Eliona's War 2: Veiled Healer

Chapter 43

Darkness embraced him. Every now and then, it would fade a little and he would become aware that he couldn't move. That was fine; he wasn't sure that he wanted to move. It seemed like so much effort for such a pointless thing. He drifted in the shadows, letting them take him where they willed.

It was also warm, like he was swathed in meters of cotton, head to toe, like a babe. Sometimes there were whispers. Sometimes there were beeps. Or clicks and squeaks and a phone ringing far away. Once, he thought he heard someone weeping, a soft thing made of sighs and whimpers.

Occasionally, he would catch a sharp scent. It was unpleasant, a chemical twang that made him wrinkle his nose. He hated that smell. Sometimes, it would pull him away from quiet darkness and tug him towards... somewhere else.

Eventually, Seth opened his eyes.

There were lights overhead, but only one was on, leaving the room dimmed. It was still bright enough to hurt his eyes and his head, which promptly gave a ferocious throb.

He squeezed his eyes shut, but the discomfort didn't stop. It only grew, rapidly becoming the worst headache he'd ever experienced. He might have whimpered. Seth didn't remember; he just tried to ride it out with little success.

It got worse when he tried to reach for his head. An unexpected pain roared in his left arm, rocketing from shoulder to hand, from hand to his head, compounding in a white-hot spike so fierce that his vision darkened.

The next thing he was aware of was someone leaning over him. The pain had settled, though it was still very present. The person over him pulled back and through blurry eyes, he recognized the blue scrubs of a nurse.

Hospital? Was that where this was? That didn't make sense.

"Are you awake?" The nurse peered down at him with tired brown eyes. "What's wrong, honey? Are you hurting?"

"Yeah," he admitted, then wished he hadn't spoken. Just the sound of his own voice rattled through his skull, awakening the dull headache to renewed fury.

"Can you tell me what hurts?"

"Head," he gasped. "Arm."

"Your arm?" She frowned, a sign that was never good, but it faded as she straightened. "Okay, I'll get you something. Just give me a moment, I'll be right back."

He watched her leave, feeling some of his strength leaving with her. He must have drifted because before he knew it, she was back. A man who was also in scrubs was with her. He was tall with deeply bronzed skin and black eyes full of good humor.

It instantly reminded Seth of Rasin, and just like that, everything rushed back to him like an overwhelming tidal wave, breaking over him and drowning him beneath its crushing weight. Later he'd be too embarrassed to admit it, but he sobbed. Great big heaving cries that shuddered through him and made everything hurt even more.

Seth didn't remember much after that.

When he next woke, he found Mrs Beakor sitting in a chair by his bed. She had one leg up on the armrest and a paperback book in her hands. Half the book was folded back while she read intently.

He watched her read for a while, blinking eyes that felt too dry. He didn't hurt much anymore. There was still some pain, but it was distant. Fog drifted through his mind which made it hard to think clearly. It took him a long time to figure out that he wanted to say something to her.

After an eternity, he croaked, "Hey."

Mrs Beakor lifted her head. A big smile immediately appeared. "Hey, kiddo."