Magnificent Folly - Iris Johansen [38]
“Come with me, Lily.” Quenby put her arm around Lily’s shoulders. “It will be better if we wait in the living room. Andrew will call us when Cassie wakes up.”
If she woke up.
No, Lily wouldn’t even consider the possibility that Cassie wouldn’t be all right. She let Quenby propel her toward the door. “How long?”
“As long as it takes.” Andrew was no longer looking at Lily, but at Cassie. He dragged a chair close to the bed and sat down on the cushioned seat. “You can turn out the light. I won’t need it.”
Quenby switched off the light as she drew Lily from the room and closed the door.
“Why am I letting him do this?” Lily asked as she dropped down on the couch in the living room. “For all I know he’s one of those acupuncture specialists and he’s going to stick pins into Cassie.”
“You’re doing it because you believe more in instinct than you think you do,” Quenby said gently. “Just as you believe in Andrew.”
“What’s he doing to her?” Lily asked, her gaze meeting Quenby’s. “For heaven’s sake, tell me. I deserve to know. How would you feel if it were Jed who was lying in there?”
Quenby sat down in a chair opposite the couch. “Terrible. I thank God every night my son’s never gone into this kind of shock. Gunner and I were lucky. Jed isn’t nearly as sensitive as most half-breeds. Gunner says it’s due to my very pragmatic genes.”
“Half-breed?” Lily gazed at her in bewilderment.
“Gunner is Clanad and I’m not.”
“What difference does that make? The Clanad is a corporation, not a …” Lily stopped and sat up straighter. “What are you telling me?”
“The truth,” Quenby said. “Or as much of the truth as I think you can take right now. I’ve decided we’re all being ridiculous. Gunner thinks it’s Andrew’s place to tell you, and Andrew doesn’t want you frightened any more than you are already.” She made a face. “It’s typical muddled male thinking, and I’ve been going along with it. In the meantime, you’re suffering more from confusion than you would be from facing the facts.”
“And what are the facts?”
“That Andrew is not sticking pins into Cassie but is still performing in-depth surgery. He’s cutting through the barriers and splicing and knitting up the raveled ends. He’s healing her.” Quenby paused. “Telepathically.”
Lily gazed at her in stunned disbelief. “I beg your pardon?”
“I know. I know.” Quenby pulled a face. “Now you think we’re all a bunch of escapees from the cracker factory.”
“The thought did occur to me.” Lily started to get up from the couch. “I think I’ll just go in and tell Andrew I’ve changed my mind.”
“Don’t do that,” Quenby said, her tone suddenly urgent. “Interrupting him now could be dangerous for Cassie. He knows what he’s doing.”
Lily sat back down. “You’re telling me Andrew is a telepath?” she asked carefully. “You’re either joking, in which case you chose a lousy time for it, or you’re demented. I don’t believe in telepathy.”
“Then you’d better start,” Quenby said simply. “Andrew is a telepath, and so is Gunner. My son, Jed, also has certain telepathic powers.” She paused. “And so does Cassie.”
“No!” Lily shook her head violently. “Now I know you’re crazy. Don’t you think I’d know if my own daughter were a telepath?”
Quenby shook her head. “Cassie’s talent is latent. She probably shows flashes of intuitiveness, but without training she might never reach full potential.”
“And what is her potential?” Lily asked caustically.
“It’s different for everyone. Perhaps her telepathic ability will remain submerged by her other talents all her life. Perhaps later it will dominate.” Quenby shrugged. “Personally, I’m hoping Jed’s telepathy remains latent. Having powers like Andrew’s can be a curse, not a blessing.”
“I can’t believe I’m sitting here listening to you.”
“You’re listening because those instincts you’re so skeptical about have been sending out signals since the moment Andrew appeared in your life.”
Lily’s fingers dug into the cushions of the couch. “You’re saying Andrew has been reading my mind since the moment I met him?”
“Absolutely not,” Quenby said