Chapter 6

At the hospital Horatio stood by Belladonna's bedside, watching her. She was still knocked out, but the steady pulse of her electric heartbeat gave him hope that she'd pull through. He and Eric had gotten her to the hospital just in time – now it was up to the doctor's verdict.

There was something ethereally beautiful about her as she lay there: her hair spilling over the pillows framing her face, her skin white, and the pentacle shining like a silver star around her neck. For a moment Horatio wondered if she was dreaming, or if she had floated away to a better place for a while.

The door opened and a blond haired, brown eyed doctor walked in. "Lieutenant Caine?" he asked.

Horatio looked up. "How is she, Doctor Briggs?"

"Miss Llewellyn is stable for the moment," reported the doctor. "But she lost a lot of blood, Lieutenant. I'll let you know if her condition changes."

"Thank you, Doctor." Horatio looked back down at Belladonna and his heart sunk lower. I was supposed to protect her, he thought as the doctor left the room. She could die because of me.

She's going to be OK, Horatio.

The soft female voice, full of warmth and love, whispered into his right ear, though Horatio knew that only he and Belladonna were alone in the room. He could feel an invisible slender hand on his shoulder, smelled a lavender-vanilla perfume. Whatever – or whoever – this presence was, it came with nothing but peace and love.

He pulled up a chair beside Belladonna and took her hand. The copper of her Tree-of-Life pentacle ring shone dimly in the light, her black nails tiny scrying mirrors.

Despair threatened to swallow him up. He had been raised Catholic, he had no full knowledge of Wicca. What could he do?

The door opened and Pandora crept in, a duffel bag over one shoulder, a large black book under her arm. She wore simple black slacks and a black pirate's shirt, concern on her face. "Lieutenant," she asked, "how is she?"

"Stable for the moment," replied Horatio. "The doctor will let us know about her condition if it changes."

Pandora nodded. She placed the bag on the end of the bed and unzipped it, pulling out a small green satchel, from where she pulled out four little crystals. At Horatio's curious gaze she explained: "Carnelian for the element of fire, aquamarine for water, moss agate for earth, clear quartz for air. And this…" She held out a large polished turquoise stone to Horatio for him to take, "…is turquoise, a protective and healing stone. It is also Belladonna's birthstone."

Horatio held the stone in his hand as Pandora placed the crystals about Belladonna's body, forming an impalpable pentacle around her. She took out more tools from the bag. "Two candles," she said, "a chalice and mead. But most important of all, Belladonna's athame" – she took out the dagger Horatio saw at the Samhain ritual – "and this."

Pandora placed the black book on the bed and opened it to a certain page. "A Book of Shadows," she explained, "is a witch's book of spells, rituals, basic lore. This one has been in the Llewellyn clan for four generations – beginning with her great-grandmother Edyth, then it was passed on to Belladonna's grandmother Edwina, and then to her mother, Rhiamon. It is now Belladonna's, and she will pass it on to her own daughter."

She smiled and patted Horatio's hand. "Her mother is here for her daughter, Lieutenant Caine, to help strengthen and heal her." She looked down at Belladonna. "Let us begin."

She lit the candles in the names of Airmid and Miach, sister and brother of healing and she poured some mead into the chalice after calling the God and Goddess into the magick circle.

"We ask you Lord and Lady," called Pandora. "To heal Belladonna of her wounds, and to you, Rhiamon, to watch over your daughter as she recovers."

I will, her voice whispered in Horatio's ear.

Pandora stepped back. "I've done my part, Horatio," she said. "Now you must do yours. Place the turquoise over her heart."

Horatio obeyed, noticing that his hand was shaking. "Now," said Pandora, "what do you want that stone to represent?"

"Healing," said Horatio without thinking.

"Then that is what the stone is, Horatio. It is healing…from you and the God and Goddess. Think those thoughts into the stone, and as you do this, those thoughts will go through it and into Belladonna."

Horatio thought hard, desperately hoping. The stone grew warm to the touch. A few minutes passed then he pulled away.

"Now, we wait," said Pandora. She gave the chalice to Horatio. "May you never thirst," she said and he took a sip of mead.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

An hour passed after Pandora had gone and Horatio still felt the effects of the healing rite. He never left Belladonna's side, not even to answer his phone when Eric called to tell him that they were still trying on the case, which threatened to go cold. Rhiamon Llewellyn's spirit was still very near and he took comfort from that.

Belladonna's eyes fluttered open a second later and she looked up at Horatio and smiled. "Horatio?" she asked weakly.

He smiled back, brushing a lock of red hair out of her eyes. "I thought I lost you," he said softly.

She gave his hand a feeble squeeze. "I thought I was lost too," she said. "I saw the Summerland and my mother. She told me it wasn't my time yet."

"It's still Samhain after all," said Horatio.