LOST AND FOUND - PART 2

AFTER BIRTH

CHAPTER 17

Nearly two months ago Adam and his family had returned to San Francisco. In the subsequent weeks their house had been emptied of the family's possessions, which were then sent to Virginia City by train.

Both Adam and Thea spent their time getting ready for the move and going over plans for transforming the mansion into an orphanage school. Thea interviewed many people at the house, making her choices for teachers and caregivers who would live in the house with the children. Adam worked with a local bank, choosing a trustee who would supervise the funds and the everyday business involved. They planned to visit San Francisco every four months to inspect the school and go over the finances.

Adam turned management of the hotel over to Wes and Dulcy, and the club to Charlie, so he worked out of his office at home. Marie was given two months off with pay and she was taking advantage of it to visit family back east. After the family was settled in Virginia City she would return to work for Adam and she would live with them for a while. The plans after that were still up in the air.

The time flew by quickly and on a hot and muggy Friday in the second week of October the family finally boarded the private car and left the city that was no longer their home.

Ben, Hoss, and Joe were waiting impatiently for the train to arrive, and when it finally rolled to a stop, Adam bounded down the steps of the car. He quickly and enthusiastically greeted his father and brothers, but when he stepped back, his expression became very serious. "I only have a few minutes before Thea comes out and I have to warn you of something. Be prepared, she is huge."

His father immediately understood, but his brothers looked at him blankly for a few moments before understanding.

"Just remember that she is only five-foot-two and is carrying three babies. She is uncomfortable, miserable, and has a quick temper." Adam glanced back at the car, but Thea had not come through the door yet.

"Now I'm asking you to please be careful, and for God's sake, don't look anywhere except at her face." He glanced at Joe and was irritated see him smiling in amusement.

"Dammit Joe, I'm serious. If I hear even the tiniest bit of laughter from you I swear I will punch you right in the mouth." Joe's smile disappeared and he cleared his throat before saying, "Sorry."

The door at the end of the car opened and Adam hurried back. The twins scampered down first, followed by the ever-present dog, and ran to their grandfather first, then threw themselves at their uncles. Alexander was trying to climb Hoss, while Annalise hung from Joe's arm to make him bend over so she could kiss him on the cheek.

The three men were so focused on the children that they didn't see a painfully pregnant Thea slowly come down the steps. Adam lifted her down from the last one and set her on her feet, but didn't let go at first. He paused to look down into her pale face, noting the black circles under her eyes and how sharp her cheekbones had become. The unusual hot and humid October weather coupled with the pressure of carrying three babies made it almost impossible for her to eat. Or even to breathe sometimes.

Ben turned away from watching his grandchildren assault two of his sons and looked at Thea; she looked back at him and saw sympathy and understanding in his eyes as he moved toward her with his arms out. She met him partway and he wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back with one hand, remembering.

Thea sighed and Ben leaned back to cup her face with both hands. "You poor child," he said, "you must be in absolute misery."

She nodded, "Miserable doesn't even begin to describe it," she said and leaned against him again. This time he rubbed her back with both hands and smiled at his son with sympathy that was meant for him. Adam breathed a sigh of relief, thankful for his father's wisdom.

Hoss and Joe came up to them then, each carrying a child and bent to kiss Thea on the cheek as she continued to rest her head sideways on Ben's chest, her eyes closed. She was enjoying Ben rubbing her back so much she almost nodded off because she was having trouble sleeping, too.

Her husband came to put a hand on the back of her head. "I think we should get you home as soon as possible, before the worst of the heat starts today."

She reluctantly stepped back from Ben and turned to her husband, taking the arm he was offering her. They slowly walked to the buggy, while Joe and Hoss loaded the few bags in the wagon, the last of their possessions from San Francisco. Everything else they owned was already there.

Adam lifted her up into the buggy and turned to look at his father.

"Pa, would you three mind taking the twins to the house with you? I want to take our time driving there and those two just won't have the patience for that."

His father just nodded and turned away with the twins in his arms and walked back to the wagon. He handed both children up to his sons on the wagon seat; Joe took Alexander into his lap while Hoss took Annalise into his. Balor jumped into the back as Ben climbed up, took the lines, and then waved as he drove the wagon away.

Adam climbed up into the buggy and took Thea's hand and gave it a squeeze before letting go and taking up the reins. He started the buggy, but kept the horse to a walk - the train ride had been hard enough on his wife and he wanted her to have a chance to relax.

Once they moved out of town Thea seemed to perk up a bit, but he could see she kept stretching her back and would occasionally try to rub it herself. Halfway to the ranch he stopped next to the lake and under a grouping of trees. He took a basket from the buggy and spread a blanket out in the shade, then came to lift Thea down.

He helped her sit on the blanket then sat down cross-legged behind her and began to massage her back with long, firm strokes. In a few minutes he could tell she was finally relaxing and in a half-an-hour she was about to fall asleep. He helped her lay down on her back and took a small pillow from the basket for under her head, and a larger pillow to place under the small of her back. She sighed and immediately fell asleep.

Adam propped his elbows on his knees and dropped his chin into his hands and sighed himself. He wished he could do more for her and stared out at the lake and tried to think of something.

Of course, the answer was right in front of him.

Their family life for the rest of October settled into a comfortable rhythm. Adam would be up and out early every day and went to town to work with his four deputies then check on the construction of the regional office. And every day he would drop in at the cream colored house, which was almost ready.

He usually was back home around two o'clock and they would all pile into the buggy and drive down to the lake so Thea and the children could go swimming. The first time he had suggested it, Thea had looked at him like he had gone out of his mind. But the second she was in the cool water and felt a lessening of the pressure on her body she had smiled blissfully and called out, "I love you!" to her husband.

Adam had just laughed at her. He would be sitting in the shade and watching over his family while he practiced on his guitar, having not played one since he had left. It took a while, but the memories came back, and soon he was playing even better than he had before.

The twins usually tired quickly and went to their father. When he had them dressed in dry clothes they would stretch out on a blanket next to him and nap until it was time to go home.

The strangely warm and muggy weather that October continued until the last week. The daytime temperatures became tolerable and the nights became colder, putting an end to the swimming, but Thea was more comfortable now and didn't look like she was about to drop over at any minute.

So she finally talked her husband into taking her with him when he went into town on Halloween, to fulfill a promise he had made to his four friends.

Adam stopped the wagon in front of the office Thea and Matt now shared, got down, and came around to lift her down. He looked closely at his wife and was relieved to see she had more color in her face since the weather had turned cooler. The lack of heat and humidity had helped ease her discomfort a few weeks away from birth. She smiled up at him when he set her on her feet and took his arm. They entered the office and Thea sat down behind her desk while Adam lit the lamps since the sun was starting to go down.

"Now, you promised me you wouldn't do anything but sit there and go through your journals. Can I trust you?"

"I swear."

"I don't care if a dozen people show up here with major injuries, I don't want you doing ANYTHING," he insisted.

She laughed, "I swear, cross my heart and hope to die."

He came over and leaned down to kiss her on top of her head, "I'll take your word for it, even though I should know better."

"You promised the boys you would help set up for their Halloween dance and play the piano. They'll be so disappointed if you don't."

"At the most they are going to get three hours out of me, then I'm taking you home and putting you to bed. I'm not very happy with taking you home in the dark either. I wish you had stayed there."

"I know, but I needed to get out for a bit, I'll be fine."

He went to the door and paused to look back. "Are you sure?"

Nodding, she said, "Go! But at least try to have a little fun."

He left then, after giving her another worried look and she watched as he crossed the street and paused at the front door of the Sage Brush, looking at her through the front window of the office. She waved and could see him shake his head as he went inside.

Sighing in relief she ignored the journals on the desk and stood to cross the room slowly and settle herself into an old, battered, and very comfortable overstuffed chair. Finally she had a little time to herself. Things had been bad enough when she was close to having the twins, but now she had five men watching her like hawks, never leaving her alone for a minute.

She tried to stretch a little, but a cramp in her lower back caused her to gasp, so she let her head fall against the high back of the chair and she relaxed as much as she could. The setting sun was casting long shadows on the street and she gazed out the window at the saloon. Her eyes closed, and she fell into a light sleep.

When she opened her eyes an hour later she saw Joe come out of the Sage Brush and stand there in his shirt sleeves. Even in the dim light from the lamps on either side of the door she could see his breath in the cold air. He reached up with his handkerchief and wiped his face. She smiled, thinking he was so warm from joining in the dancing with his usual enthusiasm for anything he considered fun, and wished she could too as Joe went back in.

She smiled as she continued to watch the saloon, seeing the bright light through the frosted windows and the dim shadows of people whirling around. When she saw Joe come out again she almost laughed, but saw him roll his left shoulder and jerk a little when he tried to take a deep breath. She sat up and stared at him intently as he wiped his face and tried to stretch out his left side but jerked again.

He went back into the saloon and Thea thought about what she had seen for a minute, her face creased with worry. She stood up, grabbed her shawl, went out, and slowly crossed the street.

When she reached the Sage Brush she was a little surprised that she felt breathless and another twinge in her lower back caused her to clench her teeth as she opened the door a crack and peeked in. Just as she had been afraid she would see, Joe was not dancing - he was leaning on the end of the bar. She looked around but didn't see Adam, so she slipped in and made her way over to her young brother-in-law.

Joe straightened up and smiled down at her. "What are you doing here? Adam will be annoyed with you," he laughed lightly.

She ignored what he was saying and reached up to feel his forehead. To her touch he felt like he was burning up. Joe jerked his head away and grimaced with the pain that movement caused him.

"How long have you had this fever?" she asked her eyes intent on his flushed face.

"I don't have a fever, it's just very warm in here."

"Stop it, Joe. Now give me a straight answer, how long have you had this fever?"

"Only a couple of days. I'll be able to shake it off soon."

She grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "HOW LONG!"

"A week, alright, a week! You're making a scene," he said as more and more people stopped what they were doing and stared.

Thea let go of his shirtfront. "Where is the pain?"

"I don't have any pain, just a little twinge in my stomach, that's all."

She let out an angry breath, "Where?"

"Thea, I'm fine. You shouldn't get yourself all upset like this," he said then was astonished when she reached up and slapped him in the face.

"Don't make me hit you again. WHERE IS THE PAIN?" her shout almost echoed in the now completely quiet room.

Adam came out from the back room with Larry. "Thea?" he said, wondering what was going on. She ignored him and put one hand on Joe's back and pressed in with the other just below his ribs on the left side. Joe gasped and went pale. When she saw his reaction, her face tightened and she closed her eyes for a moment. "Does your left shoulder hurt?" she demanded.

Joe paused, but must have decided to just be truthful now, "Yes."

Thea opened her eyes and turned to look for Hoss, but instead her husband was standing right behind her. She expected him to be angry with her for leaving the office, but he was looking at Joe anxiously. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure yet," she said vaguely then saw Hoss come through the front door. He took one look at the three of them and came right over.

"What's goin' on?"

"Hoss I need you to carry Joe over to my office, I don't want him walking any more than is necessary." She turned to her husband, "Adam, find your father. Now."

Hoss had picked Joe up, who started protesting, but he didn't pay any attention to his brother and carried him out the door.

Adam shook his head. "No, I'm going with you first. Besides, Pa said he would be back here at nine o'clock and that's just a half hour from now so I can come and get him if you need him," he said firmly. "What's wrong with Joe?"

Thea looked toward the door - Hoss and Joe were already outside. "He has an enlarged spleen, probably from the same infection that caused his fever. I barely had to press on it to feel it. If it ruptures he'll bleed to death, I have to take it out right now."

She was surprised when he didn't even question her diagnosis; he just nodded and put his arm around her shoulders to keep her from rushing out the door as they left the saloon. The crowd silently watched them go.

As soon as they were in the office door Adam said, "I'll get Joe on the table. Hoss, please go back over to the Sage Brush and bring back a stool," he turned to his wife. "At least you can sit while you do this."

"I'll get what I need gathered then you can help me set up," she said as Hoss hurried out the door.

Adam had Joe stripped down and on the table in just a few minutes, and he came out to take over gathering what she needed, ordering her to sit down.

Hoss came in and carried the stool into the treatment room just as Adam finished setting up a tray with the instruments she would need. When he looked at Thea he was startled to see an unfamiliar anxiety on her face. He moved in front of her then crouched down as he took her hands in his. They felt as cold as ice.

"Theadora? You can do this."

"Yes, but Oh God now I know why they try to discourage doctors from treating their own families. I love that idiot in there, he's my brother now, and I can't stand the thought of losing him."

He stood and tugged on her hands, bringing her to her feet. "You've done this many times before Thea, just don't look at his face. Concentrate on what you have to do; you can do this."

She nodded, took a deep breath and whispered, "Please God, guide my hand," and they went into the treatment room.

Once she was seated on the stool in front of a linen towel covered, unconscious Joe she seemed to regain her confidence. Hoss stood at Joe's head, instructed to report any little sign of him returning to consciousness and to use the mask again if necessary. Adam stood on the other side of the table to assist.

Without looking she picked a scalpel off the tray and made her first incision. With a bold stroke of the knife she cut through the skin and muscle and the greatly enlarged organ bulged up, pushing apart the lips of the wound. She breathed a sigh of relief that it hadn't burst and there was no sign of internal bleeding. After that it was merely a matter of clamping off the blood vessels and removing the infected spleen.

It wasn't until she placed the last stitch in the skin that she felt the incredible pain in her back as she tried to straighten up. She tried to knead the pain away and she almost groaned. Adam was there immediately to help her down then into the office and over to the chair she had been sitting in earlier.

"Hoss and I can take care of cleaning him up and bandaging the wound. When we are done you can take another look at him and Hoss can go find Pa."

She nodded and wearily leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes.

The sound of the front door shutting behind Hoss woke her and she went into the treatment room to see Adam checking Joe's pulse.

"How is it?"

"Only a little slow, but strong."

"That's to be expected," she said as she came over and pushed up one of Joe's eyelids. "He's going to be out for a while, but I think it's safe to move him to a cot in the office now." She felt his forehead and smiled, very pleased, "His fever is almost gone."

Her husband came around from the other side of the table and put his arms around her. "Thea, I've never been more grateful to anyone before in my life. Not only have you given me two beautiful children, and soon three more, but you've also saved my brother's life. Sometimes I almost feel like I should thank Allan. If it wasn't for him I never would have met you."

He laughed as she wearily nodded her head and said, "There's no great ill wind that doesn't blow at least some small good."

Adam hugged her tighter for a moment then ordered her back to the chair in the office. She gladly went.

Hoss had just returned from telling their astonished father the good news - Joe was going to be fine. Thea had taken his spleen out in time, just barely before it would have burst and her quick action had saved Joe's life. Adam had told Hoss to instruct their father to stay where he was and when Joe was settled they would come and get him.

When he walked into the front room he didn't see Thea or Adam, but he did see Joe asleep on a cot in the corner, already settled in for the night. Then he heard a pained, choking groan come from the other room and he went to the doorway to see what was going on. He was horrified to see Thea lying on the table she had just bent over to operate on Joe. Adam was removing her dress and he looked up at Hoss with a white face and anxious eyes.

"Hoss, you've got to help me, she's gone into labor," his older brother said as he spread a sheet over her.

"Are you sure?"

"Believe me, I've done this twice before, she's definitely in labor," he folded the bottom of the sheet back from Thea's legs and gently began to examine her.

"What can I do?"

"Right now just give her someone to hang on to."

Hoss moved toward the head of the table as Thea cried out then clapped both hands over her mouth. She looked up at him and clutched his arm, "Hoss, there's something wrong. This just doesn't feel right." She let go of his arm and spread her hands across her taut belly and began to press in, trying to assess the situation.

All of a sudden her entire body stiffened and she bit off a scream as a gush of blood burst from between her legs. Adam's hands were drenched.

She struggled to catch her breath then spoke through clenched teeth. "Adam, come here, I have to talk to the both of you."

Her husband tried to wipe as much of the blood off as he could with a towel as he came to stand next to her. She reached to take his hand in both of hers, her blazing eyes boring into his, "There's something terribly wrong and we don't have much time. This is what you will have to do..."

Ben looked up as Hoss steered Adam through the door of the Sage Brush an hour later, his arm around his older brother's shoulders. Their father looked at them anxiously, uncertain about what this meant. Hoss quickly reassured him about his son, "Joe's still fine Pa, he hasn't taken a turn for the worse, and Matt came back," he guided Adam to a chair and pushed him down into it.

He poured a glass of whiskey and pressed it into Adam's hand, ordering him to drink it. With a dazed look, his older brother obeyed, emptied the glass then set it on the table with a shaking hand.

His father looked to Hoss for an explanation. His middle son looked back with tortured eyes. "Pa...Thea's gone."

"What?" Ben shouted and the room became absolutely still.

Hoss nodded his head reluctantly. "It happened so fast. She went into labor right after she finished with Joe and right away she said somethin' was wrong. She was losin' a lot of blood and just kept gettin' weaker and weaker and then...died."

Ben sat back in his chair, stunned. Less than two hours ago their lives had seemed perfect, yet in that short space of time they had all been dealt a cruel blow.

Adam had been staring off into the distance, but now he cleared his throat as he looked down at his hands, still stained with traces of his wife's blood. Ben went to him and knelt down on one knee in front of him. His eldest son was still staring at his hands. "I had to do it Pa, I didn't have any choice," he said softly. "I had to, or I would have lost all four of them."

"The babies, too?"

The dazed man nodded then lifted agonized eyes to meet his father's. "Your three new grandsons are alive and healthy. But Pa, I had to cut her open and take them to save them."

Gasps of horror sounded in the room so Adam was the only one who heard the anguished sound that escaped Ben's throat. He gently put a hand to his father's cheek and said, "I know, Pa, I know how much it hurts now. Dear God, how did you go through this three times?" He leaned forward and put his arms around his father and pressed the older man's head to his shoulder. He held him in a tight grip as Ben tried to contain his grief and stop his tears. Adam's eyes remained dry.

People came forward and crowded around the two men, some reaching out to touch - some trying to speak broken words of condolence. Adam didn't hear them or feel them; his heart seemed to be dead and he didn't think he would ever feel anything again.

The room slowly emptied of all but the closest of Adam and Thea's friends. Hoss stood up when Matt came in and the doctor went directly to Adam and placed a hand on his bowed back. Ben looked up.

"What happened?"

Matt looked down at him with pained and reddened eyes, "I'm so sorry Ben, but Thea's womb ruptured and she bled to death. There was nothing anyone could do, even if I had made it back in time, except try to save the babies," he said. "Adam did an amazing thing, it's very difficult even for a surgeon to manage as well as he did."

"How did he know what to do?"

Hoss spoke up, his voice deepened and roughened by his grief, "Thea told him right before she died, she made him promise he would."

Matt nodded, "I'm not surprised. She must have realized what happened," he rubbed a hand over his tear stained face. "Dear God the courage that woman had!"

Ben and Hoss nodded, their pain undiminished.

Adam looked up at the doctor and seemed to have trouble focusing on him so he narrowed his eyes. "Matt, has she been taken away yet?"

"No, I thought you would want a chance to say a private good-bye first."

Nodding, Adam stood, briefly placed a hand on his kneeling father's head as he swayed a little then turned to leave. Matt, Hoss, and Ben followed slowly. When he entered the doctor's office he hesitated and changed direction toward Joe, who was still sleeping peacefully on his cot. His older brother stopped and felt his forehead, looking for returning fever. He seemed to be satisfied there was none because he stepped back, then slowly went into the other room.

Looking down at his wife's dear face, peaceful in death, Adam closed his eyes feeling his will to live start to die. "Theadora," he said in a broken whisper, then one of the three new babies in the front room cried out and the sound pierced his heart. Tears began to flow from his eyes then and the ice that had frozen his heart cracked and started to melt.

For the first time in his life he finally understood that there was no one he could fight, no plan he could make, nothing HE could do to change this. He didn't understand what God's purpose could possibly be, but he bowed his head to the Lord's infinite power and gave up, handing control of his life over. He humbled himself in his soul and asked for the strength to endure. A peace he had never known before enfolded him and at first he just felt drained, then the spark of love for his three new children in the front room blossomed in spite of the circumstances of their birth.

As the last tear finally fell, he wearily lifted his head and looked at his wife for the last time. He reached to grasp the blood stained sheet to draw it up and bent down to kiss her when something glittering caught his eye - a thin track of tears flowed from the corners of her eyes, soaking into her hair. In disbelief, he reached out with a trembling hand, touched the tears and felt the wetness on his finger. He stroked her cheek and realized her skin was not cold.

"Matt!" he bellowed as he rushed out the door. He was moving so fast he nearly ran right over the doctor who had come running. Grabbing the man by the arm he dragged him in and right up to Thea. "She's crying," he simply said and both men gasped when she moved her head.

The doctor sprang into action, pulling a protesting Adam out of the room then dragging Hoss in to be his assistant. Adam stood at a loss in the front room, staring at his father mutely. Ben took his eldest son by the shoulders and shook him. "Adam, what the hell happened?"

He just stared at his father and said, "She's alive."

Ben looked at him closely to see if maybe Adam had gone off the deep end, but his son shook off the older man's hands saying, "Oh God, I have to pray." He sat down, propped his elbows on his knees and put his head in his hands - he never moved a muscle until Matt came back out and stood in front of him.

Adam didn't want to look up, but he forced himself to. "She's still alive," the doctor said as Adam rose to his feet and grabbed him with a hard hand on either side of his head.

"Is she awake?"

"Yes," Matt said in disbelief.

"May I see her?"

The bewildered man raised his hands then let them fall helplessly as he nodded and Adam badly startled him by pulling him forward and kissing him on the forehead. "Matt, I think I love you!" he said and rushed into the treatment room.

The doctor turned to Ben with a baffled look.

"He's not himself," the older man said, smiling at Matt's expression.

"I've never seen anything like that before in my life. She lost too much blood to be alive, but she is." He almost fell into the chair Adam had been sitting in.

Ben came over and put a hand on the young man's shoulder. "You know Thea and you know how implacable her will is," he said and almost chuckled but his throat was still too tight. "I guess she just decided she wasn't ready to go."

The doctor snorted with laughter as Hoss came up to them - he had heard the conversation. "Looks like even God can't get that woman to do anythin' she doesn't want to."

That set them off and they laughed in relief and managed to wake all three babies. Each man came and took one into his arms. Without discussion they all filed into the other room and when Thea saw them coming she struggled to raise her head, but couldn't. Her husband bent down to put his arms around her shoulders and propped her up with her head on his chest, just under his chin.

Ben came forward first and held the baby as close to her as possible. She craned her neck forward as much as she could and kissed the child's forehead. Adam looked around when he felt a strange puff of warm air on his cheek, then he turned his attention back to his wife and son. The baby looked back at her with sleepy black eyes. "Benjamin Patrick," she whispered and let her head fall back. A single, unexpected tear fell from her father-in-law's eye and he gently stroked her hair back from her face before moving away.

Hoss came forward next, his joy at Thea being alive illuminating his sweet face. This child seemed to have fallen back asleep, but when his mother touched her lips to his hand he opened his green-blue eyes and placed his other tiny hand on her cheek. Again, Adam felt the warm air waft past. "Thomas Eric," Thea said, her voice a little stronger now. Hoss leaned forward and actually kissed her gently on the lips, and then stepped back to allow the doctor to come forward.

Matt was still looking at her closely; he was the only one who truly understood what a medical impossibility this was. The infant was still awake, his little mouth curved up at the corners and his fine hazel eyes wide open. The doctor held the baby as close as possible to her face with one hand cradling his small head. The warm air flowed past again as tears of exhaustion were seeping from Thea's eyes, but she used the last of her strength to kiss the child's face saying, "Mathew Joseph." Her eyes closed and the doctor checked her pulse quickly; somehow it had become slightly stronger.

Adam looked at them gratefully and said, "I'm depending on all of you to remember who is who," and he smiled a very, very tired smile.

"You should get some rest," Matt said quietly when he saw Thea had fallen asleep. Her husband gently laid her head back on the pillow.

"I'm not leaving and don't even try to convince me to. I'm not going to let her out of my sight again for a very long, long time."

Matt shook his head, but wasn't surprised. "I'll set up a cot for you so you can at least lie down in here." Adam nodded, never taking his eyes off his sleeping wife.

The three men went back into the front room and put the now sleeping babies back on the cot. They were standing there wearily, drained by the events of the day when a sound behind them made them turn around. Joe was awake.

He looked at his father, brother, and the doctor with bleary eyes and said, "What the hell is going on?" irritably.

The doctor quickly checked him out and reported that he was fine. Ben put his hand on his youngest son's head and said, "Go back to sleep Joseph, there will be plenty of time tomorrow for explanations," but Joe was asleep again even before his father had finished.

"Well," Hoss said with a wide smile, "I guess we all have somethin' to do," and he headed across the street to report the good news to Adam and Thea's friends still gathered there, prepared to celebrate like he never had before.

Ben left then after telling Matt he was heading back to the ranch so he could be there when Alexander and Annalise awoke in the morning to tell them of their new brothers and to bring them to their mother as early as possible.

Matt agreed, believing anything that would reinforce Thea's will to live should be done. After Ben left, he sighed and went into the storage room to drag out a cot for Adam and another for himself. He wasn't going let his five patients out of his sight for a very long, long time too.

Adam came awake from a light doze with a start; someone had been saying his name. When he realized it must have been Thea, he quickly threw back the blanket and stood to hurry over. He leaned over her and felt his heart fill when he saw her eyes were open and a little more animated than they had been hours ago.

She licked her dry, cracked lips and tried to speak, but couldn't. He reached for a cup of water that was sitting on the cabinet and helped her take a drink. She almost choked, but managed to get most of the water down and he gently eased her head back to the pillow. He started to turn away, and was surprised when she grabbed his arm. He looked down into her eyes and saw she was still a little unfocused, but determined to say something. Leaning over her, he kissed her then put his ear near her mouth.

He heard her clear her throat then she said, "They want me to thank you." Adam turned his head quickly and met her gaze. "Who?"

"You know, you've seen them before - the Three Graces - they're saying they want me to thank you and won't go until I do," she licked her lips again, "so 'Thank you.'"

Adam shook his head, assuming his wife was dreaming or maybe delirious - he leaned over her when she spoke again. "The one with the dark hair says to tell you I'm not dreaming or delirious and she wants you to listen. She says something has been lifted because of something you did." Her husband went cold and he felt a strange, warm, prickling sensation on his left cheek. He looked in his wife's eyes, "Where are they?"

Thea turned her head, looked in the corner behind him and hoarsely said, "Right there. The one who was speaking to me just went back after kissing you on the cheek. They're all saying goodbye now."

His heart was thumping and the hair on the back of his neck was standing up when she gave him a small nudge. "Don't be rude Adam, tell them goodbye. They all love you, you know, and are very proud of you."

He felt stupid for doing it, but he did as she asked and turned around saying, "Good-bye," to the corner. He wasn't sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him or not, but he could have sworn he saw a faint glimmer of something moving there that faded quickly. Thea smiled, satisfied that her husband had shown his good manners and that the Graces would leave her alone now. She closed her eyes and when he turned back she was already asleep.

He spent the rest of the time until morning sitting on his cot with his back up against the wall, watching over his sleeping wife. He remembered his own experience and thought about what she had said until the sun finally rose and drove away the darkness of that All Hallow's Eve night.