Blood Bride

Chapter 21 (1st Draft) 2246

"What's wrong?" Meadow asked Eddie.

There wasn't enough light in the room to get a good look at his face and read his expression, but she thought it was strange to find him holding her hand. They just didn't know each other well enough to be so close, despite the harrowing afternoon. Still, she wasn't repulsed by his show of concern. Instead, she gave his hand a little squeeze as she sat up.

Eddie couldn't possibly bring himself to tell her she was the prophesied Blood Bride who would ring in the Age of the Lycanthrope. He hardly understood it himself and didn't have the foggiest idea how to explain what that meant to her in a way a human could comprehend. Even if he managed to unravel the complicated royal and religious system that his people adhered too, something they kept well hidden from the human world and the Bureau of Lycanthrope Affairs, the chance that she'd understand the significance of being the Blood Bride was nil. Wasn't it?

Still, he couldn't leave her in the dark either. He'd already seen what a disaster that was when the family hid him from her. He couldn't imagine putting her through something like that again. If he wanted to remain a part of her life, and he did, he would have to sit her down and explain everything - somehow. But, tonight was not the night.  She was in no condition to take any more bad news. And, bad it was, at least, for a human. 

Eddie decided to ignore her question altogether and just respond with a sincere, "I'm so sorry I woke you. You should be sleeping."

"It's alright," Meadow croaked in a tired voice.

Her head was pounding and her throat was dry. She needed a drink of water desperately and whatever pain pills the doctor could supply her with.

"I need a drink," she confessed while sliding her legs over the edge of the cushioned examination table. "And some pain pills too. My head is killing me," she complained to Hedda.

"Of course," Hedda said right away. "Do you think you could stomach some food? I don't want to give you the meds on an empty stomach," she explained thoughtfully.

Meadow shrugged and only offered, "We can try." She wasn't sure if food was a good idea or not, but she was willing to give it a try despite feeling quite nauseous.

"Eddie will stay with you and I'll be back in a couple of minutes. Does that sound good?"

Meadow gave the doctor a soft smile and a little nod. Hedda left without another word.

"Should you lay back down?" Eddie asked with concern.

"No," Meadow replied simply. She then slipped off the bed and looked around. "Where is my purse?"

Eddie turned to the counter behind him. He'd seen it sitting there earlier. It was still there now. He grabbed it up and handed it to her. Meadow took it and fished out her cell phone. The screen said 2:12AM and was lit up with countless missed calls and text messages from her mother and brothers.