Page 25 of Love Me Forever

Or do anything else. She wouldn’t learn about things a child shouldn’t know of. He’d partly cleaned off her feet when he heard the front door open and close. Maxime called from upstairs, and the servant hurried to speak to him.

“Come on.” Sébastien picked her up to carry her into the sitting room.

“Where did you get a child from?” Maxime paused on the steps.

“I found her on the street. Long story. I want you to heal her and check her out in case anything else is wrong.”

“Bring her up.”

Maxime’s room for seeing patients had a bed, and he flung a fresh sheet over it. Sébastien set Éloïse on it and settled in a chair near the side. Éloïse kept trying to look at everything including the cabinet where a bunch of bottles sat.

“She’s got bruises and cuts on her feet,” said Sébastien. “I want you to heal that first.”

“Why is one side of her face red?” Maxime’s hand glowed as he gently touched the bruises on her arm. They vanished.

“She was slapped.”

“Where’s the person who did that?”

“I dealt with him,” Sébastien said blandly.

Maxime gave him a look.

“He deserved it. If you’d seen the whole thing, you have done the same. I don’t feel like getting into everything, but he won’t be harming anyone again. He was going to do something despicable.”

Maxime didn’t say anything more to that. He’d guessed what happened to Sébastien in his youth, although he hadn’t known who’d been responsible. He healed her red cheek and the nicks on her feet. “Do you have any other cuts?”

She lifted her skirt enough to show a nasty scrape on her knee. “I fell down.”

Maxime healed that too before he sat on the bed to ask her a few questions. She was five. Her birthday was in the fall, but she couldn’t remember when anymore. Her last meal had been that morning when she’d found a few vegetable bits. Maxime also asked if she had other scrapes or cuts. Did anything hurt? Did she have rashes or odd pains inside? She said she felt a lot better but her stomach hurt and felt hollow.

“When was your last meal before this morning?”

She thought for a long moment. Too long. “The day before yesterday.”

Fuck. She had to be ravenous.

“What did you eat?” asked Maxime.

“I had a coin for an egg bun.”

“I figured she hasn’t been eating a lot,” said Sébastien. “I’m not sure if she’ll get sick if I feed her a regular meal. If I give her a plate of food, is that going to make her throw up?”

“She is quite skinny for a child her age. I’d start with soup and bread, so you don’t shock her system with too much at once. She’ll likely be fine, but it’s best to avoid her throwing up or landing in the privy with an upset stomach.”

“I guess it’s luck that we’re having chicken soup tonight.”

“Give her more broth and less solid. See how she feels and let her have more if she wants it. If she’s still fine by tomorrow morning, start letting her have whatever she wants within reason, although I’d try to make sure her meals are regular so she gets used to it. Give her snacks if she’s hungry so she’ll gain weight. Don’t give her too many sweets since the food needs to be nutritious. Sweets will waste room in her stomach, and she needs proper meals. If her stomach hurts, pull back a little, and tell me if it continues.” Maxime nudged Éloïse’s arm. “Why don’t you go look at those toys in the box by the window?”

She slid off the bed and gave Sébastien a hesitant look. “It’s okay. Go look at them.”

“I feel better. Thanks, Mr. Phy-physian.”

“Physician,” he gently corrected. “It’s Maxime, and you’re welcome. What do you plan to do with her long-term?” he asked Sébastien once she’d gone to the box and pulled out a doll to look at.

“Keep her. What? You think I can’t take care of a child?” The words came out a little defensively.

“No. I just want you to take care of yourself too. Last year wasn’t that long ago.”

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