Bex and Claire embraced each other with raw relief. For the first time I heard Claire giggle. Her wet eyes were bright, and the sound of her laughter chimed in the air, reminding me of Lillian. Bex laughed along with her, wiping the tears from his eyes as they celebrated together.

Jared squeezed me to his side, and Kim's mouth widened to a large grin. It was as if we could all breathe again.

“He's going to make it?” I said. The question was redundant, but I had to hear it again.

Samuel nodded once. “Yes,” he said, confident.

He returned to my side, and I wondered if any of the passers-by could see him. No one seemed to notice the half-dressed giant in the room.

“We still need your help,” I said. “We've read the book. We've all came close to death more than once trying to get our hands on it to find a loophole. Jared didn't find anything.”

Samuel looked to Jared, who shook his head with a frustrated expression.

“I think you already know the answer,” Samuel said.

Jared sighed. “I was kind of hoping that would be a last resort.”

Samuel touched Jared's shoulder. “It's a means to an end, isn't it?”

With his last words, Samuel blinked from the space he had once occupied. Jared sat in the chair, pulling me into his lap, lost in thought.

Bex helped Claire to her feet, and then walked her to the sofa. “He's right. It's what you should have done all along.”

“Stop,” Jared said.

The nurse returned, this time with a smile. “He's in recovery, now. He's doing well.”

“When can I see him?” Claire asked.

“Soon,” the nurse said, offering a comforting smile before leaving the way she came.

Claire collapsed against the back of her seat. “That was close.”

“Too close,” Bex said, hugging her against his side.

“What is Samuel right about?” I asked.

Bex glanced at Jared, waiting for his brother to answer. When he didn't, Bex began, “We just started a war. The only way to win is to convince Heaven to fight with us.”

I shook my head. “But we've tried. They won't help.”

One side of Bex's mouth turned up. “They will if you give them something to fight for. They won't let Hell destroy the baby once it's born. We just have to protect you until it gets here.”

“What baby?” I said.

Jared peeked at me from under his brow. “The baby you're carrying.”

Everyone in the room stared at me, waiting for my reaction.

“Me?” I said, touching my palm to my chest. “But I'm not pregnant. We haven't....”

“Ew...ew...stop,” Claire said, shaking her head.

“Just once,” Jared said, looking up at me sheepishly.

I remembered the night I begged Jared to help me forget about the chaos surrounding us; the night he said it wasn't a good time to tempt fate. I didn't realize at the time he had spoken literally.