THE POWER OF LOVE
By Atonia
Part 1
Christmas Day seemed to go on forever. It began with the boys squealing and laughing down the stairs at daybreak and Rose left screaming in her crib alone in the nursery. Toni went up to Rose and Max downstairs with the boys. Jack was already downstairs and soon Terry followed to share in the kids' Santa. Toni cooked breakfast and Max helped her clean up the kitchen. There wasn’t time to think, much less worry. The Duncan’s were coming for dinner at 4:00 and so it would be a madhouse all day. She gave up trying to keep paper and ribbons picked up. She retreated to the kitchen with one of her own presents, an iPod fully loaded with music. Ludivine said she would try and get by but Toni had told her not to worry, just enjoy your own family. Now she was thinking she was crazy for being so generous.
Terry wandered into the kitchen to find her staring at a large piece of bloody meat. "I want mine cooked," he said and opened the fridge door.
"What?" She pulled out an ear bud.
"Like that, do ya?" He found a soft drink.
"Yes, I do. I can shut out everything. It was a good idea."
"A joint effort, Max and I both picked out the music…a little of everything. What are you um…?"
"It's beef tenderloin. I’m going to roast it. It’s not going to be a traditional Christmas dinner except for the dessert. I just…somehow don’t feel like tradition so I’m tossing it to the wind."
"Toss away," he winked and left the kitchen.
She seasoned the meat then lined the baking potatoes up on the counter. Salad…to the fridge again and the vegetable bin. All the makings were out. Broccoli casserole…she pulled out the ingredients for that and glanced at the clock above the sink. Two hours to go.
She went to pull Max from the living room to help her and then they all came, including children.
"OUT!" she yelled. "I only wanted Max."
He looked at her over the kitchen island. "Love, you’ve still got on your pajamas."
Toni glared at him. "Just when do you think I’ve had time to even go to the loo much less pay attention to what I’m wearing?"
He jumped in then and put together the casserole for her and sent her upstairs to change. He looked at all the ingredients out on the counter for dinner. Looked like a salad and he could do that, too. Max didn’t mind the kitchen at all. He just didn’t volunteer for it.
"How long before you think you will know something?" Jack asked, trying to read the instructions for a battery-operated jeep.
Terry rewound a doll and handed it back to Rose. "Probably in a day or so. I figure if it’s something then they’ll get right on it."
Jack looked up at him and then back to his instruction sheet but his mind wasn’t on the jeep. The House of Four Seasons had healed in the past. Broken bones, cuts and bruises, but it hadn’t healed Terry’s mind. He’d done that himself when he’d lost his memory. There may be limits to what it could do. He hoped it wasn’t put to the test.
Christmas dinner turned out to be a success. Penny was good about helping and was there for the clean-up as well. Toni wanted to ask her about Jean Paul, who she thought looked pretty good if not a little pale, but then Penny would ask about Terry and she didn’t know how to answer. She’d seen Terry and Jean Paul in serious conversation earlier but had no idea what it was about.
"You’ve got a houseful here, Toni. You do know that you could have sent somebody over to our place. There’s only the three of us."
"That’s okay, Penny. They really pretty much look after themselves. Today was just a busy one. I usually have help but with the holiday I let everybody go about their business. And then we’ve had sickness, too. How’s Jean Paul recovering?"
"He’s doing okay. Honestly, I think it was more than the flu. It was some kind of West Nile virus or something. Who knows what they pick up around the world? Terry still looks under the weather. How is he?"
"Um, well, he had a chest infection so it’s taking a little longer and I think you’re right about the virus. I’ve had flu and it was nothing like Terry went through."
Later that night Max was reading the kids to sleep, Terry had her iPod in the den and she was at the kitchen table with heavily spiked eggnog. Jack joined her.
"How are you, Pet? You’ve had a day, haven’t you?"
"It’s been a long one, and you, Jack, I haven’t even had a chance to talk to you since you got here."
"You have a busy household. I’m well." He took her glass and had a sip. "Oh, I’ll have one of these."
"Eggnog is in the fridge in a plastic container and the booze is by the sink. Help yourself."
"I, ah, may have bought a piece of property."
Toni grinned, "You don’t know?"
"I’ve been at sea and I do know I signed papers but I’ve not gotten a reply. It’s a small cottage by the sea. I thought it would be a place I could take Rose."
"Oh, good. Where is it?"
"Ah, well, it doesn’t actually exist now…in the present time."
"You mean to take her back to your time, into your world…?"
"I do, yes. I thought the cottage being isolated as it is would keep her away from the worst of it, allow her to have some of her own things about her. I’d want you to see it to pronounce it suitable or not…if you, um, would, ah…"
"I’d like to see it."
Jack smiled in relief. "Perhaps in the spring."
"Or summer," she smiled back.
"Summer, hmm?" He sipped his drink. "Of course Max is invited as well."
"I’m sure he is…just what you had in mind…right?"
"Am I that transparent?"
"Very much so. It sounds wonderful, cottage by the sea. I could do with a bit of escapism right now. That’s what you are for me, a romantic, beautiful escape."
"I could take you there now. It’s as easy as flipping your electrics on. I didn’t come by plane this time, I just wished myself here."
"How…why haven‘t you done this before?"
"I didn’t know for sure that I could. I’ve been exploring the possibilities of magic."
Toni took a drink. "I’d better not disappear tonight. While you’re exploring the possibilities I don’t suppose you know whether the House will be up to Terry if it comes down to that?"
"I don’t know, Pet."
"I know what conventional medicine will do to him. I don’t want him to have to go through that if he doesn’t have to."
"But you don’t know for sure. He said it would be a day or so."
"I just have a feeling and it scares me."
"We won’t lose him. There may be drastic measures to be taken by all of us, especially you. We won’t lose him."
"Lose who?"
"Ah, Terry, mix yourself one of these eggnogs and join us." Jack leaned back in his chair.
"I wish I could. I’d like a good stiff drink but with the meds I’m on I can’t drink." He handed Toni back her iPod. "I’m going up to bed. I’m tired." He looked around for his water jug, "Where’s the, um, water…?"
"I’ll get it for you. It’s in the dishwasher."
"I can get it."
"No…I’ll…just let me, okay?"
Terry put his hands up and backed off. "She treats me like Jacky."
"Leave me alone and let me treat you as I want to." She filled his jug with ice and water. "You’re very special to me." She kissed him. "I hope you sleep well."
"Good night, Terry."
‘Nite, Jack"
"He’s going to resent you treating him like a child."
"I don’t mean to treat him like a child. I just want to do for him."
"Don’t treat him any differently now than you did before. Believe me, Pet, he doesn’t want it."
"Have you looked in the den?" Max asked, heading straight for the liquor bottle.
"No, I don’t think I want to," Toni replied.
"Looks like it did before we moved all their clobber upstairs." He knocked back his drink neat and poured another, adding a little eggnog. "Passed Terry on the stairs. I just read his son to sleep and do you know Rose was the last one to go down?"
"She’s a night owl, Jack," Toni said
"Can’t think where she gets that." He sipped his drink.
Max gave Toni a kiss on the cheek. "How are we holding up, love?"
"Winding down now. Thanks for all the help today."
"Max, have you a plan once Terry gets his results?"
"Actually we’re planless right now. We were supposed to go to John’s tomorrow but I’ve cancelled the plane. We just have to wait and see. I’d only made plans for four and now we have Jacky and possibly Terry and you. It’s not a problem at all to reschedule once we know something."
"Terry has his own plane at his disposal, does he not?"
"He does, Jack, and I’ll leave that up to him. How did you get here anyway?"
"Oh, I just popped over."
"What?"
"He can wish himself somewhere and, voila, he’s there…." Toni spread her hands.
"I’ve only tried it once." Jack raised a brow.
Max looked at him a moment. "Why is that not comforting to know."
Part 2
The call came at 11:30 the day after Christmas. Max answered the phone and called Terry. They were in Max’s study and Max swiveled his chair back and forth, watching Terry’s face.
Terry took a deep breath. "Thorne here…right," he sighed. "Okay, when?" He turned and looked at Max. "Tomorrow morning…well, I’m not in Marseilles…Bonnieux. 3PM. I’ll be there." He handed the phone back to Max. "I’m fucked."
Max hung up the phone. "No, you aren’t." Max’s whole being went still.
"It’s cancer." Terry moistened his lips. "I, ah, have to go in and talk to them about it, treatment…blah blah blah." He felt for the back of a chair and sat down. "Early stages…treatable." He rested his head in his hands.
"We'll beat the fucker."
"What’s this we shite? It’s me…only me."
"You don’t think you have to go through this alone, do you? You don’t think we’re going to sit back and say too fuckin’ bad. Oh, hell, no. It’s not going to happen that way."
"Don’t get all gung ho on me. I don’t think I could stand that. I don’t want a string of cheerleaders following me around." He looked toward the door. "I need to digest this for awhile." He got up and walked toward the door.
"Terry…it’s not over. It won’t stand. We won’t let it. Whatever we have to do.…"
"Yeah…whatever."
Max stared after him.
Terry went to his room and got a coat, one of Max’s. He’d been in the tropics and hadn’t needed warm clothing. Down the stairs and out of the front door. He hunched his shoulders against the wind.
Max went downstairs and found Jack in the library. He motioned for him to follow and they went down into the cellars away from Toni. That would come but not yet.
"Terry’s had the phone call. It’s cancer. He said it was early stages and treatable."
"Oh…no." Jack hung his head for a moment. "Where is he?"
"I think he’s gone for a walk. What’s the most we can do aside from the House?"
"Aside from the House? First I think we should try the House and see. We don’t know what miracles can happen there. It’s all tied to the House. If the miracle does not happen and he is not cured then…we must start over. Break the circle and start over."
"Oh…bloody hell! I don’t want to do that."
"No, but that’s a last resort, if nothing else works. Toni mentioned some treatments?"
"Well, we’ll find out tomorrow about that. He’s, ah, got an appointment in Marseilles at three."
"That’s the danger, you see, coming out into the real world. All of its pestilence are there, diseases, accidents, death. He couldn’t wait to get out there away from the magic that protected him. You, too, are vulnerable and so is John."
"I used to believe that we had some kind of special shield around us but Terry dashed that a long time ago. Why is it always him…why? I’ve had little more than a smashed thumb."
"I can’t answer that. Perhaps he was chosen to suffer for all of you. I exclude myself for I am not of this world. I face danger enough in my own."
"Is that why you never came out? We thought you had in London. Are you afraid?"
"No, and I find it odd that you would ask me that. It’s not fear, it’s the knowledge that I could not function in this world as I do in my own. Not much call for fighting captains nowadays, is there? And I have my family that I would lose, my Sophie."
"Sorry." Max ran a hand though his hair.
"No offence taken because I know none was intended. There is time. We have some time, I think, to get him to the House and see what may happen. There are the treatments that should be considered. If all else fails and it looks to be fatal then we break the circle and start over. A second chance."
Terry walked down the drive to the road that cut down to the vineyards. It was warmer there, not so much wind. He stopped and looked at the rows of vines, unnaturally twisted trunks waiting for spring to put forth their creepers.
"Ah, Mister Thorne.…"
"Hello, Duflot."
"You are better now. My wife, she make the best chicken soup."
"Yes, she does," Terry smiled a little. "Very good soup"
"Ah, you see the vines? They look dead, no? But I love them and love gives them life. Yes, you will see in the spring, and grapes will come."
"They’re not really dead?"
"Non, only resting."
Terry walked on…that a man could love a grape vine. What did he love…he loved Jacky…he loved Toni…he loved Max and John and Jack. His brothers…but not really…they were himself. They were one uniquely one. Did he love himself…he loved living…stupid…stupid daily things. He wanted more stupid daily things. He wanted to live.
He’d walked to the other side of the vineyard. A road led out to another. He stood there debating when a movement caught his eye.
Toni ran down through the vineyards. She’d seen him from the house after Max had told her about his phone call. She came running full tilt and he remembered her running to him when he’d parachuted from the plane right here in this road. His eyes stung but he remained still.
She ran straight into him, wrapping her arms around him.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
She had her face buried in his shoulder. "Finding you. Max told me. I’m going with you tomorrow."
"Honey, there’s no need…."
"Hush…just don’t push me away. I’m in this with you so…get over it."
He nodded his head and held on to her. After a while they broke apart but held hands as they walked. "It’s warmer down here," she remarked.
"It’s protected, the house on one side on the rise and past the trees the hills."
"Terry, we’re going to the House of Four Seasons. It’s up to you when. Max can book a flight for us all."
"I want to talk to this quack tomorrow and see what he says. If I have any treatment it won’t be here. I’ll go home to England, get a second opinion. "
"You’re not going to fool around…?"
"No, I’ll decide tomorrow what to do. We may go straight to the House. I’m not opposed to that. I can arrange a plane. "
"We’re all going, kid,s too. They can stay at John’s but you and I are going to the House."
"Max okay with that?"
"He’s okay with anything right now that’s going to help you. We won’t take advantage of that."
Terry slipped his arm around her waist. "I wouldn’t do that to him."
"You’re not going to be stubborn or anything about this, are you?"
"No, luv, I want to get out of this alive."
She hugged him back. At least so far his attitude was good.
Terry and Toni were ushered into Dr. Chou’s office. "And this is?" He looked at Toni.
"My wife," Terry answered and reached for her hand.
Toni sat and listened, looked at the pictures the doctor pulled up on his computer. Certain things stood out in her mind, Stage 1, operable, follow up with chemotherapy. The doctor wanted to move right away.
"Would it be possible if he has the operation here, for him to travel soon after, or how soon after?"
Fourteen days before he could travel. It was a major operation. Yes, it would be possible for him to have the chemo treatments in England. He had the name of a specialist he could refer him to. Time was important, the tumor was small and the cancer had not spread.
"Let me go away and think about it for 24 hours." Terry looked at Toni and she nodded.
They left his office and found a little bistro and a cup of coffee. Terry had been quiet and now he played with his cup. "I think I want to have the surgery. I want it out of there."
"I want it out, too, but the way he described the surgery, oh, Terry!"
"I wouldn’t know. I’d be asleep." He looked up at her.
"We could go to the House when you’re able to travel."
"Yeah," he licked his lower lip. "I think that’s what I want to do."
"Is there any reason to wait until tomorrow to tell the doctor?"
He shook his head no.
"Well, finish your coffee and let's go back and get this thing scheduled, the sooner the better."
When they left Marseilles he had thirty-six hours.
(By Jo)
Part 3
Toni drove back to La Siroque. He didn’t argue. She’d held up pretty well in the face of it, but she was numb. Afraid to wander too far from the center, not wanting to investigate the outer edges. She had to be strong for him. The silence in the vehicle was deafening. "Do you mind?" She turned on the CD player.
"No, it’s good."
"We should get back in time for supper."
"Um…"
"I think we need to let Jacky know something. Not all of it, but since you’re going to have surgery he’s bound to wonder. He’s been here now for three months."
"I’ll talk to him."
"Okay."
"Toni, thanks for being my wife today."
"Terry…I…I don’t know what to say."
"I need you to be right now. I’m not asking for conjugal rights…just be with me."
"I am with you, right beside you all the way." She blinked away tears, they were almost home.
"So that’s where it stands," Toni finished telling Max and Jack. Terry had gone up to see Jacky as soon as they got home.
"I’m glad he’s going to have the surgery. I was afraid he wouldn’t. I’ve been researching it on the net. There is no guarantee it won’t return."
"I know. Dr. Chou laid it out for him, didn’t sugarcoat anything. As soon as he’s able to travel we’re going to the House and hope for the best." She was about to lose it.
"You’ve been very brave today, Pet. Don’t give in now."
"It’s hard…I’m not. I may be spending a good deal of time with him. You should know that. He needs me right now and I’m not going to let him down."
"Of course I expect you to, Toni. Don’t give it a second thought."
"He’s just so…quiet."
"What would you have him do? He has a lot to think about. It’s not easy to realize one’s vulnerability. He’ll come through; he’s strong in here where it counts," Jack said.
"I think I’ll, um, go up and e-mail John. He wanted me to as soon as we knew something."
"Have you eaten?"
"Yes, Ludivine fed us. Yours is in the oven." Max took her in his arms and hugged her. "It’s going to be all right. It will be."
He hadn’t come down for his supper and Toni went up to find him in his bedroom.
"You need to come and eat. You have to stock up, you know."
"I’m not hungry."
"Maybe you don’t have much of an appetite but your body needs all the help it can get right now. Don’t deny it what it needs."
"Come here." He patted the side of the bed.
"Talk to me." She sat down and took his hand.
"I don’t feel very social tonight. I talked to Jacky and Maxi and told them that I had a thing inside of me that had to be removed and a bunch of shit. I think they understood that. Jacky wanted to know where it was and Maxi wanted to know how big it was. They’re pretty sharp."
"Yes, they are they understand a lot more than we give them credit for."
"I didn’t mention the C word. Are you okay with this, Toni? I kind of made the decision today without discussing it."
"I think you made the right one and I would have told you if I didn’t agree. As for being all right with this, how can I answer that? We do what we have to. If you don’t want to talk to anybody tonight, that’s fine. I’ve let them know what happened today. Max is emailing John so we’re all in the picture. It has to be that way. You know that. Everybody is concerned and worried."
"Yeah, family…."
"Exactly. What did you tell Jean Paul?"
"That he’s going to have to take over for me in the field for now…and I don’t know, Toni, it might be forever. If I get through this I’m not sure I want to risk my life again. It’s too precious. I’ve sent an email to Brian and to Dino. I thought he’d want to know."
"I was going to ask you if you’d talked to him. Where is he now?"
"Miami."
"I’ve lost track of you and I know why. There was a lot of emotional crap in the way. I hope we’ve cleared all that away by now."
"I think we have."
"If I bring you something to eat, will you eat it…for me?"
"I’d do anything for you."
Toni took his face in her hands. "I love you, Terry Thorne." She kissed him gently and left to get his supper.
While he ate she went up to the nursery to check on the children. Max had put them to bed but she could hear them as soon as she reached the top step. The boys had made a tent out of Maxi’s blanket. Toni squatted down and peeked in. "What are you doing out of bed?"
"We want to sleep here," Jacky answered
"All right, if you want to sleep in a tent let’s make a proper one and get some bedding down there. You don’t want to sleep on the cold floor." The boys thought she was wonderful…old Tuppy would never have let them do something like that. Between the twin beds she stretched out a blanket and tucked it in so it wouldn’t fall. Quilts and pillows were arranged underneath for the two little boys. Jacky had been there for three months. It occurred to Toni that Maxi was really going to miss him when he went back home. She talked to them a little and reminded them that Rose was asleep and if they woke her there would be no more tent.
"See, you were hungry." Toni took the tray from the table. "Are you okay tonight, and it’s okay not to be, you know."
"I’m all right. I wanted to be by myself for awhile and let it all sink in."
"Max wanted to see you but morning is okay with him."
He nodded, his eyes slowly meeting hers. Toni put the tray down on the table and lay down beside him, holding him. "Want me to make you a tent?" She told him what she’d done. He smiled and held her close for awhile. Quietly she lay with him until his hold began to loosen and he was asleep.
"I’ve put everybody to bed," she told Max, coming up behind him at his desk and massaging his shoulders.
"You haven’t put me to bed. Jack?"
"I’m sure Jack can find the bed by himself." She bent over and kissed him. "Did
you talk to John?"
"They’re pretty upset over the whole thing. John thought maybe we should have tried the House first."
"It was Terry’s decision and you know if the House didn’t work then it might have been too late to have the surgery. Right now everything is contained."
"I’ve checked out this Dr. Chou. He’s the man for the job. I’ve called Tuppy back. She’ll be here tomorrow. I can’t think of anything I’ve left undone, so we can leave tomorrow afternoon for Marseilles and stay at a hotel until he can come home."
"I’m glad you’re coming."
"I wouldn’t leave you alone, love. You’ve never been good on your own."
"No, I haven’t. I’m afraid I’d just fall apart and I can’t do that."
Max pulled her down on his lap and kissed her. "I think it’s time you put me to bed."
"Who’s going to put me to bed?"’ she wanted to know.
He growled against her neck.
It was late when Jack climbed the stairs. He stopped by Terry’s door, seeing a light beneath it. He opened it a little. Terry was propped up in bed, reading.
"There you are," he said quietly entering the room. "I thought you’d gone down for the night."
"Hello, Jack. No, I, uh, seem to be up and down all night, probably from spending too much time in bed. What’s up?"
"I just wanted to wish you well. I’ve been elected to stay here and help with the children while the rest of you go off. You’ll do fine, Terry. I myself have been wounded many times. I reckon my body looks like a map. You’ll carry a scar for awhile."
"I don’t care as long as I’m carrying it."
"You’re a brave soul."
"You are, Jack. You’re my hero, you know. I want to be like you when I grow up."
Jack chuckled, "First you have to grow up. Did I ever tell you about the time I’d nearly lost my right arm? For months I went around with it strapped to my body. I was a prisoner of war at the time…but we made our escape, Stephen and I, and found ourselves an English frigate to board. Well, before long we were engaged in battle with one of the Americans. Stephen, seeing that I was bound to go into the thick of it, I’d gotten pretty good with my left arm. Anyway, Stephen placed a brass bowl over my heart and lashed my arm across it."
"Did you win?"
"Of course we did."
"That was your bit of armor, the bowl?"
"Yes, I suppose. It was Stephen’s idea. We don’t always have armor as Maximus did or even you. What was it you have?"
"Bullet-proof vests?"
"Yes…more often than not the armor is within. It’s in here in your mind. You declare yourself invincible and you move out without fear to do the thing you must. You go at it full strength and never doubt but that you will prevail. There may be collateral damage but you accept that. As a soldier you know you must. You are a strong man body and mind. You are disciplined and you will prevail, my brother."
"Thank you."
"I suppose I will see you when you get home if I’m still here and the children haven’t demolished me. Try and get some sleep. I think I shall do the same." Jack patted Terry’s arm and stood up then looked at him a moment. "If ever you need me, think hard on it and I will come."
"As you did for me in London that time when I need to talk to you?"
"Yes, but it will be easier this time because you’ll know what you are doing."
Terry thought about him after he left. He’d fought side by side with him with a 1st Lieutenant’s sword in his hand before he found the knife. Jack did not know fear. He was a man to have on your side, fighting with you. It was good he was there.
