“How long?” Luna asks.
“Oh dear, I shouldn’t have said anything.” Mrs. Davis bites the edge of her lip.
“But you did, so how long?” Luan pushes.
“I don’t know. You’ll need to check with her doctor for that information. My guess?” Jeanna’s mom shakes her head. “A couple days to a week.” She straightens, peers down the hall. “I have to get back to work. Will you girls be alright?”
“Thank you, Mrs. Davis. We’ll be fine,” I say. “My sister and her fiancé are here with us.”
“Okay good. Let me know if you need anything.” She moves down the hall toward the nurse’s station and doesn’t look back.
Luna stares after Mrs. Davis’s departure. “She was helpful, I guess.” Luna sounds as if her thoughts are miles and miles away.
“Come on.” I drag her back into the waiting room. Miri and Phillip are sitting against the back wall. At the sight of us, Miri jumps to her feet.
“There you are.” She motions us to a couple of empty chairs at their side. “I was wondering where you’d wandered off to.”
“Jeanna’s mom is working today. She let me use a phone to call our friends.” Luna and I settle into the two awaiting chairs.
“They needed to be called now?” Miri asks, dropping back into her seat.
“Well. Yes. I think coven support is terribly important at a time like this,” I reply.
Miri’s eyes widen and her face flushes. She stares at me, an expression full of message. I cover my mouth. I said coven in front of Phillip. The guy saved for any magickal knowledge. I mouth the word sorry and turn to Luna.
“What was that about?” she whispers at my ear.
“Phillip doesn’t know we are witches or that magick is real.” My voice is so soft I almost don’t hear myself speak the words.
“I managed to dig you up a couple of apple juices.”
I spin and pin my gaze on Phillip. He leans forward, reaches across Miri’s lap with the two drinks.
“Thanks!” I accept the bottles and hand one to Luna.
“I also managed to get you girls a blanket,” he says. “I thought you might want the comfort.” He collects the fold of material from his side and hands that to me, as well.
“Double thanks.”
Unfolding the square of promised warmth, Luna and I curl beneath it and use it as a shield against the world… as well as a hide from any roaming bokor’s men.
Minutes pass with the speed of a crippled chameleon, camouflaging themselves as frozen moments in time. I wish to unstick this torturous process and get moving on taking a healthy Mrs. Flores home.
Miri and Phillip cuddle, as best as one can cuddle in an emergency waiting area. They talk about wedding and honeymoon plans, the guys at the station house, and their plans for the bachelor party.
I’m in charge of Miri’s bachelorette party, and she has requested I keep it simple. She wants to gather a small group… the women of our family, but I may choose to include my coven… for pizza, cold drinks, movies, and mani-pedis. Kind of boring, but it’s her gig.
Luna and I don’t talk near as much as Miri and Phillip. We merely lean into one another, our hands weaved together as if merging into one, and rest our eyes. Try to sleep the long wait away.
“Ms. Flores?”
Luna and I jerk upright. Standing before us is a doctor, dressed in white, complete with stethoscope wrapped around his neck. I glance at my watch. Where did the time go? Over three hours have passed. Where the heck are James and Jeanna?
“Yes. That’s me.” Luna shoves the blanket aside and stands. Gathering the wadded fabric into a ball, I am slow to follow. Miri and Phillip also stand and listen in.
“Your mother is being moved to a private room. She is very ill.” Compassion stretches across his features. “The tests suggest she not only has a hardy infection but her hemoglobin is on the low side which means her body isn’t getting enough oxygen. She is going to need a blood transfusion to get her hemoglobin count up and fight the infection. The transfusion is a bit of a slow process so we’ll keep her here for a few days to monitor her progress. This includes a few days after the transfusion for observation. We want to ensure her body begins to heal and doesn’t reject any part of the process.”
James and Jeanna appear behind the doctor. They wait with hands clasped at their front, and their mouths pressed shut.
“An infection?” Luna’s face falls. “It came on so fast.”
“The body is a mysterious temple. Sometimes it chooses to give us little to no warning before crashing down.” He shifts and motions to the check-in desk and beyond. “You are welcome to visit your mother now. Walk with her to her assigned room. One of the nurses will show you the way.”
“Thank you,” our group says in unison.
“Here is my card, should you have any questions.” The doctor hands Luna his business card. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have other patients to whom I must attend.” He walks away.
“Who talks that way?” James says, stepping forward. “‘The body is a mysterious temple.’” His tone is mocking. “Hey girl.” He throws his arms around Luna. “I am so sorry for all that you have been and are going through.”
“Me too.” Jeanna throws her hug on top of James’s, squishing the three of them into a mass.
“Thank you. I appreciate you both coming all the way down here.”
James and Jeanna pull back. Hold Luna’s hands.
“Of course! That’s what cov…” I halt James’s words with a sharp head shake. “friends are for,” he finishes, and gives me a wild, wide-eyed stare.
A swift head nod toward Phillip silences James’s unspoken questions.
“Luna Flores.” We all turn toward the call of Luna’s name. A nurse stands in front of the doors to the exam areas. “Are you coming? Or would you like to meet your mom in her room
