He smiled at her reassuringly. “Tell me, have you ever had a dream that seemed so real you did not think it could possibly be a dream until you woke up? Even then you could still smell or feel what was happening in your dream?”
“Yes,” Janet admitted. “I remember dreaming that I was in a car crash. I was not hurt, but I was trapped and the car was on fire. I could still feel the heat and smell the smoke when I woke up. I was so scared I turned the light on to make sure the house was not on fire.”
She expected the doctor to laugh at her, but he didn’t. “What Sam is experiencing is the same thing. The only difference is that she was unconscious rather than asleep and for a lot longer than an average night’s sleep, so she can remember more. Most people have very detailed dreams each and every night, only they do not remember them when they wake up. It is nothing to worry about. I will keep her in overnight again tomorrow then will release her the following morning. Will that make you feel better?”
“Thank you Paul. It would.”
He then laughed lightly. “I’m beginning to think that you only agreed to go out with me so I would take better care of your friend.”
Janet’s response was to kiss him in a way that told him that was definitely not the case.
When Janet returned the next morning, Sam was not in her room. She went to the enquiry desk and was informed that she had been allowed to take a bath. Taking a seat beside Sam’s bed, she took out her book and began to read.
She was just at the end of a chapter when Sam returned. Her hair was wrapped in a towel and she was dressed in the jeans and t-shirt Janet had brought to her the day before. “You look good,” she said, folding over the corner of her page and closing her book. “How are you feeling?”
Sam winced. “You really need to start treating books with more respect.” Then she smiled. “I am feeling more human, that’s for sure. The doc says I am going home tomorrow. He wants to keep me in one more night for observation. That has nothing to do with you does it?”
Janet had the decency to blush. “I’m concerned about you, that’s all.”
“And I thought it was so you could go out on your second date without worrying about me.”
“That’s not fair,” Janet started to protest before she realised that she was being teased. “How do you know we are going out tonight?”
“Your latest conquest has been asking me a lot of questions about you. I think he is smitten.” Sam jumped onto the bed, pulled the towel from her head, grabbed her hairbrush from where she had thrown it earlier and began brushing her damp hair. “What do you want to do today? I have been told I am allowed to leave my room as long as I stay in the hospital grounds.”
Janet shrugged. “I’m easy. No smart arse comments please,” she added, waving her finger at Sam. “What do you feel like doing?”
Sam found herself unable to answer as pain coursed through her, more intense than anything she had ever experienced before. She gasped and Janet grabbed her hand, squeezing it tight.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
As quickly as it had arrived, the pain was gone. “I just got a sharp pain,” Sam told her. “It seems to have gone now.”
“Was it your head? Do you want me to find a nurse?”
Sam shook her head. “No. I am fine now. Besides, it was here,” she continued, sliding her hand across her stomach. “Maybe something I ate.”
The two women discussed what they could do and finally decided to start with a tour of the hospital gardens. “I’ll find your shoes,” Janet volunteered and began searching through the narrow wardrobe. “Got them,” she said, turning round to see Sam doubled over in pain. Dropping the shoes, she rushed to her side.
“I’m okay,” she said, standing up straight as the pain subsided. “Let’s go. Fresh air will do me good.”
“If you’re sure,” Janet said uncertainly and picked up the shoes and handed them over.
They had been gone less than an hour before Janet insisted that Sam return to her room. She had been inflicted with pain at regular intervals as they walked and try as she might, Sam was unable to hide the fact from Janet.
“I’m going to find a nurse,” Janet insisted, ignoring Sam’s protests. “This cannot be normal.”
“There is no need,” Sam insisted. “Please stay.”
Feeling unexpectedly tired, Sam removed her shoes, lay down on the bed and pulled the blanket over her. Closing her eyes she began to drift off to sleep. Her eyes sprang open when she suddenly felt wet between her legs and, when the accompanying pain had subsided, she pulled back the covers and looked at herself. The bed was soaking wet.
“Her waters have broken,” she heard a voice say, but it sounded muffled, as though it was coming from another room.
Then the pain returned, this time so excruciating she screamed out. Janet grabbed her hand and shouted for a nurse. Sam closed her eyes tight in an effort to cope with the pain. She did not realise she was holding her breath and when the pain subsided she began to pant. She opened her eyes and found herself looking straight at Dean.
Chapter 2
“I will get Ellen,” Hawk said and ran from the room, his long black hair flowing behind him. Being a vampire, it would have been quicker for him to fly, but common sense had temporarily deserted him.
“Her eyes are open,” Dean exclaimed and gently stroked Sam’s face. “Sam, sweetheart, can you hear me?”
“Dean?” she asked in a soft voice, looking up into his brown eyes.
“You are going to be okay,” he assured her as pain enveloped her once more. He held her hand tight until the pain subsided and she was left panting once more. Then Ellen was by her side, taking charge. She pulled back the covers of the bed and gasped.
“Why is it green?” Sam heard Dean ask.
“Go and get Nisse,” Ellen demanded. “I need him.” Hawk ran out of the room once more as Ellen shoved Dean out of her way and took the hand he had been holding.
“Where am I?” Sam asked weakly.
“We can explain everything later. Right now we need to concentrate on you and the baby. You are in labour and your waters have broken. You have been unconscious for a while, but every indication is that your baby is fine. We are all here to help you through this. I dare not give you anything for your pain so listen to Dean and he will tell you how to breathe when the contractions come. He has been practicing for this and I have told him all he needs to know.”
While Ellen spoke, Dean made his way around the bed and took hold of her other hand. Sam glanced at him and was surprised to see him looking relatively calm. Then Sam heard Nisse’s voice from somewhere in the room.
“Is it time?” he asked.
Ellen nodded. “Her waters are green. Is that normal?” Nisse assured her that it was nothing to worry about. The baby Sam was carrying was half elf, so it was to be expected. “Is there anything else I should know? Should I be doing anything different? I have only ever delivered human babies before now.”
“No,” the elf replied. “As far as I am aware there are no differences. What can I do to help?”
“Nothing right now, but stay close just in case.”
The labour went surprisingly smoothly and only a few hours later Sam delivered a healthy baby girl. Sam was crying tears of joy as the baby was placed in her arms, wrapped in a blanket. People crowded into the room, all eager to see the new arrival, but Ellen shooed them all away. Sam was exhausted and needed to be left in peace.
Sam regarded her daughter with adoration. She looked like any other newborn baby, except for her skin colour, which was faintly tinged with green, and her pointed ears. She had Brin’s dark, almost black, eyes.
“I will be back in a moment,” Dean said and kissed her forehead.
“Are you alright?” Hawk asked, seeing how pale he looked when he entered the corridor.
“No,” he replied truthfully.
“The others are in the kitchen, getting some coffee. Come with me if you feel like talking about it.” Dur
ing the journey to Patrick’s island, Hawk had gotten to know Dean better and the man’s devotion to Sam had won him round. He now regarded him as a friend and wanted to help him.
Hawk and Dean found Patrick and Nisse sitting around a large wooden table, drinking from steaming mugs. As usual, Patrick looked immaculate with his black hair neatly brushed as though he had just finished getting ready to go out for the evening. His white silk shirt and tight fitting black trousers added to the effect. He was a stunning male specimen and always dressed to emphasise this fact. Mrs Willard, the cook, placed a cup in front of Dean, but he refused it, afraid he would be sick if anything touched his stomach. He placed his head in his hands, unable to look at anyone.
“I love Sam, I really do,” he said when prompted by Hawk. “But I will never be able to care for her baby. It does not even look human, with its pointed ears and green skin.” He felt Nisse bristle beside him and turned to confront him before he could speak. “If the woman you loved gave birth to a half-human baby, could you honestly tell me that you would feel any different?”
Nisse gave the question some serious thought before answering. “Yes, I would,” he eventually said. “It would not matter to me what species the father was. If I loved the woman enough to take on her child if it was fully elf, being part human would make no difference.”
“Then you are a better man than I am,” Dean observed.
“You will get no argument from me,” Nisse replied.
“Give yourself time,” Patrick advised. “Seeing the child was a shock to you. You will get used to it and begin to see her as Sam’s child rather than a half-breed.”
“Maybe,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “But I doubt it. I need some air.” Without another word, he walked out of the kitchen. Nobody followed him.
By the time he returned, Sam had been moved to a clean bed in a different room. “How are you feeling?” he asked, her lack of colour causing him great concern. She was not especially pretty and the paleness did not suit her.
“Tired,” she said. “And hungry. Ellen has gone to prepare me something. I really hope it tastes better than the broth she made me eat after Brin shot me.”
At the mention of the baby’s father, Dean’s eyes involuntarily focused on the small bundle asleep in Sam’s arms and he had to supress a shudder. He desperately hoped that Patrick was right and that his feelings would change over time, but he was not counting on it. How would Sam react if he had to tell her he could never treat her child as his own? Would she despise him for it? Would the child put a permanent wedge between them?
Luckily Ellen arrived with Sam’s soup before his thoughts could become any more maudlin and he was unceremoniously thrown out of the room in order for Sam to eat in peace before getting some badly needed sleep.
The next morning Ellen allowed Sam to have visitors, so Patrick and Nisse were sitting around her bed when Dean walked in. The baby was asleep in Patrick’s arms and he had such a contented look on his face that Dean was forced to smile. Maybe he and Ellen would start a family sooner than expected.
Sam was looking much better. She was sitting up, propped against a large number of pillows, and her colour had returned. He kissed her cheek before sitting on the bed next to her, placing one arm around her shoulders so she could rest against him if she wished. Nobody had told her about his comments from the previous day, for which he was grateful.
“What are you going to call her?” Patrick asked.
“Katherine” Sam replied. “Kat for short.”
“After Brin’s mother,” Nisse informed the group. “That will make Brin very happy.”
“I don’t see how seeing as he doesn’t even know about the baby,” Sam replied. Nisse went quiet. Too quiet. “Please tell me he does not know about the baby. You promised not to tell him.”
“Actually I did not promise anything,” Nisse reminded her. “I have told him everything. I even passed on the letters you sent.” Sam groaned. “He wanted to come here with me. The only thing that stopped him was an official command from the King demanding he remain in the forest.”
“Frack,” Sam swore, then glanced guiltily towards her child.
“On that note, I think I should leave,” Nisse told her. “I have a lot to report to Brin and the sooner I head off the sooner I can tell him everything.”
He ran out of the room, closely followed by a pillow which Sam had thrown at him. “So what happened?” she asked when she could no longer see Nisse’s retreating back. There was nothing she could do about Brin so she would worry about him later. She had already been informed that she was in Patrick’s castle on his island, but nothing more. “I remember handing over the chain, but then everything went black.”
Between them, her friends told her everything. Albian, the King of Remeny’s advisor, had murdered the King then set up the entire quest in order to get rid of as many of the royal sons as possible by enchanting the will to make them kill themselves if they were the last ones to arrive at a destination. It was he who had put a spell on Sam in order to plant the idea in her mind that only he was to be trusted. They neglected to mention that the spell was actually on the necklace Dean had given her as nobody wanted her upset.
Once he had the chain, which was the last part of the quest, Albian had vanished, expecting the last three Princes to commit suicide, leaving nobody with a rightful claim to the throne. He then planned to marry the Queen and take control of the country, but they were yet to hear if he had returned to Remeny to put his plan into practice.
They had all been in Dean’s room at the inn and nobody left it for a long time, scared to leave any of the Princes alone. After a few hours, when none of them were feeling the need to kill themselves, or each other, they came to the conclusion that Albian had miscalculated. He was not part of the quest, so him taking the chain did not end it. The quest was still ongoing, so as long as none of the brothers ever touched the chain, they would all live.
Tor, Cirren and Brodin headed off the next morning, taking Seth, Dal, Nosmas, Quartilla and Ria with them. They intended to go back to their homeland and have Brodin crowned King. Nosmas and Ria insisted on accompanying them in case they needed help disposing of Albian.
Before disappearing, Albian had put Sam into some kind of coma and she showed no signs of waking. Healers were called, but there was nothing they could do to help. Someone suggested that Ellen should try to awaken Sam the same way she had the last time she was unconscious, but she refused, saying that it was too dangerous as she had no idea what spell Albian had used on her.
Nobody could get any water down her throat and they were afraid she would die of dehydration, but as the days passed it became apparent that she was in some sort of suspended animation rather than a coma. Her breathing was so shallow and her heart beat so slow that she appeared to be dead. Ellen was a witch, skilled in healing, and monitored her closely, finding that not only was her body not deteriorating, but that the baby was also alive and well and still growing, though at a much reduced rate.
After a week had passed with no change, the decision was made to take her to Patrick’s castle. If she still showed no signs of improvement, they would have to remove the baby and hope it survived outside of the womb. A message was sent to Nisse, informing him of the situation and requesting that he meet them there in case there was anything he could do to help. They had only been at the castle for a couple of days when her contractions started and Ellen believed that it was the extreme pain that woke Sam up.
Then it was Sam’s turn to tell them about her experience. She described her ‘dream’ in great detail and maintained that she was sure it could not be real, though she did admit that opening her eyes and seeing Dean’s face almost made her scream.
“I can understand that,” Patrick commented and Ellen hit him.
A few days later a letter arrived from Tor. He and his brothers had arrived at their home to find that Albian had convinced the Queen that all of her sons were dead and had moved into her
bedroom. They had been having an affair since before her husband’s death so she had no trouble believing everything he told her. There was no delay in announcing to the nation the tragedy which had befallen the royal family and that, with much reluctance, Albian had agreed to take the crown. The populace were not happy with this and the three Princes heard many rumours of an impending civil war once they crossed the border into Remeny.
They did not announce their presence to anyone, preferring to travel incognito so as to surprise Albian and their mother. Queen Reena had screamed when her three sons had walked into the throne room, having been announced as visiting nobles. Albian fled. Leaving all of his possessions behind, he ran from the throne room and was last seen galloping out of the city on a stolen horse. The Queen was so remorseful she treated her sons like returned heroes and threw herself into the coronation preparations.
Along with the letter were invitations for them all to attend, if they could get there in time. Sam’s included a footnote, warning her that Brin had also been invited. As heir to the elven throne, protocol dictated that he should be asked to attend. While Sam appreciated the warning, it did not matter as she did not wish to travel that distance with a newborn baby, and leaving her daughter behind was not an option.
Calculations were done and it was decided that, as long as they did not stop for too long at a time, fast horses would get them there before the date of the coronation, so Patrick made preparations to depart. Initially Ellen said she would remain behind in case Sam needed her, but eventually Sam persuaded her that she should go. Local healers could be called should the need arise.
Dean was caught in a dilemma. He had travelled with Brodin for a long time and considered him a good friend. He desperately wanted to be there to see him take his rightful place as Remeny’s King, but he did not wish to leave Sam alone for such a long time. Sam made up his mind for him by telling him that if he didn’t go she would have nothing more to do with him. He knew she was lying, but took the hint and left with Patrick and Ellen. Hawk stayed behind as he would need to take his coffin with him. Travelling by coach would be too slow and, as the coronation was scheduled for early afternoon, he would not be able to attend, so he opted to stay in the castle and keep Sam entertained.
The Assassin Page 2
