Fuck, fuck, fuck!
“Faye!” I catch up with one of the nurses, breathless, while trying to will down my panic. “What happened?”
“Marina collapsed,” she hurriedly explains. “We‘ve already informed the doctor. He will be here in a minute.”
“No,” I mutter. It can’t be true! Not that fast. Only today, I visited her with Felix to make sure she had some peaceful dreams.
But it is true.
Once I reach her room, I can see the nurses buzzing around, and Faye… Faye is standing right next to Marina. She isn’t crying or screaming anymore; instead, has her eyes wide open, like she is frozen in fear. She must know something bad is happening, even if she might not understand it fully. I knew it when Dad passed. An instinct I had, probably enhanced by my shifter side.
“Baby,” I whisper, hurrying towards her and pulling her into my arms. I try to carry her outside, but she is firmly rooted to her place, struggling against me, until I give up and just hug her.
Soon, more voices fill the room. The doctor arrives and immediately goes to check on Marina. All the while, I hold Faye against my chest, not wanting her to see anything.
“Luna,” one of the nurses calls out.
Flora’s presence fills the room as only a luna’s presence can. It’s instantly grounding and calming. She puts a hand on my shoulder and squeezes it gently before joining the doctor at Marina’s side. Outside, I hear more voices. Elden and Aurelia are here, and there are two more voices I can’t quite tell apart. Suddenly, I can feel and smell Felix.
He kneels down next to Faye and me, pulling both of us into his arms.
Logically, I know that Marina has left me long ago, that her soul had left her. I knew the moment I saw her at the pack borders, but I wasn’t able to accept the truth. I thought as long as she was breathing and walking, maybe, just maybe, I could save her.
I ignored this dooming feeling all the way through our stay in that small, coastal town until we arrived here, and Marina’s health deteriorated more and more.
Felix’s words come to my mind again, about how maybe the tiny part of her that was still with us tried to hold out until she knew Faye was safe.
A shiver goes through Faye’s body, reminding me that she is still in the room, and despite being unable to see anything, she certainly feels the distress and the horror. “Faye, sweety, how about we go outside? It’s crowded here.”
Faye stiffens again.
What are we going to do?Felix asks.She can’t stay here. I am fully with the others when they say she needs to have a chance to spend the last days with her mom and to say goodbye properly. But I am sure that this is doing more harm than good.
I know. But I am scared she will have a full-blown breakdown if I carry her outside.
“Maybe Mom can help,” Felix mutters.
My gaze wanders to Flora, and my heart clenches when I see how she is holding Marina’s hand. The nurses have stopped moving, while the doctor is muttering something to them.
“Maybe I can help instead?”
My eyes snap up to see Marius. He must be one of the other voices I heard outside, but couldn’t match to a person. Seems he was still around due to his meeting with Elden and Aurelia.
When I nod, Marius kneels down next to us, gently stroking Faye’s head. “Hey, little butterfly,” he coos, then gently pries her arms off me, taking her hand into his. “You want to see your mommy, don’t you? But it’s scary, huh?”
She nods.
“Then, how about I go with you to see your mom. Let her hear your goodbye.”
My mouth drops open when Faye just nods. “Yes,” she mutters.
How the fuck did he just do that? I know Marius’ gift, so I also know he didn’t use anything to lure Faye away. He just openly told her she can say goodbye to her mom. It strikes me suddenly that he is treating her like a person, he is talking to her as an adult, and letting her make the decision.
Picking Faye up, he walks over to Marina’s bed. She looks peaceful now, almost like she is asleep. Faye sucks on her thumb while Marius rocks her gently. He kneels down again, letting Faye reach out her hand and touch Marina’s face. “Goodbye, Mommie.”
I had been holding it together pretty well. It helped that I went through so much shit in my life that barely anything can catch me off-guard, but Faye’s silently whispered words suddenly make tears shoot into my eyes. Felix takes my hand and helps me up.
“Look who is here,” Marius says, turning over to have Faye look at the door. Celine is standing there, not doing or saying anything, simply watching. Initially, Faye looks surprised, then she reaches out her arms for Celine to take her into her arms. With that, they manage to get her to leave the room.
