Page 77 of Every Day of My Life

Which, as it happened, was a lie. He knew exactly how he was going to make it better. He just imagined he was going to do so, as usual, less in true pirate fashion and more in superspy mode. He heaved himself to his feet.

“Oliver.”

He didn’t want to look at her. He wanted to be simply walking out the front door to do what was needful without fuss, without comment, without emotion getting in the way of the job to be done.

“Oliver.”

He closed his eyes briefly, then looked at her. Words were simply beyond him.

She patted the chair across from her. “Rest now. Tomorrow will see to itself.”

He sat only because he was half afraid he might fall if he didn’t have ten minutes to simply breathe in and out and let the pain in his head ease up a bit. He looked at the woman facing him and sighed deeply.

“I can fix this.”

“But at what cost?” she asked softly.

“I’ll be in and out of the past, bringing you with me, in less than half an hour.”

She shook her head. “You know I’m not speaking of that. I was given the chance to watch over you for the whole of your life. If you stop my death, you won’t have that from me during your life.”

“I’ll trade that,” he said without hesitation. “Not that I’m not grateful.” He looked at her and hoped she could see that in his face. “I am.”

“You’ll need me then,” she said firmly.

“I need you now more.”

“But all those days,” she protested. “There were so many—”

“Which I will trade without hesitation,” he said firmly. He cleared his throat roughly. “I will trade all the days that came before for the days that lie ahead.”

“But—”

“You are worth it,” he said. “You, Mairead MacLeod, are worth it to me.”

She sighed and shook her head. “Stubborn man,” she said quietly. “Stubborn, braw, magnificent man.”

“I think that’s a compliment.”

“What if you—” She stopped, then smiled. “I forget who you are.”

“I won’t fail.”

She nodded. “I suspect you won’t.”

He pushed himself to his feet and tried not to have his heart lurch as she rose with him. She looked at him with what he wanted to believe was a dreadful hope in her eyes.

“I won’t stop you.”

“Will you regret it when I succeed?”

She pursed her lips. “I’m not going to tell you that now, ye wee fiend.”

He smiled, though his heart still felt as if it were being ripped out of his chest by claws. “I’ll look forward to many flowery sentiments later.”

She nodded. “You’ll have them.”

He considered. “You don’t remember anything about right now, do you?”