The Healer

Jake had suffered with severe asthma for years but losing both of his brothers to illnesses had sapped his resolve further. The highlight in his life was Caitlyn, but for four months now she’d been hospital bound, with tubes and sensors making her look like a failing experiment.

Jake had been told to steer clear. If he got too close, his health issues would take him down too. His own desire for life was already ebbing away as he faced losing another part of him. The phone rang with an update from the nurse, “Sorry Jake, Caitlyn is unlikely to last the day. Would you like to be with her?”

He entered the sombre room with the nurse. Caitlyn turned her head and her dim eyes met his. Through a facemask, he said a despondent, “Hiya,” his familiar rattling breath followed.

Caitlyn stared with her fun-filled energy long gone, the strength to cry too much for her.

The nurse raised her hand as Jake tentatively approached the bed, “That’s close enough.”

“It’s my choice.” Jake replied before he rested his head on Caitlyn’s chest.

The nurse didn’t object, accepting it as their last farewell.

Jake wrapped his arms around her. The hug was far too tight for Caitlyn, but her frail hands slowly responded to return the hug. The nurse stood in shock as Caitlyn’s grasp became stronger. They held each other tighter still, betraying their own weaknesses. When Jake finally loosened his grip, Caitlyn pulled out her tubes and ripped off the sensors to send the monitors crazy.

She sat up for the first time in weeks. Jake also took his first clear breath for months before their lips met to ignite them both. His body surged to greater strength as their kiss deepened, Caitlyn held his unkempt hair tight, holding on to their renewed connection.

The nurse stepped forward and rested her hands on them both, “Caitlyn, you are still gravely sick, you need to rest.”

“I’m much better.” Caitlyn gave Jake a smile, “No, I am better. Your love has cured me.”

Jake spoke with such clarity, the nurse hardly recognised his voice, “Something has happened to me. I have never felt this strong.”

Dumfounded by the transformation in both of them, the nurse insisted she check their vitals. She re-connected Caitlyn and her pulse was strong, her blood pressure also back to normal. Caitlyn sat with her legs hanging over the bed as the nurse checked Jake and confirmed he was also stronger than he had ever been. She conducted a peak flow test to check breath support. Jake would usually struggle to reach two hundred but burst through over a thousand.

Caitlyn took the nurse’s advice and agreed to remain in hospital whilst they checked her blood test results.

With his chest full of pride, Jake headed out into the corridor and immediately heard a pained groan from a side ward. He glanced in to see a bulky man was falling from his bed. Jake dashed forward and took his weight to stop his fall, before lifting the sturdy fellow back onto his bed.

The mountain of a man stated, “You are much stronger than you look, Thanks buddy.” The guy lifted himself from the bed and stood before him. “I feel better for that.” Jake looked up at him. He was more than a foot taller. To Jake’s surprise, the guy embraced him. He returned a powerful hug as his arms stretched around the bulk of the guy. As they both withdrew their grasp, the man’s voice was one of surprise, “You’ve healed me son,” before he boomed loud for all to hear, “You’ve healed me son! You have healed me!”

The nurse from Caitlyn’s room rushed in, followed by another, “He’s done it again. Bless God! He’s done it again.”

Jake never received such attention and didn’t know how to respond. He pushed past the nurses with ease and fled from the hospital. Jake continued running and enjoyed the exhilaration. It wasn’t until he arrived home some five miles away, he realised it was the first time he’d run without coughing and spluttering. The urge to do some push-ups followed. He counted out each of them, but he stopped when he reached a hundred, bored with counting rather than tired.

After he had fixed his newly found appetite, Jake settled down to search the net for some explanation as to his sudden boost. He found nothing apart from references to the church. After the day’s excitement, Jake drifted off watching tv.

An excited knock on the door woke him from what he thought was a dream of saving Caitlyn, but it was her shouting at the front door. Caitlyn was home. Jake flung open the door. A barrage of flashes followed. The media wanted to capture the moment as she returned to her saviours embrace. Jake pulled Caitlyn in the house and closed the door before they held each other tight.

Caitlyn broke off their hug to hold his forearms, beaming her excitement into him, “They want to talk to you! About what you did!”

Jake shrugged off her grasp, “I don’t know what I did.”

“You cured me. Then you cured some other guy. He told me you lifted him back onto the bed, he was thirty-five stone, over three times your weight. How did you do it?”

They ignored a triple knock on the door.

Jake turned away, “I don’t know. I guess I just wanted to help him.”

Another impatient knock turned their attention back to the door.

“Tell them that!”

“You need you to tell them to leave me alone. I need to understand first.”

Caitlyn opened the door as Jake returned to his room. She told the media guys he would make a statement in a few days and they agreed to give him time. The cameras however, remained across the street and the news reported on the miraculous events. Despite their agreement, they declared Jake would deliver a statement the following morning.

The circus had started, Caitlyn answered Jake’s mobile. It was a woman calling to ask if Jake could cure her husband. Caitlyn turned to Jake, who looked exhausted. She suggested she try him tomorrow. The woman wouldn’t accept a deferral, her husband riddled with cancer and little time left.

“Can you help this lady’s husband? He has cancer.”

“I don’t know.” He walked back into his room, “I’m tired, I need to sleep.”

Caitlyn whispered to the lady, “bring him in the morning.”

The following morning, the people who had heard his story wanted healing. They filled his yard, front and back. Some fighting broke out and the police arrived to call order to the chaos. Despite the noise, Jake slept on. The door being repeatedly rapped by the media, finally caused Caitlyn to open it and scream for some quiet.

Caitlyn returned to Jake and lay beside him, worried for him. The powerful figure from the previous day had visibly shrunk and the familiar crackling in his chest had returned. She couldn’t understand. Her illness had left her, yet Jake’s issues were returning.

Caitlyn had an idea. She opened the door and the media frenzy flashed back into life. A young African woman with a baby under her arm bowed her head as the others bayed for attention. Caitlyn noticed her humility and invited her in, much to the annoyance of the screaming hoards. The Police officers were able to prevent the surge of bodies charging into the house.

Caitlyn led the woman and baby into the hallway and explained, “He’s very weak at the moment.”

The woman asked, “Can I take my baby to him? His blood pressure is critically low. He has not responded to treatment. Please, let me see him.”

She could not refuse the mother with her baby fighting for each pocket of air. When they saw Jake frail in his bed. Caitlyn apologised, “I am not sure if he can help.”

The woman walked around the bed and saw Jake gasping for air. The woman carefully lifted Jake’s arm and placed the baby next to his chest before she placed his limp arm around the baby. She stepped back to Caitlyn and looked hopefully into her eyes before they embraced with fear for them both.

Jake’s breathing gradually became stronger and clearer. His frame expanded again. His arms protected the baby as he lifted himself up against the headboard. A confused smile appeared on his face as the woman and Caitlyn’s eyes were streaming with emotion, incredulous at the transformation. He cradled the baby, whose little face glowed with fresh life as he reached out for his mother.

She stepped forward and carefully took the baby. She held him up and placed her ear to his chest, before bowing, “Thank you. Thank you.”

It was a busy day, hitting late afternoon before the yard was clear. Jake was stronger than ever. When Caitlyn suggested they visit the children’s ward, he agreed.

Jake hugged all the terminally ill children, healing them all before he responded to a call to meet with his Doctor to discuss his blood test results. Jake sensed his moment of exhilaration could not last. The Doctor would surely bring him back down, but Caitlyn reassured him all would be fine as they took their seats in the Doctor’s office.

“There’s no need to be worried.” The Doctor calmed them. “There are no concerns. Other than an exceptionally high T Cell count, your bloods are normal. You are healthy.”

Caitlyn’s eyes were full as she squeezed Jake’s leg. “What about the high T Cells?”

“T Cells boost your immune system. They usually peak when people are ill. You have no signs of illness, but your count is 500% higher than normal.”

“Is that helping me heal people?” Jake asked.

“Your superpower has no medical explanation.” 

Jake’s brow creased, “superpower?”

“Yes. You are the Healer.”