by S. L. Morgan
“Your body desperately requires nourishment, and I will stay here with you until I am confident that you will eat.”
Reece looked at him with disgust as she reached for a morsel on her plate. “How much do I need to eat before you will leave?”
As much as Levi wanted to appease her and leave, he wouldn’t. Reece depended on him to help her, whether she wanted him to or not. Her feeble appearance gave him even more strength to fight this appalling situation head on. He stared at Reece as he called for Jasmeen.
The maiden entered the bedchamber promptly.
“Find out where the physician is.” He commanded.
He watched as Reece timidly placed small crumbs of food in her mouth. Levi pulled the chair to her bed, settled himself into it, and waited.
He studied Reece’s condition. It appeared that she had not eaten or slept since he had been away. He started to wonder if she was struggling with a severe form of depression, brought on by being forced to live in Pemdas. She had dark circles around her sunken eyes, and it was quite obvious that she had lost a significant amount of weight.
He wanted so badly to lean forward and drop his head into his hands, but he maintained his composure. A few more minutes passed, and finally, Allestaine and the doctor were admitted into the room.
Levi dismissed himself, leaving Reece in his mother’s care so that the doctor could examine her.
As he walked into Reece’s sitting room, he encountered his father. Navarre held a confident expression, and Levi was grateful for it.
“How is she? We had trusted that when she saw you again, it would have helped her. Is she any better?” Navarre asked.
Levi shook his head.
“Son, your mother and I are perplexed by this as well. She never mentioned she was unwell. I must say, she has done an excellent job of concealing everything from us this entire time.”
Levi walked over and sat numbly on the sofa. He stared into the flames of the healthy fire in the fireplace. Something about the way they danced and flickered calmed his mind.
“Has anybody said that she’s been acting strange?” Levi asked.
“Your mother only noticed the severity of her condition this morning.” Navarre said as he sat on the sofa.
Levi looked at his father. “This doesn’t make sense; why would she stop eating?”
“We will find out as soon as Doctor Fletcher finishes his examination.”
“You’re right. Has Harrison returned to Pemdas?” He asked, changing the subject.
“No, I have not seen him in over a week.” Navarre said with a laugh. “It appears he threw himself into assignments on Earth until you returned to the palace. He mentioned more than once that he was not about to spend his days lounging around a house full of women chattering about an engagement party.”
Levi laughed faintly, and brought his attention back to the flames in the fireplace.
He ran both of his hands through his hair, and exhaled. “I wish I hadn’t been gone for so long.”
Before they could say anything more, the doctor appeared. Levi and Navarre stood to greet the man.
“She is resting now,” Doctor Fletcher said. “She was severely deprived of nourishment, and critically in need of rest. Her hydration levels were low as well. I have given her a remedy to replenish her health, and the effects are already starting to take effect.”
“Did you discover anything that would have caused her lack of appetite and rest? Did she mention anything to you?” Levi asked.
The doctor shook his head. “I found no underlying causes; she’s in excellent health. I believe that stress may have been a factor in all of this. I understand that she was heavily involved in planning the engagement party. Also, you should consider that she is from Earth, and not a natural resident of Pemdas. That is a monumental transition for anyone to be required to make.”
“What are your orders for us to help her recover?” Navarre asked.
“I have already advised her that I do not want her out of bed for at least a day or two. She may not remember our conversation when she wakes up, so she needs to be reminded of that. She must rest. The remedy I concocted for her promotes this, so she will be asleep until morning. When she has recovered, she must be careful not to overexert herself in any way. Other than that, she will be feeling renewed by morning. Simply make sure she is cautious with her activities over the next few weeks.”
After giving further instructions to them, the doctor was escorted out. When Allestaine stepped into the sitting room, she explained to Levi that she agreed with Doctor Fletcher’s assessment and suggested to Levi that they postpone the engagement celebration.
Levi agreed somewhat, but he couldn’t remove the idea from his mind that Reece could be having a hard time living in Pemdas. He understood exactly what the doctor implied about her not easily adjusting to Pemdas; he had considered that himself. Is she missing her home on Earth? This must be why she was so upset with me earlier. Levi thought.
After Navarre and Allestaine left Levi to stay with Reece, he walked back into her bedchamber. He stared at her peaceful expression, and it alleviated his distress. He approached the side of her bed, and caressed her cheek. He bent over and kissed her tenderly on her forehead.
He sat in the chair next to her bed, and pulled her hand into his; as he sunk into the chair, overwhelmed with grief. Levi had no idea how long he sat deep in thought, when Jasmeen entered the room.
“Master Harrison has arrived.”
“Send him in.”
Her expression was that of concern. “Sir, may I advise you to join him for dinner? I will stay with Reece and watch over her in your absence. If there is any problem, I will have you notified at once.”
Levi stood. “That will not be necessary, Jasmeen. I thank you for your concern, but I will not leave Reece’s side for any reason at this time. Please arrange to have a tray sent up, and I will take my dinner here.”
Jasmeen nodded and left the room.
Levi moved toward a more secluded area in Reece’s room, where two chairs were positioned around a small table along the wall. He could view Reece from where he sat, yet he and Harrison could have a quiet conversation without disturbing her rest.
Harrison entered the room and glanced at Reece as he walked over to where Levi sat. “I am curious. Are they sure that Reece was the one in need of the doctor? I believe it is you who looks to be on the verge of death.” He gave Levi a quick pat on his shoulder, and then sat across the small table from him. “It is good to see you again, my friend.”
Levi smiled briefly. “Likewise, Harrison.”
“Samuel informed me that your training was successful with Galleta!” Harrison smiled proudly at Levi. “Excellent work! I must admit, serving on Earth is not the same without you.”
Levi chuckled. “The other men couldn’t put up with your nonsense, I assume?”
“Keep up!” Harrison corrected. “Keep up with my amazing talents, of course.” he laughed, and then looked over at Reece. “I heard she’s going to come out of this okay.”
“I do not know what has happened to her. I cannot tell you how long I’ve been sitting here struggling to understand what caused this. I can only conclude that it is a result of her being forced to live in Pemdas.” He looked at Harrison.
“Was she really that bad?”
“I can’t describe to you how she looked when I first came upon her. It was horrid. The worst part was that she was extremely frightened of me. The repulsion she held for me in her eyes…” He trailed off, unable to finish.
“Levi, you need to pull yourself together. She’ll be fine now. This is most likely a result of her trying to keep up with all of the engagement planning.” He stretched out his long legs and crossed them. “I encountered her for a few moments before I left for Earth, and she appeared quite frantic about it all, even then.”
“What do you mean?”
“I passed her in the downstairs corridor walking with Simone the other day. She was carrying
linens, her hair falling out of its pins, and she seemed like she was in a hurry to get somewhere.” He softly laughed. “Of course, I teased her, and asked if Jasmeen had taken the week off.” Harrison looked over at Reece. “I guess I should have read into it more, especially after the colorful words she paid me in response to my teasing her.”
“All of this is inexplicable to me. Maybe she was overdoing it with the planning?” Levi added.
“That’s possibly why I didn’t read any more into her frazzled demeanor. She only reinforced why I was returning to my duties, and why I advised you to avoid a traditional ceremony from Earth.” He leaned back and crossed his arms. “There was no way I was about to stay here and listen to the voices of stressed-out women planning parties, and all the other nonsense that is included with these celebrations.”
Levi leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Well, apparently she managed to hide it all rather well from everyone.” He exhaled. “She wasn’t feeling well the night before I left; I wonder if that was the start of all of this. But why would Reece overexert herself like that?”
“If you spend your time obsessing over how you and everyone should have seen this coming, you will go mad. Reece will recover; and when she does, I highly suggest that we kick Simone out of the house, and then cancel the ostentatious engagement party.”
Levi’s eyes widened in revelation at what Harrison had said, but before he could say anything, Jasmeen entered with Levi’s tray of food.
“Jasmeen, I must say, I am offended!” Harrison said with a smug grin. “Are you not concerned for my well-being also?”
Jasmeen laughed softly. “Forgive me, Master Harrison. Will you be taking your dinner here as well?”
“Well, I am not necessarily going anywhere for a while. I believe it is my duty to make sure Levi doesn’t fall apart on you,” he said with a wink.
“Give me a moment,” she said, and left the room.
Levi remained focused on Reece, ignoring the food that was brought up to him. He ran his both hands through his hair as he contemplated what Harrison had said.
“You should probably eat; staring at Reece is not going to solve anything right now,” Harrison added. “And quit running your hands through your hair every time you become bothered by something or you will soon have none left!” he said with a laugh.
Levi looked back at his cousin. “I believe you may be on to something.”
“Of course I am; now eat, before you go bald and are forced to stay in your bed as well.”
Levi rolled his eyes. “I am talking about Reece.” He eyed Harrison. “Do you suppose Simone could have had something to do with this?”
Harrison smiled at Levi mischievously. “There’s only one way to find out,” he answered.
Levi’s darkened expression didn’t change as he nodded in agreement.
Levi awoke early the next morning, somewhat stiff from sleeping in the chair next to Reece’s bed all night. Any discomfort was replaced when he noted Reece’s improved appearance as she continued to sleep. The natural, healthy glow of her complexion had returned, and that meant her health had improved drastically.
Soon enough she would be awake, and he would have the satisfaction of staring into her healthy, blue eyes. He looked forward to discussing with her the events that had transpired during his absence.
He stood and cautiously made his way over to where she lay in bed. He gently brushed her hair from her forehead and leaned over to place a tender kiss on it. “I love you,” he whispered.
He pulled his waistcoat on, and had begun the process of tying his cravat, when Jasmeen entered the bedchamber. The expression on her face was that of distress.
“Jasmeen?” he said, as he finished tying his cravat. “Is something wrong?”
“Forgive the intrusion, sir, but Simone is here to call on Reece.”
What is she doing here? Levi thought in annoyance. He was irritated by her visitation, but this gave him the perfect opportunity to question what had happened in his absence.
“Have her wait in the sitting room; I’ll be out in a moment.” He said.
After Jasmeen left, Levi took a few moments of silence to calm himself and gather his senses. He couldn’t approach this with the anger that he constantly felt toward the woman. He needed to deal with Simone rationally. It was only an assumption, but after Simone proved her initial hatred toward Reece, Levi would never be able to trust the woman’s motives. With one last glance at Reece, he exited the bed chamber.
Reece’s eyes snapped open after fighting for her life in yet another terrorizing dream, but something was different this time. She felt a little weak, but her thoughts weren’t so scrambled. For the first time in a long time, she could validate that she had woken up from a dream.
Without hesitation, she reached for her journal, and quickly jotted down this particular nightmare. This one was about Movac, and the other aliens in the council, fighting to get the map to the stone from her mind. She shuddered at the memory of the excruciating pain she’d felt in her head.
As she recalled that particular part of her dream, her head began to throb. She sat up to call for Jasmeen, but before she got out of bed, she froze when she heard voices out in the sitting room. Her heart started racing when she noticed the chair that was pulled up next to her bed. That looks strangely familiar, she thought, as she realized this exact situation took place in one of her very first nightmares about Levi.
She swallowed hard when she recognized that both of the voices in her sitting room belonged to Levi and Simone. Am I having premonitions now? she thought. It was definitely strange and frightening that a dream could have predicted the future.
She grabbed her journal and flipped to the pages of the nightmare she’d had about this exact moment. “No,” she softly whispered. “It can’t be.” she said to herself, as this scenario was identical to the previous dream. She would have to change it, then. Her entire approach to Levi had to be different, and she had to find a way to get him out of her room. She carefully slid the journal back in its hiding spot and pulled on her robe. Her head was pounding with this awful headache, and she was struggling to walk toward the exit of her bedchamber.
She stopped at the entrance, using the door frame to hold herself up. She noticed that Levi and Simone were in the exact same places she remembered in her dream. Levi was staring solemnly down at Simone, while Simone cried into her hands.
She glanced at Levi, and was instantly repulsed by the expression on his face. How many times had he looked at her like that in her nightmares?
“Levi!” she called out to him sternly.
Levi’s head snapped up and his eyes were wide with amazement. “Reece, why did you not call for Jasmeen?” Levi approached her, and she instinctively avoided him by quickly walking over to sit by Simone on the couch. If that nightmare was a premonition, there was no way she would give Levi an opportunity to hurt her.
“Tell me what’s going on out here, Levi!” She looked up to find him standing in the middle of the room, staring at her with a look of total confusion.
Levi’s brow furrowed in question. “Forgive me if I woke you, it was not my intention. Simone and I were—”
Reece let out an exaggerated exhale. “Levi! Just stop. It’s obvious that you are out here blaming Simone for something.”
“I have not blamed Simone for anything,” he said in disillusionment. “She sits here distraught, concerned for you.”
Reece studied Levi’s bewildered expression, and even though this was no longer playing out like her dream had, she could hardly look at him without feeling absolutely disgusted by his presence. Have these nightmares destroyed my love for him?
Simone interrupted her thoughts. “Reece, Levi has been nothing but kind since I entered the room. Of course he had his fears of me harming you, but I understand why he would feel that way.”
Reece’s eyes narrowed as she stared at Levi. “I think you should leave,” she said flatly.
“Leave?” he responded.
“Yes, leave my room. I don’t need you in here lecturing Simone and jumping to conclusions about her hurting me.”
Levi’s posture stiffened, and his expression was unreadable. “Reece, the doctor has requested you rest for at least a day in bed. Before I leave, I must be assured that you will remain in bed until your health is restored,” he finally responded.
“I don’t need you giving me orders!” she answered, as she stood and brushed past him toward her room. She gazed up into his dark expression. “But I will get in bed so you’ll leave.”
“Reece, please.” His eyes were pleading as they stared into hers. “After returning to find you so ill yesterday, I was hoping we could talk—”
“Later,” she interrupted him. “For now, just go.”
Reece’s head was throbbing, and she had no idea why she was being so rude to him.
“Very well,” he answered, before turning to leave the room. As Simone proceeded to follow him, Reece called out.
“Simone, please stay,” she said, forcing Levi and Simone both to stare at her in disbelief. “I want to talk to you.”
Levi watched Simone speculatively as she walked over to where Reece stood. One last glance at Reece, and he was out of the room.
Once he was gone, Reece felt a sudden wave of emotion and the need to have Levi back in the room again. Ugh! My head is killing me! she thought, as she massaged her forehead. Why am I acting like this? All I want is him out of my sight, and now all I want is him back with me? She wanted to scream at how psychotic she was behaving. She was absolutely disgusted with herself for treating Levi the way she did.
“Is everything okay?” Simone asked.
“I don’t know,” Reece answered honestly. “I need something to get rid of this headache.” She looked at Simone. “I have to apologize to Levi for that; I feel horrible.”
Simone gently guided Reece back toward her bed. “Once you are feeling better, I’ll have Jasmeen send for him.”
For the next hour or so, Simone brought Reece up to speed about how she’d been acting over the last week when she’d stopped eating and sleeping. Unable to remember much of anything, Reece was mortified by her behavior, and she wondered how she would be able to face everyone again. After Simone had left, Reece sat in her bed contemplating how she would apologize to everyone.
