Rainbow Reflection

Chapter 10

 Drew:

I check the soup is warm before putting it in a large mug and heading to where Harley is curled up asleep on the makeshift bed. Blankets are tucked around her obscuring her shape and all that shows of her is one hand and her sleep tussled hair.

 “Harley, wake up sweetheart,” I urge as I squat beside her. I can see her face now I am near her, her skin is pale, almost greyish and dark bruise like shadows lurk beneath the eyelashes that lay against her skin.

 “Harley come on,” I urge her with growing concern. I know I need to get this soup into her, that she needs the fluids and nourishment.  She has been asleep for the last twenty-six hours and before that she had been bleeding heavily for three days.

 “Wake up Harley, you have to wake up,” I insist and put the mug down as I reach out and shake her shoulder gently. I keep speaking to her and trying to rouse her, just as I am about to give up her eyes flutter and a faint noise comes from her. I grasp her shoulder firmly and shake her briskly.

 “Come on! Wake up!” I order as I try to squash down my fear. Slowly her eyelashes flutter and finally her eyes open, I gaze into them and nearly cry with relief as she frowns and focuses on me.

 “What happened?” Her voice is hoarse and I reach for the mug of soup. I don’t know how long she will be alert enough to drink.

 “You’ve been sick,” I say as I cup the back of her head in one hand while holding the cup to her lips with the other hand. She tries to talk but I dribble a few drops of soup into her mouth as her lips part, she tries to turn her head away but she is too weak and I watch in satisfaction as she is forced to drink a few mouthfuls of the soup. Harley begins choking and I move the mug away as she coughs, I can only watch as she manages to clear her airways before I press the mug to her lips once again.

 “Please try to drink Harley,” I beg as her eyes open wide and she splutters as I dribble more soup into her mouth. I know I should be propping her up more, I should be lifting her into a better position for drinking but I don’t dare move her. The bleeding is light at the moment and I am terrified the heavy bleeding will restart if I prop her up. 

 Harley is too weak to fight me and I persist with dribbling soup into her mouth. I have the edge of the cup pressed hard against her bottom teeth and there is no way she can avoid the liquid dribbling into her mouth. Finally I am scared I am doing more harm than good and stop when she begins choking yet again. I put the mug aside and lay down behind her wrapping my arms around her. I bury my face against the back of her shoulder as I begin crying.

 “I’m sorry,” I say once my tears have stopped. I wait for some response from her but there is silence except for her ragged breathing and an occasional cough. I prop myself up on one arm and look down at her face, she is either asleep or unconscious but I am not sure which and I am not sure there is much of a difference. I only know I can’t feed her soup like that again. I study the blanket beneath her, there is a number of damp splatters but no big wet patches. Her shirt isn’t significantly wet either. I glance at the mug and feel a sense of relief as I realise roughly two-thirds of the soup is gone. I can only hope none of it has ended up in her lungs.

Harley:

 I eat my half of the stale ham sandwich slowly. There is plenty of water to wash it down and I pass the mug to Drew for a refill silently, I don’t ask for more food, I am aware there is none.

 “It’ll be dark soon,” Drew says as he hands the mug back to me. “You’ll be right inside the barn, I’ll shut the doors when I leave.”

 I nod silently. I know Drew will be hunting to bring back food for us, there is no money and there has been no sign of the dingo brothers since we began camping here. I long to go with him and change to my cat form when he has made a kill but Drew has already told me I am too weak and would only slow him up, preventing him making a kill and providing food.