There was a stop Jackson wanted to make before meeting Hunter in his study. Pausing at the bottom of the staircase to the hospital, he looked down the long hallway and saw Colton staring through a glass window outside their mother’s room. His brother’s stance reflected the pain caused by his inability to help her recover. Only Kieran could do it—might do it according to Ian—and that decision was Jackson’s to make.Swallowing the sour taste of fear filling his mouth, he wondered if he could live with the consequences of his choice.If there was ever a case of damned if I do and damned if I don’t, this is it. Then feeling his brother’s gaze turn to him, Jackson headed towards Colton. “How’s Mom?”
“Resting comfortably but still not up. Dakota’s in with her now.”
“Is Ian around?” asked Jackson.
“In his office.”
Patting Colton on the shoulder as he walked past, Jackson asked, “Are you going to join us?”
“Nope, Ian wants me to watch Mom to see if she responds to anything.”
“Okay,” Jackson said, leaving his brother and heading into Ian’s office. Taking a seat across from his brother-in-law, he waited until Ian finished entering some notes into his computer before asking, “How’s Dakota?”
“Good. Eager to get back to the kitchen, but he’s on mandatory bed rest for another day.”
“His pup is okay, right?” asked Jackson.
“Yes…and so is Kieran’s.”
“But you’re concerned Kieran’s pup might be affected if he does another session with Mom?”
Ian mulled that over for a moment before answering. “Kieran is unique…there’s never been anyone like him before so there’s no medical history I can use as a guide for my recommendation. Yesterday, when Kieran was removing Hope’s sorrow and grief, he overdid it and his heart stopped. If Dr. Evans hadn’t started CPR, I don’t think even Logan could’ve saved him. And before you ask, I don’t know how Logan was able to. However, it’s now obvious he has the ability to remove the darkness from Kieran’s aura, but to what extent or under what circumstances, your guess is as good as mine.”
“But Kieran’s the only possibility to help Mom, right?” asked Jackson.
“Yes,” Ian replied. “Right now, your mother has given up, she wants to die. Neither Colton’s natural healing ability nor his Raphael’s Power will work since they both work on healing the body. Kieran’s works on the mind. In your mom’s case, that’s what’s broken.”
“Have you spoken to Logan about Kieran trying?” asked Jackson.
“No, not until you approve it.”
“What happens to Mom if I don’t?”
Shrugging, Ian replied, “Best case scenario, she wakes up on her own. Worst case, she progressively slips deeper into the coma at which time her organs will fail.”
“Fuck!” Jackson ran his hand through his hair. “How many sessions would Mom need?”
“Don’t know,” Ian said. “This is unchartered territory. According to Dr. Evans’ notes, Hope was breathing her last breath before Kieran appeared. Now, after just one session, her vitals are stable.”
“But it just about killed Kieran.”
“True,” Ian said, “but Logan wasn’t with him. After Fionn was rescued in Scotland, Kieran worked his magic to revive him, but in that instance, Logan was with him, holding one of his hands.”
“Why would that matter?”
“I believe Logan was giving him additional strength. If that’s the case, it would reduce the risk to Kieran and his pup if Logan does the same at any sessions with your mother,” Ian said.
Tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair, Jackson thought about the tiny door of hope Ian opened. Then he said, “Talk to Kieran and Logan. Find out if you’re right. Even if you are…and Kieran agrees to Logan helping him…I want a shorter time period for each session with several days in between for Kieran to recover and there should be close monitoring of his pup during each session. If there’s any hint of danger to the pup, the session stops immediately.”
“Agreed,” Ian replied.
“Good. Let me know what you find out after talking to them.” Jackson said. “Also, “I was hoping to see mom before I leave.”
“C’mon, Dakota should be through by now.”
~/~/~/~/~
“What are you doing, Quin?” asked Theo.
