Reunited.
The hospital walls were white as ghosts. She could hear the steady beating of the monitor beside her. She could slowly feel her chest going up and down.
Miranda looked up to her mother's sad eyes. She could barely keep her own eyes open, let alone entirely register what had happened. But she did know one thing.
"Go on mom," she whispered. "You need this."
"Dear, I'm not leaving you here at the hospital alone."
"Mom," she continued, "I'm safer hear than anywhere else. You are exhausted, and what you need is a spiritual renewal. Mom, you need to go."
"Honey..."
"Mom, please. Do this for me. Please."
Her mother first looked down, then her gaze came back to meet her eyes.
"Then I'll go."
And Miranda smiled the first real smile that she had given in days.
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Helen Pevensie had been in this church long enough to know every face. But this one was new.
Helen's eyes carefully watched a blonde haired lady with blue eyes as they sang and worshiped. Her eyes were closed as she sang the songs by heart, and Helen noticed a tear run down her cheek. Through the sermon, Helen didn't glance at the lady, her entire focus on the message. But when the reverend asked if anyone would like to pray with him, the lady stepped out of the aisle and went to him. He listened to her, and was nodding his head every few minutes. Then the two bowed their heads and prayed. The lady's shoulders were shaking.
After church was dismissed, the reverend came up to Helen.
"If I might have a word Mrs. Pevensie."
"Of course reverend."
The two walked a little to the side for privacy.
The reverend seemed a little agitated, and hesitated before speaking.
"You may have noticed a newer lady in our church. I prayed with her during the message."
"Yes reverend, I did."
"Good. Her name is Mrs. Lynn Kellen," he said. Then hesitated again.
"Mrs. Pevensie, I feel that you would be a good influence on her. Maybe able to bring her comfort."
"Why is that?" Helen asked, slightly confused.
The reverend rubbed his balding head with his hand and tried to grasp what to say.
"She just moved here from America, with her only child."
"Yes sir."
"Well, the reason they moved here was so that the child could get treatment."
"Treatment sir?"
"Yes, Mrs. Pevensie. A treatment." He paused for a moment. "She believes that her daughter is dying."
Helen felt as if an icy hand had clenched her heart as the reverend spoke of the second worst thing that could happen to her own children.
"Her husband died in the war, they are both here alone, and Mrs. Kellen is frightened, worried, and sad. If you could just speak to her, offer a hand in friendship, anything, I would greatly appreciate it."
Helen had only to think for a second, and that thought was was that she would want the same if she were in Mrs. Kellen's position.
"Yes. I will."
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Lynn had not walked ten minutes before she heard a voice behind her calling her name. She turned her head around to see the reverend and a dark haired woman walking toward her. Lynn hid her agitation. She wanted to get back to the hospital right now, but at the moment, that wasn't going to happen.
The reverend and woman quickly reached her, and the reverend spoke.
"Mrs. Kellen, may I introduce Mrs. Helen Pevensie. I.... took the liberty of telling her about your child."
Lynn's face grew flushed, and she might have said something, if..
"She has four children of her own, and..."
"If I might reverend?" Mrs. Pevensie suddenly said.
The reverend looked at her, gave a relieved look and a nod, then turned towards the church.
"I'm sorry about that," Mrs. Pevensie said immediately. "I would have introduced myself at a later time... and perhaps not quite as bluntly. He is a good man, and a good pastor, but when it comes to introducing one person to another... well, let's just say that he comes out a little too much."
Lynn had to let a small smile show at that.
"If we might try and start over?" Mrs. Pevensie continued.
Lynn nodded and said;
"I think that I would like that a great deal."
"Well then," Mrs. Pevensie began, clearing her throat. "Hello ma'am. I saw that you were new at the church today, so I decided to introduce myself. My name is Helen Pevensie."
"How do you do Mrs. Pevensie? My name is Lynn Kellen."
"I am very well, thank you Mrs. Kellen. And yourself?"
Lynn was about to say "quite well", when she felt her heart sink, and tears begin to sting her eyes.
"No, Mrs. Pevensie. No, I am not very well at all."
Mrs. Helen Pevensie gave a reassuring smile and offered her hand.
"Come with me. I'll take you to a little tea shop that is just a block away from the hospital. Then we'll talk."
For the first time in a long while, Lynn thought that she had found a true confident.
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Over a period of several weeks, a great friendship took shape between Helen Pevensie and Lynn Kellen. Soon, every other afternoon was spent at a tea shop, talking, praying, and sharing lives with each other.
It was a month after they had met, that Helen decided to ask a question.
"Why has Miranda been in the hospital so long?"
Lynn did not speak for a moment, and Helen feared that she might have offended her. Finally, Lynn spoke.
"I never should have brought her here. She looked fine when we left, nothing went wrong, but the strain of the move and the attack just before leaving all added up to... to..."
Lynn never finished. Helen reached out her hand and touched Lynn's shoulder.
"It'll be alright. I don't know how, nor when, but it'll all be well in the end."
Lynn said nothing, but nodded her head.
"When she finally does recover, come over to our home for dinner one Sunday evening. I think that it would be best for you both."
Lynn's blue eyes looked up to Helen's warm brown ones.
"I think that we would both enjoy that a great deal."
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Lucy wasn't sure why she had decided to sign up for this field trip anyway. She had been a healer before, but right now, the sight of all these poor, ill people was making her a little sick. She could feel tears stinging her eyes as she watched a feeble man try to walk and then stumble, as she heard lady screaming in pain down the hall, and saw a young boy, smaller than her, on a hospital bed, just staring at the ceiling.
She was about to turn around and ask the teacher if she might go out for some air when she saw someone familiar.
It was the lady from church that mother always liked talking to on Sundays.
"What was her name?" Lucy searched her mind. "Oh yes! Mrs. Kellen."
Lucy was about to call out her name when she realized that Mrs. Kellen seemed preoccupied and a little excited. Lucy, being the polite girl that she was, decided to remain silent.
Mrs. Kellen entered a hospital room, and the door shut. All at once, the group moved over to that same room, to look through the window. Lucy thought that she might wave to Mrs. Kellen through the window, when another sight stopped her.
She covered her mouth to keep a squeel of excitement from erupting. She hardly heard what the nurse who was showing them around was saying. Her entire attention was on someone in the bed.
It was Miranda.
She gave a slight jump of excitement, and a broad grin lit her face. But it quickly vanished.
It was Miranda all right, but nothing like Lucy had ever seen before. Her face was terribly pale, and she looked awfully skinny. Her hair was very thin and was pulled up into a loose pony tail. An IV was in her arm, and her eyes were incredibly tired.
But a smile lit up on her face when she saw her mother. The two hugged each other, and Miranda sat up in the bed, as if waiting to hear a story.
Lucy felt a sudden pain in her chest as she watched the familiar person whom she had known so well; now looking like a complete stranger. Miranda the Courageous, the First Warrior of Narnia, was not that same person here. This person looked feeble and weak, and... scared.
She was almost glad when the group left to go in another direction. All she wanted now was to find a place to be alone: and cry.
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"YOU WHAT???"
Peter's and Edmund's voices both shouted at the same time, making the walls shake.
"SHHH!" Lucy whispered harshly. "You don't want the whole neighborhood to know do you?"
It was the next Saturday night, when all the children were given leave to come back home. All four children were in Lucy's room, all managing (somehow) to sit on her bed.
"Are you sure it was Miranda?" Susan asked doubtfully.
Lucy gave her a knowing glare.
"Oh, do be quiet Susan!" Edmund exclaimed. "Of course she's sure it was Miranda. Just like she was sure that she had found a country in the wardrobe; and that she was sure when she saw Aslan across the gorge."
That shut Susan up pretty quickly.
"Where did you see her?" Peter asked excitedly.
Lucy felt pretty good that Peter had not said; "Where do you think you saw her?"
"I'm afraid that that's the bad part," she answered sadly.
"What do you mean?" Susan asked, her eyes full of worry and confusion.
"Yes," Peter added.
Only Edmund didn't ask.
"She's not..., oh, surely not..." Edmund said, half to himself. He stood up and began pacing the floor.
"What is it Ed?" asked Peter.
"It's just..., well...., Oh Bother!" Edmund suddenly exclaimed.
"What is it?" Susan asked, her voice raising slightly.
Edmund stopped for a second, then looked Lucy in the eye.
"Lucy... did you see Miranda at a hospital?" Edmund asked.
"Yes."
"And... that lady that has been meeting with mom lately, Mrs. Kellen. Was she there?"
"Yes," Lucy answered, seeing where this was going.
"Ed," Peter said softly, "You're not saying that..."
"Yes Peter, I am. Mom said that Mrs. Kellen has one daughter. She is right now in a hospital. And her name is Miranda! Mom told us that just last week!"
"By the mane!" Peter exclaimed. He now jumped up from the bed and his hand went to his side, trying to find a sword that wasn't there.
"I was just so stupid that I couldn't put two and two together," Edmund groaned.
"How were you to know?" Susan asked. "Miranda was not at all like that in Narnia. She was always quite strong and a very able fighter. It's not like we thought that she would be in a hospital when we came back to this world."
"It gets worse," Lucy said.
All attention suddenly went back to her.
"She didn't even really look like the Miranda we knew. She is pale, her hair is skimpy, her body is terribly thin, and her eyes looked so tired. It's only by the grace of Aslan that I recognized her in the first place."
All four children went silent. Peter and Edmund both took their places on Lucy's bed.
"Well," Lucy began, "What do we do now?"
"We wait."
Three faces to look at the speaker; Susan.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, if you had been listening to Mother earlier, you would know that she told Father that she had invited a Mrs. Kellen and her daughter to dinner next Sunday."
"WHAT?" all three jumped up and shouted. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US SOONER?"
"Well," Susan said with a grin, "You didn't ask."
And that was the end of the conversation.
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If one word could be used to tell you how the Pevensies felt that next week, I would use it. But each one felt something different.
Lucy felt lighter and happier, but also a little anxious. Her sight of Miranda was not an encouraging one, but it would be so good to see her again.
Edmund felt a little worried, but also excited. To see one of his greatest friends in this world was going to be so different, but also so wonderful.
Susan felt a bit concerned. If Miranda were to come, and they all shouted out names and such, then their parents would think that they were crazy. But she wanted to see Miranda so badly, especially after what Lucy said about her. She felt that Miranda could use some hope right now.
As for Peter, the next week was torture. His best friend was in a hospital, he couldn't get to her, and he had to wait. His concentration on his studies was not going well, for every moment that his thoughts strayed just a little, they would go back into memories and thoughts of his best friend. How had she changed? What had happened? Why had she never talked about this before?
The next Sunday could not come soon enough.
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"Miranda, let's go!" Lynn shouted down the hall.
"Coming," was the reply.
Lynn had to smile through her worry. As soon as the doctor had told Miranda she could go home, Miranda improved. The last week had shown better results, and Miranda was able to do more things.
A few seconds later, Miranda came out, wearing a plaid skirt and a warm grey sweater.
"I still wish that you would have let me go to church earlier today Mom," Miranda said as the two hopped into the rental car that Lynn had been given by the hospital. "Why is it that I get to go to this dinner, but not to church?"
"Because, this is only going to be one family, and I didn't want you getting overwhelmed by all the people in church."
"Mom," Miranda said with a sigh, "I've never been overwhelmed by people before. Why would I be now?"
Lynn didn't answer.
"Mom!" Miranda cried out, frustrated.
"Miranda, please. Don't get over-excited."
"Mom, if this disease gets the better of me, I will be going to heaven, with Dad. No more of this pain or all these tests. But if this doesn't take me, then I will live my life the way God intends me to. And I honestly don't believe that he would intend me living every day of my life as if I were afraid to die. Mom, I can't keep doing this. Staying in the house day after day while you're out at work. You're always worried about me doing any little thing. You nearly blew your head off when I walked down the hall the second day that I came back home. Mom, this has to stop."
Lynn was quiet as Miranda spoke. She knew that Miranda was right. She wanted Miranda to stay with her, to always be there. She wanted her to live a good and long life. But her daughter was right.
But Lynn didn't want to admit it.
"We'll talk about this later," she said.
The ride to Helen Pevensie's was a silent one.
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"Okay, everyone needs to remain calm and passive when she comes in."
It was Susan speaking.
"If she sees us acting calm, so will she. But we need to keep it that way. Lucy," Susan said to her, "No hugging until we can get in privacy."
Lucy nodded, but her eyes were sad.
"Edmund, I trust you not to use big words around her. It'll get you both started, then no one will understand what you're saying."
Edmund rolled his eyes, but nodded.
"Peter," Susan said, "Please, don't do or say anything... strange."
Peter cocked his head at her.
"I'll do my best, but I'm not going to lie to anyone."
Edmund and Lucy both started.
"If there's going to be any lying, I'm not doing it," Lucy stated, quite firmly.
"I second the motion," Edmund added.
Susan rolled her eyes.
"We won't lie or have to think about lying if we just stay calm and controlled," she said.
The others nodded their heads, and before going downstairs, Peter said;
"And may the Lion be with us."
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Peter could feel his stomach doing flip-flops as he waited with his siblings just inside the hall. They were standing in a line, Susan at the furthest left, then Edmund, Peter, and Lucy.
Peter could see Lucy standing beside out of the corner of his eye peeping out the window. She suddenly stood on her tiptoes, and Peter leaned his head down.
"They're here," she whispered.
"Now everyone," Susan said cautiously, "Be careful with what you say, how you act, and what you do."
"Yes mother number two," Edmund groaned.
Peter gave a short chuckle.
It seemed like an hour before they heard the door knock. Mother and Father stepped forward and opened the door.
"Hello Lynn," Mother said, a smile on her face. Peter thought that they should have placed themselves on the other side of the door.
"And this must be Miranda," Mother continued.
"Yes, it is," a soft voice answered.
"It is so good to finally meet you Miranda. I'm Helen Pevensie."
"How do you do Mrs. Pevensie?"
Peter felt his heart jump at the sound of that familiar voice. He hoped that he was making his face as passive as possible.
"Quite well, thank you. And you?"
Peter was right now wishing that they could just skip past all these formalities.
"I'm doing much better, thank you."
"Oh," Father suddenly exclaimed. "Quit standing out there in the cold and come in."
Then, the two stepped in.
It was Mrs. Lynn Kellen that they saw first. She was a petite woman, with blonde hair and blue eyes, and a smile that could light up a room.
Then Miranda stepped in behind her.
Peter was so glad for all those days in Narnian courts, for right now, it took every memory of them to keep him from just gasping, much less keeping his face straight.
Miranda was all that Lucy said she was. Thin, pale, tired, not at all like the Miranda he remembered.
But a quick light shown in her eyes when she saw them, and there was a sight of the old Miranda. It quickly vanished, but it had been there, and that was enough.
"If I might introduce my children," Mother said. "This is my eldest daughter, Susan. Then, my youngest boy, Edmund. My eldest, Peter. And my youngest, Lucy."
"Your mother has told me so much about you," Mrs. Kellen said. "I am very glad to finally make your acquaintance."
"And the same to you Mrs. Kellen," Peter said, trying to keep his voice level.
Lynn smiled, then motioned Miranda to come forward.
"And this is my own daughter, Miranda."
"It is a pleasure to meet you," Peter said again.
"And all of you," Miranda replied. Her voice was steady and her face showed no emotion. But Peter saw the slightest smile trying to fight its way out.
They all went to the dinner room, but Peter noticed just before they entered that Miranda was trying to take slow and steady breaths.
If they had all just met for the first time, things might not have been so hard. But they hadn't, so it was very hard. All the Pevensies, and now Miranda, had to keep there conversation casual. They asked each other questions to which they already knew the answers to, and told each other things that they knew the other person would already know.
Finally, it was Father who asked the question that was on all of their lips. Or tried to.
"So Miranda. If it might be... that is to say... if you could..."
"Tell you what is wrong with me and why I have been in the hospital a great deal?" Miranda helped.
Father's face turned a little red, but he nodded.
"Jeffrey!" Mother exclaimed.
"Please Mrs. Pevensie. Your husband has asked a good question, and I shall try to give him an understandable answer," Miranda stated.
Peter had to keep himself from raising his eyebrows. That sounded a lot like the old Miranda.
"I have had a problem with my heart since I was eleven."
Lucy gasped beside him, but quickly silenced it.
"The doctors aren't sure what is wrong with me. My heart skips beats if I get too excited and make the heart rate go faster."
"What do you mean that they aren't sure what is wrong with you?" Edmund asked.
"She means that she is one of those cases that no one has had to deal with before," Lynn answered. "She has heart attacks, but her blood doesn't clot. Her heart skips beats for reasons that no one can understand."
"And it's been happening since you were eleven," Lucy said, her voice choking.
Miranda nodded.
All were silent, until Susan said;
"Lucy, let's clear the table of this stuff."
"We'll help you," Edmund volunteered.
Peter silently thanked his brother.
In a few moments, the table was cleared, and all four were cleaning the dishes in the kitchen.
"I had hoped that you had been exaggerating Lucy," Edmund said as he dried off a plate.
"I wish that I had been," was Lucy's reply.
"Did you see how small and pale she looked?" Susan asked, washing the last of the forks.
"Yes," Peter replied, "I did."
With the four of them working, the dishes got done quickly, and soon all were back in the dining room. Miranda was gone, and Mrs. Kellen, Father, and Mother were in a heated discussion.
"I'm worried about her," Mrs. Kellen said. "She seemed to calm down for a while, but then came the last attack, and being cooped up all these weeks. And I don't know what to do anymore."
"Let her out more," Mother said immediately. "Let her be the young child that she is."
"But that's just it," Mrs. Kellen continued. "She seems to... well, I'm not sure how to say it. She does many of the things that she used to do. But she does them alone now, and in a less child-like way. We had a short argument on the way here, and she started saying things that I wouldn't have truly expected her to understand. I mean..."
At that moment, Miranda re-entered the room, and the talk stopped.
"Children," Mother said, "Why don't you take Miranda to the back sitting room. It'll be a good chance to get to know one another."
Peter put on his best smile (knowing Edmund was making a better one), and led the way to the back sitting room.
He opened the door. It was darker, with a small lighted fire in the chimney, books on the shelves, and a half-played game of chess on the small table in the middle. Chairs were crowded in, and Lucy's stuffed bear sat on the mantle.
First Lucy, then Susan and Edmund entered the room. Then, Miranda stepped in, turned around, and closed the door.
Turning back to them, a huge smile broke out in her face, and she whispered one word.
"Finally."
With a little shriek, Lucy ran up and wrapped her arms around her.