Dragons V.S. Mermaids

Chapter XVII

“Frank! She’s waking up!” I heard a woman’s voice.

            I struggled to open my eyes and when I did, I saw my parents. They were both dressed in white robes with golden sashes. I was in a soft bed and was dressed the same way. When I got out of the bed I inspected  my stomach only to find it was healed. I turned back to my parents and smiled.

“Mom?” I asked.

            She smiled and hugged me.

“Ashley…my, you have grown into a lovely young woman.”

“Is this Heaven?” I asked.

“A gateway.” My father said. “It is not your time to join us, yet.”

“Not my time?”

“Ashley, you have a young man down on Earth who needs you as much as you need him. You can’t come into Heaven yet.”

“But,…what about you?” I asked.

“We’ll be alright we have been here for the last five years. And remember, we are always looking down on you, Ashley. In case you are wondering, yes, we approve of your marriage to Matthias.” My mother said.

            A portal opened and my father led me to it.

“There will be grim news when you return. Be prepared for it.”

“I’ll try.”

            Before I stepped through the portal, I took one last look at my parents.

            I heard the familiar sound of a heart monitor. I slowly opened my eyes and found out that I was in the hospital wing of the castle. There was an IV in my arm and tubes were feeding me oxygen through my nose. My stomach was wrapped in bloody bandages and it hurt with the slightest movement. Matthias was asleep in a chair. He looked more rugged and hadn’t shaved for a few days, leaving the slightest sign of a beard. I tried to sit up, but my stomach refused to move. Instead I threw the pillow at him to wake him up. He jolted in fright a little bit, but smiled when he saw that I was awake. He called the doctor and they removed the IV and oxygen tubes. Apparently, I had been in a coma for four months. Karo had been arrested and was awaiting trial. We had won the war and Matthias took his role as king to rebuild the kingdom. We were finally back in control of our own kingdom. They did a quick check up and they would bring me food and something to ease the pain in my stomach.

“Should we tell her?” the doctor asked.

“I’ll tell her doc, thanks.” Matthias said.

            The doctor nodded and left. After the door closed, Matthias sat in a chair and hung his head. He seemed saddened by something.

“Matthias…what happened?” I asked.

            He took a deep breath and calmly said.

“You were pregnant.”

            I felt surprised by this news.

“I…‘were’?” I asked catching how he worded it

“When Karo stabbed you, you miscarried.”

            My heart dropped when I understood what had happened. I lost my first baby. This must have been the news that my father warned me about.

“How long was I?” I asked, my voice breaking.

“About eleven weeks. I’m so sorry.”

            The tears broke through and I silently cried for my lost child. I felt death would be the only escape from this pain. A nurse came in with a tray of food, but I didn’t feel like eating. Matthias tried feeding me, but his efforts were without victory.

“Ashley, you need to eat something.”

“I don’t feel like eating.”

“Ashley,”

“Matthias, please, you can’t imagine the pain I am in.”

“Don’t talk to me about pain! It was my child too!” he shouted making me jump. “Ashley, I am as hurt as you are, but we can’t change what happened. We have to move on. The doctors said in a few months we can try again. You have to be strong. This kingdom knows that you are a strong woman. Because you lost your first baby is an excuse for you being depressed, but doing nothing is not going to fix it. If you are not as strong as I thought you were, then this kingdom doesn’t deserve you as their queen.”

            He left and slammed the door behind him. His words hurt, but they were true. It was his baby too and he lost it along with me. I could be depressed, but dying wouldn’t help anyone. Karo was waiting trial and I was a crucial witness. Seeing Matthias that angry, meant that he cared for the child and he was hurt too. I wanted to put Karo away for a long time. I took the trey of food and began eating. The doctor came back in and he assured me that I would have a child in time. He gave me some pain medication and removed the bandages. My wounds were healed on the outside, but the dagger went in so deep that I would be feeling pain for the next few weeks. In a few days, I would begin walking again. I was going to follow my husband’s words and become strong again. After a few hours, Matthias came back in.

“Ashley, I should apologize. I was…”                                         

“Matthias, you have nothing to apologize for. Your words were true. I can’t dwell and wish I wasn’t stabbed, but it happened and I can’t change it. As harsh as your words were, they were true. I need to become strong again.”

He leaned in and gently hugged me as we both cried for our lost child.