Chapter 13; Recovery

She opened her eyes; not because she was well rested. No, she got the sense that at most, only a couple of hours had passed. Her sleep had been broken by the sound of muffled crying. It was a tragic, helpless little noise that pricked at her heart.

She immediately looked to the bed, where Timmy had been curled up beside her, sleeping off his ordeal. The bed was empty, but the crying was close by. She sat up and spotted him on the floor. He must have tried to go to the bathroom, but had collapsed before reaching it. His face was a mess of tears, his eyes were swollen and red, and his nose was running. He was trembling as he sobbed uncontrollably. He laid on the floor, his body curled in a ball as he tried to contain the overwhelming emotion.

She went over to him, and her fingers began to gently stroke his head soothingly. He had been trying unsuccessfully to stifle his sobs, but when he realized she was awake, he gave up and allowed himself to cry without restraint.

"I…! I knew it was going to hurt! But…not like that! That was more pain than I have ever felt before in my life! I did not even think that much pain was even possible!"

As she held him close, she gently rocked him in her arms, soothing him through his tears. His tiny frame shook with fear, and he seemed so vulnerable and alone. She couldn't bear to see him in such distress.

"I don't know how I'm going to endure it, three times a day, for who knows how long!" He buried his face in his hands. "I can't do it! It's impossible! I can't—-! I can't do it!"

"I can't even imagine how much pain you were in." She held him. "How scared you are, and how hopeless you must feel right now."

A few years ago, she might have offered some encouragement. She might have told him 'you can do it.' or she might have reminded him that 'even if it's hard, you have to for your health.' She would have said this with good intentions, but it would have hurt him.

Trying to reassure a child was all well and good, but not if it came at the cost of invalidating their feelings. Right now, what Timmy needed was for someone to recognize his pain and his fear. Reassurance could come after acknowledgment.

She understood that telling her godson he had no choice but to undergo the treatment because his life depended on it would only make him feel trapped. She knew him well enough to know he wasn't a quitter, but she also knew he would need time to process his emotions. He might cry and express his doubts about his ability to endure the agony that lay ahead. He might even suggest that succumbing to his weakness would be easier than undergoing the treatment. Despite his protests, she had faith that he would ultimately find the strength to carry on with his treatment. She knew her Timmy was a good boy who would never break her heart by choosing death over life.

Right now was just a stress relief—saying he couldn't, wouldn't do it, crying, saying the things he wished he could say but knew he couldn't actually do. "Just let it all out, sweetie, that's a good boy…."

She patted his back as he sobbed into her shirt. His painful sobs lasted several moments before they finally subsided into sniffles. Then, with a half sob, half hiccup, Timmy murmured something too low for her to hear, his face as red as candy-apples.

"What was that?" She asked, failing to catch it, and he turned a little redder.

"S—s….sorry….during the treatment….I peed…."

She laughed and planted a big kiss on his adorable forehead. "That's fine, don't you feel bad about that! It happens."

"But…."

"It's normal to lose control of your bladder when you're in that much pain. It's nothing to feel ashamed of." She was relieved that he couldn't recall inadvertently hurting her during the more severe parts of his treatment. He'd start crying all over again, this time from guilt and really, she did not want him feeling bad over a few bruises after what he had endured from her.

"Were you on your way to the bathroom? Would you like to clean up a little? You'll feel better after a nice warm soak and getting changed into some comfortable clothing." She soothed him as best she could. Nova had poofed him into the room, dressed in the clothes he had arrived in. The pyjamas were soaked in sweat and stained with tears. The sleeves had the obvious look of having been used as a substitution for tissues.

"…Where are we?" He questioned, wiping at his runny nose and swollen eyes.

"Oh, it's a recovery room. They apparently make these specialized rooms for the kids and godparents who go through this ordeal to relax in afterwards." She poofed up a tissue and tried to clean his stained face. "Everything here is considered part of your treatment, so you don't need to worry about any enchantments or spells. We can just take it easy for a while."

She put the tissue to his nose and instructed him to blow. "Just relax for now, alright sweetie? You must be feeling so stressed, lets take advantage of the nice things in here and just unwind a bit."

"Nothing can make me feel better right now…" He sniffled, rubbing his arms, shuddering. "My body hurts….everywhere is aching…"

Was that normal? She wondered anxiously. She wished she could ask someone…

Almost as if it had been waiting for its cue, a big pink button on the wall lit up, the words 'press for information' scrawling its self in fancy handwriting above it.

She was hesitant to leave Timmy's side, and so just poofed them both closer to where the button was. When she pressed it, almost instantly she got Piper's voice.

"Heeya, what's the prob?" The incorrigible Dr. Pied asked, while sounding like she was sucking on a lollypop. "Any complications or issues?"

"Timmy says his body aches…"

"Well, duh. What did you expect? He'd feel hunky dory after going through all that pain?"

"I'm just making sure. It's better safe than sorry, you know." She bristled. "Timmy, tell her where and how it hurts, ok?"

At least Piper seemed to have better people skills with children, so she might listen to him far better than she would her.

"My veins hurt….they ache…it's like my blood feels too thick to go through, or something…." His voice hitched as he spoke.

"Aww, normal reaction baby," Piper cooed; going from sour to sweet. "It's because your body is forming a little path for the magic to flow through you. It's like a tiny little microscopic road is being built in your blood stream just for magic."

"It hurts…."

Piper clicked her tongue. "I know. Do all your veins hurt, or just your arms?"

"All…." Timmy sniffled.

"Nice! That's a good sign; it means your godmother's magic jells with you, so the painful part shouldn't last too much longer."

"R-really?"

"Really. How's your chest?"

"Really warm, but there no pain…" Timmy placed a hand over his chest, closing his eyes, furrowing his brows. "The heat feels more comfortable now, somehow…"

"Ah, that's good." Piper somehow sounded more pleased with herself than she was about hearing that his chest felt better. "Well, take it easy, kiddo. There's some medicine in the bathroom cabinet that can help with the discomfort and distress you're in. Just put your feet up and relax a bit before your next treatment, kay? Press the button if you have anymore questions, okey?"

She saw Timmy shudder. Poor thing did not need reminding about his next treatment.

"Oh, yeah, btw, time passes differently in that room; one hour in there is fifteen minutes out here, so you have plenty of time to take a break between your treatments."

Timmy released a shaky breath of slight relief. "R-really…?"

"Yup, aww, hang in there, kiddo! The painful part will not last too long, so just tough it out, okay?"

The button stopped glowing, signifying that they were no longer talking with Piper and Wanda gave her poor boy another hug as she felt him shake.

"A good warm soke in the bath will help you relax, and I'll give you some of that pain medication. Just take it easy, sweetie. Try to clear your head."

Timmy sniffled whilst rubbing the veins in his arms. She hated that her magic was causing him so much pain.

"….C….can we play our game….?" He looked at her pleadingly. "I just….want my head clear of all this…this worry…this fear….I don't want to think about anything."

"…." She wanted to, she really wanted to, but…. "When we get home. I promise." She took a glance at the call button whose activation had been too timely to be coincidence. Timmy seemed to understand the explication and looked disheartened.

"…Right…."

Even if they were told it was 'private', there was the very good chance they were being watched. It would be bad if the Fey found out about the baby game, they would no doubt try to use it to goad her into kidnapping him. Worst though would be letting Jorgen find out about it. He would no doubt take it as evidence that she had become too attached.

She smiled at him, reassuring, stroking his hair affectionately. "When we get back home, we can play it for as long as you want. You and Poof will have a lot of playtime together."

….She was already considering the possibility of maybe playing the baby-game for an extended duration, if it meant lowering Timmy's stress between treatments. As a baby, he wouldn't have to think or fret about the upcoming pain. He wouldn't have to keep glancing at the clock and shivering in fear like he was now. She looked at the big ornamental clock on the wall; it was showing two times; the outside time and the time in this room.

Having time pass differently in two places was actually a tricky bit of magic; even more tricky if the people inside the slowed room still had their bodies running at the same time as outside the room; which must have been the case, as Timmy's treatment required precise timing. This was something only the Fey were strong enough to do and not something she'd be able to replicate for him.

Since Piper had said that, the painful part of his treatment would not last too long. Maybe she ought to stay here in Fey world until the pain at least subsided enough that Timmy could handle it better.

— Jorgen's POV—

He sighed, staring up at the tall tree the loomed over him. The trunk of the tree was curved like a woman's body, and the features of a lovely woman's elegant face were like a highly detailed carving on its surface. It was covered in fully bloomed daylilies. Natural daylilies, of course, did not grow on trees, but the natural laws of nature were just another plaything to the Fey.

This was not the only tree like this; in this orchard were dozens upon dozens of trees just like this one, but this was the one he cared about. The one he always visited when he came to Fey World. He touched the trunk. It felt warm, and he could feel a heartbeat. He touched the hollow in the tree and left his usual small offering of flowers and candy.

He left the orchard, trying to ignore the sad sight of children's souls fluttering around him and with a poof returned to the Gingerbread house. He really did not want to leave Wanda and Timmy alone in the company of Nova Cosma and Piper Pied too long.

He'd be damned if he lost either of them to the Fey.

"Really, Piper—! This is simply—!"

"Well, it's not like there is anything else that can really be done about it, is there? It's not like we can just remove—-" Piper stopped talking, surprised at his sudden appearance in the room. Normally, the Fey were always aware of who was where or what they were doing; so whatever argument they had been in the middle of must've been very distracting.

Nova's cheeks were red, and he had that hollow look in his eyes that he got whenever his fury was aroused. He tensed, looking between the two of them.

"Is something wrong with Turner?" He asked, suspiciously.

"Oh no, no, no." Nova shook his head, pacing around the room agitated. "This is a completely different matter all together. If you would kindly explain, Piper?"

"Oh yes, Nova and I were just having a little tiff about the traps we sat in the forest. You see, Fey from other villages, the nasty ones…."

"Your all nasty." He interrupted and Piper reacted by rolling her eyes and making a zipping motion across her lips. He once again found his lips zipped closed, and he scowled at her as she picked up where she left off.

"They are trying to make off with some of our pets or even trying to nab our Kinders." She flopped down onto a chair, crossing her arms with a huff. They ruined their own kids, so now they're eyeing ours. Seeing what happened to those little ones would just crush you. It's so sad.

Jorgen could only imagine what atrocities had been performed. Fey world was broken into many territories and some of the worst offenders from the dark days still continued their vile research.

"Due to the difficulty in stealing new ones from earth, they have turned their attention to territories like ours where human children are highly valued and have been abducting them." Nova explained the situation, unzipping his mouth for him.

Piper puffed out her cheeks, frustrated. "I sat traps in the forest to get those jerks, but some of our own pets have been getting injured by them, so Nova's a bit angry. But—! If we do not have the traps there'd be nothing preventing our kiddies from being taken from us."

"Kidnappers worrying about kidnappers, is it?" He intoned dryly, receiving a pair of scathing looks in response.

"Call us what you will, but we care for children far more than you do. You'd rip their fairies away from them, even if they're still miserable or in a dangerous situation, if they, even by accident, break a rule." Nova glowered. "All you've ever cared about was doing your job."

He bristled. "I do what I do to protect fairies."

"Nova, you know that there is no point in arguing with this jar head." Piper spun in her chair. "It's a waste of time and effort."

"All I want from either of you are updates on Turner's treatments." He crossed his arms. Nova, who had been in a bad mood from the start, muttered several curses under his breath and stormed from the room. Piper looked exasperated.

He can be a pain, but I'm still glad he's around. Anyways, Timmy's alright. Just had a quick convo with Wanda. His veins hurt, which means he's a match for her. The pain won't stick around for much longer."

He nodded, but she clicked her tongue, looking at the ceiling.

"He's feeling more pain than the other kids who went through this because of his unique state. It must be pure hell for the poor little thing."

"Yes….Turner usually has a ridiculously high pain tolerance, so I was surprised when he reacted as badly as he did." He remarked; well, dealing with his babysitter and that bully Francis on a daily basis would toughen him up.

"I hope it doesn't break him. We've had people bail before, either the godparent or the kid, because it's just too much."

"Turner's tougher than he looks. He won't break easily, trust me."

"Aw, don't tell me there's a kid you actually like, Jar head?"

"No." He denied. "Turner is the bane of my exsistence. I'm just waiting for the day I can shred his file."

Piper snorted. "Sure, whatever ya say. Anyway…" Her smiled faded as she leaned forward in her chair. Hey, I know you like to hustle the kids and their godparent outta here asap, but I think Timmy and his godmother should hang around for a few days. He needs to stay close by in case something goes wrong because his condition is unpredictable."

Piper's uncharacteristic seriousness caught him off guard, but he knew she had a good point. If something awful happened, the time it took to bring Timmy back to Fey world was precious time that could come at a heavy price.

Still….the longer they stayed in Fey World, the more the danger of them not returning from it grew. It wasn't just that Turner could get tricked into doing something that would allow the Fey to claim him. Wanda too was in danger, because—fairies who remained here too long often found themselves wanting to remain. He had seen it happen several times, even amongst fairies who had hated the Fey; but this world was their natural one, and it called out to them on an instinctual level. It was call that could only be resisted for so long….

— Timmy POV—

As he flopped down on the fluffy mattress of the oversized bed, he stretched his arms and legs out as far as he could. Snuggled into a light pink fleece night robe, he felt the softness of the fabric against his skin. The comfort of the robe and the mattress made him want to stay in bed forever.

Although he had not believed it was possible, a hot bath had made him feel much better. After a long soak in the tub, he was amazed at the positive effects it had on his body and mind.

On the tub, there was a dial which displayed different settings such as 'sore', 'cramps', 'sprains', 'sleepy', and 'stress'. Additionally, there was a button labeled 'first treatment' with a recommended sticker beside it.

Undoubtedly, the water of the Fey world was enchanted, just like everything else in this magical realm. The bath oils and soaps also possessed medicinal properties, and when combined with a dose of medicine that tasted like gummy bears, they had a calming effect on his body and mind.

Whenever he attempted to ponder over his fears and anxieties, it seemed as if there was a mental blockage that prevented those thoughts from penetrating his mind.

Now it was Wanda's turn to take a bath, and she looked utterly exhausted. All he could recall from the treatment was a senseless pain, but he knew it must have been just as hard on her as it had been him, albeit in different ways, of course.

Despite wanting to tell her she did a good job and thank her for all her hard work, he was unable to do so. His rattled state upon waking resulted in him throwing a tantrum instead.

She hadn't held it against him for his accident. In fact, she had helped him clean up, not wanting to leave him alone in the bath after giving him the medication. Throughout it all, she kept reassuring him that everything would be alright and that the pain would soon subside.

He was so grateful that he at least had her here with him. If he had to face this without her…he wouldn't be able to do it.

Even now, just being alone as he waited for her bath to finish made him feel lonely. He knew he was being weak, but he was afraid and did not want to be alone.

He picked up a remote that was on the end table and turned on the large television, wanting some noise and also curious as to what kind of channels were on it.

The first thing to pop up was an animated version of himself inside of the room; similar to the video Nova had shown when speaking about side effects.

"Hello! Welcome to the recovery room, and congratulations on enduring your first treatment!" The same fake voice Nova had used on the other video played again for this one. He wished he'd speak this way more often. He was much easier to understand without all those big words he needlessly tossed into his sentences.

"Sport? Is someone in there?" Wanda called from the bathroom.

"No. I just turned on the TV."

"Ok." She sounded relieved. "You just take it easy now and enjoy yourself. I'll be done soon."

"Mmm, mm." He nodded and watched the video curiously.

"Every recovery room is tailor made to our residences. Of course, we only did a surface scan of your likes and dislikes, so if there are any changes you want made, just push the request button on the remote." He looked at the button as it lit up on the remote with the word 'request.'

"Now, everything in your room is safe to consume as per our contract. This is all part of your treatment, so relax and enjoy. You're welcome to stay for as long as you like. Heck, stay forever if you want! We'll send up a basket of fey fruit to you if you decide to go that route."

He sighed; he expected that would come up, eventually. Cartoon versions of him and Wanda highlighted each feature of the room. It all sounded very nice, almost like a resort vacation. They had gone out of their way to make the room as inviting as possible. Still….he knew he was in a dangerous place full of tricks and traps. A wrong step could land him with the same fate as Ginnie.

….

"I wonder where Ginnie is…?" He mused to himself. She had stayed right by him while he had been alone, giving him cuddles and reassurances. The television changed to show a menu showing different options, the one listed as 'Nature Channel' was highlighted. Curious, he selected it and saw a list of children's names. The list was automatically scrolling down alphabetically until it reached Ginnie's name. Wondering what it was about, he selected her name and watched as a picture of Fey forest appeared. It was nighttime, and it was full of sparkling butterflies. He saw Ginnie curled up, cuddling with several multi colored creatures just like herself.

"Ginnie Boulanger. Nine years old. Born year 1843. The daughter of a baker." The voice of a woman he had not yet met introduced Ginnie. "A little girl living in the French countryside. She'd be beaten whenever she tried to take a taste of the sweets her father made in the shop. She was especially fond of apple pie. He'd send her in the forest to gather apples and berries, and work her from day to night. Little Ginnie worked hard for even one kind word or hug from her father, but only ever got hit with a rolling pin or berated for taking too long or not gathering enough. Now, as a fluffy little Appa-Puff, she no longer has to work all day and can play all she wants. She loves to cuddle and get hugs, so be sure to call on her whenever you want something soft and sweet to snuggle with. She is now always surrounded by the smell of the apples she loved so much, but be sure to have some apple treats for her if you want to make her really happy. Our sweet huggable little pink Appa-Puff!'

'Oh…so the kids who were turned into animals….they can be watched on TV…' He thought; his mind drawing a blank as he watched Ginnie and her formerly human friends all cuddled up in a multi-colored bunch of puff balls.

The huge list of children's names….a minute of narration to sum up the human life they had led before….before….they….

"Timmy, what are you watching?" Wanda's voice called to him from the bathroom with an edge of concern.

"Oh, um…when I thought aloud about Ginnie, it changed to something called 'Nature Channel.' There was a bunch of kids' names and it scrolled down to hers…."

"Timmy, shut the TV off, for now, alright Sweetie? I'll be done soon, so just lay down for a little while."

He did not complain as he complied with the request; his head spinning. There had been…. so many names. The kids who were turned to animals…. they could be watched like a television show. The abuse they went through as human children used to justify their current state as not only being preferable, but a happy one.

He laid in the bed quietly. Were they really happier here in Fey world, in such a form? And even if living their current lives as enchanted animals was better than the lives they had left….was it better than the lives they could've had…?

Even if Ginnie had been brought up by a cruel father, maybe one day she would have married a loving husband, had kids she adored and lived happily. It could be that she'd have ended up with a husband just as abusive as her father though, and maybe her children would have suffered the same way she had as a child. Point was, both possibilities had been erased when she had become a 'Appa Puff'. Was taking away a possible good future worth avoiding a possible bad one? Had Ginnie's situation truly been impossible to be improved? Maybe…someday her father would become nicer….maybe…

…Maybe someday his parents would be glad he had been born….maybe his future would be one worth living….? Even if his one true family was gone….leaving no memories behind…maybe he'd….somehow…..be ok…? Or maybe he'd….

He shook his head as his thoughts jumbled. He was too tired to think about such deep things. All he wanted now was rest and to get his mind off of anything scary or worrisome stuff.

As Wanda emerged from the bath, she was clad in a dark pink robe and her long hair, slightly damp, was no longer in its usual swirl. He realized that he had never seen her without her makeup or with her hair down before.

As she approached the bed, he remarked, "I never knew your hair was so long." Self-consciously, she reached up to touch her hair.

"You can't tell right now because it's still wet, but when it's dry, it has so much volume that Cosmo says I look like I came from hairy world rather than fairy world." She poofed up a big hair roller. "That's why I keep it all tame in my swirl."

"Aw, let me see what it looks like naturally. I'm curious now!"

She hesitated a moment, then smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "Ah, alright, you need a laugh after all you've been through."

"I won't laugh."

"Ha, we'll see about that in the morning." She laid down, stretching her legs, yawning. "It's been some day, hasn't sport?"

"Your telling me." He agreed. "It must've been hard on you, too."

"Seeing you in so much pain….they tried to prepare me, but…" She told him all about the training they had put her through with the doll. Her heart had experienced just as much pain as his body had. He knew that, and he felt terrible over that, and yet….he still had to ask a question that would probably just be another barb to her heart.

"Earlier, when you came to check on me, why had you been crying?"

"Timmy…you've been through so much today; don't think about it for now."

"No." He shook his head. "It's worst not knowing. I just think of one horrible possibility after another. I'd rather just think of one bad thing than a dozen of them. Please tell me. It's about me, right?"

Wanda sighed, looking gloomy, unable to meet his eyes even as she took his hand in hers. "…Timmy, remember how I told you that humans have two souls? One in their head and one in their heart?"

"Yeah?"

"The soul in the head is the person you are in this life. The soul in the heart is the one that reincarnates to live again as a different person. Two years ago, when Cosmo restored your youth during that secret wish incident, he forgot to restore your insides. Your heart was sick with a condition you weren't supposed to get until you were old."

"What?" He gasped, stunned. "But, I did not feel sick!"

"Maybe it had only just become active?" Wanda guessed. "I know nothing about heart conditions. All I know is what Dr. Pied told me."

"Is…that why my chest is burning?"

"Yeah." Wanda confirmed with a solemn nod. "The special healing magic is not made to be used medically, because it stays active in the case of a health problem and can't be flushed out normally."

"Will I be ok…?" He asked scared, knowing all the dangers they had spoken of about magic stagnating inside a non magic body.

"Yes, we've already come up with ways to keep the magic from stagnating and to get it out when the time comes that you're strong enough to drain it from your heart."

"O-ok…" He waited tensely for the explanation why she had cried and why she still looked so gloomy.

"….Well….the human soul is very delicate. When magic entered your heart, the soul inside of it got pushed out."

"…!"

She turned to face him now and squeezed his hand, looking anxious. "Please don't panic. We've already determined where it is; we can get it back easily. You know that seizure you had? It was your soul trying to get back in, but it failed because it couldn't breach the magic still inside you. However, because it followed you into the fishbowl, which is a magical place, it can't leave it on its own, furthermore it can't hide in things made of magic. So…it can only be in one place, your medicine bottle you brought with you."

His soul…? That frightening thing in his nightmare….? "But…why would it….look like that…? That thing in my dream….it looked horrible…."

"Probably because…." Wanda shuddered, squeezing her eyes closed as a tear slid down her cheek. "That is likely what you looked like at the time Cosmo used the healing magic…."

His mind drew a blank. That broken thing he had seen….there had been no way someone could be alive with injuries like that. "But….there was a hole in his chest…like his heart was torn out…."

"Symbolic, I'd guess…" Wanda opened her wet eyes, wiping at them with her arm.

"….Mom…the actual truth is that I died….right?"

She breathed in a deep, shuddering sigh, the tears welling up more in her eyes. "….Yes. You were so terrified when Cosmo first told you, he had to wipe your memories and then when Jorgen came that first morning to see what happened, it slipped out that you died and….oh, sweetie, it was just too much for you at that point."

…So, the reason for the blanks in his memory was because he had freaked out so bad when he had been told he had died, they had wiped his memory.

He gulped, trying to steady his nerves, but probably only resisted having another freak out because of the medicine in his system.

"I'm sorry for lying, sweetie….you were just so afraid."

"….I think I knew all along it was a lie. There was enough evidence for me to piece together what happened but….I wanted to be lied to because I did not want to face it. Just like how Mom will have both Dad and me tell her she did not gain any weight, even when the scale says so, and her jeans don't fit."

"The scale is broken, the washing machine must've shrunk them." Wanda did her best to crack a joke, but ended up sobbing instead of laughing. "Timmy…I'm sorry that all this happened, if I had not gone away for that week! Or if I returned a day sooner—! All these awful things wouldn't be happening to you!"

"No!" He shook his head, upset. "Don't blame yourself! Mom, you deserved time to visit your family. You work so hard and you do so much, a little time to see your dad and your uncles, your sister and even your mom was there! You told me how rare it is you get to see her! Don't feel bad about it! Family is really important!"

"I know that but, your family too Timmy." She took him into a hug, sniffling. "Your my son, just as much as Poof is."

There was a lot to be worried about, a lot to be anxious about, tons to be sad about, but hearing those words lightened his heart. She had told him she loved him before. She had told him he was like a son to her. But to hear that he was on the same level as Poof…he wasn't just a 'godchild'….to her, he was her real child. That she, who could have easily just made him another job, wanted to make him something more. His own parents, if they could choose, would probably choose not to have him, but she…she was willing to choose to consider him her own.

"Mom, everything is going to be alright. I was scared of my treatments and I cried and said a bunch of stuff about not being able to take anymore when I woke up, but…! But I'm going to get through it, ok? So, do not be sad or blame yourself, ok? I'm going to do my part in getting better so you don't need to cry."

She burst into tears. "Your…such a little angel, you know that?"

"Hehe, and that treatment is supposed to make me one for real too, eh?"

Wanda laughed through her sniffles. "You already are a real one, sweetie. I'm ok now." She took a breath to compose herself. "And a real mom wouldn't just cry and blame herself, instead she would do whatever it takes to help her son, so I'm going to put 110% into making you all better."

He smiled, letting himself relax. Painful treatments, missing soul, death, none of it felt so scary anymore…

His stomach chose this time to growl, a classic mood ruiner, but it made both him and his godmother burst into laughter.

"Mom, can we have some of those sweets now? I think I've gotten my appetite back."

"Yes, please, I've got to confess sport. Those chocolates have been calling my name for a while now."

He laughed and nodded. "Same."