Page 32 of Nocturne

I let the consciousness settle and my eyes relax as I listen. I can smell the distinguished scent of lavender that belongs to my sister.

When did she come? It takes at least a day for her to travel from Pertmoor. Was I out for a day or more? The panic has me forcing my eyes open and a dull ache in my head has me groaning slightly. My throat burns in something beyond pain.

“Oh thank god, you’re awake,”

I turn to my right to see Ivy straightening from her previous position on a stool. Iyra clicks a button from the other side, to help me sit. Once I’m settled and Iyra gives me my glasses, I see them both properly. The guilt is immediate when I see their haggard-looking faces.

Ivy has dark circles under her eyes and Iyra’s golden skin has lost all its glow. Both of them look tired and have red-rimmed eyes as if they have been crying.

I start to open my mouth but Iyra shakes her head at me.

“Doctor suggested not to talk for a while,”

“That’s going to be tough,” Ivy scoffs jokingly but ends up crying.

I turn to her, gently clutching her hand. Bandages cover some scrapes, while others, though bare, show signs of treatment. Iyra walks in with a small bucket of ice chips, and Ivy adjusts the pillows behind me.

As Iyra helps me take a chip, the door opens. A doctor, likely around my age, steps inside. His warm eyes meet mine, and his calm smile feels unexpectedly soothing.

“Hello, Ms Sinclair, I’m Dr Sean Llyod and your assigned doctor,” he introduces as he walks closer.

He checks his writing-pad and taps something on it before giving me his full attention.

“You have a concussion, one hairline fracture in your right ankle and a ligament strain in your right hip. Due to excessive screaming, you seem to have strained your vocal cords,”

Panic seizes my heart, making me think worse. Did I lose my voice?

“Thankfully, there wasn’t any severe damage apart from inflammation and soreness.”

I deflate in relief.

“Even if the injuries aren’t excessive, I would strictly advise you to rest for at least 6 weeks. And not to talk for at least two or three days. You can whisper if it is an emergency depending on your pain. As the inflammation comes down, you will be able to use your voice properly, but my suggestion for you would be not to strain it,”

I nod at the kind doctor who smiles when I do.

“I’ll be back to check on you,”

He pauses in the doorway, his face clouded with unease. Whatever question lingers on his mind, I sense it won’t be pleasant—or something I want to hear. My grip tightens on Iyra’s hand, and thankfully, she understands.

“We will let you know if anything comes up, Dr Lloyd,” her tone leaves no room for discussion.

The doctor nods in understanding and leaves. I release a breath I hadn’t realised I was holding and sink back into the pillows. Turning to Ivy, I silently question how long I was unconscious. She reads me instantly.

“Relax. You were only out for two days. Scared me half to death, bitch,” she mumbles and I grin.

I appreciate that she doesn’t tiptoe around me, even now. She might not realise it, but it helps more than she could ever know. It reassures me that I can count on her—that no matter what happens, she’ll always see me as me, not as some broken, pitiful shell of a woman.

“Now that she is awake, you should wash up,” Iyra suggests as she looks at Ivy.

Ivy nods, sniffing, her cheeks and nose flushed from crying. Guilt gnaws at me for making her worry. She looks pale and exhausted. I can only imagine what she endured these past two days. If it had been her, I’d have lost my mind.

“I’ll bring you those finger sandwiches you love,” she kisses my cheek before she leaves.

I’m left alone with my sister who looks as if she has aged a lot in just a day. I frown when I notice that she has lost a considerable amount of weight and that couldn’t have happened in just a day.

“No,” she shakes her head at me, a slight snip in her voice as she narrows her eyes my way.

“You don’t get to look at me like that.Iwill be the one scolding and you better shut up and listen.” She warns.

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