Sanatorium
Summer 4, 11:00 AM

Gina sipped her coffee shakily. Since the previous night, she hadn't been able to grasp the realities that had hit her so hard. Upon their reunion, her childhood friend was comatose; the mystery man was still slipping in and out of consciousness; Ann was near-death and covered in burns that would probably never heal completely. All of this was almost too much to handle.

She put down the steaming mug and twisted her ring nervously on her finger before going to attend to the newest arrival - Ann. Treating a friend always frightened Gina. It was as if she was afraid that someone would die at her hands, when she could have done something to help.

Lyla must be in such pain, Gina mused as she looked upon the familiar face. What had once been a full head of bright orange hair was now a mess of burns and the remaining singed locks. She used to be so vibrant... and now...

"How is she?" came the soft, barely audible voice of Michael.

Gina turned to meet him, her golden eyes wide and serious. "Her pulse and breathing are stable. We've put her on painkillers, and will treat the burns with an ointment, but..." She sighed. "Her burns will probably never heal completely, and there's a slight chance that she might never..."

"Wake up. I know." Michael hung his head, seemingly willing to accept the morbid truth. "But there is always hope. That's what my wife taught me."

Gina gave a delicate smile, again fidgeting with her ring. "I'm afraid I must tend to the other patients. You may stay here, if you like... seeing as the damage to your home was great."

"I appreciate it," Michael replied.

The young nurse nodded and moved to the other side of the curtains where Alex sat monitoring the heart rate of the patient who lay there.

"Has there been any success finding his identity?" Gina asked, startling Alex a little as she sat beside him.

"We found this in his pocket," Alex said, handing a card to the nurse. "It seems to be a kind of ID."

"Aidan Silverwood," she read out loud. "That's odd..."

"What's odd?" Alex requested, eyeing her curiously.

"Well, if I'm not mistaken..." Gina blinked. "Silverwood is the surname of Nadia, our resident farmer. I wonder if they share any relationship?"

"It's a fairly common name among the city population, which is where she came from," Alex said. "Perhaps it's a coincidence."

"Perhaps," Gina agreed, quickly changing the subject and dropping her voice to a whisper. "Is Dia in stable condition as well?"

Alex looked at his feet. "Yes. But she isn't showing any signs of waking... I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Gina said, squeezing the doctor's hand. "I will go check on her."

"All right."

As Gina stood up to walk across the room to Dia's bed, there was a crash as the door flung open.

"Dia," Kurt gasped, as if he'd run all the way here from the workshop. "I need to see her."

-----

Spring Farm
Summer 4, 11:21 AM

Nina, Liz and Basil had left the shop for a while in order to analyze the damage the crops had taken from the previous night's storm.

"Snapped supports on a couple of these tomato plants over here," came Basil's voice from amid what remained of the crops.

"I'll get them," Nina replied, as she was standing the closest to the farm's small shed.

Upon her daughter's departure, Liz turned to Basil.

"The Star Festival is coming up," she mentioned. "Is there someone you're planning on taking?"

Basil blushed. "Well... yeah," he said.

"Ah," Liz smiled. She loved seeing that generation grow up. "Who's the lucky lady?"

"Uh..." The pink on Basil's cheeks deepened. "Do you think maybe... Lyla would say yes?"

Liz' heart sank.

"I'm sure she would," she replied with a smile, although there was disappointment in her heart.

Liz went back to tending the corn plants, her mind wandering. Her poor daughter would be heartbroken when she found out that Basil would not ask her to the festival. Ever since that young woman Lyla had moved into town, the plant hunter had been completely smitten. At times, it seems that Nina's childhood friend had completely disappeared, his heart stolen away by the beautiful gift shop owner.

Liz liked Lyla quite a lot. Her maturity and capability was admirable, and it wasn't as if Liz could be angry at Basil for liking her. But Nina...

Liz sighed, watching as Nina skipped out of the shed carrying the supports for the tomato plants. She decided that, come the Festival, she would float a bamboo boat of her own despite the absence of her husband. For the first time since her husband's death, Liz would wish for her daughter's happiness, rather than her own.