The moment Lucien spoke the incantation, he felt magic flowing out of him. It wasn't like practicing on himself. When he'd healed his own cuts and scrapes, the magic had been almost effortless. This was expensive. His magic drained three times faster than usual, maybe more.
The wound was healing slowly. Nothing like the instant results he'd gotten when casting on himself.
Why is it so much harder?
He maintained the spell. He was not trying to heal the wound completely, since that would raise too many questions. A medical miracle in the middle of the apocalypse would draw attention. People would talk, and they would want to know how it happened. Instead, he made it look as though Duane's body was simply responding well to the antibiotics.
When he felt like he'd burned through half his magical reserves, he stopped. He lowered his wand and leaned in to examine his work.
The wound looked better. The inflammation had reduced noticeably, and Duane's face seemed less feverish. But was that the spell, or just the antibiotics finally kicking in? Hard to say. And that was exactly how he wanted it.
He put his wand away and sat back.
The difference in magical consumption bothered him. He had practiced the Levitation Charm on Paul while the man was asleep on the gurney, just to test whether it worked on someone else. There had been no noticeable increase in drain.
Why was healing different?
Maybe healing spells just cost more. Or maybe working magic inside someone else's body encountered some kind of resistance. The human body had its own... something. Energy? Life force? Whatever it was, it clearly pushed back against external magic.
Or maybe he was just shit at this and his technique was inefficient.
Too many variables and not enough data. He'd have to file this away as another mystery to solve when he had more knowledge and experience.
For now, he had magic left over. No point wasting it.
He pulled The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 from his trunk and began to practice. He kept at it until the dizziness hit. Only then did he stop, slumping back in his chair. He pulled out the notebook Karina had given him before she left. It was filled with notes on water purification, edible plants, how to build a shelter, and how to start a fire without matches.
He read by lamplight, absorbing information he hoped he would never need, but knew he probably would. He studied until his eyes blurred and the words stopped making sense. Then he put his head down on the table and let sleep take him.
---
Morning came with the sound of movement in the next room.
Lucien jerked awake. His neck was stiff from sleeping at an awkward angle. Morgan and Jenny were stirring.
When they saw him still sitting beside Duane's bed, something in their expressions softened.
"You stayed all night," Jenny said quietly.
Lucien rubbed his eyes. "Yeah. Dr. Gale checked on him a few times."
Morgan moved to the bedside, pressing the back of his hand to Duane's forehead. "The antibiotics are working."
Gale arrived shortly after, making her morning rounds. She examined Duane.
"This is good. The fever's breaking. If it keeps improving like this, he'll be fine."
The tension that had gripped Morgan and Jenny for the past day finally eased. While Gale updated them on Duane's condition, she also talked about Lucien's background. She explained that his relatives had left him behind because they did not want the burden of caring for a child during the apocalypse. She told them how he had ended up at the hospital, where he made himself useful, and how he had helped save Paul and Karina.
Morgan and Jenny listened.
"He's only eleven," Jenny said, looking at Lucien. "And he's been through all that?"
"He's tougher than he looks," Gale said. "He's smart, too, and he picks things up fast."
Lucien felt awkward under their scrutiny. He wasn't used to being the subject of sympathetic conversation. It made him feel like a charity case.
"I'm fine," he said. "It could be a lot worse."
Morgan reached out and squeezed his shoulder. "You're a good kid. Not many people would give up their supplies for a stranger, or stay up all night watching over someone else's son."
"Someone had to, right?"
Morgan's grip on his shoulder tightened slightly.
---
That night, after Lucien had retreated to his own room to sleep properly, Morgan and Jenny sat in the small room Gale had given them, holding hands.
"We got lucky," Morgan said quietly.
Jenny nodded. "If Lucien hadn't given us those antibiotics... He reminds me a bit of Duane. That same stubbornness."
She smiled slightly. "We should do something for him when Duane's better."
"Yeah." Morgan squeezed her hand.
---
Another day passed.
Duane's recovery was remarkable. Between Gale's medical treatment and the magical boost Lucien had provided, the infection was clearing up fast. By noon, his eyes finally opened.
"Mom?"
Jenny was at his side immediately, tears streaming down her face. "Baby, you're awake. You're okay."
Morgan appeared on the other side of the bed. "How you feeling?"
"I'm a bit thirsty," Duane croaked. "And my arm hurts."
"That's normal," Gale said, appearing with a cup of water. "You had an infection. We've been treating it. Here, drink this slowly."
Duane took small sips, his eyes moving around the room as awareness slowly returned. "Where are we?"
"Harrison Memorial," Morgan said. "You've been out for about two days."
"Two days?" Duane looked shocked. Then his gaze landed on Lucien, who was standing near the door. "Who's that?"
"This is Lucien," Jenny said warmly. "He's been helping take care of you."
Duane studied Lucien. "You're like my age."
"Eleven," Lucien confirmed.
"I'm ten." Duane's brow furrowed. "I remember... I think I remember hearing your voice when I was sick. You were talking to Mom and Dad."
"Yeah," Lucien said. "I was here."
"Thanks," Duane said simply.
Lucien felt something unknot in his chest. "No problem."
Gale stepped in, shooing everyone back to give Duane space. "Alright, enough excitement for now. He needs rest, and you all need to let him recover without overwhelming him."
Morgan and Jenny reluctantly agreed, though Jenny kept glancing back at her son like she couldn't quite believe he was awake.
Lucien slipped out of the room, heading back to his own space. He'd done what he set out to do. Duane was going to be fine.
Now he just had to make sure he didn't screw it up.
---
Over the next few days, Duane's recovery continued. The wound healed cleanly, the fever stayed gone, and his energy started returning. He was still weak and needed rest, but he was on the mend.
Lucien visited occasionally, mostly to check in and make sure there weren't any magical side effects he needed to worry about. There weren't. The spell had worked exactly as intended.
Duane, for his part, seemed fascinated by Lucien. Maybe it was because they were close in age, or maybe it was because Lucien had been there during the worst of it. Either way, whenever Lucien showed up, he wanted to talk.
"So you're staying here?" he asked one afternoon, sitting up in bed while his parents were off getting food.
"For now," Lucien said. "Dr. Gale's teaching me medical stuff. Figured it might be useful."
"That's smart." Duane picked at his bandage. "Do you know what happened out there? Why everyone's... you know..."
"Some kind of virus, I think. Or parasite. Nobody really knows."
"Do you think they'll fix it? Like, find a cure?"
Lucien hesitated. He knew the answer: no, they wouldn't. The world was broken, and it was going to stay broken. But telling a kid that seemed cruel.
"Maybe," he said instead. "But until then, we just have to survive."
Duane nodded seriously. "My dad says you're really brave. He says you gave us medicine even though you needed it too."
"Your dad's giving me too much credit."
"I don't think so." Duane smiled. "You're cool, Lucien."
Lucien felt himself smile back. "You're not so bad yourself."
When Morgan and Jenny returned, they found the two boys talking quietly. Morgan smiled, seeing Duane engaged for the first time since waking up.
"You two getting along?" he asked.
"Lucien's cool," Duane said. "He knows a lot of stuff."
"That right?" Morgan looked at Lucien with approval. "Well, don't let him tire you out. You still need rest."
"I was just leaving anyway," Lucien said as he stood. "I'll check in tomorrow."
"Thanks, Lucien," Jenny said warmly.
Lucien nodded and headed back to his room.