Emmeline paced back and forth, she didn't know what to do with her time. Whenever she tried to do her 'normal' activities she found her thoughts going back to the boy. She also didn't want to stray too far, in case he needed something, in case he called out for her.
She moved towards the window and moved the drapes, she spotted Gregory cutting some firewood, so that they would be able to heat up the water, she closed the drapes, being sure to shut them so no light would disturb the boy. He needed his rest, he need to heal. So with Gregory in mind, she too should prepare for when the boy wakes up. She exited his room and headed to the master bedroom. She would set this room up for him. She looked at the dust, the covered furniture, the general and overall decay of the room. She really had her work cut out for her. She mentally rolled up her sleeves and began to form a game plan.
Emmeline decided that she would first have to straighten the room before she could actually clean up over a century's worth of dust, dirt, and grime. Emmeline removed the fabric covering the furniture and folded it neatly and put it off to the side, she took down the drapes, to let in the sun to brighten the room, but she would have to clean that as well. After she had completed that, she went back across the room to check on the boy.
The boy still hadn't moved. She was concerned to the center of her soul. She feared that if nothing changed, she would lose him and that would truly break her, more than anything. She didn't realize how strongly she felt about his life and death, but it was something she didn't want to thing about; going down the rabbit hole.
"Emmeline?"
Emmeline turned around and noticed Gregory standing behind her near the door. His eyes may have been on her when he called out, but now they were looking around the room. "Hmm?" as she continued to scrub the windows, she didn't want to waste too much time, she had to make sure the room was prepared for him.
"Emmeline, what are you doing?"
"I thought that would have been obvious, I am cleaning the room. This will be the room for the boy."
"What I meant, because I can clearly see that you are cleaning the room, is that why are are you doing all this work? When he gets better he will go back to his family. I am sure he has a mother and father that are missing him dearly."
Emmeline looked at the rag and tossed it in the bucket, she turned around and walked towards Gregory, "But-" But, the problem was she didn't know how to finish or what to say. Her mind was in a flurry. Before she could finish her sentence Gregory spoke,
"Emmeline, this is a human boy, he isn't some pet you can keep."
Emmeline let her hands drop to her side, balling them into fists. What he said was the truth, but that didn't mean she wanted to just drop the matter.
With her silence Gregory continued, "You do want him to go back to his mother and father, right? If you just want a pet, why don't we look in the barn, I'm sure there is a cage there and you can set it up in the library, maybe even add a pillow for his comfort" He was saying the things, not because he wanted to cage the boy, but because he wanted make the woman in front of him realize what she was doing.
"Don't you dare!" she called out, a terrifying and electric energy rising around her. "He is a hurt human boy. I want him to get better and to send him back to his family." Emmeline said this, it was true. She did want the unnamed human boy to get better. She did want him to be reunited with his family. But, she too was selfish, if he didn't have a family she wanted him to remain here. He could bring some literal 'life' to the Octagon House.
While Gregory didn't care one way or another about the boy, his interests aligned with Emmelines, what ever she wanted, he would make sure she got. She only deserved the best. Gregory held up his hands in Mock defeat, "you win."
After several minutes of quiet, with the occasional singing of the birds outside, Emmeline spoke, her voice shaky at first and more steady as she continued, "I will clean the room, when I am done we will bring the boy in here this will be his room until we nurse him back to health. When he is ready, he will of course be allowed to leave." but in the back of her mind, if he had nowhere to go he would stay here.
Gregory nodded, "Of course, well, I came up to tell you I prepared a bath for the boy in the kitchen. Currently the water is warming up, but I will let you know when it is ready."
Emmeline nodded, "Do you think we should do it now? Wake him?"
Gregory thought for a moment, watching Emmeline's delicate features, and the worry he could see etched into her ghostly body. "Yes, I think it will help. He needs to wake up so that eat and drink something. Otherwise, it doesn't matter what we do for his wounds, his body will wither away and he will die. Food and drink are essential for humans." Gregory spoke matter of factly. He had seen people die of lack of food and water and right now, they had bandaged up the wounds, he was no longer bleeding, but he had yet to wake up and eat something, his body needed sustenance to heal himself. So, he could walk himself out the Octagon House gates back to the land of the living.