Garden of Serenity (27 page)

“Fine. Fetch Dr. Khateri from the well-check.” Gabriella nodded at the caretaker. “Now save the child.”

Mikalyn let the power flow through her. The child stirred and a tiny gulp of air entered the rosebud mouth, but the victory was short-lived. Time stood still as Mikalyn’s hands worked on the baby, her ears tuned to Jacinta’s fading breath. With the well-check just down the hall, surely Jahara would arrive before the woman she loved crossed to the other side.

Mikalyn expelled the air she hadn’t realized she’d been holding as the door hissed and Jahara stormed in just in front of the caretaker.

“What can I do to help?” the healer asked without seeking any explanation for the bloody chaos.

“Save Jacinta.” Mikalyn implored, her focus never leaving the tiny infant.

“I’m going to need some saline and blood for this woman,” Jahara said.

The caretaker left immediately.

“What in Hades did you do to her?” Jahara asked. “She’s bleeding out.”

“We delivered her baby.” Gabriella’s voice cracked with frustration. “And now we’re racing to save both the woman and the child. There’s no room for criticism. Either help or leave.”

The baby girl in Mikalyn’s hands was everything to Gabriella. If she lived, her life would mean significant change at the Garden. But Gabriella’s priorities didn’t make the child any more important to Mikalyn. All she wanted was Jacinta back in her arms.

Even with her back to the healer, Mikalyn could feel the power of Jahara’s gift. The room glowed with the soft light of her healing. She stole a glance over her shoulder. Once again the amazing woman radiated with the intensity of the power emanating from her being. Jacinta’s skin brightened with the light filling her, her face angelic in the luminescence. Even Gabriella glanced over to watch the healing power flow from Jahara.

“The baby.” Gabriella elbowed Mikalyn. “You need to focus on the baby.”

“Something’s wrong. I can’t make her lungs fill.”

The baby gasped at the same time Jacinta did, but Mikalyn didn’t let down her guard.

The caretaker returned with the blood, setting up the drip bag as the glow from Jahara waned.

“I’ve removed the placenta and healed the incisions. But she’s lost so much blood, she’s not out of danger yet. We need to push those fluids.”

Mikalyn sensed the flurry of activity behind her. Jahara would not let Jacinta die.

“Something’s terribly wrong. I can’t fix this child.” Mikalyn focused all her energy to her palms, but only tiny rasps came from the infant’s blue lips.

“Switch with me, Mikalyn,” Jahara said. “Jacinta’s bleeding has stopped, her heart is beating in a regular rhythm and her lungs are working. All that’s left is to heal the wound on her belly where you delivered the child.”

Jahara made to move to the baby.

“No!” Gabriella held her hand in the air between them. “Jahara, you heal Jacinta. Mikalyn can save the child without your help.”

“No. I cannot.” Mikalyn dropped her hands in defeat. As little as she cared about this child, it was difficult to watch such a little human being struggle for life. “If anyone can save this infant, it’s Jahara.”

Mikalyn ignored Gabriella’s protests. In a seamless ballet, the two healers switched patience.

Jahara had no idea why she’d been summoned from the well-check until she’d entered the delivery room. Jacinta’s body convulsed in shock as blood pumped from her uterus. It didn’t seem right that two healers had been focused on the infant, when the mother was in such obvious medical distress. But she hadn’t bothered to put a voice to her concerns before giving Jacinta the medical attention she required.

Healing the woman’s problems had taken great energy, but not much time, and as Jahara moved to the infant, her heart sank. Though she had never seen a newborn, Jahara knew from her education that this one was too small by half. Her delicate skin held the dark tinge of twilight and her impossibly small lips were deep purple. Her papery-thin eyelids quivered but didn’t open. The shock of red hair, which must have come from Jacinta’s mate, barely fluttered over the pulse point at the center of her scalp.

She knew there was no way to keep this life from slipping into the next realm.

As her hands ran over the infant gasping for life, the enormity of the situation slammed into Jahara with such force, it stole the air from her own lungs. “The child …” She spoke low, not wanting Mikalyn to hear. “She’s not formed right.”

Bresilee looked at her, puzzled.

Jahara understood why Mikalyn hadn’t found the internal problems, she was only an apprentice, but Bresilee was an experienced healer. After all, she ran the healing facility. She should’ve discovered these deformities while the fetus was in utero.

“Gabriella, there’s no amount of healing that will help this baby survive.” Touching Bresilee’s arm, Jahara stepped back. “See for yourself, she lacks some major organs. And her lungs are barely developed.”

“I realize that.” Bresilee yanked her arm from Jahara’s hand, but not before Jahara felt the essence of her being.

“Just. Fix. It. If you can save a worthless breeder, surely you can repair this female infant,” Bresilee said through clenched teeth, her sharp words cutting through the tension hanging between them. “Dr. Jahara Khateri, the great healer, prove yourself now.” Bresilee looked down at the infant, her chin trembling with emotion.

“I can’t form what the Creator of this earth has not seen fit to give her,” Jahara said quietly. Her hands ran over the gasping infant, imprinting the child’s genetic essence in her memory. Something odd was happening in this room.

Stealing a look over her shoulder at Mikalyn mutely healing the mother, Jahara worried how Jacinta and her mate would react to the death of this child. A female child would be mourned by all.

“I can only take the pain from the babe. I cannot save her,” Jahara said.

“Then you are of no use to me!” Bresilee wailed, a plaintive cry filled with frustration and anger that echoed off the walls. Bresilee allowed her to dampen the pain before she swaddled the babe and scooped the infant into her arms, storming from the room, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Jahara moved back to Jacinta.

The blood and Mikalyn’s healing had done wonders. The rosy color was back in the woman’s cheeks. Though her breathing was shallow, it came at regular intervals. She watched Mikalyn finish repairing the skin, the scar diminishing with each pass of her hands.

“Thank you for your help,” she said to the caretaker and bowed. “And you,” she squeezed Mikalyn’s shoulder and smiled. “You’ve done well. A little rest and some food and Jacinta will be fine.”

Jacinta’s eyes fluttered open. “Mikalyn?” She spoke in a mere whisper.

Mikalyn moved to her head, cradling her face in her hands. “It’s all right, my love. Everything’s all right.” She brushed her lips across Jacinta’s.

Everything was
not
all right, but Jahara knew nothing about this day would make sense until she could discuss the unusual events with Brenimyn.

* * * *

Hours later, as the cool water of the pool flowed over her, Jahara stroked harder against the unending current. Wandering the streets of the Garden hadn’t helped organize her scattered thoughts, so she’d turned to vigorous exercise, hoping the repetitive motions would help her concentrate.

As her arms swept over her head, and her feet pumped the water, nothing could keep her mind from replaying the events in the delivery room. Like disjointed scenes from a video disk, pictures flashed, but nothing coalesced into a pattern that made any sense.

Jacinta and Mikalyn were lovers. But that first day at the healing facility, Bresilee had fondled her secretary as if she possessed her. The infant she had futilely tried to save held very little of Jacinta’s genetic material, but a great deal of Bresilee’s. A surrogate? But why? Why would Mikalyn allow her lover to be used that way? Jahara pulled harder at the water.

And then there was Bresilee’s odd behavior this morning in the delivery room. Despite her desperate pleas, the woman had done nothing to save either mother or child. Bresilee hadn’t used any healing energy in Jahara’s presence. Perhaps she’d tried in vain to save the infant prior to her arrival and had used up her reserves.

Bresilee had always been an enigma.

Exhausted from her efforts, but no more satisfied with her ability to solve the mysteries pursuing her, Jahara stepped out of the pool and slipped into her robe.

“Hard day?” Bren leaned against the open door, his smile warming her heart.

She fell into his arms, filling her lungs with the masculine scent of him, mixed with the fresh air of the lake. “You have no idea. I’ve been waiting anxiously for your return.”

“That spark in your eyes, speaks for you, Jahara.” His dimples danced around the curve of his smile.

“And your body for you, Brenimyn.” She dug her fingers into the firm muscles of his back, pulling herself tight against his growing arousal.

We’re expecting company.
He smiled, his lips unmoving.
They will be here soon.
“Perhaps we could retire to the bedroom?” Speaking that sentence aloud, he reached for her robe and she knew immediately they were about to put Xylice’s cameras to the test.

“I’ve missed you. I would like that very much.” There was no enthusiasm in her voice. The heat of her desire had been doused by nervous anticipation.

He stripped her naked and pulled her into the bedroom. They stood at the foot of the bed, Bren’s hands snaking through her hair. She tried not to let her disappointment show. The only lovemaking would be happening on the pre-recorded tape they were about to engage.

“Computer, dim the lights.” Brenimyn pressed his lips to hers and held them there for a breath. “The light’s green.” He pointed up to the camera. “We have only two hours. There’s so much we need to talk about. Nathaniel met with the planning group today. He has a mate, Camille, who—”

“Works in the dining commons.”

“Right.” Brenimyn cocked his head in confusion.

“I met her at Bresilee’s office. Kind of a weird exchange. Anyway, continue.”

“Wait until you hear what she has to tell you about her last visit to Bresilee’s mansion.”

* * * *

Jahara put the last of the clean dishes into the cupboards.

“That was interesting.” Brenimyn stood near the kitchen door watching Nathaniel and Camille’s retreating backs. The broken lock jangled as he pulled the door shut. “What do you make of that?” When he turned, Jahara was disappearing around the corner.

“Jahara?” He followed her into the office.

She settled at her computer. “How much time before the loop’s finished?”

“A little over thirty minutes.” Looking in the corner, Brenimyn confirmed the light on the camera in the office glowed green.

“Might not be enough time.” Rifling through the disks in her files, Jahara selected one and popped it into her computer. “I hope I have the right one. Why I didn’t make this connection sooner, I’ll never know.” She banged her hand to her forehead. “It’s all making sense now. All those female fetuses at the lake. What I felt today with Bresilee and the baby. Add all the things Camille has experienced and witnessed at the director’s mansion and I have no doubt I’ve drawn the right conclusion.”

Jahara continued to mutter to herself. Brenimyn could barely understand the string of incoherent thoughts falling from her lips. He pulled up a chair and watched her fingers flying over the keyboard, images flashing in rapid succession across her computer screen. Brenimyn barely had time to read the titles of the articles she perused before she abandoned it for another. “Can you clue me in to what you’re looking for?”

“I didn’t tell you about the birth—or death actually—of an infant that I witnessed today. If my hypothesis is correct, we’ve got a bigger problem on our hands than the inequality of breeders.” Jahara sat back with a self-satisfied grin. “Here we are. It answers everything.”

He looked at the article title and whistled in disbelief.

* * * *

“Shut it off. I’ve seen enough for one night.” Gabriella absently waved at the computer screen. “Those two act like animals in heat. If I didn’t know better, I’d think Jahara actually enjoyed copulating with that male.”

Kylie had been here at the mansion long enough to witness Brenimyn and Jahara in the throes of passion. Gabriella was right. The pair certainly appeared to be enjoying the breeding process. The breeder tenderly caressed Jahara’s face, his eyes drinking in her beauty. Kylie didn’t much care for the breeder, but she wished just once, he’d looked at her with that bone-melting lust piercing Jahara’s gaze. Perhaps she could have found comfort in a love like that—even from a male.

“Unfortunately, even with their guard down, they’ve whispered nothing more incriminating than each other’s names.” Gabriella’s face pinched in disgust as she poured herself two fingers of whiskey. “Watching that has made me ill. Seriously, just shut it off.”

Kylie flipped the switch and the screen went black. Men were worthless creatures—that had been her mantra for so long she didn’t know there could be any other truth. What Jahara shared with Brenimyn was unnatural and went against everything she believed. But what if she were wrong? What if they all were wrong?

“This day has been nothing but one disaster followed by another.” Gabriella rattled the ice in her glass as she lay back comfortably in the chaise of her private office. “And losing Jacinta’s baby today …” She took a long pull of the whiskey and cleared her throat. “Well, it’s just been so difficult.” Gabriella’s eyes glistened with emotion.

“I know how hopeful you were.” Kylie forced a smile.

“Jacinta had nearly carried to term. I really thought this baby …” Gabriella shook away the thought. “Yes, well, that doesn’t really matter does it? What’s done is done. There’s no sense mooning over the loss of another babe. We must look ahead, never back.” The woman shifted, her silk robe falling open, exposing the warped skin of her legs. “Thank you for joining me tonight, Kylie. I really needed your company to soothe away the sharp edges of my day.”