After the FIre

Khaat was in a half doze. She was still restless. The worst part of what she'd been through was not what Barker had done to her. It, by far, was what he had done to Eli. Eli didn't deserve all that. And he wasn't, clearly, emotionally strong enough. He just hadn't tolerated all the physical and emotional stress. And Khaat felt like she had abandoned him. Somehow, she believed she had needed to be stronger so that she hadn't left him. Well, she hadn't intended to. And she had tried to get back to him, but she hadn't known how. Few people would now understand what the deuce she was rambling about if she told them. Outside of her father? And a few Order members who were now deceased, well, the only person that really would have understood might have been Harry. Harry would have gotten it. There were times she missed Harry. And this was one of them.

jess sighed as he reatched the door to Khaats room she looked at Jack who slipped his arm around ehr waist as she pushed it open suddenly she saw her on the bed and gasped at what she saw Jack held her mving ehr to the bed side where Jess took Khaats hand gently.
"Khaat?" she said softly her thumb brushed her hand gently as she fought not to cry , she looked at Jack worried.

Jack looked at Jess seeing the shock on her face as he pulled her to him and moved her to the bed side hia ram still around her "shes still Khaat jess, she might not look it and Robert did warn us of this" he said holding her tighter feling her shake a little as she stood.

Khaat woke when she heard someone call to her. She saw it was Jess and Jack. She was glad to see them. Very glad.

"Hi," she said with a weak smile. "Barker sort of fouled up some of my Christmas plans. This is not what I had planned. Its good to see you. I'm sorry about how ugly this all is. Daddy says he's going after Barker already. He's never lied to me. If he said he is, then he is.

"It looks worse than it is," Khaat said, wanting to downplay it for them. Her father's pain potions and spells were keeping her comfortable enough that she really was feeling a bit emotionally numb at the moment. She knew that wouldn't last forever, and she dreaded when he would allow it to become real for her.

"He took Eli too," Khaat said softly. "And it was too much for him. I don't know if he'll ever be the same."

Jessica walked over and took Khaat's hand holding it gently as she listened to her speak "don't worry about it Khaat " she said glancing at Jack who now stood with her she wished she could have been there to help but knew there was no way she could have "I think eli will be OK , don't worry about anything but getting better" she said and was glad when she felt jack's arms snake around her waist


Jack saw she was becoming upset and slipped his hand around her waist letting her lean on him as he held her "hey khaat , he is dealing with the man if I can call him that who did this to you" he said hoping to reassure her that she could rest and recover "don't worry about anything we're here to help and for you to rest " he said both not knowing what else they could say they both felt the same that Barker had hurt there best friend who was like a sister to both of them and jack felt like Jess he would have tore his head from his body if he had been there.

"There's so much you just don't know," she sighed. How on earth did she tell them that she had come so close to dying that she had actually left her body and had had a difficult time finding her way back? How did she say that she had been able to stand outside of herself and watch Barker hurt her? How did she explain how hard she had tried to tell Eli that she hadn't left him?

And in the end, it had been her parents that had somehow found her and told her how to find her way back. Her mother had sensed Khaat's presence in the room still but knew she had been somehow separated from herself. It had been them who had told her she had to choose to stay, choose to live. So, here she was. And it was going to be a long road back.

"I'm glad you're here," she finally said. "How did you know I was here? Did Brian send for you? He was here just a few minutes ago. I really really wanted some French roast. I think he went to see if he could find some."