"I don't know them," Solomon said, and then frowned, tilting his head in Valkyrie's direction even while he watched the oncoming souls. "Unless ... a cabbie ... Valkyrie, tell me it isn't." His tone of voice said that even as he spoke the words, he already knew what she was going to say, and he turned to look at Gabe, exasperation and amusement warring on his face. "This is what you call subtle?"
"If you didn't know about Certain Things you'd dismiss it as a quirk of the universe," Gabe pointed out, and waved enthusiastically. "Hey, Barn! Hey there, li'l lady! Who here's name's d'you know?"
"I'm having fun, Mr Skull, sir," Allie said, her cheeks pink with excitement and shyness both. Then she sat up, folding her hands primly on her lap. "Hello. I'm Allie. I know Ghastly's name, and Daddy told me about Skull and Fletch and Gabe. This is my Daddy, Barney, and my nurse, Mrs Sheldon."
Mrs Sheldon was looking a little bit bewildered by this sudden meeting, smiling vaguely and self-consciously for a lack of anything else to do. (She was also blushing moderately, which wasn't terribly unexpected given the men by which she was surrounded.)
"I'm Gabe," said the beaming Archangel. He patted Solomon's arm, and then pointed individually to everyone. "This here's Sol. He's just outta the hospital. Y'know who Skul and Ghast are. That there's Val and Fletch, and that's Tanith and Erskine and Corr."
"You're both really pretty," Allie said to the dark-haired girl and the blonde woman beside her, and then looked at the old man in the colourful coat, grinning. "I like your coat." She glanced at Erskine, blushing just a little as she opened her mouth to ask if he was a faery prince too, because he was pretty enough to be one, and then closed it again with a glance back at Mrs Sheldon.
"What about me?" Rafe demanded, and Gabe made a face at Allie, successfully distracting her from her conundrum.
"Oh yeah, this here's my big brother Rafe."
"That's more like it." Something like a giant and exuberant but gentle puppy, Rafe bounced toward Allie's wheelchair and sank down on his haunches with a grace at odds with his tattered grey coat, his doe-like eyes wide and twinkling. He tilted his head at her, poking her gently in the chest. "What're you doin' in this chair, princess? Don't look like a throne to me."
Even the seriousness of the question didn't dim Allie's smile. He was just too funny. "I have a bad heart," she explained softly, reaching up to the wheelchair's handlebars to grip her daddy's hand. Rafe had nice eyes too, even though she couldn't see them anymore because he was shaking his head.
"Nuh-uh. I don't believe ya. Betcha heart's as big as anythin'." He gave her another experimental poke, his eyes all narrowed like they did when someone was concentrating. Giggling, Allie pulled back. It tickled, and yet it ... didn't at once. Mostly it felt warm. Nice. And even though she was laughing a lot, she didn't feel her heart start to pound harder at all.
Her breathed caught. Ghastly had said Gabe was an angel. If Rafe was his brother, then maybe he was an angel too. She really, really wanted to ask, but Mrs Sheldon didn't know, so she couldn't. But Allie looked into Rafe's face, and the way his smile softened, and her heart skipped a beat--in a good way. Because he looked like he knew just what she was thinking.
"I think they should run some tests again," he said to her. "I think their machines were lyin'."
"Mr Rafe," Mrs Sheldon began, smiling again self-consciously but a bit firmly. "Allie's been in our care for a while now. I know you mean well, but please."
Please don't give her false hope. Allie knew that's what the nurse wasn't saying. The girl didn't even shift to give her a glance, because Mrs Sheldon didn't know, and Allie had definitely felt all warm when Rafe poked her. Rafe looked up, but right over her head, and Allie got the feeling he was actually looking at Daddy.
"Aw, have a little faith," he said, and then quick as a flash reached out to scoop her out of the wheelchair. She went with a squeal of surprise, feeling as light as air as he put her on his shoulders and stood.
"Allie!" Mrs Sheldon sounded alarmed, but Allie laughed a little breathlessly, gripping Rafe's head--but not too hard.
"I'm all tall!" she exulted. Tall, and her heart didn't hurt at all.
"Where to, princess?" Rafe asked her, pivoting and pointing. "Over there, on the Ferris wheel? Or over there, where the tent is?"
Allie pretended to consider, and then shook his head. "Nuh-uh. Over there." She pointed to Fletch. "I wanna see how he makes his hair stand up. It's all pretty. Like a bird with one of those things--a crest."
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"If you didn't know about Certain Things you'd dismiss it as a quirk of the universe," Gabe pointed out, and waved enthusiastically. "Hey, Barn! Hey there, li'l lady! Who here's name's d'you know?"
"I'm having fun, Mr Skull, sir," Allie said, her cheeks pink with excitement and shyness both. Then she sat up, folding her hands primly on her lap. "Hello. I'm Allie. I know Ghastly's name, and Daddy told me about Skull and Fletch and Gabe. This is my Daddy, Barney, and my nurse, Mrs Sheldon."
Mrs Sheldon was looking a little bit bewildered by this sudden meeting, smiling vaguely and self-consciously for a lack of anything else to do. (She was also blushing moderately, which wasn't terribly unexpected given the men by which she was surrounded.)
"I'm Gabe," said the beaming Archangel. He patted Solomon's arm, and then pointed individually to everyone. "This here's Sol. He's just outta the hospital. Y'know who Skul and Ghast are. That there's Val and Fletch, and that's Tanith and Erskine and Corr."
"You're both really pretty," Allie said to the dark-haired girl and the blonde woman beside her, and then looked at the old man in the colourful coat, grinning. "I like your coat." She glanced at Erskine, blushing just a little as she opened her mouth to ask if he was a faery prince too, because he was pretty enough to be one, and then closed it again with a glance back at Mrs Sheldon.
"What about me?" Rafe demanded, and Gabe made a face at Allie, successfully distracting her from her conundrum.
"Oh yeah, this here's my big brother Rafe."
"That's more like it." Something like a giant and exuberant but gentle puppy, Rafe bounced toward Allie's wheelchair and sank down on his haunches with a grace at odds with his tattered grey coat, his doe-like eyes wide and twinkling. He tilted his head at her, poking her gently in the chest. "What're you doin' in this chair, princess? Don't look like a throne to me."
Even the seriousness of the question didn't dim Allie's smile. He was just too funny. "I have a bad heart," she explained softly, reaching up to the wheelchair's handlebars to grip her daddy's hand. Rafe had nice eyes too, even though she couldn't see them anymore because he was shaking his head.
"Nuh-uh. I don't believe ya. Betcha heart's as big as anythin'." He gave her another experimental poke, his eyes all narrowed like they did when someone was concentrating. Giggling, Allie pulled back. It tickled, and yet it ... didn't at once. Mostly it felt warm. Nice. And even though she was laughing a lot, she didn't feel her heart start to pound harder at all.
Her breathed caught. Ghastly had said Gabe was an angel. If Rafe was his brother, then maybe he was an angel too. She really, really wanted to ask, but Mrs Sheldon didn't know, so she couldn't. But Allie looked into Rafe's face, and the way his smile softened, and her heart skipped a beat--in a good way. Because he looked like he knew just what she was thinking.
"I think they should run some tests again," he said to her. "I think their machines were lyin'."
"Mr Rafe," Mrs Sheldon began, smiling again self-consciously but a bit firmly. "Allie's been in our care for a while now. I know you mean well, but please."
Please don't give her false hope. Allie knew that's what the nurse wasn't saying. The girl didn't even shift to give her a glance, because Mrs Sheldon didn't know, and Allie had definitely felt all warm when Rafe poked her. Rafe looked up, but right over her head, and Allie got the feeling he was actually looking at Daddy.
"Aw, have a little faith," he said, and then quick as a flash reached out to scoop her out of the wheelchair. She went with a squeal of surprise, feeling as light as air as he put her on his shoulders and stood.
"Allie!" Mrs Sheldon sounded alarmed, but Allie laughed a little breathlessly, gripping Rafe's head--but not too hard.
"I'm all tall!" she exulted. Tall, and her heart didn't hurt at all.
"Where to, princess?" Rafe asked her, pivoting and pointing. "Over there, on the Ferris wheel? Or over there, where the tent is?"
Allie pretended to consider, and then shook his head. "Nuh-uh. Over there." She pointed to Fletch. "I wanna see how he makes his hair stand up. It's all pretty. Like a bird with one of those things--a crest."