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  Jeraine shrugged.

  “What is it, son?” Dionne asked.

  “I just want my son back,” Jeraine said.

  Shaking his head, Jeraine got up from the couch and went to the back of the house.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Tuesday morning — 11:25 a.m. ET

  Atlanta, Georgia

  “He’s sleeping now,” the doctor said to Annette. They peered through the small rectangle of glass in Jabari’s door. “I’m sure you’d agree that he should sleep.”

  “Of course,” Annette said. “Of course. I just wanted to see my baby . . .”

  She turned toward the reality star nearest to her and sobbed into the woman’s bony shoulder. The doctor nodded to the orderly, who pushed Annette, her friends, and the camera crew away from in front of Jabari’s hospital room.

  Only the machines made a sound.

  Jabari opened his eyes. He looked at the window panel in the door. Seeing no one, he smiled. He rolled onto his side and continued playing cars with the cups he’d snagged from the airplane. One cup smelled like coffee, which reminded him of Yvonne.

  “Vroom! Vroom!” Jabari said.

  With his hand on one cup-car, he moved the other cup-car in front of the first car. The car in his hand smashed into the second. Jabari made a big crash sound and giggled. He immediately shushed himself with a “Shh, shh!” He looked at the window again. Seeing no one, he looked around the room until he spotted something tiny and pink.

  “I know you’re here,” Jabari said.

  No one said anything.

  “I can see you,” Jabari said.

  In her fairy corps size, Abi stepped out from behind the cup-car in his hand. Jabari nodded.

  “Are you a good witch or a bad witch?” Jabari repeated what he’d heard in a movie once.

  “I’m not a witch at all,” Abi said.

  “Oh.” Jabari’s eyes welled with tears. “I thought maybe you could take me home.”

  “I can’t take you home, but . . .”” Abi made a show of reaching behind the cup. She pulled out Jabari’s favorite soft elephant. She’d barely gotten the elephant out when Jabari grabbed it. He pressed the stuffed animal against his face and began to cry.

  Abi did her best, but it was oddly difficult to be comforting in a tutu. She didn’t dare get big, or she might get caught by someone at the hospital, or worse, by Annette, or even worse, by her camera crew. When the tears stopped, the boy’s huge eyes — larger than Abi herself — looked over the grey soft elephant at her.

  “If you’re not a witch, you can’t take me home,” Jabari said.

  “I’m a fairy,” Abi said. “We’re more powerful than witches, older, nicer.”

  “I know. I’m an expert on fairies,” Jabari said. “My daddy read me some books about fairies.”

  “I’d expect that you are an expert then,” Abi said.

  “Do you know who I am?”

  “I do,” Abi said. “You’re Jabari the fierce.”

  Jabari mouthed “Jabari the fierce.” After a moment, he nodded as if he liked the moniker.

  “What do you want to know?” Abi asked.

  Abi righted a drinking cup-car and leaned against it.

  “Does my mommy know I’m here?” Jabari asked.

  “She does,” Abi said. “She and her mommy, Ms. Yvonne, are getting on a plane to come here right now.”

  “And my daddy?” Jabari asked.

  “He’s with them,” Abi said.

  “Is Mr. Rodney coming with them?” Jabari asked.

  “He’s staying behind this time,” Abi said.

  “Because he hates me?”

  “He doesn’t hate you,” Abi said.

  “Yes he does,” Jabari said. “I killed Mr. Chesterfield so Mr. Rodney hates me.”

  “You did not kill Mr. Chesterfield,” Abi said.

  “They told me if I wasn’t quiet, they would kill Mr. Chesterfield,” Jabari said. “I tried to be quiet but then they were taking me and I . . .”

  Jabari’s big eyes filled with tears.

  “Mr. Chesterfield didn’t want me to go,” Jabari said. “He bit a guy and the guy . . . and I . . .”

  Jabari started crying in earnest. He was crying so hard that the nurse came in to check on him. The nurse cuddled Jabari for a while until he stopped crying. She straightened the child’s covers and set the stuffed elephant and Jabari’s his cup-cars on the counter. When the nurse had gone, Abi flew out from behind the cups and onto the bed.

  Jabari looked longingly at his elephant so Abi flew back for it. Jabari took the elephant from her and rubbed it against his face. He looked the elephant over to make sure that, in the brief time they’d been a part, no one had injured his stuffed friend.

  “I’m going to call him ‘Toto,’” Jabari said.

  “It’s a good name,” Abi said. “I think Toto loves you, Jabari.”

  The boy looked up from the elephant at Abi.

  “So does your mommy, Ms. Yvonne, Mr. Rodney, your daddy — gosh, everybody I know,” Abi said.

  Jabari’s eyes went back to look at Toto the elephant. His head went up and down.

  “Do you really have a queen?” Jabari asked.

  “I am Abi the fairy, at your service. I’m a loyal servant of Queen Fand, the queen of the fairies,” Abi curtsied. “Pleased to meet you.”

  “I don’t think I’d like having a queen,” Jabari said. “My daddy said he wouldn’t either.”

  Abi smiled at the child.

  “Did you fix Mr. Chesterfield?” Jabari asked.

  “No,” Abi said. “The human animal doctor fixed Mr. Chesterfield. Now, he has to sleep and take his medicine. Soon he’ll be all better. Know anyone like that?”

  Without looking up from the elephant, Jabari touched his chest.

  “Do you think Mr. Chesterfield will still be my friend?” Jabari asked. “Even though I got him hurt?”

  “I’ll tell you,” Abi said. “I happen to have an in with Mr. Chesterfield.”

  “You do?”

  “I do,” Abi said. “Mr. Chesterfield told me specifically that you did not get him hurt.”

  “I didn’t?”

  “Nope,” Abi said. “Mr. Chesterfield sent me all this way to make sure that you knew that he is most certainly your friend.”

  “Mr. Chesterfield sent you?” Jabari asked.

  “He did,” Abi said. “But I’ll tell you what.”

  “What?”

  “He is not going to be friends with the mean man who hurt him.”

  “Oh, that was Annette,” Jabari said.

  Before she could stop herself, Abi snorted with indignation.

  “She’s not very nice,” Jabari said.

  Abi nodded. Jabari kept his eyes on the elephant and didn’t look up.

  “You think Mr. Chesterfield is going to be okay?” Jabari asked.

  “I do,” Abi said.

  “You think I’m going to be okay?” Jabari asked.

  “I do,” Abi said. “But I do think you should get some rest.”

  “Will you stay with me?” Jabari asked.

  “Me and Toto,” Abi said.

  Jabari put his arm around the stuffed elephant. Abi pulled the covers up around the little boy. Jabari smiled at the tiny pink fairy and fell into a deep sleep.

  Chapter Three hundred and five

  Good lover

  Tuesday afternoon — 1:20 p.m. MT

  Denver, Colorado

  Humming to herself, Jill let herself in the kitchen door of Yvonne and Rodney’s place. She’d no sooner gotten the kitchen door open when Akeem looked out from the carriage house in the back. Jill waved to him. He gave her an odd look and a nod before going back inside.

  Jill closed the kitchen door and waited. When the young man didn’t come to take a look, she smiled.

  She caught a glance of herself in the mirror. She had Bladen strapped to her front and Tanner to her back. The twins heads had lolled to their right sides as they slept. They look
ed like mirror images of each other. She smiled at herself in the mirror and got to work.

  Rodney was bringing Mr. Chesterfield home in an hour or so. Tanesha had asked if Jill could come over and clean up, so that Rodney could focus on Mr. Chesterfield and not the mess in the house. The police had released the scene. It was time for a mop and a meddling elf.

  Jill was just getting started when there was a knock at the kitchen door. Jill opened the door to Heather and Sandy. Heather offered to take a twin, but Jill shook her head.

  “Can you vacuum?” Jill asked.

  “I will,” Sandy said. “I love the vacuum.”

  Jill grinned at Sandy.

  “Just sucks away all the dirt and voilà! It’s gone,” Heather repeated what Sandy always said, and they laughed.

  “I’ll get the bedrooms,” Heather said. “Don’t forget the dog food.”

  “Got it,” Jill said.

  Heather and Sandy went through the kitchen. Jill got the broom and started sweeping the kitchen. The police had tracked in mud and snow from the garden. Mr. Chesterfield’s blood had splattered all over the kitchen floor and cabinets.

  “Leave the mopping,” Heather said as she came through with an arm load of sheets. “I’ll get it.”

  Jill nodded. Heather dumped the sheets into the washing machine.

  “I’ll get that,” Jill said.

  “I’ll bring the towels,” Heather said and took the stairs two at a time.

  Jill made a bowl of warm water and dish soap and began cleaning the cabinets. She’d mopped up the worst of it when Heather returned with the towels. Together, they filled the washing machine and Jill turned it on. Heather was on her way back upstairs when the backdoor opened. Akeem stuck his head in.

  “I don’t know why I can’t help,” Akeem said.

  Jill smiled at him.

  “No really, why can’t I clean this house?” Akeem asked. “I help Miss Yvonne clean almost every day.”

  Jill just smiled at him.

  “You’re not going to tell me,” Akeem shook his head.

  “There’s nothing to tell,” Jill said in an exaggerated low voice.

  “You don’t fool me,” Akeem said. “I’ve seen those babies sleep through anything. Miss Yvonne says they’re special that way. Your baby-Katy too. So spill it.”

  “We’re . . . uh . . .” Jill gave him a long look.

  “You’re what?” Akeem asked.

  “Healing the house,” Jill said. “The house has gone through a violent attack. It needs to be healed, so the people inside the house can heal.”

  “Oh,” Akeem said. “I see. Can I help with that? You could teach me.”

  “Actually,” Jill said. “Can you show me where they keep Mr. Chesterfield’s food?”

  “And after that?” Akeem asked. He tipped his nose up into the air. “Is that weed? Rodney will effing freak out.”

  “Sage,” Jill said.

  “Sage,” Akeem repeated. “What are you doing?”

  “We’re clearing out the bad stuff,” Jill said. “Making it a healing place for Rodney and Mr. Chesterfield.”

  “What about Jabari?” Akeem stuck his chin in the air. “He’s coming back here, right?”

  Jill nodded.

  “But not for Jabari?” Akeem asked.

  “We’ll do another round when Jabari gets here,” Jill said.

  Akeem nodded.

  “Why do you need to see Mr. Chesterfield’s food?” Akeem asked.

  Jill sighed. They had a lot to do and little time to get it done. She gave Akeem an irritated look, and he scowled.

  “Where’d you get the bruise?” Jill walked toward the young man.

  “Rodney,” Akeem touched the bruise on his jaw. “He didn’t know what he was doing. Crazy after the dog and . . .”

  Jill covered the bruise with her fingertips. Akeem looked at her.

  “Your heart is broken too, but this is going to have to do for now,” Jill said.

  “My heart . . .” Akeem started.

  “Look in the mirror,” Jill said.

  She went back to cleaning the cabinets. Akeem looked in the amber antique mirror hanging on the wall behind the kitchen table. He touched the spot where the bruise had been. His jaw dropped.

  “It’s not there,” Akeem said. His eyes tracked Jill in the mirror. “Can you teach me?”

  “Why would you want to know how?” Jill asked.

  “Because I want to help heal my people,” Akeem said. “All people. There’s so much pain in the world and I . . .”

  “I can try,” Jill said. “I think it’s a genetic thing though.”

  “But you could teach me how and I could do my best,” Akeem said.

  Jill smiled.

  “Good,” Akeem said. “What’s next?”

  “We need to fortify all of Mr. Chesterfield’s food so that everything he eats will help him heal,” Jill said.

  “How ’bout his meds?” Akeem asked. “I picked them up so they’d be here when Rodney got home.”

  “Great!” Jill said. “You get them and I’ll finish cleaning up.”

  Sandy came down the stairs with the vacuum cleaner came down the stairs. Heather thumped after her.

  “What’s left?” Heather asked.

  “Mopping,” Jill said.

  “I’ll do it last,” Heather said. “What else?”

  “Tanesha said there’s some chili in the freezer,” Jill said. “We can put it on so Rodney will have something tonight.”

  “And Mr. Chesterfield’s food?” Heather asked.

  Jill pointed to the bag of dog food behind the washing machine. Heather tugged on the bag to pull it out.

  “Wait,” Akeem said when he came in the door.

  He lifted the heavy bag from behind the washing machine. Heather laid her hands flat on the big bag.

  “What’s she doing?” Akeem asked.

  “Loving the food,” Heather said.

  “Love?” Akeem asked. “I can do that. I’m a good lover.”

  Heather raised her eyebrows. Realizing what he’d said, Akeem blushed.

  “I mean . . .” Akeem started, and they laughed. “Will you show me how?”

  Heather nodded. She and Akeem went into the laundry room. While they were there the wash finished and they stuffed the sheets into the dryer.

  “The easiest way to do it is to think of the ingredients in the food,” Heather said. “See, there’s chicken. I love the chicken in the food.”

  “There’s corn too,” Akeem pointed to the picture of corn on the bag.

  “Love the corn from kernel to stalk to . . .” Heather said.

  Akeem snorted.

  “What?” Heather asked.

  “I can see it,” Akeem said. “And all the people who . . .”

  “Make the food,” Heather finished his statement.

  “Right!” Akeem said.

  “You are a good lover,” Heather said.

  Akeem laughed. Heather and Akeem worked on the food in the laundry room while Jill finished cleaning up the kitchen. When Sandy came through to vacuum up anything she’d missed, Jill went to follow up behind Heather and Akeem when they moved on to the food in the kitchen. Heather took the mop Jill had gotten out and mopped the floor. Akeem took the mop water and threw it out.

  Together, they made the house whole and infused with healing and love.

  “What do you think?” Sandy asked Akeem.

  “It feels different,” Akeem said.

  They heard a car pull up in front.

  “They’re here,” Jill said.

  They went out to help Rodney get Mr. Chesterfield into the house.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Tuesday afternoon — 4:35 p.m. ET

  Atlanta, Georgia

  Yvonne hadn’t said a word since they got off the plane in Atlanta. She’d just stepped through every interaction with a determined look on her face. She didn’t even say goodbye to Jeraine and Schmidty when they raced off to the courthouse to file pape
rs to stop this madness.

  Tanesha watched her mother from the corner of her eye. She wasn’t sure if Yvonne was going to explode or simply dissolve into rage. Her mother could also go crazy. Tanesha closed her eyes as scenes from Yvonne’s drug days flashed before her eyes.

  The cab pulled to a stop in front of Atlanta General. A herd of reporters and cameras were focused on the front of the hospital. Tanesha groaned.

  “Y’all trying to avoid them reporters?” the cab driver asked.

  “Is that possible?” Tanesha asked.

  “My sister works here,” the cab driver said. “I can take you to the employee entrance.”

  “That would be lovely,” Yvonne said.

  Tanesha was so surprised that she gawked at her mother. Yvonne winked at Tanesha.

  “I’ll call my sister,” the driver said. “She’ll meet you at the entrance.”

  “Why are you helping us?” Tanesha asked.

  The driver looked at her in the rearview mirror and started driving. He placed a call to his sister before looking at Tanesha again.

  “You Miss T?” the cab driver asked.

  “My father calls me that,” Tanesha said.

  “That’s what I thought,” the cab driver said. “You going to take that boy home?”

  “We’re here for Jabari,” Yvonne said.

  “And you’ll keep him from that horrible woman?” the cab driver asked.

  Tanesha scowled at the question, but Yvonne nodded.

  “That boy deserves a lot more than that woman for a mother,” the cab driver said. “We saw the show where she put the boy on a plane and . . .”

  The cab driver shook his head and sucked at his teeth. Tanesha glanced at her mother. Yvonne was grinning.

  “What?” Tanesha asked.

  “We make friends everywhere,” Yvonne said.

  The cab slowed at the corner and the door opened. A man who had the muscles and blond bowl cut of the cartoon character He-Man stepped into the cab.

  “Hey!” Tanesha said.

  “He’s with us.” Yvonne scooted over to make room for him.

  “Mom!” Tanesha said.

  “I was assigned to guard you,” He-Man said. “Trece said to tell you that he couldn’t be here.”

  The cab driver took a driveway near the back.

  “You don’t think you need it, Tanesha?” He-Man nodded toward the band of reporters waiting to get scoops at the employee entrance.