Page 10 of A Balm of Healing
The easy part was done. At least for this leg.
Next, she opened one of the pouches at her belt and unwrapped a cloth from a glass vial. A blinding light filled every inch of the room, and she forced herself to look away lest the bottle of sunlight damage her eyes.
She unlatched the lid from the bottle and allowed the sunlight to wash over her to invigorate her senses and fill her well of magic once more before she hid it in the confines of her belt again.
A bottle of sunlight was extremely expensive, as sunlight restored a Sun Fae’s magic. She took care to keep it hidden, even when she was deep in the throes of a surgery.
With her magic restored, she allowed it to flow steadily into Emeric’s leg. Little by little, she fit the bones back into place as if he was a difficult puzzle, and the wrong piece would destroy the final picture altogether.
Hours passed until the afternoon transitioned into evening, and darkness fell upon the room like a still hush. Her magic moved the final pieces of his upper thigh together before she collapsed with her elbows bracing herself against the bed near his feet.
She breathed heavily from the exertion of exhausting her magic. No strength remained to give him anymore, nor to start on the next leg. The bones were now welded together with strong sun magic, but it would still be some time before he could use his leg, especially considering the lack of strength in his muscles.
Emeric gasped suddenly as he shot upright. Heavy breaths filled his lungs, his eyes wild, and his expression contorted in pain.
“Shh, shh, shh,” she soothed as she pushed him back onto the bed and ran her fingers through his hair. The texture surprised her, nearly causing her to retract her hand. His hair was soft, but also strong and thick, not at all like the white hair older people of her own race had on their heads. But the strong resilience of someone in their prime.
A whimper left his mouth, followed by a choked sob. “It hurts so much.”
“I know. I know.” She pulled up a chair beside the bed and held his hand while continuing to stroke his hair. “I’m only finished with one leg, I’m afraid. The extent of the damage was astronomical.”
He inhaled sharply, his entire body freezing as his attention shifted toward his legs. She followed his gaze and found him slowly moving his left leg back and forth the slightest bit, regarding it as if it were an unfamiliar object not a part of him.
A wince of excruciation settled on his face, but she didn’t get the chance to witness anything more when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into an embrace. Her heart caught at the way his sturdy arms held her, at how his steady heart beat against her ear, at the way his thumb caressed her shoulder as if she were more than a simple acquaintance.
Focus!she reminded herself, but she found it difficult when his warmth seeped into every place their bodies touched.
“I owe you the moon,” Emeric said in a husky tone as he released her. “I will write you a hundred letters of recommendation if I must.”
“I’m not even done yet,” she laughed, shaking her head exhaustedly. “I must warn you that recovery will take much longer than a few days.” She tapped a finger to her lips. “Until the end of winter, at least.”
Emeric burst into laughter, shocking her into a stupor at the unfamiliar sound, at the foreign way his lips curved upward in a smile rather than a frown. For a while, she hadn’t thought him capable of smiling.
“I am not going to toss you out after the surgery is complete.” Perspiration beaded on his forehead, and she quickly dabbed it away with a handkerchief. “Please. Stay. As long as you need to.”
“But I am a woman younger than you. I thought you hadrulesabout me staying in the same house as you.”
His teeth clenched as if he fought off another wave of pain. “Forget the rules,” he grunted. “This is still only temporary, after all.”
She sat back suddenly as the shock of heartache hit her in the chest like a hammer striking a nail. Although she’d only known Emeric for a few days, the thought of leaving churned her stomach with nausea.
What is wrong with me?
“Allow me to make you supper,” she said as she stood and strode toward the doorway to put as much distance between them as possible. “Only something light on the stomach for the next several days; otherwise, I promise you won’t keep it down.”
Not giving him a chance to reply, she nearly sprinted out of the room and rushed into the kitchen until she found herself breathing heavily with her back pressed against the wall. She focused on steadying her breaths until her heart calmed a fraction.
Something about Emeric knocked her off balance.
And she knew it was better to leave sooner rather than later. Her career came first and foremost before anything or anyone. And no one, not even a handsome Forest Fae, would slow her down.
Chapter Five
Agonizing hours passed painfully slowly as Emeric flitted in and out of sleep. Fire burned his left leg, and then his right as Gweneth worked on that next. The flames only grew each time he woke, the pain intensifying with every torturous hour that passed.
Thoughts of Bastien kept him grounded. His desire to move about freely and chase his grandchildren around the yard gave him the courage he needed to face the rest of the surgery.
He didn’t know how much time had passed. Perhaps hours. Maybe days. But the agony faded in and out each time Gweneth’s medicine blessed him with the peacefulness of slumber.
