Chapter 36

Kelly was reaching her limits. She had worked nearly an hour on healing Ben’s body as best she could. She asked his broken ribs to mend together so she could seal the punctures to his lungs and ease the pressure on his heart. Nearly all of his internal organs had one kind of damage or another but she had been able to stabilize them at least. She had even managed to restore some of the blood he had lost by moving it from where it had pooled internally. But she still couldn’t find the barely flickering spark of life that was his life’s core. She knew she had to get to that or he would be lost to her forever.

She was wracked with despair. She just wasn’t strong enough to do this! Somehow her sisters could sense what she was feeling.

“Kelly, sister, you don’t need to do this on your own. Use us! Use all of the people gathered here who care about Ben. I know you can do this!” said Mei.

“Yes, Kelly! I know you can feel it, use it!” said Maria.

“Whatever you need from us take it sis!” said Lizzy

“Send him all of our love and use it to bring him back Kel, you got this!” added Sarah.

“Anything you can feel from us, use it with our blessings Kelly,” said Queen Rhiannon.

Kelly knew that Mei was right. Somehow her quiet sister saw what she had missed. She could feel every prayer, every feeling about Ben in those around her. If she could feel it maybe she could use it? She gathered what she was sensing to form a mental picture of golden threads. Slowly, then with gathering speed she focused them into a matrix, blending and merging them together into a single strand of light, She then thrust that light in front of her into Ben’s mind probing like a lost man in a cave, searching for the faintly glowing ember of him that remained.

Kelly had no idea of time passing, but it seemed like hours had flowed and still she could find nothing! She knew she had little time left before he was gone forever when suddenly a yellow green strobing firefly of light appeared in the darkness.

“This way!” Kelly heard in her mind

Kelly knew this wasn’t Ben. Somehow she knew this ‘firefly’ was very feminine. With no other options available, she followed the light until it led to a glowing orb in the darkness. The orb expanded and abruptly Kelly was inside a beautiful forest glen. She could feel her mind presence hovering just over the forest floor.

And there was Ben! He was sitting with his eyes closed on a bench holding hands with a gorgeous woman with flaming hair that could easily be her sister! For an instant Kelly flared red herself. ‘What was this tramp doing with Ben!’ she thought.

“It’s alright Kelly, I know he belongs to you and your sisters. I couldn’t take him from you, even if I wished it so. He loves you in a way few mortals or gods ever get to experience. If you ever decide to lend him out though, I hope you’ll keep me in mind,” she said with a twinkling smile.

“Uh, what? Who are you and why can’t Ben talk to me? “ asked Kelly flabbergasted.

“You can call me Dana, you know my children the Tuatha. You call them the ‘Fae’. I was asked by them and by Ben’s mother Selu to help, so here I am. It’s complicated but I’ve sent a small part of Ben to the clearing so he can see you all, but I can hold this only for a few more moments,” said Dana.

“Can’t you just send him back to us?” asked Kelly.

“No, I’m sorry dear. I’m not allowed to make that choice for him. What I’ve done is given him a brief respite so that he can make a clear-headed choice in the path he will take. Know that if he chooses to make his way back to you he will have to fight unimaginable pain and weariness instead of experiencing peace and taking a well-deserved rest.

“I don’t want him in pain Dana! But what will we all do if he leaves us? What will his children do? And we still have a mission to fulfill,” Kelly sobbed.

“The choice must be his Kelly, but you need to tell him what he needs to know to fight! I promise that I will show him the thread you created so that he can follow it back to you if that’s the path he chooses.

“I ... I don’t think I will be able to go on without him!” said Kelly sobbing.

Dana smiled enigmatically but with great empathy at the hurting Kelly.

“Dear, I’m really not allowed to say all that I see in him. But I can ask you a question. Look in your heart. How does Ben truly feel about you and your sisters? Do you not think that he would move mountains and fight with every molecule of his being to be with you no matter the cost?” said Dana.

Kelly was heartened at that.

“Yes, yes he would. Of course, he would! Thank you, goddess,” Kelly said humbly.

‘Now fly back so you and your sisters can show Ben what his future could be!”

Ben awoke in the Holy place near the Fae’s encampment. He was above his body and he could see his women around him, touching him, whispering to him. Kelly was wrapped around his left side, Mei his right. As he watched, a golden glow enveloped Kelly’s hips followed by a pale blue one around Mei’s. They each grabbed his unconscious hand and placed it over their wombs. As his body’s hand touched them, he could feel the new life within! His children. He was going to be a dad!

For the briefest of instants, he could also hear Kelly and Mei.

“Come back to us Ben, we need you. Your children need their father. I and my sisters need your love to continue,” said Kelly as tears streaked her face.

“We’ve only just started our life together Ben. I feel our child growing inside, we need you!” sobbed Mei with quiet passion.

Ben knew then what he had to do. With that decision, he was back on the bench in the clearing beside the sensuous Mother of the Fae.

“Just so you know, If you choose the second path you will return to the pain and fatigue and you will have to fight like never before to make it, but now, at least, you will remember who you are and what you fight for,” said Dana.