Page 150 of Bones
“Roe, you’re supposed to be in bed,” the large man scolded. “You’re gonna give yourself another bad spell.”
Trey smiled at us, but I could see him noting the boy’s condition too.
“A bad spell?” I repeated.
Sorrow flashed across Zeke’s face as he came and picked Roe up. The boy wrapped his arms around his dad’s neck, burying his face in his shoulder. “He’s been sick since before he could walk. We’ve seen many different healers, but no one can give us any real answers. Sometimes he has bad spells where he is so sick and weak that he can’t even get out of bed.”
I glanced at Trey. I almost expected to see him shaking his head, warning me not to do anything to blow our cover. Instead, I found him already looking at me, his eyes soft.
“Your choice,”he mouthed, and my heart swelled again.
I knew the risk in healing Roe, and a few months ago I might have kept my head down and continued on my way. Maybe Trey’s faith in people had rubbed off on me, but I wanted to believe if I healed his son, Zeke would keep my secret. And even if he didn’t, I couldn’t walk away without trying.
“I’m a healer,” I told Zeke. “Could I try examinin’ him?”
Zeke gave me a long look, and I held his gaze, waiting for his decision. Finally, he turned to the boy. "Roe, is it ok with you if Sara examines you?"
Roe grimaced. “There gonna be needles?”
“No,” I said, smiling. “No needles.”
“Oh! Ok then.” The boy smiled back at me.
"Can I see your hands?" I asked, and the boy put his hands in mine with a trust that made my throat ache. "Now I'll need you to be just a little bit patient, ok?"
When he nodded, I sent thin tendrils of my healing power flowing down my arms and into him. He jolted a bit as they reached him, his eyes widening.
“What—” I heard Zeke demand, but Trey murmured something and he quieted.
I kept my eyes on Roe's face, concentrating on what I could feel through my powers. The illness seemed to be everywhere, in his blood and bones and flesh. I'd never healed anything like it, but as usual, my powers knew what to do. They spread through his body as though they needed to immerse him, requiring me to funnel more and more power into him. When his pale skin began to glow faintly, I watched his face for any signs of distress. I didn't think it would hurt him, but I'd never done anything like this before, and I couldn't help but remember what Sam's body had looked like after funneling a large amount of my power. So far, he didn't seem to be experiencing any pain. His wide eyes stared into mine. Zeke hovered at my side, and I could hear Trey continuing to reassure him.
It felt strange to heal something so severe after healing people with the fever. Especially because as much as this taxed my power, it didn’t feel alien. I could tell parts of his body weren’t quite right, as though they’d mutated, but those mutations were still made from his body. As my power flooded through him, each individual mutated cell seemed to need healing. It drained me more than I’d anticipated, but I kept going.
As I finally neared the end, the color and health began to return to his face, transforming him from looking pallid and fragile to a healthy child. He'd probably always be small for his age, and he'd have to pack on some fat and muscle, but I did not doubt he would. Zeke let out a choked sound, and I spared a glance up at him to see tears flowing down the giant man's face.
“Dad?” Roe asked, looking worried.
"It's workin', son." Zeke beamed through his tears. "I think it's workin'."
As I healed the very last mutations, I knew without a doubt this disease would have killed him before summer's end. Gratitude flooded me that we'd come here, and that Zeke let me use the kitchen. When I finished and released him, I tucked my hands into my pockets to hide their trembling.
For a while, no one spoke. Zeke gently touched Roe's face where his cheeks glowed a rosy pink, studying him as though afraid what he saw wasn't real.
"Nothin' hurts anymore," Roe whispered, his expression a mix of shock and wonder. "Dad, am I better?"
Zeke folded his son in his arms, silent sobs shaking his shoulders. Trey moved next to me, slipping an arm around my ribs and pressing a kiss to my head.
“How is this possible?” Zeke managed to ask.
“Sara has an incredible gift,” Trey explained. “But we are gonna have to ask you to keep this quiet.”
“You’re on the run,” Zeke said. It wasn’t a question, but both Trey and I nodded. “What do I owe you?—”
I cut him off. “You don’t owe us anything. You showed us so much kindness, an’ I’m just glad there was somethin’ I could do to repay it.”
Zeke stayed quiet for a moment before he nodded, swiping at his wet face. “At least let me send you with some more provisions.”
When we relented, he began to move around the kitchen, gathering food and wrapping it for us to take.
