“Oh. Hello, dear," he said, his voice changing suddenly. Yasna turned to see Rachel Wainwright standing in the doorway, dressed in a light sundress. She was shaking her head.

“I should be pissed at you," she said.

“But I know better by now.

You'll do whatever you think best, and to hell with what the rest of us think. Fair warning, Yasna," she said.

“The man you're eating a bagel with may very well be the most stubborn, pig-headed man alive."

"Guilty," Josh admitted cheerfully. Yasna looked away, blushing, as the two engaged in a long kiss.

“So what are the plans for today?" Rachel asked.

“Well, I'm going to go grocery shopping with Sarah. It won't take long for all of us to eat up everything we have here. I mean, we're set up for a household of three. Or four, counting me. Not eight. Now we've got Jeremy, Althea, and Yasna. Maria, too, I suppose. And Althea told us last night that she needs to get her things from the hospital, and that Yasna was going to help. But neither of them have a car. So maybe you or Jeremy can drive her and Althea up there.

“Sarah has nothing going on," he continued, ticking members of the household off on his fingers. "But Alex has his rehearsal at COD."

“Alex isn't going anywhere," Althea stated, entering the kitchen, dressed in a bathrobe.

“Good,” she sighed, taking in the three of them.

“It's just the grown-ups. We can make the decisions before the kids come down." She smiled at their expressions. "Come on. Don't tell me you've never done the same thing yourselves.”

“Maybe," Rachel said. "But why should Alex stay here?"

“Kincaid. It wouldn't take much for him to figure out that Alex is going to be in a play. Just a quick internet search about your family.

You and Josh have hardly been inconspicuous over the years," she said wryly.

“And attacking your family would be just the sort of thing he would love to do. Not a frontal assault. Oh, no. He's too much of a coward to attack us openly. But by going after your son he would hit you where it hurts the most."

“But Alex has been looking forward to this play for months," Rachel protested. "He'd never forgive us if we kept him out of it."

“You'd never forgive yourself if he died," Althea said bluntly. "And

I'm not saying this is permanent. Just for today. Maybe tomorrow. Until we've had time to make plans.

“I've warded the house," she added.

“There's no way Kincaid or any of his ilk can get inside. Or even approach closely. It would take the spiritual equivalent of a nuclear bomb to attack us here. So we're safe for the time being.

“Let's see. I think a grocery run should be safe. He would have no way of anticipating that. But I don't think I should go to the hospital

There would be too many awkward questions if I show up Like I haven't been in a coma for the last two weeks. Maybe Yasna can go with Sarah and Jeremy to pick up my things. And Jeremy should definitely stop at home to get what he needs before he comes back here. His family will be worried."

Yasna looked at her, open-mouthed. "You seem to have made all of our decisions for us. And won't the hospital be dangerous? You told me Last night you didn't want me going home."

Althea nodded soberly. "It's not without risks. But remember. Kincaid is a predator. He works best from an ambush. There's no way he could stake out an entire hospital. Your home is another matter.