by Summer Lee
“Wake up, dear,” he was saying. “You can do it.”
“Hi,” she mumbled.
“Hi, my sweetness,” he said and she saw that his eyes were red. Had the brave and noble Asher been weeping? For her?
“What’s happened to me?” she asked, trying to sit up. Asher gently helped her into a slightly more manageable position. She fought waves of dizziness.
“Your son was too large for you to deliver,” he said kindly.
“I know,” she whispered. “You helped me.”
“Yes. You have been mostly unconscious ever since.”
Kenana tried to focus her eyes on his face, and only grudgingly did his square-jawed, weathered face come into clarity.
Kenana said, “I feel…I feel as if I haven’t moved in days.”
He smiled gently. Everything Asher did was gentle. That is, unless she, Kenana, was threatened. “You have been unconscious, my dear, for nearly a week, and we have given you some sips of water and broth as you could take it. I have been praying—all of us have been praying—for your return to us. It appears El has answered our prayers.”
“All of us?” Kenana asked, sitting up a little more.
“Sara and Tall, your sister and her husband, your field hands…everyone here at the palace whose lives you have touched. We have all been praying for you, my dear.”
“Thank you. Thank them.” Kenana grimaced, touching her lower abdomen. “I hurt so much. Right here.”
“You’ve been through a lot.”
Kenana reached for his hand and he gave it to her. She gripped it weakly and brought it to her lips. She closed her eyes and they sat like that together. Until she remembered something very awful.
“Asher, I dreamed…I dreamed that you cut my stomach open…with a sharp blade.”
“That wasn’t a dream, dear.” He grimaced. “I had to do it, my queen. You were dying. It was the only way to save your life.”
“And the baby?”
“He is doing well,” said Asher, grinning. But she noticed the grin waver slightly. Just slightly. “He is a big, handsome boy.”
Kenana burst out crying, relief flooding through her. Asher held her close to his heart, patting her and soothing her with kind, loving words.
*
She woke a little later, a fire in her belly. Asher, who had been sitting by her with eyes half-closed, turned his head toward her. She reached out for him, her hand grabbing the sleeve of his embroidered robe. “I can’t stand this pain, Asher. Please help me.”
He stepped over to a long table and poured wine from a clay jug into a delicate ceramic cup. Back at her side, he tilted the cup over her dry lips. Only then did Kenana realize how parched she was. She drank greedily until he pulled the cup away, spilling some down the front of her gown. She whimpered for more but he held firm. Kenana knew not to argue with Asher. The man was as steadfast as they came. Indeed, he was her rock.
Next, he carefully pulled aside her bedding and opened her robe. Kenana was still in too much pain to feel ashamed. He generously poured some of the wine over her incision. At first, pain coursed through her and black spots swam behind her eyelids. She fought to remain conscious. And soon—although not soon enough for Kenana’s liking—the pain in her abdomen subsided. Not entirely, granted, but enough to be bearable.
Next, Asher gently rolled her over onto her side. Kenana groaned with pain.
“Sorry, my dear,” he said. “But it is good to switch positions when one has been lying so long.”
She trusted him, of course. And as she lay on her side, she was surprised to feel a hair comb being pulled through her tangled hair.
“Allow me,” he said, and she heard the mirth in his voice.
Kenana smiled at the thought of the big man delicately working her hair. It felt so good to have someone care about her appearance. His touch, however, was so soft, gentle and loving that she was soon fast asleep.
Chapter Eleven
When morning came, Kenana found herself looking out her bedside window. A thick morning fog swirled through the garden’s many lush trees. She felt the gloom extend into her soul.
Kenana turned away from the window. Beside her bed, his head at an awkward angle, was Asher. He was fast asleep, snoring lightly.
Precious Asher!
He had saved her life. He had saved her baby’s life. He was truly her Goel.
Did not Asher say her baby was a boy? He had. She was sure of it.
She had a baby boy!
And just as quickly as the joy swept through her, fear gripped her again.
Was the boy human or Nephilim?
By El’s grace, she did not care! She would love the babe no matter what. El had given him to her, and she would care for him, and nurture him and teach him the ways of goodness and love. He would grow up to be a strong man. She would teach him to rescue helpless women, to defend innocent children. He could grow up caring for others, not self-centered like most Nephilim.
Eager to the point of crawling out of her skin, Kenana was about to awaken Asher when something very strange happened: A small dog appeared in her room, dashing through her partially open bedchamber door and scampering over the flagstone tiles, its tiny claws clicking. In a minor feat of agility, it leaped up onto her bed. Tongue hanging out, it padded over to her and promptly licked her face.
Kenana laughed. “Where did you come from, you little darling?”
Asher awoke, leaping to his feet, instantly drawing a small knife hidden in the folds of his robe. He saw Kenana petting the little dog, relaxed, and sheathed the knife.
Kenana, basking in the little creature’s love, said, “I think I can handle this one on my own, Asher.” She grinned. “And whose little bundle of love is this?”
“Queen Kenana,” said Asher formally, “I would like to introduce you to Little Blue, Sarah’s puppy.”
Kenana found herself giggling and making silly noises at the little dog. With her mood lightened and her spirits raised, she asked, “Where is my baby?”
“Sarah and Mara are caring for him downstairs. One of them will bring him up to see you soon.”
“I hope so. I want to see him.”
“One of them will bring him here. They take turns coming upstairs with him. They place him on your breasts a few times a day so that he can bond with you,” he said. He sat down on the edge of her bed, and took her hand. “Yet you give him very little nourishment, my queen, which is why Mara found you a wet nurse.”
Kenana blinked, stunned. “I…I have been breastfeeding while unconscious?”
“Sometimes,” he said. “But you have not produced enough nourishment, unfortunately. The wet nurse, however, makes up for what you cannot provide.”
“I see,” she said, and lapsed into silence, gripping his hand in return. He ran a calloused thumb over her knuckles. “Asher, I….” she began, but was unsure of how to continue.
“Yes, my queen?”
She tried again. “I want to thank you for coming back. I was afraid I would never see you again.”
He smiled down on her tenderly, his thumb caressing the back of her hand, rubbing each finger gently. Kenana returned his gaze, certain that the same love in her heart was in his, too. His hand moved up from her hand, to her face, and he winked.
“I will always return to you, my queen. I am, after all, your Goel.”
“I know that you feel obligated.”
“I am not obligated. I asked for this assignment when you were quite young. I love my job even if I was allotted it by El.” She saw joy on Asher’s face as he released his emotions. He burst out in laughter. “You have no idea what you mean to me.”
She blinked back a tear. “Oh, Asher—”
He touched her lips to silence her.
She wanted to ask him where he had gone, what he had done, but she did not want to pry. It was his life, and he was now free to be whom he wanted, and to do what he wanted. The natural attachment she had for Asher caused her to feel she could t
rust him completely. Despite the simple and common life he had when he served Prince Jubal, he had never paraded his virtues.
Still, Kenana secretly hoped he would one day tell her where he had been and what he had been doing for nine months.
He looked gently into her eyes. “You want to talk, don’t you?”
“Yes. I have so much to tell you. So much to ask you.”
He stroked her cheek. “We will have a long talk one of these days. This is not a good time for you. You are too weak and fragile. You must rest now.”
“That will be good.”
For now, she relished his comforting touch, and closed her eyes. Just before she drifted off to sleep, she felt his warm lips on hers.
Chapter Twelve
Kenana slept deeply. A gurgling noise got her attention. As she was waking up, she sensed a presence in the darkened room. Once again, she saw the gorgeous angel in a glowing light. She was holding a big beautiful baby boy, rocking him gently. The angel looked at Kenana and touched her forefinger to her lips to signal Kenana not to speak. She then motioned toward the infant who was sound asleep. In his sleep, he was making the gurgling sounds that had awakened Kenana.
A wide smile spread across Kenana’s face. In her heart, she knew this was her son’s guardian angel. The angel nodded to her, and returned the smile. This lifted Kenana’s spirits considerably. Her baby was being well cared for. She watched the angel put her son back into his reed basket, and then closed her eyes.
When she opened her eyes, again it was morning. Sitting next to her bed was her sister, holding a large bundle in her arms.
Mara smiled down at Kenana. “Good morning, little sister. You are awake early.”
“I don’t exactly have a sleeping schedule.”
“At least you are not sleeping night and day.”
Kenana sat up. “I think I am a miracle mother.”
“Agreed.” Her sister had inherited their mother’s plain looks and father’s considerable girth around the middle. In fact, the two sisters looked nothing alike, but if Mara had ever been jealous of Kenana’s beauty, she had never shown it. Indeed, other than typical childhood spats, her sister had only displayed nothing but kindness to her.
“I know I need to get out of bed,” Kenana said. “I figure it is time to start helping care for my son.”
“Nonsense, Keni. We almost lost you. Take as long as you need. You will have plenty of time to be a good mother later on.”
“You are the best sister in the world.” Tears suddenly filled Kenana’s eyes. “I love you so much, Mara.”
Her sister smiled gently at her, rocking the bundle in her arms. “I love you, too, Keni. You are my baby sister, after all.”
“I appreciate you, too.”
“Dearest, you are a good woman. We all love caring for you.”
“Thank you.”
“Also, I want to thank you for being so kind to Gad.”
Kenana cringed, remembering her brother-in-law’s marriage proposal. Her mind suddenly went blank. “What kindness did I show him, sister? Refresh my memory.”
“You gave him his father’s music business, remember?”
“Oh, yes! The music business!” said Kenana, relieved. “The beautiful hand-crafted harps and flutes that Prince Jubal created with his own hands.”
Mara could not know that Gad had proposed to her just a few days earlier. Kenana would never tell anyone, not even her closest friends. The news would devastate Mara, and Kenana could not fathom the possibility of her sister being hurt in any way. She was too fragile and precious.
“He hopes to expand the business, you know. Perhaps I can ride along whenever Gad goes to Zoan to sell the instruments.”
“Oh, I hope so. You will love such a trip. One of the most wonderful things that ever happened in my life was traveling for my dear husband. You know I represented him because he was aging quickly?”
“Yes, he became quite ill after you left, though.”
“I hope it wasn’t because of me.”
“I don’t think so. It was just his time to go. Now Gad will continue the good work. I am so proud of him,” said Mara. “They are truly a talented family of instrument makers.”
Kenana was glad to hear Mara speak well of her husband, and relieved that the issue of Gad wanting to marry her had not come up.
The bundle in Mara’s arms began to cry. “You have his face covered, silly,” said Kenana. “Why?”
“Oh, Keni, you know. It is to keep the light out. So he would not wake up too soon.”
Kenana was glad to change the subject away from the young prince, and to the infant in her sister’s arms.
“That is…my baby. Right?” Kenana asked hesitantly.
“It is he. Would you like to hold him?”
“Yes.” Kenana barely choked out the words. She could not speak for some reason. Tears welled in her eyes, she nodded and held out her arms.
Mara gently rose from the padded chair, holding the babe. She came to her sister’s side and carefully lowered the big bundle into Kenana’s waiting arms.
The baby was nearly hidden within the folds of the soft woolen blanket. The early morning light touched his chubby cheeks, and Kenana was truly shocked by the weight of the child she was holding. She found herself laughing, despite her near-tears just seconds earlier.
“What a big baby you are,” she said quietly. “If I did not know any better, I would say you were already a year old.”
Kenana ran her fingers through his sable-colored hair. Such thick hair! She lightly danced her fingertips over the soft skin of his face, and saw immediately that he had Malluch’s strong nose. He would grow up to be a handsome man. He would grow up to be a handsome Nephilim, a giant among men.
“He is wet. Get me a diaper and I will change him by myself.”
Mara handed her a three-cornered cloth, folded several times in the shape of a triangle. “He is too big for the diapers you had made for him, so I made these.”
“Thank you,” said Kenana as she wrapped the material around her son, tying it in the front.
“I can tell you love him.”
“I surely do.”
“He is gorgeous.”
“I believe the word is handsome.” They both burst out laughing.
Kenana next counted his fingers and toes. Ten each! She nuzzled his nose and chin with her own nose. Already, she loved this baby so much.
While she held her newborn, the daughters of Eber and Lana chatted like teenagers, laughing and sometimes crying, until the sun had risen high overhead.
Chapter Thirteen
Kenana was awakened from her nap by a curious sensation: The wet tongue of a dog.
“Why, hello, little one,” said Kenana, sitting up and laughing, instinctively putting a hand out to shield the baby, who was lying between Kenana and Mara, from the puppy’s excited paws.
“She likes you, my queen,” said a familiar voice, and stepping into the room behind the dog was a young woman whom Kenana had grown to love with all her heart: Sarah. Her one-time servant was wearing a fashionable peach-colored tunic and matching cloak, the neckline trimmed with lace. Sarah smiled brightly down at her, tears glistening in her big round eyes.
“Oh, Sarah!” said Kenana, wishing she could leap out of bed and run to her friend. Instead, Sarah dashed across the room and threw herself into Kenana’s open arms, and both women hugged and wept.
“I have a gift for you,” said Sarah, finally pulling away and sitting on the edge of the bed.
“The dog?” said Kenana. “She’s adorable, Sarah, but I think I will have my hands full with my son.”
Sarah laughed and picked Blue up. “No, silly. I want you to meet your wet nurse.”
In that moment, Kenana realized that someone had been standing outside her door. Sarah beckoned to her and a dark-skinned, heavyset woman with breasts swelled like a milk cow’s stepped inside. She bowed so deeply that Kenana worried that the top-heavy woman might topple over.
“Please stand,” said Kenana. The woman did, although she looked down at the ground. Servants, Kenana had discovered, did not look her in the eye.
“This is Gola,” said Sarah. “Your wet nurse.”
Kenana thanked her for her help. The woman blushed and bowed even deeper. “My pleasure, madam.”
With Mara’s help, Sarah carefully picked the infant up off the bed and gave him to Gola, who cradled the babe in her thick arms. “Your son is a big boy, my queen,” she gushed. “What’s his name?”
“I am thinking of calling him Tyro,” said Kenana. “It is a strong name.”
“Oh, I love it!” said Sarah.
Kenana clapped her hands. “Tyro, it is!”
For the next few minutes, the four women lavished praise over the newborn, calling him by his new name. In response, the child awakened and stretched his chubby fingers and seemed to look hungrily upon Gola. The big woman sat with him in a corner chair. She pulled a blanket over him and brought him to her breast, then lifted the blanket higher to her own shoulder, thus providing privacy for the little one to enjoy his meal.
Tyro slurped loudly.
All four women laughed.
Sarah said to Kenana, “Asher thinks you need to get the blood circulating through your legs. He wants Mara and me to help you downstairs.”
“But…I can’t,” said Kenana, suddenly filled with panic. Her body still ached. By El, just holding the little puppy had even strained her stomach. She did not think she could make it to the end of the hall, much less down the stairs!
Mara put her arm gently around Kenana’s shoulders. “With our help, you can.”
“Please have mercy.”
“This is mercy,” said Sarah, also putting her arm around Kenana’s other shoulder.
“No,” she muttered.
“You can do it.”
“Not now.”
“Yes. Now,” Sarah said more firmly this time.
Queen or not, Kenana knew then that she had no choice in the matter. And before she could protest further, both women had gently propped her up in a sitting position. Sarah then carefully lifted her legs over the side of the bed.
