"You're hurting badly."
"It comes and goes." Mandy tried to keep her voice steady. "The worst part is not being able to find a comfortable position."
Something about the woman's presence felt... different. Soothing, somehow, like a cool breeze on a scorching day. The harsh fluorescent lighting seemed softer around her, as if she carried her own gentle illumination.
"Are you here visiting someone?" Mandy asked, curious about why this elegantly dressed woman was wandering the ER halls.
"In a manner of speaking." Jacinth's mysterious smile sparked Mandy's imagination. If she weren't in so much pain, she'd be mentally taking notes for her next book. This woman could inspire an entire character.
Mandy pushed down her curiosity about Jacinth's presence in the ER. If the woman had wanted to explain further, she would have. Besides, echoes of her mother's voice reminded her it wasn't polite to pry into other people's business.
"It's kind of you to stop and talk to me." Mandy managed a genuine smile despite another twinge in her back. "Most people just hurry past." Including the nurses and doctors, she thought with a stifled sigh, although she didn't say that aloud, of course.
"Kindness costs nothing."
Jacinth's smile radiated warmth, touching something deep inside Mandy's heart. The pain in her back receded to a dull throb as an inexplicable sense of peace washed over her.
"That's true. You know, it seems odd," Mandy couldn't quite place the feeling, but there was something familiar about Jacinth's gentle demeanor. "I feel as if I've known you forever, like an old friend, though I know we've only just met."
"Perhaps we were meant to meet today." Jacinth's rings clinked softly against the bed rail. The sound reminded Mandy of tiny bells, musical and soothing.
"You have such a beautiful spirit about you." The words slipped out before Mandy could stop them. She flushed, embarrassed by her forthrightness. "I'm sorry, that probably sounds silly."
"Not silly at all." Jacinth's eyes sparkled with an inner light that seemed to dance and flicker like candlelight. "Sometimes the heart recognizes truth that the mind cannot explain." She turned, clearly preparing to leave. She gave Mandy another one of those wonderful, warm smiles. "I hope the doctors will see you soon. No one should have to wait so long while in pain."
Her words held a note of genuine concern, as if she could sense how much Mandy's discomfort had grown over the past few hours.
"Thank you." Mandy blinked back the moisture threatening to gather in her eyes again, touched by the genuine concern in the other woman's voice.
"I wish you good luck, and a safe trip home when they finally let you leave." Jacinth's warm brown eyes held Mandy's gaze for a moment longer, her smile gentle and reassuring.
Jacinth turned away, her silk tunic rustling softly. Mandy watched her go, already missing the strange sense of comfort the woman's presence had brought. After a few steps, Jacinth paused, her head tilting as if listening to something only she could hear. She pivoted gracefully, and returned to Mandy's bedside.
"I almost forgot." Jacinth reached into her purse, pulling out something that gleamed gold between her fingers. "I have something for you."
"Oh, but-"
"Shhhh." Jacinth's gentle admonishment stopped Mandy's protest.
Mandy's eyes widened as Jacinth held up an exquisite necklace. A dark blue stone pendant hung from the gold chain, its surface etched with intricate golden patterns that seemed to shift and dance in the overhead lighting. The stone itself appeared to hold depths within its deep azure surface, like looking into a bottomless pool of clear water.
"Oh, my!" Mandy exclaimed on a long breath. "It's lovely, and so expensive! I can't possibly accept-"
"Of course you can." Jacinth's tone brooked no argument as she moved around to the head of the gurney. "Let me put it on you."
Cool metal brushed against Mandy's neck as Jacinth's gentle fingers slipped the necklace over her head. The pendant settled against her chest, surprisingly warm against her skin.
"There," Jacinth said, stepping back to admire how it looked. "It suits you perfectly."
Mandy's fingers flew to the necklace, touching the warm surface of the stone. The metal should have been cool against herskin, but instead radiated a gentle heat that seemed to pulse in time with her heartbeat.
"I-I can't accept this." Her voice trembled. "It's beautiful, but it must be worth a fortune."
"Its worth lies in the person wearing it." Jacinth's musical voice held a note of finality. "And it belongs with you right now."
"But you and I have only just met." Mandy's fingers traced the intricate patterns etched into the stone's surface. They seemed to shift beneath her touch, though she told herself it had to be a trick of the harsh hospital lighting. "Why would you give me something so precious?"
"Because it called to you." Jacinth's warm brown eyes held an ancient wisdom that made Mandy's breath catch. "Some things in this world find their own paths to where they belong."
