The Ties That Bind

"Leave him there. Just don't let him wander off," Brian said. "Technically, he's out of trouble with them. But he's not out of trouble with me."

"You are not doing surgery on my...the...dining room table, are you?" Kieran frowned.

"We certainly are," Khaat replied quietly, all business. "Where do you suggest I do it? Your infirmary?"

"We don't have one," Kieran replied.

"That would be the entire point," Khaat answered, "There. There is is, See it? It travelled downward at an angle. They were taller than he was. It's lodged up against that big blood vessel. This won't be easy to remove without tearing the blood vessel. If I do it wrong, he will bleed to death."

"How can I help?" Brian asked her.

"You and Jess keep him stable," Khaat said.

"Keep a sharp eye on his vital signs, Jess," Brian told her. "I'll work on turning around the traumatic shock."

"Good plan," Khaat said. She glanced up at Kieran, who was looking very green. "If you're going to be sick, don't do it here, Kieran." Kieran began looking at the tile on the floor instead of watching. She returned to her surgery, and after a few tense minutes, she deposited the bullet into a basin beside her. Brian breathed a sigh of relief.

"His arm is regaining color," Brian told her. "Nice work." Khaat began setting spells in place to mend the wound from the inside out. She wanted to stop the bleeding and to start the damaged tissues mending themselves. "Jess," Brian said. "See if you can find several heavy, thick gauze pads--large size--and a large roll of gauze. We're going to have to pad this as thick as we can. And we'll put it in a sling to take the pressure off his shoulder. "

Jess knew just where they were and dove for them finding them in the medicine cabanet in her room returning with several in her hands and placed them next to her along with a bandage to finish off , her hand resting on Robert once again as she watched feeling like an amater compared to Khaat's skills.

Steven stood with keian and made sure he didn't move along with jack who smiled at jess proudly that she had done so wel helping jess with Robert but he also looked at Cassidy still out n the couch the wound in her side now nothing but a thin scar on her pale skin. He turned back to face jess and Khaat " will he be ok?" he asked voiceing what every one was thinking.

"He'll be fine," Khaat said, partly to reassure herself. She needed to keep repeating in her own head that he was alright. She didn't know if anyone understood the terror she felt at the thought of losing him, and she was doing her best to keep her mind on her work--partly to take care of him first. And partly because she didn't want anyone to see how frightened this had made her. She closed the wound finally by laying her hand on it. She cleaned the area off again to get rid of the mess, and then Brian sat up Robert's limp form so that Khaat could dress and bandage the wound. She put several heavy gauze pads on the wound and then had Jess hold them in place until she had wrapped his shoulder in gauze. She immobilized his arm in a sling and adjusted it appropriately. The last thing she did was to check on his overall condition. He had lost a lot of blood, but he had survived. His vitals were strong, and thanks to Brian, the shock was easing up.

"There, Done," she finally said. It had taken hours--longer than she thought.

"Beautiful work, Khaat," Brian said. "He could not have been more meticulous himself. He'll be pleased when he gets to see it. I'll take him up to a room and put him into bed. Jess, go check on Cassidy and make sure she's still alright."

"Cassidy?" Khaat asked.

"She was hit with one of those muggle dart guns. I reversed the drug and sealed up the wound. She's just sleeping now, but we really should check. If you'd do that, please, Jess?" Brian asked. He apparated upstairs with Robert to a guest room.

"Go ahead, Jess," Khaat said. "I'll clean up this mess. You don't need to do the dirty work here. I'll do it."

jess breathed out when she said he would be allright she did as aksed and stepped back loking at Cassidy " sure " she sid and walked over to her seeing the scare she could find nothing else wrong but a need to sleep the last of the poison out of her system . " jack take her to her room I'll be there in a minet " she said as jack lent down to pick cassidy up jess kissed him and smiled.

Jack carried her to her room and lay her on the bed she graoned slightly muttering in her sleep he could f e hurried back and feel her as he ahd carried her to her rom and now worried . He hrried back and fetched jess " shes just reacting to the slight poison thats left in her system " sh e said " watch her she might have nightmares she said and returned to Khaat and Robert " strange shes still reacting to the poison " she said and looked at Khaat " but there isn't any maybe a small amount left but she should just sleep that off".

"Its hard to get that all out, even with the best spells," Khaat said, finishing cleaning up the dining room. She took the equipment into the kitchen and cleaned it and sterilized it and replaced it back in the surgical kit and put the kit back in her father's bag. She looked at Jess. "Its getting later than I thought. Thank you for your help. I don't know if Cassidy will feel like cooking in the morning. I may have to ask you to do that, if she isn't up to helping. I'm sorry to ask you that since it is getting pretty late. I appreciate your help, though. Maybe you and Jack need to turn in. I'm sure Brian and I will be up. Between Kieran and Daddy, I dont' think either of us will be able to sleep tonight. Would you tell Steven he's free to go to bed now if he likes? Its been a very long day. Oh, and I'll gather up all the weapons and return them to Daddy. Ask everyone to leave them on the table in the gym, and I'll get them from there. If you and Jack and Steven can shut down the house for the night, I'll go see Daddy."

She waved her wand and cast a shield around the house and looked at Kieran. "You can't get out of the house. Brian and I will be up all night, so don't think about trying anything. The liquor is all magically locked up. You can't get that either."

"You're going to let me just wander around in the house?" Kieran asked.

"I don't have time to mess with you," she said honestly. "But if you so much as put one toe out of line, I will still kill you. Are we clear?"

"So I'm still a prisoner."

"Yes. Get used to it. Behave yourself and act like an adult and you'll be treated like it. You make another mistake, and you'll never get another chance. Are we very clear with one another?"

"Yes. We are," he replied. "I think I'd like to get out of these clothes."

"There are some changes in the room you were using. Help yourself." She watched him walk off towards the bedroom he'd been using and look back at Khaat over his shoulder, nervouslyl.

"I want to give him half a chance," Khaat told the others. "But just half."

Jess looked at her " i'll make breakfast she need to rest " she said and moved to the kitchen " and its my pleasure " she said smiling. once breackfast was prepered she moved to the living room " steven Khaat says you can go ace and he finally let go ofsleep now" she saw the relife on his face and he finally let go of a yawn he'd held back on. Jess chuckled and gun shook her head " go to bed sleepy head " she said and he smiled nodding as he took off the gun placing it in her hands.

" give this back to Brian would you" he said and streached as he moved to his room stripping off he lay down and drifted off to sleep dreaming of Delilah.

Jack took off his jacket and sat down on the couch and for jess to join him he watched Kerian and smirked " be glad she's giving you that " he said as he saw Jess walk over and sit with him her arms wraping around his waist he moved his arm and held her close to him " you did realy well tonigh Jess" he said nd felt her kiss his cheek " what was that for?" he asked smiling .

" for coming back un hurt" she said and kissed him again as she smiled at him resting her head on his shoulder " I'll stay up breackfast will need to be made in a few hours anyway " she said softly happy to be in his embrase again.

As Cassidy slept she saw images people she ahd helped and those who she had killed all taughted her she tried to run but her legs wouldn't move slowly she felt a peircing pain shoot threw her body and cryed out . She slipped from the bed moving as if searchng for something her mind fogged as she moved threw the house.

" got to.... hide can't...let him find me " she said over and over as she moved finding a dark room she hide in a courner.


((Cassidy has hid in keirans room not knowing it is his since shes deliriose.))

Brian moved Robert upstairs and put him to bed while Khaat cleaned up downstairs. She told the others downstairs that she was going up to see her father and make sure he woke up from the surgery safely. She did know Brian was there, but the truth was, she just felt like she needed to be there with him. She went upstairs tiredly.

Meanwhile, Brian had been in the process of putting Robert into bed when he heard movement upstairs. Something not right. He drew his wand and went down the hallway. The longer he was there, the more he heard soft, subtle noises in Kieran's room. He went in and found Cassidy hiding there. He was about to speak when he saw the look in her eyes. She looked a bit out of it. He simply got her to her feet, quietly and gently, and took her back to her room and put her back into bed. He laid his hand on her forehead and cast aaaaaa sleep spell on her so that she would sleep now until morning.

In the meantime, Khaat had gone to her father's room and had finished the job Brian had started. She checked him and decided he was better off if she didn't bring him conscious and just let him rest instead. She was too tired to bring a chair into the room, so she sat down on the floor beside the bed, determined to stay until he came conscious.

Hours slipped by painfully slowly, she got tired. Her fatigue got to her, and she felt her eyes getting heavy. And she was cold. The floor was a bit drafty. Before she realized it, she had started to doze. Somewhere, someone draped a blanket over her shoulders, wrapping it around her. It was comforting. She woke, finding she had been leaning against the bed, laying her head near her father's hand. She opened her eyes to see, of all people, Kieran there. It had been Kieran who had provided the blanket.

"I...didn't mean to wake you," he said awkwardly. "You...you looked...well, cold."

"I was. Thank you," she said, pulling the blanket tighter around herself.

"Is he going to be alright?"

"I think so, yes."

"You all presented a pretty good game out there tonight," Kieran said.

"That was no game," Khaat said. "What you saw is what it is. He's that powerful, and so is your brother and everyone else here. They're all well trained."

"Your dad own a private army or something?"

"Or something," Khaat replied, still shivering. He looked at the fresh cup of tea in his hand and handed it to her.

"Its just tea. Brian hasn't given me the run of the house, so there is nothing in it but tea. But I do understand if you don't trust that." She took the teacup and smelled it. Cinnamon. And just tea, so far as she could tell.

"Thanks," she said, taking a sip. It was a bit stronger than usual, and very good. It made her smile.

"I do still remember how to make tea," he admitted. "So tell me. Do you love him? My brother?"

"Yes," Khaat said softly. "He's a good man."

"Not like me," Kieran said.

"You two are very different," she said. "Why are you being nice to me?"

"I'm not bad through and through, or at least I don't think I am."

Steven woke next day freshed and raring tio finish off the stables as he walked down he saw jack and jess door slightly ajar they were still asleep and so with a chuckle he moved down to the kitchen and grabbed a coffee.

Cassidy had , had the most stragest dreams she drept she had been back with her father , feeling her self moving she shivered but as she lay down in her own bed curled up in a ball and mumbled " no...stop...dad ...I won't " she shook puling tighter " stop ....that hurts ...stop it..n..n..no " her voice faded finally under the sleep spell as she fell asleep her face glistening with her tears . she didn't even realize Brian had been in the room with her .

she woke the next morning aching her side twindged but she could cope with it but her pillow was wet she didn't understand why , she moved to the shower and quickly showerd and headed down for breakfast. she caught a glance of the others and sat down " morning" she said " does any one know how Robert is this morning" she said eating.

"He's asleep," Kieran said, coming into the kitchen. He refilled his teacup. "He's holding his own. He came conscious about 5 am and went right to sleep. He's not gonna remember that."

"And how do you know all that?" Angus frowned.

"I was there," Kieran said simply.

"What were you doing in Robert's room?"

"I was with Khaaty. She is my sister--or sister in law. Still can't wrap my mind around that," he admitted. "She's still there. She fell asleep a little bit ago. And the last I saw of my dear brother, he was...."

"He was in the gym," Brian said, coming upstairs and into the kitchen. He had showered and shaved and dressed in the shower off the gym downstairs. "I see Khaat didn't turn you into anything. You must have behaved yourself." Brian did see that Cassidy was awake and up. He said nothing to her about last night. He didn't want to embarress her. "Oh, by the way, we might well be hearing from Kate today. I sent her word last night. I haven't heard a reply back yet, but my guess is that she already knows. She doesn't miss much. I doubt this will rattle her. Its not like this is the first time Robert's taken a hit. I'll go up and check on him and Khaat in a bit." He poured himself coffee. He hadn't discussed with Kieran what the future would be for him now that the danger was past, but he did know that it had to come--soon.

Casidy nodded and breathed out in relif he was ok she looked up at keiran sat with them all " is it safe to have him here ?" she asked but heard Brian come in her face went pink she couldn't under stand something in her mind said she ahd done something embarassing but she could not recall any thing after climbing in the SUV. eating only a little of the food she moved back upstairs and sat down her nd resting on her side feeling the scar that sat there and winced slightly. " well there goes the long tops " she said .

steven saw Cassidy cheeks turn pink but just shook his head he was sure it had nothing to do with him and he continued to eat his watching how little she actualy ate now concerned as she left " did something hapen last fnight , cassidy seems .... not her self " he said sipping his coffee.