This is the last chapter of Who? Thanks so much for all of you who have followed or reviewed my story. I appreciate it very much!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Treville left as soon as the sun was up, heading for Paris as quickly as he could ride. With him, he brought two of the tarts, wrapped up snugly to keep them as fresh as possible for the physician to examine. He didn't know if the doctor would be able to figure out what was in it, especially after several days' time, but he was determined to at least ask the doctor to try his hand at figuring it out.
Aramis, before he was more than half-awake that morning, was agitatedly calling Athos' name, and nearly fell out of bed in his distress, Porthos just getting there before it happened. "He is all right, Aramis. Look!", Porthos sadly said, and Athos smiled as Aramis quieted once more at seeing him.
Athos and his brothers were at their wit's end trying to figure out what to do for Aramis. Each time he awoke, he thought Athos had been killed. Athos,for his part,refused to leave his brother's side. It was only seeing him that seemed to calm Aramis down. They figured it had to be something ingested, as he had not continued to do this when he had seen Porthos shot. They could only hope the Captain's hunch would give them some answers, or that Aramis would gradually come back to normal for them again.
Once he was again quieted, though, he acquieced without question anything his brothers asked him to do, which was unusual for the marksman/medic, as he was generally a bad patient. He always wanted out of bed way before he was well enough to do so. He usually didn't want to take any medicine, complaining about how bad it smelled or tasted, even though he was somewhat of a tyrant himself when he was the one taking care of them. But he ate and drank anything they put before them without question or even raised eyebrows, and didn't attempt once to leave his bed when their backs were turned for a few moments. This only made them worry more, not less, as it was not typical Aramis behavior.
His injuries were healing well, for which they were very grateful. The day came when they felt he was well enough to ride back to Paris with them, but in a cart, not on a horse. They thought he would protest a journey in the back of a cart, but to their great surprise, he once again did exactly as he was asked. They made a cushioned area for him to lay on, and he climbed into the cart without a word, sleeping throughout most of the day.
They made camp that night in a secluded area under some spreading oaks, and continued on to Paris in the morning. Aramis had no more episodes of distress during the trip. They were pleased at this, but didn't know if it was gone for good or not.
They rode back home into the garrison about midday. Some of the other Musketeers gathered to welcome them back, asking if Aramis was all right. With his ready smile and genial personality, he had always been popular with all the members of the garrison. Smiling, he assured them that he was well on the road to recovery.
He allowed Porthos and d'Artagnan to assist him out of the cart and up the stairs to his room. Athos was already there, turning the bedcovers down and putting a pitcher of water and cup beside the bed. Removing his doublet and boots, they started to gently push him back on the pillows, when the old Aramis suddenly showed up.
"You know I'm awake and can generally get into bed without assistance, don't you?" he teased them.
They were so startled by his comment that they just stopped and stared at him.
"I would have been able to pull my boots off and divest myself of my doublet, as well," he commented, with a hint of a smile playing around his lips.
Porthos looked at Athos, who looked at d'Artagnan, and then they all looked at Aramis, Athos saying, "He is back with us."
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Aramis looked at them in confusion, not understanding what Athos' word meant.
Athos explained, "Aramis, ever since the accident with the carriage, you've been unable to stay awake for more than a few minutes. When you were not conscious, you kept reliving Mattieu aiming a gun at me, thinking he fired and killed me. Do you remember the accident now?"
Aramis frowned, trying to concentrate and remember for them. After a few moments, his face reflected his thoughts, as he said, "I was ... lying on the ledge. The door to the carriage ... had been torn off. I ... had fallen out, but the ledge was there. I was barely ... conscious, but ... I saw him aiming his pistol at you."
"How did you get on the ledge, Aramis?" Porthos asked, a question all of them had wondered about.
"I ...", he stopped, frowning. "I don't remember. I ... just remember grabbing hold as well as I could. Then, ... I don't know how I ...". He was becoming agitated that he couldn't remember, and Athos laid his hand on his shoulder, saying, "It is all right, Aramis. We are just glad you are yourself again. You had us quite worried, brother."
"I felt my pistol ... underneath me, and I pulled it out. I couldn't see very well, ...I was dizzy. But... I had to ..." Athos once again stopped him, as he was clearly getting very upset reliving the scene. "You saved my life, Aramis. You are the only one who could have. It was an impossible shot,especially in your condition and where you were taking it from. I am very grateful," squeezing the shoulder he had never taken his hand from.
What ... what is wrong with me?", Aramis asked, not understanding the missing days and the constant sleeping.
"Mattieu put a sleeping powder in the tarts you ate. It would have knocked you out with one tart, but you enjoyed the first one so much, you had another. It just doubled the effect. You will be fine, Aramis. Go back to will not leave you here alone."
He had barely said the words when Aramis was asleep again.
Athos looked at his brothers, and quietly said, "It is a very good thing that Mattieu is dead. I would have taken great pleasure in doing the deed myself."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Treville came a short while later. They all wondered if he had received an answer about the tarts.
He came straight to the point. "The physician thoroughly took apart and checked the tarts for their ingredients. You are not going to believe part of what I am going to tell you."
Three sets of eyebrows were raised at that comment. Their captain was not the dramatic sort, so the information the physician gave him must have been shocking.
He continued. "He recognized the sleeping powder, and he also said eating two of the tarts would have a very strong effect on Aramis, which we already know happened. He found nothing else in the tarts except nutmeg. But he informed me that nutmeg has been known to cause problems with the brain. It can cause a person to see things, experience things they would not have done without eating it. He believes also that Aramis may have some kind of allergy to the spice, which would have made it worse. Seems nutmeg can cause all sorts of problems in a person. He believes the powder combined with the spice caused Aramis' strange reactions, but he also said we can never know for sure, as the ingredients of the tart will have been long gone for him to check out. We can just be glad it did not kill him, as that is a possibility, although it rarely happens, with the spice. He said it can also cause problems with stomachs and the heart, but they don't know much about these problems yet. So Mattieu was guilty of the sleeping powder, but chances are the nutmeg was just a seasoning the cook included in her recipe."
His men looked stunned. "We better keep an eye on him when he eats, then. And ask what's in the foods, especially in the taverns we visit," Porthos said.
Treville asked, "How is he now?"
Athos responded, "He seems to be back to being himself again. He is just incredibly sleepy all the time."
Treville said, "The physician told me to just let him sleep as much as he wants. At this point, it will actually be good for him."
All four men looked down at their beleagered brother, and smiled wearily. He was sleeping, the peaceful expression on his face letting them know he was no longer experiencing the trauma of the past few days. They were profoundly grateful that he had made it through the preceding two months, and was himself again.
THE END
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
According to several online accounts, nutmeg can also cause hallucinations, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, as well as heart and nerve problems. Nowadays, doctors are finding a problem with people of all ages trying to use it to get high. Experts have even found that teenagers using nutmeg, along with magic markers and whipped cream among other household items, can cause seizures, cardiac damage and even something called sudden sniffing death syndrome. According to a doctor at the Central Ohio Poison Center, : "One minute, they're alive and abusing the product and in the next, they've dropped dead." (ABC news report)