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@emberynus-the-dragonslayer @urwen-starial @kari-karast Great posts! I love Logan!!

@naiya-dyani Here is Megyn’s next part.

@kayla-skywriter @esmeralda-gramilton @mayacat @trallion

“Thank you so much for coming.” Joey pushed the door to the hall open and held it open for her. “Grandma, I’m going to say ‘good-bye’ to Miss Megyn.”

The old lady sitting by the cot in the corner nodded her head. She made no other reply but sat still, holding the hand of the small form lying there.

“Goodnight, Hilda.” Megyn called softly to her as she stepped out into the hall.  “I promise I’ll come back tomorrow evening.”

“I’m glad I came,” she continued to Joey as he shut the creaking door behind them.

He nodded. “I’m sorry I cam and woke you up in the middle of the night.” He swallowed and lifted his face to hers. “Is Caleb going to be okay?” He asked anxiously, his gray-green eyes gazing earnestly at her.

Megyn swallowed as she returned his gaze. What do I say? She wondered It’s so hard to tell for sure. Caleb’s always been sickly but usually nothing very serious. But now the frequent colds have led to pneumonia. And for a four-year-old to be so sick, with this bitter cold, no proper nourishment and with so little medicine to give him. . .

“I’ll do what I can for him.” she replied, her voice low.

For a moment she Joey stood still, facing her. Not a muscle moved in this slender frame moved. The only shift in his appearance was in his eyes. Their expression faded from an anxious hoping to a quiet, almost grim know.

But he nodded and said quietly, “I understand.” Stepping forward, he led her down the hall, shoulders bent down.

Megyn glanced at him as he led her down the hall. His cheeks were still crimson from his race through the freezing night. Frostbitten for sure. Brave Joey. she thought I just hope you don’t come down with pneumonia too.

At that moment, two crystal drops splashed from his eyes and sparkled on his scarlet cheek. Swinging his face away from her, he swiped the back of his wind-chapped hand across this eyes.

Megyn wrapped an arm around his shoulder and squeezed him.

He raised his face and gazed up at her. For a moment his dimpled chin quivered. The next he bit down on his lip until it stopped.

As they rounded the corner, he said simply, in a voice that trembled at little “Here’s the door,” and swung open the door to the street.

A gust of icy wind rushed in and swept through his chocolate brown curls. With a shiver, he pressed himself against the wall and murmured, “Good night, Miss Megyn. I’ll try to pay you when I can.”

Megyn shook her head a she stepped into the flow of wind and blocked it. “You don’t have to do that, Joey.” She replied, turning to him.

“Yes, I must.” He replied, speaking so seriously for a nine-year-old. “Grandma wouldn’t like it if we didn’t. And she works too hard already. She’s too old to work.”

Joey . . .Megyn leaned over and hugged him to her, with a heart too full for words.

Wrapping his arms around her neck, he whispered fiercely into her ear. “Just let me, just this once.”
For a moment, she stood silent, thinking. I can’t charge him in money for this. He’s even less likely than his grandmother to work enough money to pay for this. But he wants to make this right.  

Finally, she whispered back, “Okay, there’s a way you can pay me, if you really want to.”

“How?”

“Every day at the hospital we need fresh water brought in. Since snow is plentiful, we bring that in and boil it for use. If you bring in snow for us the next couple of days, it will be payment enough. Is that okay with you?”

He nodded his head against her shoulder. “I’ll do it every day until-“he swallowed hard, almost choking on the words -“until you don’t have to come and take care of Caleb anymore.”

Megyn squeezed him tighter, her heart aching. She could feel the struggle within him, the sobs trying to force their way out. He wants to cry but wants to be brave.

She pressed her face into his curls and  shut her eyes. She knew too well what that felt like.

“I love you, Joey.” Megyn whispered, her voice soft and broken with heartache.

He twisted his face and pressed it into her neck. “I love you too, Miss Megyn.” he choked out.

She rubbed down his back a moment, then straightened up.

He unclasped his arms from around her neck and swiped at his eyes. But he couldn’t dry the wet sparkle in his eyes.

“Goodnight, Joey. I will be here tomorrow.”

He nodded. “Good night, Miss Megyn.” He swallowed. “Be careful.”

“I will.”

With a parting smile, Megyn stepped out into the night and walked a block down the street, then turned and looked back.

Joey’s silhouette stood in the doorway, watching her leave. He doesn’t want me to leave. He knows. A pain shot through her heart at the thought.

Raising her hand, she waved at him and watched as he waved back at her. Finally, he stepped back into the house and shut the door with a soft thud.

With a sigh, she turned and walked away down the street. Her every breath hung about her head like a ghostly white veil while coal-black shadows lingered about her feet. Her footsteps sounded with hushed rustle in the litter of the street. The wind whispered in hear ears and howled around the spire of the clock tower. But her thoughts turned away from her surroundings, ignoring any ‘poetic beauty’ that they might have had, and rested on Hilda, Caleb and Joey. Father, you know they live in such poverty . . .

A few moments later, her own voice roused her from her reverie. “Be a Father to them. They need You.”

Shivering, she shifted her backpack to her other shoulder and turned into another street.

The next moment, she was face to face with someone (Kedori) coming from the opposite direction. With a nimble jump, she side-stepped in an attempt to avoid a collision.

Her foot snagged on something in the dark. Her body jerked downward and she fell to her knees.

 

Well, that’s that. I hope that’s okay. She’s not hurt, only a little bruised. And she has her backpack with her, so when they see Kiet being taken prisoner and follow him, she’ll have some things to care for him with. Hope this is okay!!!

BTW, Joey and his grandmother are free for anyone to use. I don’t know about Caleb, since I don’t know what to do with him. . .