Chapter 28

As Jamie made his way out of bed to retrieve the envelope he could hear what sounded like disembodied shouts. Daniea froze where she was in the bed as he closed his eyes and tried to focus on the voices.

"Help! We need to get him outside into the snow…..NOW!"

It was Daniea screaming. Yet she was silent…sitting next to him.

"Grab his shoulders!"

Where was it coming from? Who was it coming from?

"Daniea?" He called.

"Hold on Jamie, please stay with us!" Came the voice again.

In the next instance, a wave of pure exhaustion overcame him as it seemed to quite often the past few months; followed by a shock of warmth that turned to blazing heat upon his skin. He couldn't seem to catch his breath or keep his eyes open for that matter as he watched Daniea's calm face fade into oblivion.

Bleary eyed, Jamie awoke in an unfamiliar stone room bare chested, facing an open window that was allowing frigid gusts of winter wind into the chamber. His muscles felt heavy as he shifted, noting his body drenched in beaded sweat.

"Daniea?" He called, his voice strained.

Moments later the door opened, Murtagh rushing through to his side.

"Thank the lord," He whispered under his breath.

"Shhh lad, rest."

"Daniea?" He called again urgently as he tried to rise from bed and failed.

"Dinna fash, the lass will be here soon with more medicine."

"They need to be protected." He told Murtagh as the older man kept pinning him back down onto the fur blankets.

Murtagh looked at him puzzled but didn't argue.

"Come now lad, calm down and rest. Everyone is safe. Ye have my word."

Jamie relaxed slightly as the word tilted this way and that on him.

"How is he doing?" Her voice echoed through the hallway as she made her way towards the room.

Another woman he didn't recognize answered. "His fever still hasn't broken fully but he was awake a bit ago mistress."

Daniea touched Murtagh's shoulder, a signal that she was taking over watch.

He quietly rose to leave as she began wrapping herself in more layers of coats; making sure to whisper reassuring words to her as she prepared to open the opposite window. An hour or so later Jamie awoke once more. He groaned as he turned towards Daniea who was huddled over a small table mashing herbs in a mortar and pestle.

His sounds of discomfort beckoned her to his side.

"Jamie? Jamie, I'm here." She reassured, brushing his hair back from his ever dampening forehead.

"What?" he began but Daniea cut him off, begging him to save his strength.

"Jamie, ye have been poisoned."

He couldn't believe his ears.

"You've been delirious with fever fer a long time so I need you to just stay with me alright, fight the pull and stay with me." She begged. Her voice catching in her throat.

"The watch?" He mumbled fighting the urge to sleep.

"Yes, the watch did this to ye. My father lied…" She began to explain but he cut her off, fighting his own body to sit up and look her over.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, dinna fash about me."

"And the bairn?"

Daniea's face contorted into the same puzzled look Murtagh gave him earlier.

"Fergus is safe as well."

Jamie began to get agitated, "Our bairn. Is it alright?"

The light left Daniea's eyes making Jamie's heart drop.

"Jamie." She began as she kneeled beside him, taking his hand within hers.

"We...we don't have a child Jamie."

Tears began falling upon his cheeks.

"I was too late? We lost it…"

Frantically she placed her hands on both sides of his burning face, forcing him to look at her.

"No Jamie…. We never lost it. I promise ye that. There was never any bairn my love. I'm not pregnant and never have been."

No, it couldn't be. He had seen the bump with his own eyes and had felt….

Confusion and anger seethed through him.

"Lies!"

"Murtagh!" She yelled.

"Liar! I saw it all!" Jamie screamed just as Murtagh rushed into the room and pinned his weak form down to the bed.

Daniea couldn't help but back away as sobs rose from her chest.

"Liar! Where is it? Where's my wife?"

Murtagh's cheeks became damp as he held Jamie down during his feverish rant. It wasn't the first time he had been forced to do this but this was certainly the most heartbreaking to witness. Daniea rushed to get his fever tea finished as he struggled weakly, begging for his "family."

She managed to force him to drink some just before Jamie slipped unconscious. Daniea fell to the ground in racking sobs. She was running out of time to save him, he wasn't going to last much longer.