Evan just shrugged, sure the older woman wouldn’t believe him if he told her he’d been studying medicine for the last few years and had performed many complex surgeries.
“Now how come she gets butterfly bandages, and I get a suturing needle poked clear through my hand?” Meg pretended irritation at her brother, trying to deflect the conversation.
Evan just chuckled and busied himself organizing everything back into his doctor’s bag.
The flight attendant looked over at Meg with an incredulous expression, deciding she was probably joking. No way had this little boy stitched up anyone, let alone his sister in midair.
The portly woman raised one painted-on brow before standing. “Well, I feel good enough to take over whatever it is you’re doing, young man.”
“I was looking to make some food for the little boy up front. He’s very hungry.” Creed said, and left it at that.
“The little boy, huh?” She asked, finger on her chin, thinking before she spoke again. “Well, if he’s like every other kid, the best bet is going to be chicken tenders with lots of ketchup.” She nodded happily to herself as she reached down to a hidden freezer compartment and pulled out a frozen meal wrapped in what looked like generic packaging.
“I’ll bring it back to him when it’s done,” she offered.
“Actually, would you mind if I did that part? He’s pretty nervous around strangers,” Meg asked from her quiet seat where she’d been watching her mother breathe.
“Of course, dear. Just give me about six minutes,” the attendant said while holding the box at arm’s length to read the microwave instructions.
The stewardess was right. Danny ate like a champ for the first few bites, but slowed down fast. Evan was glad he did. After not having had much to eat for weeks, it was going to take a while for the little guy’s stomach to get accustomed to food. He really did need to start slowly.
He had fallen asleep looking healthier than he’d probably been in months. Meg said a silent prayer of thanks for the little boy’s well-being.
They had flown all night, but having to fly back west from Germany to Texas, they were losing hours.
“Jet lag is the least of our worries,” Alik mumbled through half-closed eyes to his siblings. Farrow, Sloan and Creed had been listening, but for the most part, they’d hung back in the conversation, allowing the Winter children to discuss things without interruption.
Sloan wondered when she would stop being amazed at the close-knit sibling relationship she was witnessing. She knew everything there was to know about human and metahumans physiology, but when it came to the psychological aspect of each, she was realizing how ignorant she really was.
Farrow, who had been with the Winter family longer, was more accustomed to their easy banter with one another, though she still struggled with feeling like an outsider. Alik was sweet and worked very hard to make her feel included, but in the end, Farrow’s own self-doubt was what kept her at a distance, watching the love and devotion from the outside. Some very negative phrases jumbled through her mind at times like this. She would think, “I’m flawed, damaged. Everything I touch, I destroy.” Inwardly, she wondered how much longer these good people would stomach her company.
As for Creed, he’d been with the Winters the longest, though he still had no memory of much of that time. Like Farrow, he felt unworthy. But Creed was determined to do anything to get to stay with the girl of his dreams. Meg’s passion for her family, for life in general, was breathtaking to Creed. He loved her heart and saw her as a tiny powerhouse of strength and determination. Everything about the girl was admirable and made Creed want to be a man worthy of her. He would move heaven and earth to keep her safe. He stayed silent during the discussion out of respect. If he were asked, he would step up and take on anything handed to him. For now, he was more than content to hold Meg’s hand and watch over everyone like the sentry he was trained to be.
“Let’s sum up, shall we?” Alik was leaning back, his hands linked above his head, elbows out, as though soaking up some Texas sunlight instead of sitting in a cramped pasty-walled private plane.
“And this is only in chronological order, not order of importance, by any means,” he added by way of disclaimer.