The House of Bells: The Essences Saga - Book #1

House: Chapter 22

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Twenty-two

 Silas leaned against the wall at the foot of her bed…waiting. How long had it been? Four days? Five? And not a flicker of response from the woman in the bed. Even haggard and sallow of cheek, she was more beautiful to him than any other.

Everyday, he came here, and every night he stayed. In the mornings, he was shoved out the door when the nurses arrived for Min’s sponge bath and bed-ridden exercise. During those hours, he wandered the halls of the hospital, went down to the cafeteria for coffee, or rushed home for a quick shower. Every second he was away from her, he worried that she would awake and he would not be there. And every minute he sat beside her, he worried that she would never wake again.

Jennie’s declaration jerked his head high. The girls bombarded Min with girlish hugs and kisses. Silas moved to the foot of the bed, gripping the bedrail, the whites of his knuckles bursting through the skin.

She’s awake, the words bounced around his head. Massive amounts of relief surged through his muscles as he panted heavily, getting lightheaded and seeming ready to faint.

“Breathe, Silas,” Min muttered thickly. Mae snickered at him, and the color returned to his cheeks. He gave a feeble twitch of his lips, hoping it came out as a smile, but all he could focus on was how she tried to work moisture into her mouth. Her lips were dry and cracked.

“Water,” she mouthed. Jennie placed a wet towel against her mouth.

“I’m sorry, Min, but this is all they will let you have right now.” Jennie smoothed the hair from her face, holding her head in place against the pillows as Min attempted to lift up into a sitting position. He did smile at that. Min was back…stubborn and foolish enough to not stay put when she needed to.

“Stay,” Jennie scolded her. “You’re hurt pretty badly. Amber, go get the nurse.”

“What happened?” Min asked in a coarse tone. Her eyes rolled back into her skull and a second later she sicked up. With blessed swiftness, Jennie had an empty pan by her mouth just in time. The other girls screwed up their faces and backed away.

Silas scooted to the other side of the bed with the wet cloth. He cleaned her mouth and chin patiently. She moaned, mortification gracing her cheeks. The nurse entered the room then.

“What happened?” Min asked again.

The nurse spoke before anyone else could answer. “Save your breath, young lady. You’ve been through a nasty ordeal.” She checked the tubes in her arm and the monitors on the side of the bed.

“Is this normal?” Silas asked, indicating to the pan in Jennie’s hand.

“The doctor’s on his way,” she said patiently. “He’ll answer all your questions.” The nurse looked down at the patient with a kindly smile. “You’re a very lucky woman, Ms. Meyer. Try to keep her from talking too much.” She left the room, giving all of them a stern glance.

Jennie, sensing the nausea had passed, took the pan to the adjoining bathroom. Silas pulled up a chair near Min and sat down, leaning over so that his hand still rested against her cheek. The girls hovered around the bed, but obeying the absent nurse by keeping quiet.

He glanced around the room, seeing how they were handling Min’s break from her coma. They had been through a lot this week, too, he reminded himself. Recognizing the same anxiety and fear on five of their faces comforted him some. Min was important to them. They loved her.