I Should Die

it!” he said. “My first action as a guérisseur was a re-embodiment of a revenant spirit. If only my mother could have seen that.”
    “The whole line of guérisseurs before you would be proud of you, and those who come after you will speak of this event with awe,” Mr. Gold said.
    Bran managed to look fiercely proud while at the same time like all he wanted to do was go somewhere to hide.
    I just sat there beaming with joy and relief, my love brimming over as I touched Vincent’s face and stroked his hair. “How do you feel, mon amour ?” I asked, stealing his nickname for me.
    “My sight’s really blurry,” he said, blinking. “We’re back in Gold’s apartment, right?”
    “Right,” I confirmed. “We are back in Gold’s apartment and I’m touching your hair and looking into your eyes and hearing your real voice and . . . I can barely believe it.” As I leaned forward to brush my lips against his, my heart felt like it would burst.
    “I’m no doctor, but I assume he needs more sustenance than kisses,” teased Mr. Gold.
    Blushing, I held the glass of water for Vincent as he drank deeply, then scooped some almonds from the bowl and poured them into his hand. Popping them into his mouth, he laid his head back on my lap as he chewed, never taking his eyes off me. He clutched my hand like he was afraid of being swept back into the ether. Using my free hand, I gave him a banana and more water, and some color started showing in his cheeks.
    After waiting a little while, Bran asked, “Can you talk?” He and Papy had pulled chairs next to Vincent’s couch and watched him with curious stares.
    “Maybe you should wait,” I suggested, but Vincent squeezed my hand. “It’s okay,” he said.
    “So what exactly was happening when the ancient one tried to pull you back to her?” the guérisseur asked.
    Vincent stared up at the ceiling, trying to remember. He exhaled deeply. “I was there above you, just kind of hovering,” he said. “Then all of a sudden, I was pulled up and swept over the city toward the Atlantic Ocean. And then I heard Kate’s voice,” he said, shifting his gaze to me, “and suddenly I had the strength to slow the motion down, then stop it, and move in the opposite direction until I was back with you.”
    “Maybe the great physical distance between you and Violette reduced the power of the bond,” suggested Papy.
    “Maybe,” Vincent said. “She couldn’t have known I was halfway across the world when she called me back to her.”
    “In any case, you’re back,” said Mr. Gold, leaving Jules’s side. “And we have achieved something that hasn’t been done—to my knowledge—for centuries. A groundbreaking event in the freshly renewed relationship between the bardia and the flame-fingered,” he said, directing this last statement to Bran.
    “Thank you . . . all of you,” Vincent said, looking around the room, “for your help and”—he looked at Jules—“for your devotion.” I would have cuddled up to him then and there if my Papy hadn’t been sitting right across from us. Also, I was afraid of breaking him. He was so weak.
    “No need for thanks,” Mr. Gold said. “We’re all in this together. Now we must plan for your recovery and assess when you will be strong enough to return to Paris. But, first things first.” He picked up the phone and dialed. “Gaspard,” he said after a short wait, “yes, Theo here. I have very good news.”
    Do you want to talk? Mr. Gold mouthed to Vincent, who nodded and took the phone from him.
    “Gaspard? Yes. It’s me.”
    An exclamation of surprise was audible from the other end of the line.
    “I hope you mention my extreme sacrifice,” yelled Jules from across the room.
    As Vincent began recounting the story to Gaspard, Papy took the opportunity to make his own call. “Emilie chérie , the re-embodiment ceremony that I told you about last night? Well, we tried it again just now, and it worked.” He smiled broadly at me. “Yes, we’re all extremely relieved. Of course you can talk to her.”
    Papy handed me the phone, which I took with one hand because I wasn’t letting go of Vincent for a second. “Darling, what wonderful news!” exclaimed my grandmother. “When will you come back?”
    “A doctor’s on his way now,” I said as the doorbell rang. “We’re just waiting to see how long it takes for Vincent to be strong enough to travel, and we’ll be back.”
    As I spoke, a man with a doctor’s