"Thank goodness you could orb here so quickly - his condition's getting worse," said Gloria, as Nathan closed the bedroom door behind him.
"How come you guys don't have your own Whitelighter?" asked Nathan, surprised that the Potter witches didn't have an angelic guide of their own. "I thought all witches had one to help them."
"They said we didn't need one as Terrence is half-Whitelighter. The Elders send someone to us if we need any information from them. Truth is I think they still disapprove of Whitelighters and witches having children together, and not giving us a Whitelighter is their way of punishing Terrence's family."
"You know, Terrence's immunity isn't as good as it used to be," informed Nathan, as he moved his hands over the man, sensing how bad Terrence was internally. He really thought the Potters should have their own Whitelighter, but the Elders were listening from above and would hear if Nathan voiced his opinions - then they would get angry at the man for disagreeing with their decisions, and who knew what would happen then.
"You CAN heal him though, can't you?" asked Gloria nervously. She didn't think she'd be able to cope if Terrence died - there were still more innocent children both magical and non-magical that they were meant to save and she needed Terrence to help her with that. She also loved the man dearly and would miss him terribly if he left her. She wasn't sure she could go on living if she was without him.
"Yes, but his heart won't be as strong as it was before," answered Nathan. "I'll heal him, then I'll have to talk to the Elders. I think you'll need a Whitelighter because of Terrence's health."
Gloria couldn't help smiling at this. A Whitelighter would be very useful in helping the family to fight future demons, plus he could help with the children when he wasn't with other charges. Whitelighters had several charges to help and would go to them if they called their Whitelighter, or if he or she sensed the charges needed them.
Nathan put his hands over Terrence's heart and a soft yellow glow appeared underneath them. The healing energy would go into Terrence's heart, then through his blood and take out all of the arrow's poison. Unfortunately, Terrence's heart had some damage to it that could never be repaired - it was a good thing the boys were old enough to help the Potters fight demons.
CH7 - CH7 - CH7 - CH7 - CH7 - CH7 - CH7
After Nathan had spoken to the Elders, he orbed into the sitting room where he had sensed the two boys were. It was now the right time to tell them that he wasn't a normal doctor, although he had been an almost normal doctor, although an unofficial one, a long time ago.
Josiah heard the familiar tinkling of orbs and looked toward the sound. Doctor Nathan Jackson stood there, surprising Josiah who hadn't even suspected that Nathan was magical.
"He's a Whitelighter?" asked Chris in astonishment. Their dad had told them all about proper Whitelighters as Terrence's father had been one.
"That's right, I'm a real Whitelighter," confirmed Nathan cheerfully. "I was sent to heal your dad before, and now I'm going to be the Potter's official Whitelighter."
"Really?" asked Chris in excitement as he jumped up from his chair.
"Really," said Nathan and smiled kindly at the blond boy. "Any time you need me for a magical purpose, you just need to call my name."
"You mean 'Doctor Jackson'?"
"No, that isn't really my name. Even before I became an angel I was never a proper doctor, although I did the work of one in the town I lived in. Just call me Nathan, okay?"
"Okay, Nathan," said Josiah, as he looked sternly at Chris who was excitedly bouncing about. At any moment, Josiah worried that the floor would break from the extra pressure on it. That boy wouldn't stay still when he got too excited, but the Potters hoped that Chris would grow out of it soon.
"What?" asked Chris innocently, not failing to notice the stern look from the older boy.
"Stop jumping, Chris - you're not a frog," said Josiah, not sharing his brother's excitement at getting a Whitelighter.
"He can play with me now, so you won't have to anymore," said Chris. He knew that the eighteen-year-old was really too old to play with him.
"I'm not here to play games with you, but I can sometimes, when I'm not too busy," answered Nathan, thinking back to a little blond boy he'd known in his lifetime.
Gloria came down the stairs with Terrence then - she'd been waiting for Nathan to return with the result of the Elder's decision and had got tired of waiting. Terrence was now fully recovered, as Whitelighters' healing powers healed injuries very fast.
"Mom, Nathan has some news to share with us," informed Josiah, walking to his parents, glad that his dad was okay.
"Good or bad, dear?" asked the boy's mother. Josiah's voice hadn't indicated what type of news the Whitelighter had for them. Gloria was unaware that Nathan had orbed into the room, revealing to the boys that he was a Whitelighter.
"Good, I guess."
"Mrs. Potter, I'm now your family's Whitelighter for good," said Nathan, giving her a large grin - he knew it was the news she had wanted and he was glad to deliver it to her.
"Nathan?" asked Gloria.
"Yes?"
"The first thing you need to know if you're going to be our Whitelighter, is that you can call us all by our first names. Mine is Gloria."
"Okay, Gloria - that's fine by me," said Nathan; he couldn't help noticing the coincidence as he'd once known a woman by the same name, and 'Gloria' wasn't exactly a popular name anymore.
"I'm looking forward to being one of your charges," said Terrence, with a welcoming voice. He had always wanted a Whitelighter to guide him, but the Elders had always refused his requests.
"You can stay for dinner can't you, Nathan?" asked Gloria, noticing that it was almost dinnertime and she'd better start cooking dinner soon.
"Yes, as long as my other charges don't need me," accepted Nathan with a smile.
"Chris, show Nathan to the bathroom so he can wash his hands, then wash your own after he's done. Josiah, you may as well set the table for dinner now – we'll need an extra place-setting for Nathan. Dinner will be ready in about an hour." As the Chris showed Nathan to the downstairs bathroom and Josiah went to set the dining table, Gloria and Terrence shared the moment of quietness, happy that everything was turning out okay. Being given their own Whitelighter was an important milestone for their family and they would remember this day for the rest of their lives.
To be continued in Part 5: The Fourth Son.