A full day later, Cara was still sitting by Kahlan's bed.
She'd called for Zedd, Richard, and the palace healer as she'd marched into Kahlan's room and gently lowered the Confessor's limp body onto fresh sheets. Kahlan's pulse had been slow, but steady, and they'd tried to wake her. First with cold water and a damp cloth to her brow; to no effect. When smelling salts and magic had both failed to yield results, the healer had warned that Kahlan might never wake.
Cara fought back the feeling of guilt creeping up on her, the nagging voice that said she should've taken better care of Kahlan, shouldn't have let her exert herself on their walk. She knew that given a chance to do things over, Kahlan would choose to spend that hour out in the sun again, rather than sitting idle and safe within the stone and marble of the palace. Cara also knew that, even if she could do things over, she wouldn't be able to deny Kahlan's request any better the second time; not when Kahlan pouted at her with mirth in her eyes and then smiled brightly when Cara acquiesced.
Feelings make you weak. Cara's fists clenched with the effort of pushing her emotions back into their dark and dusty corner. She drew on her Mord-Sith training, pulling the familiar persona around herself as armour against the onslaught.
Her fists unclenched. She took a breath.
She stood and began to pace at the foot of the bed.
Kahlan had been asleep for nearly two full days before she finally, miraculously, awoke. Cara was at her side in an instant, feeling her pulse, watching her chest rise and fall with each shaky breath, feeling her face for signs of fever. Kahlan noted Cara's wide-eyed expression, the flash of hope in green eyes. But Kahlan felt weak. She knew she was only going to get worse.
Their eyes met. Cara's glistened with unshed tears and swam with emotion that was usually kept hidden. She retrieved a glass of water from the dresser and helped Kahlan take a sip.
"What happened?" Kahlan cleared her throat, finding her voice hoarse from lack of use.
Cara swallowed back the lump in her throat. "You don't remember?"
"I remember we were at the lake."
Cara's body tensed, as though preparing for battle. The change was subtle, but Kahlan had always been particularly observant.
"You fainted. It's been two days."
Kahlan broke their eye contact, unable to bear the weight of Cara's scrutiny. She could only nod.
Unseen by the Confessor, Cara's shoulders slumped slightly as she moved towards the door. She called on a young girl from the palace staff to send for Richard and Zedd, and to bring Kahlan some broth, remembering how Kahlan's stomach had spoken two days earlier. She stayed by the door, watching Kahlan from the corner of her eye, until the young girl returned with a steaming bowl. Kahlan pulled herself upright in bed as Cara walked over. She smiled in thanks when the Mord-Sith carefully handed her the bowl, but Cara noted that the smile hadn't reached Kahlan's eyes.
Kahlan didn't have the heart to tell Cara that the smell of the broth made her queasy or that she wasn't as hungry as she should've been after going so long without food. She also knew that she needed to ingest something if she hoped to regain some strength. Cara perched on the edge of the bed with a look that Kahlan thought resembled a hopeful puppy. So she forced the liquid down, spoonful by spoonful, until the bowl was empty. As Cara was taking the bowl from her hands, Richard and Zedd came bursting through the door.
