Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Charmed.
Author's Notes: Sorry for the shortness of this chapter, the next chapter will be longer. Thanks for reviewing my story so far and I hope that you enjoy this chapter. As always please review, as I would love to know what people think of the story so far.
The first thing that Melinda became aware of as she fought to fully awaken was the pain. Her whole body hurt especially her chest and arm.
Then there was the heat.
Melinda felt like she was on fire, she was so hot. She tried to move but found herself too weak to do anything then move her head slightly. Something cool was placed on her forehead, but Melinda didn't have the strength to open her eyes to see what it was.
A voice began to speak to her, male, and although she couldn't make out the words, the tone of the person's voice had a calming effect on Melinda. She tried to open her mouth to speak but found it hard to breath.
A couth tore from her throat, sending pain shooting through her chest as she struggled to stop. Strong hands helped her to sit up, rubbing her back soothingly until the coughing fit passed.
As her breathing slowed down, Melinda felt something placed up to her lips. The next thing she knew a foul tasting liquid was being forced down her throat. She tried to stop from swallowing it but she was too weak and couldn't put up much of a fight.
As the foul liquid stopped running down her throat, she felt something else being placed against her lips. Melinda gave an inward sigh as water entered her mouth, soothing her dry throat.
As the drink was slowly taken away, she felt herself being lightly placed back down on the bed.
Melinda was completely exhausted and the pain and intense heat she felt had not gone away. Through the pain she heard the voice talking again but this time it seemed further away.
The next thing she knew everything faded away, as Melinda lost consciousness.
* * *
For several days Melinda drifted in and out of consciousness, delirious, her fever never letting up.
Every time she awoke she would be forced to drink the same foul tasting liquid as before, too weak to refuse.
The voice was always present when she regained consciousness soothing her, even though she was too ill to know what it was saying. Sometimes it would be joined by a second voice, female, but it was the other voice that calmed Melinda down and made her feel safe.
Sometimes the person would hold her hand in silence, other times he would talk to her, always making Melinda aware of his presence. Throughout this time she wasn't strong enough to talk or even open her eyes, so she took comfort in the fact that she was never alone.
After the third day her fever finally started to let up and Melinda began to sleep more peacefully for longer periods of time, slowly gaining strength.