Bewitching Belle

by Debra Kristi

  “You girls want anything?” he asks.

  “Like some coffee?” Miri adds.

  “Gross. Why would you even ask that?” I say to her.

  “You never know,” she responds. “Today could have been the day you decided to grow up.” She smirks, then turns and walks away.

  “Drinking coffee does not make one a grownup,” I call after her. She keeps walking, doesn’t respond. But then, she has her head tilted into Phillip’s. She likely had the rest of the world tuned out and didn’t even hear me.

  Luna links her arm through mine and lays her head on my shoulder. “Thank you for being here with me.” I rest my head upon hers. “Do you think it’s something medical they can actually cure?” she asks of her mom.

  “I’m praying so,” I say. “Of course, this is New Orleans, so maybe the ER has the fix for a voodoo curse.”

  A semi-strangled laugh jumps from Luna’s lips. “Maybe.”

  “Found you.”

  Luna and I raise our gaze. Jeanna’s mom approaches. Kneels before us. “They’re taking good care of your mom,” she says to Luna. “They’re running a few tests, and we should know something soon.”

  “Can I see her?” Luna asks.

  “Sure can.” She pats Luna’s hand. “They took her to get an MRI. I’ll let you know as soon as she is back in the room.”

  Space, I mentally correct. A room would imply there are walls, which few ERs have in their exam spaces.

  “Can I get you girls anything while you wait?” She rises to a stand.

  “Is there a phone we can use?” I ask, hit with the desire to bring Jeanna and James up to date on the Luna front.

  “Sure,” she says, sounding not completely confident in her choice of words. She glances over the waiting room. “Come with me.” She gestures for us to follow and we do. She leads us to a small office with a barren desk and one chair. But it has a phone, and that’s what I asked about.

  “Do you have some family you can call to be with you?” she asks Luna.

  “Not really, no.” She shakes her head and I shoot her a questioning glance.

  Mrs. Davis squeezes Luna’s shoulder. “I’ll just be down the hall if you need me.”

  We thank her and she returns to work. “Why don’t you want to call your grandparents,” I ask.

  “Making the drive back down this way would be a hardship on my mom’s parents,” she says. “And I don’t want to put them to the stress if my mom’s condition is something that she’ll heal from somewhat quickly.”

  “And you don’t want to upset your dad’s parents, considering they must still be reeling from yesterday’s service?” I ask.

  “No.” She sits on the desk. “I don’t know that I trust them. They were too familiar with the men we later witnessed digging up my dad.” She sighs. “For all I know, my grandparents could be involved with the bokor. They could be the reason my dad got involved with the bokor. The reason he’s now…” Her voice trails off.

  I grab her hand and squeeze. “I understand.”

  She shivers. Jumps off the desk and paces the small office space. “What are we doing in here? Who are you going to call?”

  “I thought it might be beneficial to call for reinforcements.” I pull a crooked smile to my lips. “I’m going to call Jeanna and James, see if they can’t get down here.”

  “You’re pulling the coven together for my mom?” She freezes at the edge of the door and ogles me.

  “For your mom. For you,” I say.

  “What did I do to deserve your friendship?”

  “You’ve been yourself, and that’s all I will ever ask of you.” My fingers inch through the air, reach for hers. Our fingertips touch, the sides of our fingers graze.

  Luna’s head jerks and swivels toward the hallway. A millisecond later, she jumps deeper into the office. “I think one of my dad’s pallbearers is in the hallway.”

  “No way.” I jolt forward, peer around the doorframe. Several people mill about the hallway. The majority of them are dressed in hospital scrubs. But sure enough, among the few civilian types, there is one man who is a sure lookalike for one of the pallbearers… i.e., bokor’s men.

  My heart jumps into my throat, and my brain… my brain forgets how to think, problem solve, for all of a full minute. I blink my thoughts straight and ease the door to a silent close.

  The bokor’s men are here. Here!

  “All the more reason to call for reinforcements,” I say, turning back to the desk, and the phone.

  “Definitely.” Luna nods in unhindered agreement.

  I hate to do this to James a second time in one week, but I feel only one call need be made, and it should be to Jeanna, given it is her mom that provided us with a phone and a quiet room to make the call. I dial her number and quickly fill her in on the morning’s events.

  “Demon disastrous,” she exclaims. “No one person should have to suffer all that poor Luna has endured in one weekend.”

  “Can you grab James, fill him in on the deets, and get your bods here ASAP?” I ask. “Meet us in the waiting room, or possibly one of the hospital rooms?”

  “No problem. Consider it done.” We say our goodbyes and end the call.

  I hang up the phone, confident that both James and Jeanna will be in our company by lunchtime. Lunchtime because they will need time to get ready and get over here. I’m fairly confident that both my coven friends are still in their night clothes, given the hour and the fact that it’s a weekend.

  I’m betting they’ll take roughly two hours to get here. I glance at my watch.

  Luna checks the hallway for any signs of the bokor’s man, and seeing none, we step out of the small office and Luna grabs my hand. We head back toward the waiting room, our fingers weaved together. Jeanna’s mom steps in front of us.

  “I thought you would like to know that the tests have been completed, and they’re now wheeling your mother back down here. You should be able to see her shortly. Also,” she raises a finger to the air, “there is a chance they are going to admit her. If so, she won’t be moved to a room right away, but she should be in a more permanent place by midafternoon.”

  “More permanent?” Luna’s head jerks back a smidgen. “Is the hospital moving my mom in as a new resident?”

  Mrs. Davis bursts with a micro-laugh. “Of course not. But if speculation proves correct, they will want to keep her for a few days.”

  Luna frowns and I can only imagine what thoughts are rolling through her head. Her dad gone, zombie roaming some unknown territory, and her mom being admitted to the hospital for an indefinite time period. What will happen to her, all alone in her family home?

  “Don’t worry.” Mrs. Davis presses her hand to Luna’s arm. “It’s merely procedure. No one is expecting any complications.”

  “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 s
ettle 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 later?”

  Standing a few feet behind the nurse, the bokor’s man. And he has his sights set one hundred percent on Luna.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The nurse is all smiles, and the bokor’s henchman standing at her back is black ink and vinegar. He gives us the two-finger symbol for ‘watching you’ and walks away. Luna and I both shiver.

  I steal a glance at Miri, but Phillip and she have their heads turned away, collecting their jackets from the back of their chairs.

  “What was that?” Jeanna asks.

  “Tell you later,” I say and follow Luna and the nurse toward Mrs. Flores.

  “Is this everyone?” the nurse asks and glances over our group. Her hair is pulled back in a tight ponytail, but several rebellious strands have broken free from the confinement. “This is a lot of people. How about everyone who isn’t family meet Luna and her mom at the room?”

  “Oh, yeah. We can do that,” James says, taking a step back. He yanks Jeanna to his side.

  “I’ll tell you what,” Miri says, turning to me. “If you don’t need us right now, Phillip and I are going to take off. Just call when you are ready to be picked up.” She turns her gaze to Phillip, and he approves with a slight nod.

  “That’s fine.” A weight evaporates off my chest. No longer will I need to watch my words around Phillip but am able to speak freely with my coven cronies.

  “It’s settled then.” She links her arm with Phillip’s. “If I don’t hear from you by say…” She looks at her watch. “Three, I’m sending Mike to hunt you down.”

  “Four,” I counter. She agrees.

  “Are we good?” the nurse asks.

  “Yes. I’m ready to see my mom.” Luna steps forward.

  The nurse informs the group of our destination, room number and floor, and turns toward the active ward. Miri and Phillip make their exit, and Luna grabs my hand, drags me at her side.

  “Um. Okay,” James says. “I see how you are. Meetcha at the room.”

  With a quick wave to my friends, I follow Luna and the nurse to Mrs. Flores’ location. She is laid out on a mobile hospital bed, asleep. The nurse hands us off to another, who pushes the rolling bed out of the ward, down the hall, and to the elevator. Up and out, we trail behind the rolling bed all the way to Mrs. Flores’ new hospital room. A visibly clean space harboring the heavy scent of camouflaged body fluids.

  I wrinkle my nose.

  The assistant locks the bed wheels, tells us someone will be in shortly to make sure Luna’s mom is settled, and heads out. Sweeps past the incoming arrival of James and Jeanna.

  “This was easy enough to find.” James plops down into the only available seat.

  “We’re going to need a few more chairs,” Jeanna says.

  “We’ll make do.” I lean against the wall, watch Luna as she leans over and studies her mom.

  “She looks peaceful. At least there is that,” she says.

  A nurse bustles into the room, greets everyone, and checks all of Mrs. Flores’ connections. She moves bags of fluid to nearby machines. Clips things and switches others. A soft beep starts to measure time. “Just pull this string if you need anything.” She pulls a string to the side of the bed. It is attached to a red lever set in the wall behind the bed. “The doctor will be by to take a look at her chart.�
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  With that, the nurse is gone.

  Jeanna glances into the hall. “We’re alone,” she says, partially closing the door and swinging back into the room. “Tell us what’s going on.”

  “Yeah,” James blurts. “I’m starving over here. I must be fed. Feed me the knowledge.” He waves his hands inward, as if calling the information forth.

  Luna straightens her mom’s hair and kisses her forehead, then moves beside James and props herself in the windowsill. I lean against the foot of the bed, and Jeanna jumps onto the stuffed armchair, crowding James.

  “A lot has happened since I had to move back in with my grandma, temporarily,” I say and then proceed to fill James and Jeanna in on everything, jumping around the timeline. I cover the supposed death of Luna’s dad and his resurrection in the cemetery last night. Luna’s mom’s confrontation with the bokor and her health condition that developed afterwards. The sighting of one of the bokor’s henchmen down in the emergency room and his promise to be watching us. I then back up to the spell we cast to help my mom and its unexpected results. Wrap my long speech by telling them that the man who tried to kill my family a few years back is still alive and somehow controlling or possessing my mom.

  “Holy flying Frankenstein!” James collapses into the chair, his eyes as wide as full moons.

  “I don’t even know what to say to all that,” Jeanna says and bites her nail. “We are so over our heads we’re likely already drowning in the blood of those who came before us.”

  “Morbid much?” My chin jerks back.

  “Sorry.” She sighs. “Your family, will they help?” she asks.

  “Nah.” I shake my head and glance at Luna. Her fingers are fidgety, and her gaze is glued to her feet. “Miri has sworn off magick, and my grandma refuses to get involved with any business concerning the bokor. In fact, she might skin me if she found out I was even talking about this with you all.”

  “That’s a bummer,” James says. “If the rumor about your family are true, you could probably kick that bokor’s butt if you worked together.”

  “I’d like to think so,” I add.