The next morning, he woke up to a very loud bird making noise outside the window. He tried to sit up, but couldn't. A few minutes later, the kind man who had helped him the night before opened the door to the room. He sat in a chair next to Fleance's bed.
"Good morning! How are you feeling?"
"Everything hurts."
"That's to be expected. Fortunately, you got here just in time. You are going to be okay. I'm sorry that we never got to introduce ourselves yesterday. I'm Ròs Cailbhin. Welcome to Druim Peucag. It's a humble little town, but we love it here. I live in this house with Terrey. Terrey Dìon. She was a street urchin who came all the way from Glasgow. I took her in one day, and I've known her as my daughter ever since. She was who you met first yesterday. I'm sorry if she caused you any trouble."
"Don't be sorry, sir. She's who saved my life, right?"
"Yes. You see, my daughter is the only person in our village who is medically trained. But she is also very emotionally detached. That is why she has never gotten a job at a clinic. She just speaks so bluntly. Someone could be dying, and she would yell, "Stop dying right now!". She isn't mean, she just doesn't know any better. She has a beautiful name, and I think she gave it to herself when she was very young. Tèarmann Dìon. Sanctuary and Protection." Upon hearing her name, Tèarmann opened the door to the room. She was wearing a green jacket with a little flower pin, and a grey top hat with a patch sewn into it.
"Hey, kid. How're you doing?" She patted Fleance on the head.
"It's Fleance."
"Sorry, Fleance. God, it's late. Almost noon. You slept in too late." Ròs heaved a sigh of exasperation, but smiled at Tèarmann and Fleance.
"Here, I have some breakfast for both of you." He left for the kitchen, and came back with two plates of eggs and toast. Ròs helped Fleance sit up in bed, and gave him a plate. Tèarmann took a plate, ate the eggs in a few seconds, set the plate down, and grabbed a book from the shelf. She tossed up the book and caught it while walking out the door. After Fleance had finished his breakfast, Ròs took away the plates.
"Thank you, sir," Fleance said. "You have helped me very much."
"Call me Ròs," he replied with a smile. "And you're welcome." He left the room, leaving Fleance all alone. Fleance had a pencil in his pocket, and grabbed a piece of paper from the table. He had started to draw a vase of flowers across the room, when he heard Tèarmann yell from across the hallway.
"Hey! Come look at this!"
"I can't. You know that."
"Sorry. It was a cat outside. It was covered in flower petals." Fleance laughed at that. Tèarmann wasn't serious all the time. He decided that she would be a good older sister.