Tagan's Child by ammyford1 Page A

with loved
ones.”
    I felt relieved
that I would at least be able to see her.
    “In that case,
I will be in later on. Thank you for phoning doctor.”
    “Goodbye Miss
McAllister.” And with that he put the phone down.
    I was so
thankful that it was not as bleak as I had feared. “I can’t believe
Audrey’s doctor phoned just to give me an update, what did you say
to him last night?”
    “I just said
that I would be grateful if he could report on her condition in the
morning,” Ahran replied.
    I shook my head
disbelievingly. “Thank you.” As much as I didn’t want to admit it I
don’t know what I would have done without him over the last 12
hours.
    Ahran looked
slightly uncomfortable. “So she’s still in a coma,” he said,
diverting the attention away from himself.
    I nodded and my
bottom lip began to quiver.
    His expression
softened. “As the doctor said, this is normal for someone who has
suffered the injuries Audrey has.” He was trying to reassure me but
his sympathy only caused my tears to fall.
    I buried my
face in my hands and sobbed.
    “She’s going to
be fine, it will just take a little while,” he said gently, and I
felt his arms around my shoulders. His warmth seeped through my
sweater.
    “I hope you’re
right,” I said through my tears. He pulled me further into his
arms. This man was little more than a stranger to me, but I took
the sympathy he offered and cried into his chest.
    “I’m sorry. I
keep doing that to you,” I said, pulling away. “I’ve made your
shirt all wet.” I went to get some kitchen roll to pat it dry.
    He caught my
wrist and turned me back towards him. “Please. It doesn’t
matter.”
    We stood there
for a few moments looking at one another. Just as he turned away, I
saw the flicker of conflict across his face. I stared at his back
feeling confused. He gripped the edge of the sink and looked out
the window. Showing his humanity seemed to unsettle him. I didn’t
know what to make of it. All I knew was that when Ahran was being
supportive and compassionate, I could feel myself being drawn to
him like a moth to a flame, but when he was cool and abrupt, it
only served to put my back up. I grabbed a tissue and blew my
nose.
    “We should go
to Ramia tonight,” Ahran said, turning around.
    “Tonight?!
That’s impossible.”
    “Sophie, you’ve
seen the condition Audrey is in. This really is a matter of life
and death.”
    I contemplated
Toby coming to any harm and it brought me up short. I knew I had to
do what Ahran asked and soon. “Okay, okay, I get it. But I really
would like to know what we are getting ourselves into. Is there any
way I can meet King Halsan before we go and stay?”
    “Halsan won’t
come to Earth.”
    I tried not to
feel offended.
    “But I suppose
I could take you to him,” he said, considering my request.
    “What about
Toby?”
    “Elaya is at
the school, she will protect him.”
    I looked at the
clock it was nearly ten thirty. I had no idea how long it would
take to get to Ramia and back and I wanted to visit Audrey before I
picked Toby up from school. “We can’t go today,” I said adamantly.
“How long does it take to get there anyway? Isn’t it in a
completely different universe?” I couldn’t fathom how far away that
was.
    “There are
other ways of travelling than the modes you are thinking of
Sophie.”
    I felt even
more confused. What ways other than a rocket or a spaceship are
there?
    “We travel to
and from my world through a portal,” he explained.
    “What do you
mean, like some kind of gateway?” I’m sure this had been on Deep
Space Nine the only time I had sat and watched it with Toby. I wish
I had paid more attention.
    “Yes, exactly
that, we have created one in the woods just behind your house.”
    “In my wood?” I
was shocked.
    “Yes, a wood is
a good place for a portal. We are more able to travel through it
undetected.”
    I nodded as if
we were having the most normal conversation in the world.