Mira was once again in her hospital room, enjoying a break between healing sessions. Because it took so much effort to move between the wheely-chair and the bed, she had remained in the wheelchair.

Darius Alexander pushed into the room. He was always dressed in comfortable jeans and a t-shirt. His only concession to the clinic was the white doctor's coat and the name badge. Mira turned her head when she heard the door open. Recognizing Darius she smiled.

"Good afternoon." She wasn't sure if to call him Dr. Alexander or Darius at the clinic, so she called him neither.

"How are you doing Mira?" His smile and use of her first name encouraged familiarity.

"I continue to get better, or so the doctors tell me. It can't be all that much longer until I'm released." Mira wasn't all that sure though if she was looking forward to that or not. The hospital was full of people. Her apartment would be empty and quiet.

"Physically, I can say they are right. Mom knows these things. I can't tell you how many babies she delivered into the world."

"Which mom are you referring to?" Perhaps Maranya had another nickname here.

"Shariane."

"I did not know that Shariane was a mom." Then again, neither was Maranya. She just delivered a lot of babies in her line of work.

"She has three of us."

"Shariane is your mom?" That surprised Mira even more.

"I am the oldest, and then come my sisters Jasmine and finally Astante." Darius nodded.

"Oh." Mira tried to reconcile Shariane appearing younger than Darius with those newly learned of facts.

"There is one ability we all have that only Jasmine is open about. We can shape shift." Darius explained.

"You shape shift." Mira repeated a bit stupidly, at a loss as to what she was to do with that information.

"Don't worry about it." Darius chuckled and shook his head. "A lot of people have special abilities, some more flagrant about them then others."

"That is so." Mira looked to Darius like she expected him to change form at any moment. There had to be reason that he told her and that he told her in order to warn that he was about to use that ability made the most obvious sense to her.

"My mother doesn't like to show her age. Which is why I look older." There was that lop-sided grin of his again. "So how are you feeling" Truly."

"I'm feeling better." As far as her various injuries were concerned that was perfectly true. Anyone could confirm that with a look at her chart. But she sounded like she was trying to convince herself of that fact.

Darius nodded and considered a moment. Then he tilted his head to her, "But you sound as though you have other things on your mind."

"That is normal, isn't it?"

"Normal, yes. Healthy is another story, though."

Mira nodded. If the doctor deemed it unhealthy, then she'd just not think about anything. That suited her just fine.

"Mira, Have you ever asked what my specialty is?"

"You are a mind healer." Mira repeated the information she was given.

"Which means we work on making you feel better not only physically, but emotionally too." Darius confirmed what Mira had already guessed. "So, the first question is, how are you feeling in here?" He tapped over his heart.

"I'm fine,' was the answer Mira would have offered to just about anyone. But that wouldn't do for this situation, not for Darius. "I don't really know." She offered instead.

"How about the basic emotions, confusion, fear?"

"I guess I'm a little scared, more worried really." She gave a little shrug and tried to find better fitting words to describe her feelings. But her mind refused to dwell on them for long. "Everyone is very nice. Aja mentioned a guard. And I didn't have to go anywhere without company so far. There have been a lot of parties."

"Are you worried it would happen again?"

"No." She gave a little smile. Oddly, that was one thing she was not particularly worried about. But she was a bit jumpy. "Worried that I may flinch the next time a customer hails me on the street. I'd rather not offend anyone with such a reaction or have people think them hailing me so they can make a purchase would be anything less than welcome and appreciated on my part."

"The flinching is understandable." Darius nodded. "After being ambush, you are feeling that hyper awareness that tends to accompany such events.

Mira continued to look to Darius. Uncertain how to respond to his last statement, she didn't respond. She did not think of herself as hyper or any more or less aware of anything than she had been before. But he was the doctor, not she.

Darius tilted his head to her in thought, "It was how I was the day following this." He gestured to the scar on his face.

"What happened?" Mira nearly pounced on the offer to talk of something other than her.

"I was injured saving a child from a monster."

"It is good that you managed to save the child."

"Thankfully, that is the good that came from this."

"A lot of people care for me." Mira stated the one good thing she could think of. They had before, of course, but it may have taken her a while longer to realize that had the attack not happened. "A lot of people do care for you. I think you are setting Clinic records for flowers and visitors." Darius joked softly.

Mira chuckled softly and shook her head lightly. Perhaps that was so, perhaps not. And she refused to think of the one person who had not left any flowers and was noticeably not among the visitors.

"That too will heal." Darius laid a gentle hand on her head.

"Is that a case of time being a healer?" Mira grinned a little, not in the least surprised that Darius had guessed her thought. The one name missing from the visitors list was likely glaringly obvious to everyone.

"Time and your friends." He smiled.

"They already have set me on that course." Mira included each and every one of them in a warm thought. Between the parties, the visits, and no one pressing for answers but generous in giving her time, they certainly had done just that.

"Then you have a strong base to work with." At Mira's nod Darius continued with a smile, "And with that I'll leave you alone till tomorrow?"

"Have a good rest of the afternoon and evening, Darius. I look forward to getting to talk with you some more tomorrow." Mira returned his smile.

Darius slipped out of the room. For a moment longer Mira could hear the tapping of his staff as Darius moved away from the door of her room. Odd, she thought, how he always left her feeling better for him having talked with her.