Lemuria: The City of Mysts

Chapter 21: Trauma

Chapter 21: Trauma

“If he doesn’t wake up any minute now, I’ll have to call for help”, a feminine voice said.

“Can’t we give him more time?” a man said.

“This might be more serious than it looks”, she replied.

Who are they talking about? Fred thought distantly. More importantly, why are they in my room? His head felt like it would burst with the racket they were causing. He wanted to sleep but instinct told him to stay awake. As Fred became more alert, sensations came back to him. The room felt foreign. It didn’t have the clinical smell of hospitals or his office or the scent of trees that invaded his hotel room. His head throbbed painfully that he lifted a hand over his head. Fred touched a cloth that was cold and bumpy before he made contact with warm skin.

The people who had been discussing him fell silent. A presence moved closer and sat beside him. He opened his eyes. Four people hovered over him. No. Two. Everything was double. Fred squinted as his vision adjusted. His brows furrowed when he saw the two faces peering at him. They look like brother and sister. Their searching gazes added to the fuzziness in his brain.

“Fred, how are you feeling?” Louis asked.

Fred flinched at the sound and groaned as shooting pain went up his head.

“Awful.” A hangover? I haven’t touched alcohol in ages. His mind resisted any attempt to recall earlier events. “Where am I?”

Louis looked to the woman in sunglasses.

Cheska? Why is she here? Why is Louis…?

“You’re in my house”, she said, softly. “Do you remember what happened before this?”

“I was in my room”, Fred remembered, his memories still disjointed. “Tony called – you had an intruder.”

“And?”

“Nothing. Did I…pass out?”

“Her bodyguard assaulted you with a frying pan”, Louis said. His furious gaze directed at the figure near the foot of the bed.

“I’m not her bodyguard”, Tony said with gritted teeth. “I wouldn’t have attacked him if he wasn’t hurting Cheska.”

“I – what?” Fred glanced at each of them. He would never hurt anyone, not deliberately. The last time had been in Libya. A spy. He didn’t mean to – he wanted to protect Zafeera. He killed the man. No. It was an accident. Wasn’t it? Abruptly, the world spun.

“Fred?” Cheska sounded alarmed to see his face turn green.

He tried to swallow the bile rising in his throat.

“He’s going to be sick.”

Fred rolled to the edge of the bed at the same time Cheska pushed a trashcan in front of him. He heaved what remained of his breakfast into the container. The same hand that he had touched earlier rubbed his back in circles. Fred lied on his back again and breathed through his nose.

“I think we better send you to a hospital”, Cheska said.

He studied her face. Odd. They said he had hurt her yet she didn’t show fear or anger towards him.

“I can’t”, Fred said.

“I know it would inconvenience you to have people know you’re here, but—”

“My body doesn’t respond well to traditional medicines.”

“Still...”

“I know what I’m doing!” he said sharply. His annoyance had gotten the better of him. Worse, he was angry. The concussion. I’m in bad shape. Mom. If she finds out... Relax. Don’t get excited. Take deep breaths. In his periphery, Tony had moved nearer to Cheska’s side. Louis casually inched closer to Fred. He’s here to keep her safe from me.