Page 47 of Icy Heart, Empty Chest
“How long will he be asleep?” I enquired.
“I’ve seen them last up to a week. His case is without precedent though. Cora, I need you to understand something. If he’s not meant to wake up, he never will.”
I resisted staggering back, still holding on to the crystals.
“What do you mean?”
She hesitated, a bad sign and an unnatural tenderness toward me. She walked to me stiffly and put a hand on my shoulder, staring me in the eyes.
“I mean, sweet one, that there is a chance he may never wake up. Take care of him, bathe him. Treat any fevers. He has a remarkably strong heart. Take care of him and he’ll come back to you.”
With this one last remark to my battered form, I lost consciousness.
CHAPTER 14
Sunday
I woke up in my kitchen, on the floor, with the light of the new day shining in my eyes. I was still tired and my heart was doing wind sprints at the abrupt wake up call. There was a piece of paper next to me. The events of the last twelve hours jolted back to me. Damien. Where was he?
I snatched the paper up.
Cora,consider these your aftercare instructions. After you passed out, I was able to move you both to your home. You’re welcome. Damien is on the couch. Your power is remarkable, young nymph. Hone your gift. You’re connected to him now. - Filla
I gotup from the tiles and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Dull, oily skin, hair in absolute disarray, old clothes reeking of sweat. I saw shades of green too. Damien.
I whipped around to the couch, stomach dropping to my toes. He was sleeping, arms and legs splayed out.
Just because I have to try, I put both hands on his shoulders and try shaking him.
Still sleeping. I thought it was worth a shot even if it’s not some weird version of Sleeping Beauty.
Sighing, I went to put down the back of the futon.
I could do a week, I thought to myself. I survived by myself for this long, I can keep a sleeping man safe. It’ll be OK, I reasoned. Those thoughts lasted for approximately thirty minutes before my anxiety decided to pop in to add some color. I can’t do this. I’m afraid of leaving him alone. What if he rolls over in his sleep or wakes up? It’s all I can do to stare at his slowly moving chest. What if he never wakes up? What if I have this alive corpse on my couch for all eternity?
I have an easy chair right across from the couch. I grabbed some blankets and a pillow to make myself comfortable watching him.
This would likely be one of the longest weeks of my life.
Monday - Denial
I woke up with some clicking in my neck and looked over to Damien. He had no changes. To the lay person, he looked like he was just sleeping off a hangover. For me, he was impaling every nerve I had on a spike. It wasn’t just when, but if, he would ever wake up.
If he didn’t, I didn’t know what I was going to do.
I pushed off my chair and peered around at the familiar settings. I should do something but I just couldn’t leave him. I chastised myself internally. No, Cora. Don’t be a defeatist. He’s going to be fine. Nothing bad will happen. He’s going to wake up soon in better shape than he started. Nothing bad will happen. He’s gotten this far.
Tuesday
Should I try to move him? I know folks who can’t move themselves are prone to bed sores. I doubt he had enough magic floating around to help out with those. I flip open my laptop for directions.
After temporarily struggling with his heavy limbs, I feel frustration giving way to a burst of fiery anger.
Why had it gotten this far? Why didn’t he put it back in sooner? Save me a lot of grief, save him a week-long healing process of being unconscious! Dammit, you stupid kelpie, what were you thinking?
With the extra surge going through me, I was able to place him more on his side, back exposed. No red marks that I could see. The anger had dulled but it was still needling at me. I heard my phone ring from the other room. I had been ignoring it for days. I didn’t want to look at the list of messages and phone calls I’d missed. Likely they’d just make me angrier. I didn’t want to deal with any of the girls or Amy. Didn’t want to hear from Finneas about any other jobs. Just no. Just let me deal with him and I’ll get back to reality later.
Wednesday
