Iris Johansen - Pandora's Daughter

"You're going with him?"

He shrugged. "I can do some good working with him." He met her gaze. "And you don't want me here right now. Even when I try to stay in the background, it doesn't happen. I disturb you. You don't want to deal with what we are together." He added roughly, "Hell, you were dodging coming to terms with me before. If I pushed now, you'd bolt and run like Harley did."

"I'm done with running." But she realized she was feeling a rush of relief. Even now she could feel the heat she always experienced when she was looking at him. He did disturb her, both mentally and physically, and she didn't need any more turmoil right now. She was going through enough emotional chaos trying to adjust to the Pandora reality and Phillip's lack of progress.

He was studying her expression. "You see?"

"I hate it when you're right."

"Get used to it. I can't help it." He gave her a quick, hard kiss. "And I'll be understanding and noble for a month, no longer. After that I'm going to come back and disturb the hell out of you."

He was already disturbing her as she watched him walk down the corridor away from her. She might be able to ignore Grady's effect on her on a conscious level but he was always there, beneath the surface, waiting.

Well, she would take what peace and space she could get.

She turned and went back into Phillip's room.

Bellehaven

Two weeks later

"I'VE COME TO SAY GOOD-BYE." Renata stood in the doorway of Phillip's room. "Can you leave him for a few minutes?"

"Why not? Maybe he'll miss me." She stood up and followed Renata from the room. "I'm willing to try anything these days."

"You should get away for a while." Renata walked toward the atrium. "You've been cooped up here for weeks. I've been worried about you." She paused. "And Grady's been worried about you."

Megan stiffened. "You've talked to Grady?"

"Two days ago. He's made progress finding the victims. He and Venable have located forty-five of them alive so far. He said that he's going to Tanzania to follow up a lead on Adia. He thinks the tribal leader has changed her name."

"But she's alive?"

"That's the report." She returned to the original subject. "You're spending too much time here. You need a break."

"I'm afraid not to be here if Phillip begins to stir again. What if he does and I'm not there? We may have lost an opportunity, but there may be another one. I have to hope." She tried to distract her. "I thought you were going to leave last week."

"Mark wanted me to do it. He says that it's not good to become as close as I am to you. He's probably right." She shrugged. "But I can't do what Mark wants all my life. I have to make my own decisions. I didn't want to leave until I was sure that you-I was the one who made you accept that you were a Pandora. I could have kept the healing of that wound to myself. After Sienna I just didn't want you to believe that you were some kind of Frankenstein." She smiled faintly. "I choose to believe the more positive myth about Pandora; that besides the evils of the world she also set free the virtues."

"You were right to do it. I had to know. I couldn't keep on lying to myself." Megan leaned against the rail and looked out at the peaceful stretch of lawns and trees. "And you only meant to be kind. I just wish Harley-You said he'd come back, but he hasn't. I just don't understand him."

"Because with you, the giving would never stop because it's your nature. Not many people are like you. You gave Harley the gift. It's his choice whether he wants to use it."

She made a face. "I wish this Pandora business would let me pick and choose instead of it being a wild card. What's the good of a gift that could benefit humanity if it's passed on to someone who ignores it?"

Renata shook her head. "The Ledger contains hundred of accounts of use and misuse of powers. You should read it sometime."

"As if you'd let it out of your hands."

"You're right. Well, maybe someday." She turned away. "I'll let you know if I hear anything more about Adia. Good-bye, Megan."

"That's not good enough."

Renata stopped, frowning. "What?"

Megan took two steps and took her in her arms. "Take care of yourself. I'll miss you… my friend."

Renata didn't move for a moment and then her arms tightened for the briefest moment before she stepped back. "Yeah, me too," she said awkwardly.

Megan watched her walk quickly out of the atrium. The room was suddenly darker without that vibrant presence.

Phillip.

There was nothing vibrant about him right now and he lived in a dark world. She had to get back to him.

SHE STIFFENED IN SHOCK as she opened the door.

Harley was sprawled in the visitor's chair beside Phillip's bed. He glanced up as she came into the room. "Hi, what's new?"

Good God, he was as casual as if he'd just run into her in the neighborhood bar.

"Not a damn thing." She went over to the bed and took Phillip's hand. "Just hanging around with an old friend."

Harley was silent a moment, gazing at Phillip. "It may not work, Megan. It doesn't happen all the time."

Her heart started to pound. "How do you know?"

"I've done a little experimenting." His lips twisted. "At first, I tried to crawl into a hole and forget about this entire mess. Then I decided that I had to prove I was normal to myself. So I volunteered as an aide at St. Jude's in Memphis."

"The children's hospital?"

"Yeah, I like kids. I thought it wouldn't hurt to volunteer as an aide and help out in the wards. Of course, I was wrong. It did hurt. There's nothing that can break your heart like a sick kid." He met her eyes. "My percentage of successes was about eighty-two per cent. Of course, I can't verify all of those cases. I wasn't going to ask anyone to take X-rays or anything. God forbid, that anyone suspect I was some kind of psychic quack messing with those kids."

"God forbid," she repeated unsteadily.

"Well, most of them appeared remarkably better. I know for certain one little girl did go into remission. She was scheduled for tests two days after I got there and she came out of the MRI clean as a whistle." He frowned. "The healing seems to work better on open wounds rather than disease. I worked in the emergency room one night and the percentage went up to ninety-three percent."

"That's wonderful."

"I don't think so. I hate it. I never wanted this. Do you know how it feels to be able to heal one kid and not another?"

She nodded. "I'm a doctor. It happens all the time to me. And I don't have anything but knowledge and experience to rely on."

He scowled. "That's not what I want out of life. What if someone found out I could do this stuff? They'd smother me; they'd try to make me out as some kind of saint."

"You obviously have a problem. What's your solution?"

"Are you laughing at me?"

"Oh, no, I'm laughing because I'm happy." She smiled luminously. "I'm laughing because for the first time I have hope. I did something right and maybe this Pandora thing is going to turn out okay." She repeated, "What's your solution?"

He shrugged. "I go back to living my life as I did before. But maybe it wouldn't hurt if I spent a few days a week at the hospital. That should be enough to identify and help the critical cases. As I said, I like kids."

She could feel the tears sting her eyes. "No, I don't think that would hurt at all."

Harley looked back at Phillip. "I can't promise anything, Megan. I don't know how this works. Before you came in I put my hand on his temple and there was no response. Of course, it sometimes took days with the kids."

"Just try, Harley."

He nodded. "I'll give it my best shot. But not with you hovering over me. I feel weird enough doing this stuff. It embarrasses me."