New Roots (Fate's Intent Book 8) (9 page)

Chapter 21

Troy

I tried to turn my head towards Jaylyn and keep my eyes open long enough to see her. “I thought you wouldn’t be here.”

“You need me. I couldn’t stay away no matter how much I hate seeing you like this. I promise not to have any attempts at healing you. I just want to be with you even if that means we can’t have any kind of contact.”

“My lips swollen or something?”

“No.”

“Then I don’t see why not.”

“But I might hurt you if I get too close and I don’t want that.”

“I can suffer through enough for a kiss.” I lifted up my arm as best I could and signaled for her to get closer. Jaylyn gave in and moved towards me, trying not to touch me anywhere else or move the bed around me too much. I wanted to laugh but that would have only hurt. “It’s okay. I won’t break.”

“No, you’re already broken.”

“Quit your worrying and kiss me.”

Jaylyn smiled and leaned into me. I put my tongue in her mouth and met hers. I was being pulled in by it until she put her hand on my chest and I pulled back in pain.

She immediately removed her hand with a gasp. “I’m sorry! See? I told you.”

“No. That was my fault. I shouldn’t have escalated it.”

“Maybe we should wait a few days before trying that again. I’ll have to learn to control myself.”

“Or I’ll have to learn how to kiss badly?”

She laughed. “No. I wouldn’t want that. You should rest.”

“Have you eaten?”

“You’re supposed to be worrying about you so you can heal, remember?”

“Well, have you?”

She thought for a moment. “No. Actually, I don’t think I have.”

“Then go get something. It’s got to be almost lunch by now if it’s not already.”

She nodded and slowly started to get off the bed. “You want anything?”

“How about a stiff drink then a nap? It may help with the pain.”

“All right, I’ll bring you one.” She left the room and rested my head back.

It hurt to do anything. It felt like I was in pieces but I would never tell Jaylyn. It would have only made her worry more and I didn’t want that on her. She meant more to me than I did.

Chapter 22

Jaylyn

I did what he wanted of me and made my way down to the dining hall. It was lunch and that’s where everyone else was.

“Hey, Jaylyn.” Ruby said. “How is he?”

“All right but he’d like a stiff drink before he takes a nap.”

“To make it longer no doubt.” Darius laughed.

“It’s not a bad idea.”

“Here.” Izin held out a tall full glass. “Give him this.”

I took it from him and sniffed it. “Is it strong enough?” I took a sip, keeping it in my mouth for a second.

“Jaylyn!” Adele shouted.

I spit it back into the cup with a smile. “What? I wasn’t going to swallow it.”

“That’s so gross.” Ruby said. “You just spit in it.”

“It’s Troy. He’s not going to care with all the places his mouth has already been.”

Adele and Ruby both dropped their forks on their plates.

“I’m suddenly done.” Adele muttered.

“Oh, definitely.”

I kept the smile from my laugh as I left and took Troy’s drink up to him. I didn’t care to go on about it and make them more uncomfortable, though it was funny. I just wanted to get back to Troy.

“Where’s your lunch?”

“Huh? Oh, I didn’t get it. You wanted a drink so I got that.”

“I’d like you to worry about yourself first. I could have waited longer.”

“Well, here.” I handed it to him and Troy took it in one hand but strained a little bit to hold it. “Use both hands. It’d be easier on you.” He tried it and was able to hold it better without bringing much pain from the small weight. “See? Sorry. I spit in it because I wanted to make sure it was stiff enough. Don’t worry. I didn’t swallow.”

Troy smiled in this incredibly charming way and took a small sip. “I like it when you swallow.”

The way he was looking at me with that smile and using that tone almost made me blush. “Cute. Anyway, just think of it as having a little essence of me in it.”

“Mmm. The best kind. Go get your lunch or have someone bring it to you. Here.” He rested the drink on him, holding it with one hand and tried reaching for the pull rope above the headboard for room service but was straining a little bit to get it.

“Don’t! You’re going to break something open. Let me.” I pulled on it for him and took a seat next to him.

“And now we wait.” He said, taking another drink. There was a pause and I just couldn’t take my eyes off him in the bandages. “What?”

“Are you ever going to show me? You know, what you look like under all of that?”

“Not until they’re scarring. I haven’t even really seem them yet. The bandages have to be changed before bed tonight and I don’t want you here for that. Maybe if you don’t see them you won’t feel so compelled to heal them.”

I forced myself to look away and put my head down with a sigh. “Okay.”

“Jaylyn, if it wasn’t important that I had to feel this pain, I would let you heal them. You know I would but that would kind of defeat the purpose of doing it at all.”

“I know. It’s part of the process.”

“That’s my girl. You’ll be able to handle it. I know how strong you are.”

I smiled and put my hand down by his. He turned it as best he could and slid it under mine, lacing our fingers.

“I love you.” He said softly.

“And I you.”

Without hesitation we started to lean into each other and our lips were almost touching.

There was a knock at the door.

I suddenly felt nervous and cleared my throat with a laugh. “Come in!”

The door opened and my nursemaid, Cora, came in with a covered tray. “Your lunch, my lady.”

“Thank you. Here is fine.”

Cora set the tray on the bed in front of me and looked over at Troy, bowing her head slightly. “My lord, how are you feeling?”

“It’s getting better.” Troy held up his glass like a silent toast and took another drink. “I’ll live.”

“That’s good news to hear indeed. I brought a little extra in case you’re hungry too or Jaylyn needs to eat more because she slept through breakfast.”

I laughed. “Thanks, Cora. I don’t think that’s going to happen again. I was—”

“I understand. I’ll check in with you later.”

“Okay.”

Cora lightly bowed her head and turned away. When the door closed, I looked at the tray in front of me and removed the cover.

It had just about two servings of everything on it and I looked over at Troy with wide eyes. “A little extra, huh?”

He laughed or tried to. “She must think like you or is used to how much you can eat.”

“Want anything?”

“Whatever you don’t eat is fine. I want you having some first. You did skip breakfast. You should be starved.”

“But so did you.”

“I’m not the one carrying our child.”

“But you still need to stay strong. Food helps.”

Troy smiled and took another drink from his tall glass. “Just eat what you want. I’ll have whatever is left if I’m still awake for it.”

“Feel like you could sleep now?”

“Starting to. The pain is numbing. It’s easier to breathe.”

I looked over with a mouth full and a sad expression. “It hurts to breathe?”

“It’s okay, Jaylyn. My body has to move when I bring in air and it hurts to move. Nothing too serious.”

“I’m sorry. I wish I wasn’t such a distraction to you.”

“It was worth it. You don’t know how beautiful you look when you’re asleep. I didn’t know how long I could have gone without seeing you.”

“Just don’t do it in the future. I understand that there are going to be times when we’re apart and we’ll both have to deal with it.”

“I know. Just eat. You need it.” I looked over at him with a soft smile and got back to eating. “I’m glad to hear that you actually got some sleep this morning. I know you usually don’t sleep in.”

I paused, seeming like I was waiting for my food to be chewed but I was feeling guilty and didn’t want to lie to him, keeping my responses short. “Yeah. It was good, a good morning.”

“Good.”

I ended up eating mostly everything on the tray but left some for Troy when I finished. “Here. I left—”

I looked over at him but he was asleep, holding his empty glass with both hands. I smiled and got up from the bed, moving the tray off to a table and walked around the bed to his side. I took his glass from his hands and carefully took out one of the pillows from behind him and helped lay him back without waking him up.

I kissed his forehead and walked back around the bed, getting in next to him. I kept my distance so I wouldn’t bump him but closed my eyes so I could rest with him.

Hours passed and I woke from the nap in time to start working on getting down dinner. It was brought to me and I sat on the bed eating it while Troy continued to sleep next to me. I didn’t want to leave him. I wanted to make sure that he was going to be okay.

Even after I finished and the tray was taken away, I sat in bed with him just watching him sleep. It was hard for me to even look away but I did when the door opened and Zayden and Darius came in, carrying stuff.

“Is he awake?” Zayden asked.

“Not yet.”

“Well, we can start anyway, I guess.” Darius said. “Maybe you should go, Jaylyn.”

I got defensive and held my place. “No. I’m staying.”

“Think that’s a good idea?” Zayden asked, setting up everything they’d need next to Troy’s side of the bed.

“I’m not leaving.” I said again, making it clear that I wouldn’t.

“Very well. Just keep out of the way.”

“I will. Where’s your little follower?”

“Rift? Napping. Long day for all of us.”

I just nodded and Zayden sat next to Troy on the bed and took his left arm. He used a pair of sheers to cut the bandages and I saw the first cut on his arm. I reacted with a light breath.

“Jaylyn, watch it.” Darius said. “Do not make me take you out of here.”

“I won’t. I’m fine. Really.”

Zayden cleaned the wounds on Troy’s arm and re-wrapped it while he was still sleeping. He was able to get his other arm done too without him waking up but the hard part was coming. “Okay, Jaylyn, I need you to look at me.” I took my eyes off Troy for the first time and met Zayden’s. “This part is going to be worse and he will wake up from the pain. You need to not make it worse by showing your worry.”

I just nodded again and Zayden put his attention back down on Troy. He took the blankets off his torso so he exposed the bandages and Darius handed him the sheers.

“Steady, Jaylyn.” Zayden said, bringing the sheers towards the bandages.

“I’m fine.”

He cut the bandages on both of Troy’s sides and gently pulled the clean half out from underneath him where he didn’t have his wounds.

Troy moved around for a moment and Zayden carefully started lifting the rest of the bandages. The change of air directly reaching the wounds caused Troy to wake up with a heavy breath, making Zayden stop.

I gasped and got closer to him so he wouldn’t act. “Troy, it’s okay. It’s us.”

“What are you doing in here? I didn’t want you here for this.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“It’s about to get worse.” Zayden said. “You ready?”

“Like I have a choice. Just do it.”

Zayden took the bandages off completely and the air probably caused them to sting. I knew that Troy tried his best to hold it in with me right next to him but my sights weren’t necessarily on his pain at the moment. I was looking at his torn up body and my eyes started watering.

Troy reached for my hand and I was shaking. I wasn’t even blinking. “Darius, take her.”

“Jaylyn, come on.”

Darius reached for my arm but I didn’t want to move. “No. I’m fine.”

“Jaylyn, go with him.” Troy said. “It’s okay.”

My tears started to fall as Darius was pulling me away. “No, I’m not leaving you!”

Troy gritted his teeth with pain and spoke through them. “Get her out of here!”

“Sorry about this, Jaylyn.”

Darius picked me right up off the bed and forcefully took me towards the door as I screamed. “No! Darius, put me down! Troy!”

He kept his eyes off me as I was carried out of the room and Darius brought me right into his.

Ruby was inside. “Jaylyn? What is it?”

“She saw Troy’s wounds.” Darius brought me over to the bed but I was still crying almost uncontrollably. “Can you watch her and make sure she stays here?”

“Of course.”

“It shouldn’t be much longer. Zayden’s cleaning him now. The hard part will be wrapping him up again.”

“Okay. Go. I’ll calm her down.” She came to me while Darius left and got both arms around me. “Jaylyn, shh. It’s all right.”

“It’s not all right! Have you seen him?!”

“Everything will be all right. He can only get better from here. Shh. Try to relax, all right? He wouldn’t want you to be like this.”

I just kept crying. In all of my years of being around death, even causing it, there was only one time that I saw anything that bad; it was my father and now Troy has the same wounds. It probably would have killed him if I wasn’t there and he could still be at risk. I couldn’t lose thought of it.

“Jaylyn, shh.” She was still trying to calm me.

“I can’t. I’ve—I’ve seen him—my father, Ruby. He looked like my father.”

“It’s okay. He’s not going to die. We would never let that happen and you’re here so it won’t. Here, lay down.” She led me further on the bed and I laid in the middle of it. “Sleep. You’ll feel better when you wake.”

My eyes closed but my body remained to tremble. I could only hope she was right. I wanted to feel better but I just kept thinking of Troy suffering the same fate as my father and even my dreams weren’t giving me peace.