Opening the door, Treville watched as Aramis' brothers gradually calmed him down to the point that he finally fell asleep.
"Does this happen often?" he asked.
"Too often," Athos replied. "It disrupts his rest, which he desperately needs to assist his healing."
"I had come to let you know you have guard duty at the palace tomorrow. I suspect the Cardinal had something to do with it," unconsciously revealing that he thought just like them in regards to the Cardinal possibly meddling with his men's care of Aramis.
"I am going to talk to Louis tomorrow morning. Seems the Cardinal has a short trip tomorrow that will take him out of Paris for two days, do he will not be around to disturb us as I tell Louis what has been going on.
"Please continue your care, and if you need anything, let me know," leaving as he finished speaking.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Porthos was sitting with Aramis a couple of days later and several nightmares later, and had nodded off as his brother slept. He hadn't meant to, but they had all lost quite a bit of sleep lately. Even though they divided up their time with Aramis, none of them were sleeping soundly, wanting to be there if the nightmares came again.
Aramis awoke with a start, finding himself in darkness. I need to try to get back, he told himself. My brothers are going to be worried about me, he thought, thinking he was in the woods yet.
Managing to pull himself up into a sitting position, he looked around again. In his mind, he saw trees everywhere he looked. He didn't know which direction to take.
It was then that he heard it. A low growl. Swinging his head wildly around, searching, he didn't see anything. But he heard it when it snarled somewhere close by.
"No!" he whispered to himself. Swinging one leg shakily off the bed, he pushed the rest of his body forward. Once he was sitting on the edge of the bed, he put his hands on the mattress on either side of him, and pushed again.
He stood upright for a mere second or so before collapsing, landing in a graceless sprawl on the floor.
Porthos, the sound awakening him at last, flew out of his chair and knelt by his brother.
Panic in his expression, he laid his hand on Aramis' cheek, saying softly but urgently, "Aramis!" And once more, "Aramis!"
Finally, he saw some slight movement from his brother, as Aramis tried to shift his body, his hands reaching out to scrabble for purchase on the wood of the floor as he once again attempted to flee the animal he perceived coming after him.
Porthos, realizing that Aramis was desperate with fear, and knowing from his nightmares just what that fear was, reached under his struggling brother, and pulled him into his lap as he sat on the floor.
Speaking softly, he said, "There is no wolf here, mon ami. We are in the infirmary. In the garrison. The door is closed. Athos and d'Artagnan will be back with supper in a few minutes. You do not need to be afraid, Aramis."
"But…but I heard it. It..it was here." The scenario was frighteningly like the previous wolf incident months ago, when Aramis had also heard a wolf, and nearly walked to the rocky bank of a swift-moving creak to escape it.
"No," Porthos responded, "it is your dreams. You have been reliving what happened. The nightmares have been relentless since we found you. We killed it, Aramis. All three of us shot at the same time. It's dead. You are all right."
Aramis was silent for so long, he had Porthos worried about that, too. The marksman's head was down, and he was unmoving.
Athos and d'Artagnan had slipped back in the door now, and were listening, silent as they didn't want to interrupt the tableau in front of them.
Finally, just when Porthos was pondering what he should do next, Aramis spoke.
Quietly, he said, "Thank you," looking up now into his best friend's eyes.
"You don't have to thank me, Aramis, or any of us. You would do the same if we were in trouble."
"Not…not for just killing to the…killing it. For taking care of me. For saving me from my nightmares. For…" stopping for a moment, shakily raking his hand through his hair.
Looking up into Porthos' eyes, then turning his head slightly to include his other brothers, who had thought they had gone unnoticed, he went on.
"For pulling me back from the death I thought I was headed for. For being the brothers I love more than my own life."
All three of them were incredibly moved by his words. It was a highly emotional moment. They were also giving silent and profound thanks that he was awake and alert, something that had been an unvoiced fear gripping all of them's hearts.
Again, there was silence from them all.
Then, Athos said, "We should probably get you back into bed, Aramis."
But Aramis, on hearing this, and before they realized what he was going to do, suddenly pushed himself off the floor.
For a moment, they were stunned that he got as far as he did. He made it off the floor, almost to his knees.
But then, almost in slow motion, his body collapsed. Porthos stopped him from having a hard meeting with the wood of the floor, holding him tightly, partly to keep his brother from possibly trying it again, and partly because they had just too close to losing him. "Of all the stubborn...," stopping when Athos held up his hand.
Athos spoke for all of them when he said, "You do realize this was just a little too soon to do this, Aramis, do you not?"
At the small nod from his brother, he let up and said softly, "Let us care for you until you are truly well enough to do for yourself?"
They were expecting him to say 'I'm fine' or come variation of it. So they were really thrown when he hung his head, saying, "I'm sorry."
"Aramis, we are not angry with you. We just know that you put everyone possible before yourself. We want you well again," Athos told him, breathing a sigh of relief when his brother nodded as he raised his head to look from one face to the other.
Athos, his eyes still on Aramis, reached out his hand palm down. Aramis responded, doing the same, followed by Porthos and d'Artagnan. All for one.
Porthos took that as a signal to lift his brother back up into the bed, fussing over him as he logged the rumpled blanket over him.
Athos headed for the door, with the intent of informing Treville of their good news.
D'Artagnan quickly took a seat on the chair next to the bed, grinning up at Porthos as he said, "My turn!"
Porthos, sighing in defeat, said, "I'll go see what Serge can rustle up for us to eat," looking down with a smile at Aramis.
Aramis smiled back. He knew his brothers well, and they had proved again how well they knew him, and loved him as much as the love he had for them.
