“I will go and check on her now,” said Nkiru.
Her brother nodded to the two Cielian Palace Guardsmen who stood outside the door to Esther’s suite and they pulled open the doors. The two Hadiqan marines inside nodded to them as they entered. Mac and Oluchi went to sit at the table and Nkiru walked to the double doors leading to Esther’s bedroom. The marine sentry there opened it for her and she stepped through. The window shutters were still closed and Nkiru could see that Esther still lay in bed. It wasn’t like her to still be asleep, but then again, she had been quite tired yesterday evening. The marine closed the door behind her and she walked over to the bed, setting the tray on the nightstand. Not wanting to disturb her sleep, Nkiru leaned over to check on her.
She didn’t know what it was that alerted her, but she could tell something wasn’t right and she placed her hand on Esther’s shoulder to gently wake her. Her hand became damp as soon as she touched her shoulder. Genuinely worried now, Nkiru reached up to place a hand on Esther’s forehead and was shocked by how warm she felt.
“Esther!” Nkiru said, shaking her more firmly now. “Esther!” She didn’t respond. Nkiru unlatched the nearest shutter, opening it to allow more light into the room and turned back to Esther. Beads of sweat lay on her friend’s forehead and her nightgown was soaked with it.
She turned to the door leading into the foyer. “Oluchi!” she yelled. “Oluchi! Come quickly!”
The door burst open and the marines and Oluchi with Mac close on his heals charged into the room. The marine’s immediately scanned the room for threats and Oluchi and Mac rushed over to the bed.
“Quickly!” Nkiru said in Easterner, “Fetch the doctor and Mrs. Stolman. She has a very high fever and I cannot wake her.”
Oluchi turned to Mac and must have repeated her instructions in Hadiqan because Mac ran out of the room, hopefully to fetch the doctor and Mrs. Stolman.
- - -
Geoffrey had gotten dressed and was just about to head down for breakfast when a sudden knock sounded on his door. Before he could even take one step toward the door to answer it, someone pounded on the door again.
“Geoffrey!” a voice that sounded like Mac’s shouted through the door.
Geoffrey pulled the door open.
“Geoffrey, come quickly!” said Mac, “When Nkiru tried to wake Esther this morning, she didn’t wake up and Nkiru says she has a high fever!”
Geoffrey’s heart began pounding and he turned and grabbed his bag before rushing out the door and running down the hall to Esther’s suite. When he came into her bedroom, Mrs. Stolman was already there and had Esther’s bedsheet pulled down to her stomach and her nightgown pulled up to reveal her abdomen. She had her hands gently pressing on either side of her belly.
“How are her babies?” Geoffrey asked, stepping up next to the bed.
“I’m uncertain,” said Mrs. Stolman. “Do you have that stethoscope that Ms. Graves made for you? I’d feel better if I could hear their heartbeats.”
Geoffrey nodded and grabbed the contraption out of his bag, handing it to Mrs. Stolman.
He turned to look at Esther’s face and his heart constricted as he saw her lying there inertly. He placed his hand gently against her forehead. She was dangerously warm.
“We’ve got to cool her down,” said Geoffrey. He turned to Nkiru. “Grab a bucket and get a bunch of clothes wet. Bring it here and place one on her forehead.”
“I hear heartbeats,” said Mrs. Stolman. “I can’t tell if there are two. I fear that they are in distress, however.”
Geoffrey nodded. He checked the wound just below the ribs in her side, but it appeared to be healing nicely without the tale-tell red of infection. He turned to Mrs. Stolman. “I need to listen for her heartbeat,” he said. The midwife handed him the stethoscope and he placed it against Esther’s chest. Her white nightgown had soaked completely through and Geoffrey flushed as he found himself staring down at her thinly veiled breast through the translucent fabric. He pushed his feelings out of his mind for the moment and listened for her heart beat. It was rapid, but strong. Suddenly the stethoscope jumped up against his ear and Geoffrey straightened. Esther’s body was seizing and her eyes had rolled up, with only the whites showing.
“Everybody back!” he yelled. “Oluchi! Help me roll her onto her side. We need to keep her airways open.” Geoffrey and Oluchi gently rolled Esther onto her side and held her there as her body convulsed.
“Mrs. Stolman,” said Geoffrey. “This could indicate an onset of eclampsia. Do you happen to have any salicylic tea, or willow bark extract?”
“Yes, of course,” the older woman replied, “I’ll prepare some immediately.”
“Thank you.”
After one a minute, but what seemed like much longer, Esther’s body stopped convulsing and they gently rolled her onto her back. Her breathing steadied, but when Geoffrey checked her heart rate, it was still very high.
“What happened, doctor?” asked Nkiru, placing the damp rag on Esther’s forehead. Geoffrey grabbed another cloth out of the bucket and gently dabbed it on the skin of her face and neck, then spread the cloth out and gently laid it in the center of her chest.
“I’m not sure, Nkiru, but I think that the fever may have caused her heart rate to increase, which caused her blood pressure to rise. There may be some other complications going on inside her body and when her blood pressure rose, the combination sparked a seizure.” Geoffrey wasn’t sure if she had understood his words, but she nodded and looked down at Esther.
“Oluchi, let’s clear the room. We’re doing everything that can be done at the moment.”
Oluchi nodded and gestured to the marines. They filed out of the bedroom, followed by Mac and Oluchi, who closed the door behind him, leaving only Geoffrey and Nkiru alone with Esther.
Geoffrey picked up the cloth he had placed on her chest. The damp cloth was now warm. He placed it on the nightstand next to the food that Nkiru had brought in and grabbed another cloth from the bucket. He dabbed the cool, damp cloth on her face, neck, and chest. He reached down and took Esther’s hand.
“You do too much, Esther,” he whispered to the unconscious form lying in the bed, staring down at her face. After a moment, he let go of her hand and laid the cloth on her chest, then replaced the cloth on her forehead as well.
“Nkiru,” he said, “Go and make sure that Mrs. Stolman has everything she needs to brew the tea. We need to get the salicylic acid from that tea into her as quickly as possible. It will help bring down the fever and hopefully lower her heart rate and blood pressure, which should help with the eclampsia.”
Nkiru nodded, turned, and walked out of the room.
Chapter 27
Where Am I
Esther’s eyes opened and she stared at the bed canopy above her. Why was she sleeping in a bed with a canopy? She didn’t remember getting into a bed with a canopy. She didn’t remember ever seeing a bed with a canopy before, except in pictures drawn in books she’d read. She looked down at herself and saw that she was wearing a nightgown of the most brilliant white she’d ever seen. It was quite lovely. Then she noticed the swell of her abdomen under the nightgown and froze. Slowly, she lowered her hand and ran it down over her stomach. Pregnant? She was pregnant? First, the bed with the canopy, then the nightgown, and now this?
Esther looked around the room with its trapezoid shaped windows, luxurious furnishings, tapestries, and stained-wood floor. Valsgärd. The word popped into her head unbidden. Valsgärd. That was the capital of Ciel, one of the Northern Kingdoms. She was in Valsgärd. What was she doing in Valsgärd? Images and memories slowly floated back into her mind. Nkiru, Oluchi, and Geoffrey standing watch over her, trying to get her to drink something. Geoffrey’s hand, holding her own as he dabbed a cool cloth against the skin of her face, neck, and chest…Esther stopped and held her breath. She looked down at the nightgown she wore. It was clean and brilliantly white—very different from the sweat-soaked nightgown she had been wearing fr
om her memory.
A rush of other memories suddenly flew through her mind, and she inhaled sharply. Her village, Madrausan’s, capture, Ikenna, Deyr, Al Farnaka, Asserius, and the Retribution. It all came back.
The flood of memories and emotions was too much and a gasping sob escaped her lips. She brought her hand up to her mouth, lightly touching her fingers to her lips. The moment left just as suddenly as it had come, and a calm descended upon her as thoughts and memories of her family and friends washed away the earlier feelings of fear and hatred that she had felt. Her sister Alley jumping through the tall grass near their farmhouse in Tewksbury and leaping into her arms. Geoffrey handing her the Laleh shell when they were on the beach near the village of Deyr. Marrying Asserius in the amazing ancient Paxian Temple near Al Farnaka. Combining her dancing skills with her knowledge of swordplay and sparring with Oluchi and Adeline. Standing at the bow of the Retribution and staring out into the clear blue sky. For every negative emotion, a beautiful memory surfaced as well, and she quickly recovered from the emotional flood. There was still an undercurrent of hatred and anger towards Madrausan’s that frankly startled her. It was almost as if she were an outsider looking at herself. The bitterness she saw concerned her, but she currently had it under control, and the wonderful things she had experienced since that fateful day in Tewksbury helped dilute her anger and overshadow the negative.
“Esther?” she heard a voice to her left say. She looked over and saw Geoffrey sitting in a chair against the wall next to the bed.
“Hello, Geoffrey,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She smiled wanly. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes at the care that he had given her, however vaguely she remembered it.
He stood suddenly and leaned over the edge of the bed, wrapping his arms around her in a big hug. “I told you to take care of yourself!” he whispered, his face tucked into her hair.
“I know. I’m sorry Geoffrey.” A thought came to her mind and a sudden fear gripped her heart. Her hands went to her belly. “Are my babies alright?”
Geoffrey stepped away and took her hand. “Yes,” he nodded, “Mrs. Stolman verified both heart beats and everything seems to be alright at the moment. How are you feeling?”
“A bit disoriented. When I first woke up, I couldn’t remember anything that had happened since I left Tewksbury.”
“Esther?” she heard a voice say. She looked over and saw Marigold standing up from where she had obviously been sleeping in a chair.
“Hi Marigold.”
“Oh, thank heavens you’re alright,” Marigold said, coming to sit on the bed next to her.
Esther noticed that her mouth was very dry and talking only made it worse. She also started to feel a little faint, and she was definitely hungry. “I’m very thirsty—and hungry,” she said. “How long was I out?”
“Two days,” said Geoffrey. He poured her a cup of water and handed it to her. She downed it rapidly and held her cup out for more.
“What happened?” asked Esther. “I mean, I know that I pushed myself pretty hard when we toured the timber mine. Too hard. But…that shouldn’t have knocked me out for two days.” Esther touched her hand to her forehead. She was starting to feel a little dizzy.
“I don’t know for sure, but you may have a condition called eclampsia. In truth, there isn’t a lot of information about what causes it, but it’s believed that there is a condition in the body that when combined with other factors, such as high blood pressure, can lead to seizures and coma.”
“Blood pressure?” Esther asked, and then with a little more concern, “Seizure?” She hadn’t heard of blood pressure, but she knew what a seizure was and it made her nervous that Geoffrey had mentioned it.
“Yes. Blood pressure is the level of pressure in the veins and arteries. Heart rate, and the force that the heart provides, can affect blood pressure. The fever caused your heart rate to spike, which increased the pressure in your circulatory system. That, combined with conditions already existing in your body caused you to have a seizure and fall into a coma.”
“Is everything alright now?” she asked, hearing the concern in her own voice.
“Yes, I think so. Your fever broke, lowering your heart rate. I want to keep you on a regimen of salicylic acid until just before you give birth by having you drink salicylic tea every morning. It will help thin your blood and, I hope, keep this from happening again.” He paused, looking down at his hands worriedly. “I have to be honest with you though, Esther. Eclampsia is a very serious condition that can only be treated by giving birth. You could have more seizures, or lose consciousness.”
“Will there be any long term effects for them?” she asked, rubbing her abdomen.
Geoffrey sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t think so, but every situation is different and there are no guarantees. I don’t think the seizure affected them significantly, but if you really do have eclampsia, there is a possibility that you could lose them.”
Esther nodded. She felt horrible for jeopardizing the lives of her babies by pushing herself so hard. She thought that she had been doing the right thing. Meeting with all of the people at the timber mine had been good, but she had neglected the needs of her children. She had a responsibility to her babes now as well.
“I see the look in your eyes, Esther,” said Marigold. “You’re blaming yourself.”
She looked at Marigold and nodded.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” said Geoffrey. “You couldn’t have known this would happen. You do need to rest more and take better care of yourself, but eclampsia is rare.”
She lay back against her pillows, suddenly feeling very tired. “Could I get some soup and some more water?” she asked.
“Of course,” he said, squeezing her hand.
- - -
Esther was too weak to get out of bed more than just to use the bathroom for several days after regaining consciousness. Geoffrey had stayed with her most of that time, monitoring her heart rate, and making sure that she drank enough fluids. Mrs. Stolman, Nkiru, and Marigold were also constantly monitoring Esther and the babes. She felt like she spent half of her waking hours lying flat on her back with the stethoscope pressed against her bared stomach while her midwife listened to the heartbeats. Mrs. Stolman really liked Ms. Graves’ stethoscope design—she said could hear much better.
Esther slept a lot—sometimes as much as fourteen hours a day. She hadn’t thought she would ever be able to sleep that much, but her body had enough of her abuse—and she didn’t fight it. She was amazed to think that two little souls were growing in her belly. She was excited to meet them…and a little scared. What would they think of her? Would she be able to care for them well enough?
She felt bad laying there and sleeping so much. The treaty negotiations were supposed to have started mid-week. But it was nice to have that time to concentrate on feeling the babies move. Besides, she had committed to taking better care of herself for the sake of her babes and she meant to keep that commitment. The treaty talks would just have to wait. Geoffrey would never have allowed her to leave the room to attend anyway.
His companionship over the course of the last week had meant a lot to her. He was almost a constant presence due to his need to ‘monitor her health’. She suspected it was a bit more than that. The only time he left for any length of time was at night, and even then, he returned several times to check on her—as had Mrs. Stolman. He even stayed while she was sleeping during the daytime. They talked for hours…mostly about the things that had happened to them aboard the Nautilus, and in Deyr and Al Farnaka. They laughed together when she recounted how they had first met, and what their first words to each other had been.
Queen Rúna had come to visit her a few days after she had regained consciousness to check on her and see if there was anything that she needed. She was a kind person and Esther enjoyed her company.
After Queen Rúna’s visit, it was as if a flood gate had opened and it seemed that everyone
she knew wanted to see her—Mac, Oluchi, Joel and Dani, Baird, Ambassador Rashad, Ambassador Stainton, Mr. Najafi, Lt. Ben-Ezra…she even received a package from Jórin, the foreman at the timber mine. It was a wood carving of an Eagle with its wings spread over its nest, protecting its hatchlings. It was very beautiful.
Nkiru had been ever-present as Esther’s hand-maiden, but Marigold had watched over her almost as diligently—helping her to the privy when she needed it, and fetching most of her meals. Geoffrey had to kick Marigold out several times to allow Esther to sleep. Marigold felt guilty because she had still been passed out drunk when Esther had her seizure and she hadn’t forgiven herself for not being there. At least one good thing had come from all of this—Marigold had sworn off alcohol because of it, and hadn’t touched any since that night.
It was now mid-morning on the seventh day since she had fallen ill, and she had decided that she really needed a bath. Nkiru had helped her wash every evening in bed since regaining consciousness, but it wasn’t the same.
Sunlight streamed through the windows as Esther swung her legs over the side of the bed. She felt good today—more rested than she had in a long time, with more energy than she’d had since falling ill.
She slipped her feet into her slippers and padded into the room with the privy. After she finished, she washed her hands in the wash basin and walked back into the bedroom. Nkiru was just walking in, a basket of clean laundry in her arms.
“Good morning, Esther,” Nkiru said.
“Good morning, Nkiru. How are you this morning?”
“Very well, thank you.”
“I think I’d like a bath. Could you arrange for some water to be delivered?”
“Of course.” Nkiru opened the door and was about to walk out when Geoffrey ducked his head in.
“Good morning ladies.”
“Good morning Dr. Scott,” Nkiru said.
“You’ll have to come back in a little while, Geoffrey,” said Esther, making shooing motions with her hand. “I’m going to take a bath and actually get dressed today.”
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