The Empath Cycle: 2001 It Takes One - Book 2

"Please convey our thanks to all those who prepared this food. It sure smells great."

"Also, I'm to let you all know that you really don't need to cook for the next thousand years or so because you have as many breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper invitations as you wish to attend. No kidding. And if you decide to travel almost anywhere on this continent, you'll never have to pay for a hotel or restaurant if you don't want to. I don't know what happened at the Community Hall, but you've all made quite an impression."

"That's true, we expected to see you there. Why didn't you come?" Sylvie asked as she hobbled to the door with the others to help with the gifts of food."

John almost laughed out loud at the sight of the three women moving gingerly, but it turned into a snort when he jumped, then looked sheepish while he rubbed his ass cheek.

"He didn't make it last night because he was confined to his room for being such a jackass." Pierre answered. "He's here only so he can apologize to you all but to Karlie, Jade, Ryanna and Julia in particular. If he can convince us all of his sincerity, he may sleep in the bed instead of on the couch sometime in the not too distant future."

"What's this about?" Patricia asked. When she turned around, she could see that Sylvie was as confused as she was, but, if there was such a thing, she would have said that the other four women were giving John the evil eye.

"It seems that my partner here went overboard Sunday and said some pretty stupid and insulting things to your friends. He has been acting out for a while now, but we let him play his little game because nobody, and I mean nobody, took him seriously but himself. We all laughed at his childishness, but this time he went too far. I love him with all my heart so I took it upon myself to make him see the error of his way otherwise he would have been sent right back home and I definitely didn't want to miss the Christmas Eve party. And I was right." Pierre finished with a grin.

"I... Hum... I want to apologize for my behavior." John said. "I now know just how vain... Ouch! Okay, okay. Stupid I was. I shouldn't have said what I said. Julia, Ryanna, you are wonderful women and I realize that I was jealous of your talent which made me envious of your standing in the clan. I'm still jealous that I'm only slightly empathic, barely enough that I could possibly sell used cars to a blind man, while you shine so brightly even a moron like me can recognize your talent, but I'm not envious anymore. It's been pointed out to me that I have other talents of my own and that I should learn to be happy with them. I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me some day. Jade, Karlie, I realized I'd put my foot in my mouth the very second I said what I said to you, but I was too proud to apologize. I do now. We've been friends for years and I value your friendship too much to lose it over my big mouth. Please forgive me."

The four women looked at each other for a moment.

"Well, what do you think girls? Is he sincere?" Jade asked the empaths. She didn't really need an answer as her bullshit meter was pretty accurate, but she wanted to milk the moment a bit as a kind of soft payback.

In seconds, Karlie and Ryanna were hugging John while Julia kept her distance, only reaching to kiss him on the cheek and patting him on the head. Jade, for her part, went to Pierre and hugged him gingerly while giving a kiss on the mouth to everyone's surprise.

"What? He's the cook in their family. He's the reason I'm friend with the big lug over there. A girl's got to have her standards after all."

"I knew it." Pierre laughed. "Everybody is after something from me. Him for my body and you for my culinary delights."

Before they could carry on further, two cars skidded to a stop in the middle of the street in front of the house.

"Shit!" John growled. "What's he doing here? He never comes to the compound because we're so far beneath him. This can't be good. Pierre, get inside and call Uncle Jack. Girls go with him. I'll see what he wants."

"And you were so nice a moment ago." Patricia told him. "So he's the big man at the Institute? I thought Dr. Morgan was the Director."

"She is, but he's the lead scientist at the Research Center. We never see him because he can't be bothered with us peons."

"Got it. Let me talk to him. Maybe you worry too much about why he's here."

She had barely finished when the man in question pushed the young men aside when they didn't make way fast enough for him. He would have done the same to the young woman who was stunned into immobility by his rudeness, but Sylvie stepped forward and raised her arm to force him to stop.

"Sir, I don't know who you are, but you have no manners. Please leave our home immediately." Patricia told the man in a calm cold voice. Everybody else recognized the threat, but, in his arrogance, he failed to do so.

"Gregory, let's leave. This not the way to do things." They all turned to see Dr. Morgan in tears, trying hold her husband back.

"She's right, Dr. Mattheson." An older women wearing a white lab coat pleaded. "There's no need to cause a scene."

"Shut up Xavier and you too Lucia. Now, which of you is Sylvie Tremblay?" He asked peremptorily.

"I am. And you've been asked to vacate the premises. Do you choose to do it with both feet on the ground or airborne?" Sylvie answered calmly.

Everybody but her wives took a few steps back except Dr. Morgan who was still trying to hold him back. Barely looking at her, he backhanded her to the ground.

Before she could move, Patricia gripped Sylvie's shoulder to try and keep her from going in berserker mode again. Jade had explained what it did to her and she wanted to spare her the emotional trauma. She came beside her, sideways to the wife batterer. "Please, love. Take care of Lucia. Let me deal with the jerk. Please." She pleaded when Sylvie seemed indecisive for a second, but the fallen woman groaned and that possibly saved his life.

When Sylvie rushed over, he made a grab for her. She didn't even look at him when she broke his wrist. He was howling so loud that he barely heard Patricia. "Mister, consider yourself lucky. This is your last chance to walk away."

"The bitch broke my wrist! I'll call the police! I have every right to bring her to the Research Center to study her."

"Wrong again, buster." Patricia said, again in that cold voice. Without further ado she put her fist in her opposite hand and drove her elbow in the middle of his face with all her weight behind it.

All could hear the cartilage of his nose fragment and when he hit the ground, four feet away, he stayed down, out for the count.

After taking a deep breath, Patricia turned around and, in her usual calm gentle voice gave everybody their marching orders.

"Pierre, please call the police and tell them that there is somebody here they need to arrest on charges of assault and battery, making threats of kidnapping and torture, trespassing and whatever else Karlie can think of before they get here. Oh! You could also tell them they should bring an ambulance, but if you were too stunned by the events to mention it, well, it's too bad. Isn't it? Also, could you gentlemen park those cars properly, please? They're blocking the street and we wouldn't want people to think we're bad neighbors, would we?"

When Patricia saw the blood on Lucia's face and the tears on Sylvie's, she asked them all to look away for a moment. When they had complied, she walked to the man, raised her foot, bent her knee and brought her heel straight down on his crotch, then walked away, without looking back. Following Sylvie who was supporting Lucia, she allowed herself a smile when she heard Jade tell the others "That's our wife, our Mother"

.Once she was inside and the door was closed, she groaned as she cradled her elbow.

"Oww! Jade, baby, you didn't tell me it hurt so much."

"It's your fault, mom. You didn't want me to install a punching bag in your gym so you could practice. Also you chose to hit the hardest part of his body: his head. It's almost all bone. Probably quite thick in his case. At least you remembered to hit hard and fast to put him down quickly. I also liked the finishing touch. Nobody likes a woman abuser."

"I didn't want any of you to see me do it so you didn't have to lie to the police."

"See you do what? I'll get an ice bag."

They knelt at the couch where Sylvie had laid Lucia down. She had a washcloth and was gently cleaning her pale face.

"Ryanna." Sylvie pleaded. "Do you think you could help me do whatever I did last night for this poor woman? He hurt her pretty badly and she's going to have to deal with the aftermath, whatever it is."

"All we did was lend you our strength."

"But I don't know what to do. You have to tell me."

"I'm not even sure what we did yesterday. The best I can suggest if that we try to meld like we did, then you touch her and concentrate on healing her emotional wounds, but make sure she remembers everything that happened. Also project to her that she has the strength to get through this and whatever will happen after. Tell her that she's strong and that she's not alone, that many people love her and will support her."

"Are you sure that will be enough?"

"No, but that's basically what the therapists do for their patients. Shore up their inner strength and ease their pain until they literally heal themselves."

"Okay, then. We'll try it your way. How do I begin?"

"Just hold her hand and we'll make contact with you like we did last night. Then go into a light meditative trance while thinking what I told you. We should see a result soon enough."

"May I please join you and give you what little strength I have?" They hadn't noticed the woman in the lab coat who had followed them inside.

"Are you sure you want to do this Dr. Xavier?" Ryanna asked her.

"Yes I am. I am her assistant and she is also my friend. I would like to help if I can. Please."

"That's enough for me." Sylvie said as she reached for the woman's hand. "Take her hand with me and let's do what we can for your friend. Together."

As they had before, Ryanna and Julia put their hands on Sylvie's shoulders and the rest on theirs. Sylvie used the message Ryanna had suggested as her mantra and let her mind relax.

When Dr. Xavier's gentle voice reached Sylvie, she made it back to full awareness the way she usually did when she meditated, No repeat of the previous evening's catastrophic pull out of trance.

Immediately, Sylvie saw that Lucia's skin had a healthier color and she breathed more evenly. With a sigh of relief, she let go of her hand.

Before she could get up, Dr. Xavier held put her hand on her shoulder to hold her in place. "Be careful. You gave a lot of yourself. I don't know how much came from you and how much from the meld, but why take a chance." She turned to the others. "If you could make sure she doesn't fall, please seat her on the couch and cover her so she is warm. I would also suggest a protein drink for each of you as a precaution. No caffeine for a while. Since this terra incognita, better be safe than sorry."

They had barely settled when there was a discreet knock on the door.

"Stay seated. I'll get it." Dr. Xavier told them. It was Mr. White.

"Good afternoon ladies. Things sure got lively around the old compound since you arrived." He said with a huge grin. If he noticed that three of the women were sitting on pillows, he didn't mention it.

"I know, sir. I apologize. We didn't mean to cause any trouble. Maybe we should leave so things can get back to normal." Sylvie answered, eyes brimming with tears.

"You should never apologize for being who you are and for doing the right thing. I've heard the testimonies from everybody outside and you have nothing to worry about. Unfortunately, the police will need to take your statements as a formality. Do you feel up to it or would you prefer they come back later in the week. It's Christmas, after all, and nobody would fault you for being shaken up by this?"

When Patricia began to answer, she was interrupted by Dr. Xavier who was sitting on the floor beside Lucia, holding her hand.

"Jack, if I may. These ladies have been through a great deal and they still found the energy to do some form of healing on poor Lucia. I recommend the officers come back tomorrow or Thursday for their statements. They need to rest."

"I'm sure that will be fine, Claude. How is Lucia? The EMT are still here. Should she be taken to the hospital?"

"I don't think so. I'll ask Dr. Béranger to come to the clinic to check her and we'll do some x-rays, just to be safe."

"I trust your judgment in this. By the way, your brother is here. He rushed over when he heard about the call. He asks if he could have a word with your charges. Ladies, I really, really think you should see him." Jack told them, trying in vain to suppress a grin.

"Ladies, do you feel up to it?" Dr. Xavier asked.

"Of course we will see him if Mr. White says we should." Patricia answered after looking at her wives for their assent.

Jack went to the door and opened it wide to let in... a giant Santa Claus. The man must have been at least six foot and a half, if not taller, because his hat touched the door lintel.

Everybody stared in shock until Dr. Xavier erupted in laughter, breaking the ice and setting everyone laughing too.

Santa straightened and affected an offended air. "That's not a nice way to greet the Chief of police. And you, Claude, the kids asked for you this morning."

"I'm sorry Roger." Dr. Xavier tried to talk through her tears of laughter. "I tried to stop Dr. Mattheson, but he wouldn't listen to anybody after he saw the readings on the instruments. That's why I wasn't at your house this morning. Did little Marie-Claire like the doll I gave her?"

"Like it? Ha! Your goddaughter won't even let her mother touch it, much less the other kids."

"Good. Now, be nice to these ladies or I'll tell Gabrielle and..."

"No, please, there's no need. I already got The Look when I hesitated before rushing here because of the kids." Chief Santa said quickly with a terrified look on his jolly face, causing everybody to giggle, even Lucia.

He went down on one knee beside the couch and gently brushed stray hairs from her face. "Dear Lucia, I hope you will let us help you this time. He went too far and I can't ignore it."

"I know, Roger. I kept telling myself that it was my fault because I didn't love him enough and that if I tried harder he would change. He wasn't like that when we married, I swear. He was so gentle and attentive. But these ladies helped me find the strength to accept the truth and I'll testify too... even to the past abuse."

Tears were flowing down her cheeks as she said it. Santa pulled a red and white checkered handkerchief from his pocket and gave it to the woman. It was the size of a small tablecloth and brought a tremulous smile to her lips.

He turned to the six women and took Sylvie's hand in his.

"First, let me thank you again for the precious gift you gave the family last evening."

"You're welcome, sir. But I didn't do anything. I don't even know what happened."

"We understand that from what the two scamps over there told us, but I have a pretty good idea of what happened and so do most of the older folk who remember the mammies from before Catherine was taken by cancer. Some of us know of her last ditch experiment to find you, so we guessed that it must have worked, at least on some level because we recognized her touch. People are calling it the Mammies' Blessing."

"In that case, I'm honored to have been the vessel of her love, sir. I will do my best to live up to her faith in me. But I still think we should leave. We don't feel I'm safe here where somebody like Dr. Whatshisname thinks he can come and grab me for whatever his purpose was."

"Dear young lady, you still have a lot to learn about your family and your clan. You are probably the most treasured young woman in the country. Heck, if something were to happen to you, you would possibly have a company of US Marines come to your rescue. My cousin Lester is a two star General and he was also there last evening. As a matter of fact, he took over for me when I left my house earlier. I'm sure his soldiers would get a kick at seeing him with the kids on his knees as he gives them their gifts. He may be a soldier's soldier, but he's a big teddy bear at heart."

When Sylvie looked at her wives, she saw a stunned expression that could only be a mirror of her own, except for Ryanna and Julia who were nodding vigorously, wide smiles illuminating their faces.

"I don't know what to say, sir."

"Please call me Roger. In many ways, you are my Aunt, or great-Aunt, after all. I realize it's a bit of a stretch, so I hope we can at least be friends."

"Yes, Santa. Will there be an end to all these incredible news any time soon?"

"I'm sure there will be, but for now I have to get back to my elves and make sure Whatshisname, as you so aptly named him, is still in one piece when he arrives at the hospital. We don't take kindly to women abusers in this town and my people do tend to be overzealous. Also, don't worry about your depositions. My detective will be by with them sometime this week for your approval and signature."

Before getting up, he kissed his sister on the forehead. "If we don't see you for supper, we'll understand, but you could bring your friend. She'll need the distraction. Be happy, sis." He stage whispered to her.

He left them with a sonorous "Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"

"What was that about, Claude?" Lucia asked.

"Oh! Nothing, boss. You know he's just a big lug who can't keep his nose out of other people's business. Don't let him tell you otherwise. That's the real reason the old Chief hired him when he came back from his service in the army. He forcibly enrolled him at the Police Academy in Nicolet to keep him out of trouble."

"Okay, then. How about if we move Lucia to the clinic so she can get checked by Dr. Béranger and let these ladies get some rest?" Jack asked.

Once they were alone and Patricia had served them a tall glass of homemade eggnog generously laced with brandy. "For medicinal purposes." She insisted. Ryanna and Julia found themselves the objects of four questioning stares.

"Is there anything else you wish to tell us, young ladies?" Patricia asked.

"As a matter of fact, there are so many thing to tell that we wouldn't know where to begin." Ryanna told them. "That's why we wanted to ease you into it over a few weeks before you came here. But we were overruled, as we told you, and then everything happened so fast since you arrived that we could only explain as best we could as things happened."

"If it's so complicated and would take a lot of time, there's a way to do it." Karlie suggested.

"Yeah! And you don't suggest it so you could take the opportunity to play with your pirate captain again?" Jade teased.

"Like you wouldn't play in the dungeon with your pink fuzzy rabbits?" Karlie replied.

"Girls, girls, that's a great idea and I personally would love to learn Ryanna and Julia's trick of turning into cats. That sounds like fun." Patricia added.

"I agree and we sure need a vacation from this vacation. I suggest we eat our fill, make sure we all go to the bathroom first and take the next couple of weeks to ourselves. What do you say?" Sylvie asked.

The collective answer was enthusiastic to say the least. Ryanna and Julia jumped all over the living room, improvising an acrobatic celebratory dance.

As they ate one of the dishes that had been left earlier, a delicious cipaille made the traditional way with a combination of three venison and three farm raised meats, they made plans for their 'vacation'.