Terra staggered into the emergency room, her eyelids heavy with fatigue. Liz met her in the lobby. "Go get some rest, Terra. I think we have seen all the casualties for now and I am shutting down the triage. Thank you so much. Many people are alive because of you."

With a weary smile, Terra said, "I am happy that I could help. Umm, do you know where Will Sall is?"

"I just saw him in the visitor area."

Terra shed bloodied scrubs in the change room and retrieved her clothes from the locker. She sat for a few moments, fighting the urge to just lay back on the bench and let the fatigue claim her.

As she walked back down the hallway, a woman with a bandaged head tapped her arm. "Excuse me. You are the one who helped my son so he could breathe?"

"Yes, I remember," Terra replied. "How is he doing now?"

"He is sleeping, finally. They say he will be okay." The woman rushed in, wrapping Terra in a tight embrace, water welling in her eyes. "Because of you, I still have my son. You are our angel."

The woman held the hug for a moment and then disappeared into a nearby room. As the sun cleared the horizon, sending golden beams through a window onto the opposite wall, a similar blissful warmth spread through Terra, lifting a weary spirit.

This was the second time someone called me an angel. The warmth faded as guilt filtered into her exhausted mind. But I am not. Just the opposite, I am more demon.

She stood in the empty hallway, arms wrapped around herself as a shudder overtook her. Will rounded the corner, eyes widening as the distance closed between them. He put a hand on her shoulder and spoke in gentle tones. "Hey, rough night. How are you holding up?"

Terra closed her eyes, wanting nothing more than to collapse into his arms, letting his closeness chase away the dark swirling thoughts. Instead, she leaned her head against his arm. "I am exhausted."

Will stepped back and turned his eyes down. "Terra, I need to apologize to you. I'm sorry I took my frustration out on you after dinner. You did not deserve that."

"It's okay. We promised to be honest with each other. I have some thinking to do."

Will lifted his head. The warm smile that brightened his face. "You have a good heart, Terra Lorr. Do you feel like getting something to eat?"

Terra shook her head. "What I would like to feel right now is my head on my pillow."

They strolled together to the apartments. Will's presence and the early sunlight on her face melted away the previous night's horrors. Terra went straight to her bedroom, slipped off her boots, and laid down on the bed. She had time for one last thought before sleep overtook her.

He is a good man.

Terra woke up just after noon. While still weary, she got up so as not to disrupt her normal sleep schedule too much. Besides, the shower called out to her, and indeed it felt refreshing. Will's stirring next door reached her ears through walls that did little to block sound. She banged on the wall that separated the apartments and said in a loud voice, "Hey, now I am hungry. Lunch?"

His voice replied, "Five minutes."

Will and Terra made it to the dining hall only minutes before it would close after the noon meal and had the place mostly to themselves.

Terra sighed during the meal. "Oh, I missed my time with Benjamin this morning."

"Understandable, I would think." Will put his fork down. "I have an idea. I need to go out and check on some water supply piping this afternoon. Why don't you and Benjamin come with me? I don't think Moya would mind. We can even take a picnic with us."

"I like that plan. I'll go clear it with the school and you pack some food."

The administrative assistant barely acknowledged Terra as she walked into the school main office. From behind her desk, Starr made a dismissive gesture towards the counselor's office. Terra waved and smiled sweetly as she walked away, taking a bit of guilty pleasure that Starr, so flashy dressed and made up, would consider her a rival to Will's affections.

Terra found the school counselor and the orphanage caretaker together, and both readily agreed to the plan.

Terra signaled Moya in her classroom from the hallway as the children wrote in their worksheets. Even Benjamin participated. Moya tip-toed out to meet Terra, casting her agreement as well.

As Terra turned toward the classroom, Moya stopped her. "Umm, Terra, will you and Will see Jay?"

"Jay Brown? Will's apprentice?"

A contented smile crossed Moya's face. "Yes. That's him."

"I don't know if we will, but if so, do you have a message for him?"

Moya held her own hands close and rocked back and forth. "Umm, just tell him to call me when he can. With everything going on, I get worried when he is out in the field."

Terra inwardly grinned. So, we have a romance going on here.

Benjamin beamed when he saw Terra. They stepped out of the classroom and he nodded vigorously as she offered the outing. Hand in hand, they walked over to meet Will at his truck.

After about an hour and a half drive, mostly bouncing along a rough road, they pulled up next to a large rusty metal building within a rolling meadow. Another truck was already there, which Terra recognized as the one Jay had when she first met Will in Stronghold.

Will caught Jay's attention within the building, and they shook hands. Jay motioned to a new valve sitting on the dirt floor. He spoke in a loud voice over the rushing noise. "With all the fighting, we didn't have time to swap out the isolation valves."

Benjamin, standing at Terra's leg, hunched and put hands over his ears. Fast flowing water through a maze of pipes, pumps, and valves made enough of a piercing roar that normal conversation became difficult, so they stepped outside. Will motioned toward Terra. "Jay, this is Terra Lorr. I met her at Mary's tavern the other day."

Jay shook Terra's hand, holding it in both of his hands. "Nice to meet you, Terra. I remember nearly tripping over you. What brings you to Freehold?"

Terra made a sideways glance at Will, and he fabricated an answer for her. "She came to help out at the clinic. I gave her a ride."

Jay grinned at Will. "Is this where you bring your dates?"

Will threw up his hands. "No, no. It is not a date. We just brought little Benjamin up here to get away while I checked on the water supply."

Terra stifled a grin at his discomfort.

Jay beamed down at the boy. "Is this the one from Moya's class?" He stooped down. "Hi, Benjamin."

Terra interjected as he stood up. "Jay, Moya wanted me to ask you to call her. I think she is worried about you."

"Yeah, she gets worried sometimes. It's hard to get a signal out here. When you get back, tell her I am fine and I should see her tomorrow evening."

"So, how long have you and Moya been a couple?"

"We've been dating for a few months now."

Will perked up and lifted an eyebrow. "What?"

Terra laughed. "Really Will? You didn't pick up on that? For someone smart, you can be so clueless sometimes."

Will, Terra, and Benjamin drove along a narrow winding road several kilometers higher into the hills, coming to a large water reservoir surrounded by forested slopes. Will inspected and cleared the pipe inlet filter below the dam as Terra and Benjamin took a short walk along the water's edge, stopping now and then to toss rocks into the lake.

Once Will completed his work, they drove a short distance to a spot along the reservoir outlet stream and laid out their picnic among the pine trees. After the meal, Will and Terra sat, watching Benjamin happily assemble a flotilla of sticks to float down the trickling creek.

Will nodded towards Benjamin. "You are doing a world of good for him, Terra Lorr."

She smiled at the compliment.

Will paused, then changed the subject. "Do you mind if I asked you something personal? Would you tell me more about your friend Anna?"

Terra leaned back. "Anna was more like a sister. She was a good kind of party girl, and my social life was so much better with her. I could always count on an unlimited supply of bad jokes that made me laugh. And she saved my butt so many times." Terra paused in remembrance. "I miss her."

Will leaned back as well, his arm touching hers. "A friend like that is truly a blessing."

"Yes, she was." Terra turned to Will. "Now your turn, if you do not mind. Tell me about your wife."

Will's face brightened with a smile. "Ell was the best thing that ever happened to me. We fell for each other at first sight, kinda like one of those cheesy romance novels. I know you two would have been good friends. Everything was better with her. She gave me purpose and made me a better man." His smile faded. "I miss her as well."

They sat quietly for a few minutes, each savoring pleasant memories. Terra's thoughts turned to Will's lost wife, finding herself almost envious of Ell that she had so completely won his heart.

Will stood up. "We had better return before it gets too dark. Go get Benjamin and I will pack our stuff up."