Terra laid Will down on his back across the seat, his knees bent. He let out a ragged breath and his eyes drifted closed. With face stark white, he showed symptoms of shock.

Please, Will! Please stay alive!

From her medical training, Terra knew his life laid in delicate balance, tipping closer to death with each drip of blood. She caressed his cheek with her hand. Fearing the worst, she dipped her head and let out waves of bitter sobs.

Lifting her head, she prayed for the first time in her life. God, if you would hear me. Please help him. Please...

As she placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, a new perception came to Terra, vaguely fuzzy at first. She raised her head, holding her breath, as a vision of Will came through the aura.

An aura! He has an aura now!

Wiping away her tears, Terra moved fully into the aura, not questioning why now he appeared in the aura, nor caring if anyone else nearby might sense her intrusion. But with his aura so weak, like his life force, she strained with the visualization needed to do psi-surgery. Quick action was required with death so close.

The dart damaged parts of his liver, kidney, and colon. First things first — stop the bleeding. Searching, she located the primary source, a severed artery in the liver, then telekinetically clamped and sealed it. Then she moved on to the smaller bleeders in order of severity, sealing them. Next, she repaired a colon tear to prevent the risk of infection and sepsis.

With most of the bleeding stopped, Terra withdrew from the aura and breathed deeply. There was some hope now, and she clung stubbornly to it, but Will remained in shock with dangerously low blood pressure.

He is not saved yet.

Terra raced down the highway, water blurring her vision. She was unsure where to go, where to get help, but then recognized a side road.

Layla! She would help us.

Tires squealed as Terra turned down the narrow road, desperately trying to recall the route.

There it is!

Skidding to a stop near the house, Terra sprinted to the front door and pounded on it. A bulky man with white streaked hair opened it, his eyes widening at the bloodied woman before him.

Terra did not hide the desperation in her voice. "Please help us!"

Layla appeared in the doorway before her father could answer. Her eyes bulged. "Terra? Is that you? What happened?"

"Will was shot." She pleaded, "Please, we need your help. Is there a hospital nearby?"

Layla turned to her father and grasped his arm. "Dad, these are the people who saved me!"

The man shook his head. "The nearest hospital or doctor is several hours away."

"He won't last that long," Terra wailed. "He needs intravenous fluids now. Is there anything nearby? Anything at all?"

The man's eyes lit up. "The vet! He might have what you need and he lives just down the road." He turned to his daughter. "Layla, go fetch him. Quickly!"

Terra yelled to Layla as she ran to the farm truck. "Tell him shock from blood loss. And bring IV fluids!"

Layla's father helped Terra carry Will inside. By then, his wife had prepared the couch on which they laid him. Terra lifted Will's legs and slid another cushion under to elevate them, hoping to conserve what blood remained for his brain and vital organs. She then covered him with a blanket and kneeled beside him, gently holding a hand and laying her forehead against his shoulder.

The father pulled up a chair and offered it to Terra. "So you are the ones. We are grateful that you returned Layla to us. We thought we had lost her forever." Moisture appeared in the eyes of what Terra supposed was a normally proud man. "My name is Gan and my wife is Marn."

"Thank you," Terra whispered.

Terra dabbed Will's forehead with the moist cloth provided by Marn, but his color remained pallid and skin clammy. A dark shadow passed over her heart when she was barely able to detect a pulse in his wrist.

Please Will, stay with me.

Within a few minutes, Layla returned with the vet, a tall lanky man with gray hair and gentle eyes. He put down his bag and introduced himself. "I am Dr. Jed Morris. What do we have here?"

Terra pulled Will's blanket aside. "He was shot. The dart entered the right lower side and exited his back above the hip. There is damage to the liver, colon, and kidney. I stopped the bleeding for now, but he's already lost so much blood that he is in hypovolemic shock."

Jed cocked an eyebrow as he looked at Terra.

Terra responded to his unasked question. "I am a psi-surgeon. Do you have an IV kit and fluids?"

Jed opened his bag. "Yes. It is meant for large animals, but should work on your friend."

The vet inserted the needle into Will's left arm and connected the tubing to a bag of saline solution, directing Layla to hold the bag up above them.

As he worked, he turned to Terra, saying, "Since medical facilities are so far away, I sometimes treat the human animal. I will inject a bit of epinephrine to help with heart function. Is that okay?"

Terra nodded. "Yes."

After several minutes, a hint of color returned to Will's face. Terra rechecked the pulse and sighed with relief that it felt stronger.

Terra pulled back the blanket so Jed could clean the wounds, apply some antibiotic ointment, and suture them closed. She explained to him in more detail the extent of the internal damage and the psi-surgery she performed.

Jed wrapped a diagnostic cuff around Will's upper arm. "Blood pressure is coming up, but oxygen saturation is still very low. He really needs a blood transfusion."

Marn spoke up. "Take mine. I have O-negative blood. I am a universal donor."

Terra's eyebrows shot up to Jed. He nodded and pulled out another set of tubing and needles, which he rigged for direct blood transfer. One end went into a vein in Marn's arm and the other into Will's right arm. She stood above Will, supported by her husband, to ensure the blood would flow from her to him.

Jed cautioned her. "Now Marn, you tell us if you get dizzy at all. It is difficult to tell how much is flowing."

She nodded, and they waited in silence as Will received Marn's life gift. Terra's eyes watered, this time with joy, as Will's breathing eased and more color appeared on his face. After checking his blood pressure and oxygen again and finding them within an acceptable range, Terra nodded to Jed who disconnected the blood transfer tubing. Gan helped his wife sit down in an adjacent chair.

Jed confirmed what Terra thought. "Not out of the woods yet, so to speak, but I think he is stable now. I'll hang around for a while to make sure his blood pressure holds and we can give him some antibiotics."

Terra stood, wiping the traces of tears from her cheeks. "Thank you, doctor, and Marn. You saved his life."

Jed shook his head with a warm smile. "No. I think that was you. If you had not stopped the bleeding, he would not even have made it here." He paused. "If I may ask, what happened?"

"We, um, got caught up in a firefight on the highway. I really should not say more."

"Let me tend to you now, Terra," the vet said, stepping closer. He traced up finger up the dried blood trail that extended from her jaw to hairline. "Not too bad, a bit of a head gash." He sat her down to clean and treat the wound.

As he dabbed on the ointment, Jed said. "Layla told me what you and your friend did for her and how you took down that wretched establishment. A good thing you did, for all of us 'round here. So am I to take it that your friend is this Hooded Man?"

Terra let out a breath. "The legend has become bigger than any one man." She spoke louder so all could hear. "All of you, please keep this secret. And I have to tell you, there are powerful groups after us. Our presence here carries some danger for you."

Gan dismissed the warning with his hand. "You are our guests. Stay here as long as you need."

Terra bowed her head. "I am so grateful to you all."

Layla waved her free hand while the other holding the IV bag trembled. "Someone, my arm is getting really tired."

Gan chuckled as he rigged up a rope over a ceiling rafter to hold up the bag, relieving his daughter of the task.

Marn prepared dinner, and they ate in the living room so Terra could remain at Will's side. Layla's younger brother returned from the field, confused by all the guests, but soon became enraptured as Layla told the tale of their arrival.

As Layla spoke, a thought came to Terra. Without help from Layla and her family, I would have lost Will. How wonderful is this karma?

After a second IV bag was hung after the first emptied, Will stirred with a faint groan and his eyes fluttered open.

Staring down at him was Terra's tearfully joyous face. "Hi."

"Hi yourself," Will answered in an airy voice. "Where am I?" His eyes darted across all the faces that gazed down at him, finally recognizing another. "Layla?"

"Welcome back to my home," she said with glee.

Will shook his head, then focused on Terra. "The last thing I remember was being in the truck. What happened between there and here?"

Terra bent down and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "You nearly died, Will." She rose with narrowed eyes. "Don't you ever do that to me again!"