A/N: Here's Chapter 8! Thank you everyone who has reviewed so far. Reviews keep me alive!
The last thing he remembered was being offered a pungent tea. After that, everything was blurred. He felt tremendous pain in his right hand. He wanted to struggle, but he didn't dare protest. He knew what happened when he disobeyed. The pain persisted, but then, everything went dark.
Atta took the back way to her quarters to avoid being seen. The last thing she needed right now was talk among the colony. Once she made it to her room, she paused and let out an audible sigh. The morning had been very taxing, and it felt as if a dozen seasons had passed.
She couldn't stop now. She gazed down at Flik who had fallen asleep again. His chin rested on his chest and his breathing had slowed. Atta reached her bed which sat in the corner of the room. The princess carefully laid Flik down on the cotton bed draped in satiny petals. He was still wrapped in the blanket from the infirmary and she tucked it around him. She gently lifted his head and placed a pillow underneath it. It was still quite chilly inside the anthill so she pulled her heavy woven quilt over him. Atta had positioned Flik against the wall. She hoped he would feel safer that way.
Now that Flik was away from the prying eyes of the colony, Atta felt much more satisfied. For the first time all morning, she allowed herself to relax. Flik's bandages still needed to be changed, but she wanted to let him rest first. After all, they had just inflicted more trauma to his already abused body. The princess pulled up a chair from the center of the room and settled in, waiting for Flik to wake.
Several hours passed and it was late in the afternoon. Flik stirred awake after a pulsing pain in his right arm woke him. The entire arm throbbed from the tips of his fingers to his shoulder. The rest of him was still sore, but all he could focus on was his hand. He closed his right eye again and tried to control his breathing which had become erratic. After a few moments when he had calmed, he opened his eye, the left was still swollen shut, and took stock of his surroundings. His head still felt fuzzy, but he noticed he was no longer in the infirmary. He was more comfortable than before. A heavy blanket was draped over him.
Where else could he be? Was this his room?
The room he occupied was much too big to be his, and it seemed bigger than a normal room anyway. Being in this new environment increased Flik's anxiety.
He must have dreamt the whole thing. He's still with Hopper and his gang. They'll be coming for him any minute.
Flik began to tremble until a thought struck him.
The grasshoppers never put him in a bed. They had never so much as given him a blanket. What was going on?
The stress of the unknown situation made Flik's breathing labored, and he let out a small whimper.
There was nothing to do but wait.
Atta had left to ask Dr. Flora for more of the special herbal tea after she noticed Flik moaning in his sleep. She didn't want him to wake up in pain. Dr. Flora was more than happy to oblige and quickly brewed a whole pot for Flik. Now, the princess was on her way back to her room with the pot and more medical supplies.
Upon entering her quarters, Atta heard a small, distressed sound. She rushed to the bed and set the pot and the rest of the things down on her bedside table. Flik was trembling and breathing hard again. She had been hoping to arrive before he woke up. Atta took a seat on the bed and laid a hand over Flik.
"Shhh, it's okay. I'm here now," reassured Atta.
Flik slowly looked up at her, his eye unfocused.
It was Princess Atta again.
Had he been hallucinating? Why did he keep seeing her? He never saw her before.
Many times Flik had thought about what Princess Atta would think about what the grasshoppers were doing to him. He even imagined her being a witness to his humiliation, and each time he imagined her disgusted, not sympathetic. After all, he had lied to her and the rest of the colony. Not to mention his other countless faults such as the harvester incident. He was the reason all of this had happened in the first place. He knew he deserved to be punished. Still he couldn't get past how real everything felt each time he woke.
Maybe he really was home. But why would the Princess be taking care of him?
Flik whimpered again as the thoughts flooded his mind and closed his eye again.
Atta knew Flik must be in pain, so she poured the contents of the pot into a leaf cup. She set the cup down again so she could help Flik sit up.
"Flik, sweetheart, I have something for you. It'll help with the pain," Atta said reaching down to grasp Flik's shoulders.
When she attempted to move him, Flik let out a sharp cry. Atta jumped at the sound and immediately felt guilty for hurting him.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I know it hurts," she consoled. "I just need to lift you up."
Atta gingerly put an arm around Flik's waist and grasped his left arm. In one quick movement, she pulled him up into a sitting position. Flik groaned in pain at being moved. She positioned the pillow behind his back so that he wasn't touching the wall, and then turned and reached for the cup and brought it to Flik's lips.
"Here, have some more tea. It will help you feel better."
Flik reached up and steadied the cup with his left hand and drank slowly. After a few slow sips, he realized just how thirsty he was. He readily drank the whole cup and still wanted more. He was still confused about everything that was happening, but the stress slowly ebbed away as he drank more of the tea.
When Flik finished the tea, Atta deposited the cup on the table and then reached for a small bead of dew. She held it to Flik's lips, and after several long gulps, he finished that, too. Despite the fact that he had been sleeping most of the day, Flik looked exhausted. His good eye grew heavy and his head slumped forward. Atta gently lowered him until he was lying down again. After a few moments, his labored breathing slowed and he fell asleep again.
After Atta was sure Flik was asleep, she pulled the layers of blankets back and began undressing his bandages. She rolled him until he was on his side so she could apply more salve to his back and redress the wounds. Underneath, all Atta could see was dried blood. She sighed in relief and went to clean the lacerations.
When she was done, she reapplied the salve and dressing. Once she was finished with his back, she treated his wrists and ankles the same way. Flik's hand was wrapped neatly in a leaf cast, so she left that alone. She paused before continuing to evaluate his current state. His injuries looked just as bad as before. So many of the bruises resembled hands which unsettled her. She delicately reached over to the swollen side of his face and noticed how hot it was. Wrapped in a leaf parchment next to the rest of the medical supplies was a packed lump of snow. She reached for it and held it to his face to try to bring the swelling down. After several minutes, she removed the snow and felt his face. It felt much cooler now and the swelling had gone down a bit.
She set off to cleaning the rest of him. She noticed that his abdomen was also hot and swollen and there was more dried blood between his legs. Once she had finished cleaning him, she placed the snow over his abdomen. As she held the snow to his body, she wondered why there had been more blood between his legs.
Suddenly it dawned on her. His bruised and swollen abdomen. His bloody legs. The handprints on his waist. The realization of what they did to him struck her like a stone and she felt sick.
Atta gasped and dropped the snow to the ground. She held her hands over her mouth to muffle a strangled sob. They hadn't just beaten him.
They had taken much more.
How was she going to fix this? The wounds would heal, but this damage was irreparable.
Atta didn't know what she could do, but she would be there for him no matter what.
In another bold move, the princess crawled into bed next to Flik. She wrapped her arms around him and held him to her chest as tight as she could without hurting him. He felt frozen. Her tears continued to fall as she held him. She rested her cheek on top of his head and tried to quiet her racing mind.
She had let this happen to him. How could she have let him leave Ant Island in the first place? Anything could have happened to him and she would have never known.
And then again when she banished him. How could she have done that? He had lied about the circus bugs, yes, but they were desperate, not malicious, lies. She saw that now, and she regretted casting him out.
If only she had given him a chance in the beginning, none of this would have happened.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," whispered Atta over and over again.
Eventually the exhaustion from the last two days caught up with her, and she found herself falling asleep.
A knock on her door roused Atta awake. She quickly sprang to her feet and hastily made her way to the entrance. Luckily, the quick movement didn't disturb Flik.
When Atta opened the bark door, she saw Dr. Flora standing before her with two bowls.
"Your Highness, you missed dinner, so I thought you and Flik would like something to eat."
Atta gratefully welcomed the doctor into her chambers. She was very appreciative of Dr. Flora during this time, especially since the other council members and the rest of the colony hadn't changed their minds about Flik being a nuisance.
"I also thought it would be a good idea for me to check on him. Though, I'm sure you're doing a fine job taking care of him on your own," fawned Dr. Flora.
The princess gave a small smile and said, "I'm trying to."
"Has he been getting plenty of fluids?" Dr. Flora inquired.
"He had some tea and water earlier, but I'm not sure if it was enough," replied the princess.
"I'll take a quick look at him. Have his dressings been changed?"
"Yes."
"Very good. I'll just do a quick examination and then I'll be off."
Dr. Flora approached Atta's bed and set the two bowls down on the table. She delicately placed her palm over Flik's forehead.
"Oh, dear. He's so pale. At least he feels a little warmer," commented the doctor.
Atta stood by awkwardly, unsure of what to say or do.
"Let's just hope his wounds don't become infected or that he catches a cold. He's in a very delicate state right now," Dr. Flora went on.
The princess continued to stand there idly twiddling her fingers. She wanted to discuss Flik's other injuries, but she wasn't quite sure how.
"How is his hand?" Atta began.
"It's still quite swollen, but otherwise, it looks fine. It will be a few days before we know how well it's doing."
Atta simply nodded in response as she continued to wring her hands.
"Is something wrong, Your Highness?"
The princess took a little breath before she found her courage to continue, "What about his other injuries?"
Dr. Flora looked puzzled by the question for a moment, but then her eyes went wide when she realized what the princess meant.
"That . . . That will take time. I'm sorry, dear, I wanted to spare you the worry, and I wasn't quite sure how to approach the subject," Dr. Flora confessed. "I already examined him and there doesn't seem to be any permanent internal damage."
At hearing this, Atta felt some relief.
"How should we care for him?" Atta inquired.
"There isn't much we can do. We'll just give him time. It will be important to offer him plenty of support, but I know you'll take good care of him."
Atta nodded earnestly in reply, and she began to tear up at the doctor's kind words.
"Thank you so much for all your help," said Atta sincerely.
The doctor smiled warmly at the princess then said, "I'm glad I could be of help. Well, I'll let you two settle in." Dr. Flora glanced over at the single bed.
Atta blushed when she noticed the doctor staring and looked down at the floor.
"Oh, and Your Highness, Dot was wondering if she could see Flik again."
"Of course," replied the princess.
"I'll send her in then. Goodnight,Princess."
"Goodnight Dr. Flora, and thanks again."
With that, the doctor exited the room.
After Dr. Flora left, she thought about everything that had transpired over the last few months. She looked down at Flik and thought about how grateful she was that he had stood up for her, her sister, and her mother. He had stopped Hopper from threatening Dot last summer and he had rescued Dot from the bird. Flik had protected the whole royal family and was punished because of it. No matter what Atta did, she couldn't stop the feelings of guilt from resurfacing. Perhaps it came with the burden of leadership.
Hopper was right. Everything really was her fault.
A tiny knock at the door snapped Atta back to the present. She knew it must be Dot and went to admit her little sister into the room. As expected, Dot was waiting outside in the hall. She wore a worried and nervous expression.
"Is Flik okay?" Dot asked nervously.
Atta's expression softened at her little sister's innocence. "It's going to be a long time before he's okay," she responded.
Dot's face fell and her shoulders slumped. "I just want him to be better," Dot said sadly.
"He will be, but it will take time and he may not be the same as before," said Atta seriously.
At this, Dot grew tearful and wiped her eyes. She knew it was unrealistic to think that Flik would get better overnight, but still, she had hoped he would.
Atta took Dot's hand and led her to Flik. Even though it was probably inappropriate for Dot to see Flik in his current state, she was his biggest supporter and he was also her favorite person. It would be wrong of Atta to forbid her from seeing him. Once they reached Flik, Atta lifted Dot up and helped her as she clambered into bed. Just as before, Dot crawled under the blankets and cuddled up to Flik's chest so his chin rested on her head.
Feeling tired herself, Atta deftly climbed onto the bed and made a space for herself on the edge. She moved closer to Dot and placed a hand over her. Atta's mind continued to race until well into the night when sleep finally took her.
