cait! Wait, I want to talk to you!"
"No time to talk, I have to open the pub."
Seeing as it was fairly early in the morning hours, Keelin highly doubted that Cait needed to open the pub. Word had gotten around quickly about her date with Shane. Keelin would make it a point to go visit Cait later but for now she was needed inside.
Keelin entered the cottage. The musk of sickness hit her as she walked towards the voices in the back room. She entered a small room with a single bed tucked into a corner. The furnishings were minimal, but the linens were clean, and the coverlet had been made with care. Several people huddled over a small figure on the bed. A man turned as she walked into the room and she stopped. Keelin stared into eyes shaped like hers and flinched.
Her brother looked at her and said nothing. A small woman at his side turned and gasped. "Oh, thank you so much for coming. I don't know if Fiona can hold out much longer." She grasped Keelin's hand and pulled her past her brother, who remained silent. Fiona sat on a small chair by the bed. Her face was ashen and she held crystals in her palms as she muttered under her breath. Keelin immediately worried for her.
"Fiona. Grandma, I'm here." Keelin placed her palms on Fiona's shoulders and felt her exhaustion.
Fiona nodded, never taking her eyes off of the small boy who lay in the bed. His face was almost deathly white, a sheen of sweat across his brow, and deep gray hollows ringed his eyes. His brown hair matched his father's and when he opened his eyes, they mirrored Keelin's. This was her nephew.
"Finnegan, this is your Aunt Keelin from America.She's here to help you," Fiona said as she stroked his brow. Keelin didn't know what to say and then realized they were waiting for her to speak.
"Hi, Finnegan. So nice to finally meet you. You're looking a little down; let's get you fixed up so you can get back outside. I have a new puppy for you to meet." Keelin chattered nonsense words as her brother pulled up a chair next to the bed for her. She sat down and pulled the sack of materials onto her lap. Fiona nodded and took the sack. She moved over to the table and dumped everything out and began mixing a new broth.
Keelin turned to her. "Do you need me?" She was scared to touch Finnegan. She wasn't sure what she was dealing with yet.
"Yes. First, hold his hand and read him." Fiona asked for boiling water and poured a mixture of herbs into the bowl. Keelin leaned over Finnegan and reached for his hand. His small hand was cold in hers, and she was immediately pulled under by sensations. She could feel a deep pain, and sensed a dark residue of sorts that was attacking his nervous system. She heard Fiona tell her to pay attention to the toxin but not to remove it. Keelin forced herself to feel where the toxin was and to examine the properties of it. She tried to envision what it looked like, down to the molecular structure.
"Keelin, come here." Fiona beckoned with the small bowl.
Keelin walked over to the table and looked at the mixture Fiona had made. Fiona handed it to her.
"Smell it, taste it, and then add what is needed." Keelin almost dropped the bowl.
"I don't know what I am doing," she whispered to Fiona, standing close to her.
Fiona looked up at her. She put her hand on Keelin's necklace. Heat shot through her breast.
"Yes, you do."
Remembering Fiona's lessons on trusting her intuition and that mixing potions and healing treatments would come from within, Keelin took a deep breath and brought the image of the toxin into her head. She looked at it from all angles, felt it, and took a small sip of the healing broth her grandmother had made. Instinctively she moved towards the moss they had harvested from Grace's Cove. She added a generous portion and found herself reaching for the seaweed. She shredded fine pieces and added some finely ground silver to the mix. Thinking about taste, she asked for honey and lemon to complete the broth. Fiona nodded at her weakly.
"Go ahead, give it to him. And then use your hands. Remember what I said about directing the pain. You mustn't take it within," Fiona cautioned.
Keelin nodded. She remembered but didn't know if she knew how to do it. She just had to trust herself. She sat by Finnegan's bed and made herself comfortable, careful not to spill any of the broth from the bowl. Her hands shook as she lifted the bowl towards his small face.
"Finnegan, I have some medicine for you. If you drink this, I promise I'll bring my puppy to see you. Would you like that?" Keelin spoke softly to the sick boy.
Finnegan nodded weakly, his brown eyes huge in his face.
"Am I going to die?" he croaked out between dry lips.
