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He smiled. Mah-Mah. “I would love some. Although Justine cooks a mean crab-cake.”
“Bon Dieu, I know this. That’s why she works there. Her food is what miracles are made of, oui?”
“Oui,” he muttered, smiling.
“See you in swamp sec.”
****
Patches paused on the listingMedical Cattle Tagswith real time readings.Was a shot in the dark but maybe it would work for what they needed. He paused in astonishment as he readUsed only one season for tracking bat infestations on ranch. Can be modified for other uses. “Holy mother of miracles.” They sure didn’t have time to wait for 8-bit to build something that detected markers in blood, but he’d thoughtsurelythe medical field had something close they could modify. Something like radio frequency identification tags coupled with a biosensor mechanism where they got real time readings of Nitro’s blood, alerting them when levels got dangerous.
Facebook Marketplace had been his final hail Mary in his search. “Come on Tegan from Texas,” he muttered, hitting theIs this item still available buttonon the message box. “Give me the goods, bruh.”
He shut the laptop and headed out to make his final rounds before the dinner bell. Ms. Justine had his stomach in a mean growl since three that afternoon with her famous crab cakes. Too bad she wasn’t forty years younger, he’d snatch that up for his wife in a marsh minute.
Patches peeked into Mr. Leblanc’s room, finding him staring longingly out the window from his bed. “Hey Pacey, how you doing?”
The old man’s tired face lit up on him. “Meh good and you-self?”
“I’m hungry like a swamp rat after smelling Ms. Jusitne’s cooking.”
He gave a big toothless laugh. “Meh yeah?”
Patches stopped at his bed, sitting. “Lemme take a peek at that mean bite.” He moved the covers off his feet where the bandages protected the muskrat bite on his shin. “Pain’s all gone?”
“All gone. But meh, it itches yeah?”
He laughed, carefully unwrapping it. “Itching is good. Oh yes, this is good,” he said, inspecting it.
“What you tink?”
“I think you’re all better is what I think. Don’t need these anymore, either.” He gathered the bandages and tossed them in the trash.
“What dat means?” he asked, sounding like he’d come to think he’d never leave.
“It means you won thegohomeswamp-lottery.”
His gray bushy brows shot up. “Fo real?”
“For real,” he nodded. “Who you want me to call? Unless you wanna spend the night with me one more night.”
“Shooooo I like you,” he said, his big laugh coming. “But not dat much. Meh call mah sister, she can come get me.”
Patches laughed real good at that. “At least eat supper with me before you go.”
“Meh I’ll say yes if you hep me out this bed.”
“You got it,” Patches said, gently easing him to the edge. “I’ll get your clothes. You want to shower before heading out, you can. You can use some of Mah-Mah’s Miracle Man soap for Mrs. Leblanc.”
Patches laughed at how funny he thought that was. The old man aimed a crooked finger at him, light in his little half-moon eyes. “She might put me back in the hospital if I come home smellin’ too good, yeah?”
Patches died laughing as he shuffled slowly along with him, arm hooked in his in case he decided to fall. Pacey would be hack if he had to spend another day there with him, this he knew.
****
Beth stilled when Sahvrin opened the hospital room door and Samuel’s head resting on the bed came into view. The sight of his dad’s hand firmly grasped between his, stirred the pain in her chest. Sahvrin squeezed her upper arms, his eyes on her. But she couldn’t stop looking at their Seer. Their strong, kind Samuel, so broken and desperate there. The man who always had the answers for others was now bowed over a bed, just a little boy wanting his Mon Pier. When she heard Spook tell Bishop the story, she couldn’t get the vision of him crying frantically for his dad out of her head. God, her heart was broken for him. She wanted him to know he wasn’t alone. Everybody was praying with him.
He suddenly raised his head, aiming weary blue eyes at them, then gave a weak smile that broke her heart more. “Hey,” he called quietly. “Good to see you two.”
