Maid for You - Chapter 14
When she awoke the next morning, it took her a moment to work out where she was. Then, as she looked around her, she remembered what had happened. She sighed and looked over at Endymion. He was still asleep, his back to her. She reached out and shook him gently to wake him. She had a lot of explaining to do and she wanted to get it over with. However, he did not respond to her shaking. "Endymion?" She called softly. Still, he did not respond. Surprised at the depth of his sleep, she rolled him over - and a cry of horror escaped her lips. Endymion's face was flushed and a quick examination revealed dangerously shallow breathing. Placing her hand on his forehead she felt unnatural heat. His hands however, were freezing. He had a fever. Panic gripped Serena. Fevers were unpredictable and could be fatal. She needed to get help and quickly. Diving out of the bed she threw on some clothes and ran down the hall. Almost flying, she dashed into Jessica's office.
Upon hearing running, Jessica looked up. Her eyes widened at the look on Serena's face. "Serena! What's wrong?!" She cried. Serena shakily replied.
"The prince! Oh Jessica, he has a fever! I - I don't know what to do!" Jessica cursed. She knew instantly what had happened, he'd gone to bed without drying off and warming up. Silently, she blamed herself for not making sure he was okay. But she would have to worry about the repercussions later. She grabbed Serena and hurried to the prince's rooms.
One glance at the pale figure on the bed told Jessica exactly how serious this was. She would have to act quickly. "Serena, I need to get some things to make him more comfortable. You go and get the King and Queen." Serena gasped.
"Me?" Jessica sighed.
"Yes Serena, you!' She snapped. "We don't have time to waste! Now go!" Nodding, Serena ran out of the room.
Serena knocked sharply on the great doors to the King and Queens rooms. They were opened a moment later by their personal maid, Eliza. Eliza frowned. "Serena? What are you doing here?" Serena took a deep breath.
"Eliza, I must speak to their majesties right away! It's an emergency!"
"What's wrong dear?" Came a voice from behind Eliza. Serena gasped as she realised who the speaker was, Queen Gaia, queen of all the earth. She was sure she was trembling as she spoke.
"Oh your majesty, It's the prince! He's very sick!" Gaia looked horrified at Serena's words.
"Endymion is sick? What is wrong?" She tried unsuccessfully to keep the worry from her voice. Behind her, King Sol was also listening.
"He has a fever." Serena said quietly. The king let out a loud curse, then pushed past and hurried down to his son's room, stopping only to yell to Eliza to summon a doctor.
Jessica gently wiped the prince's forehead with a cold cloth, trying to lower his temperature. She looked up as the door opened and curtsied and the king and queen rushed in. The queen went to her son's side. "What could have caused this?" She whispered. It was Jessica who answered. "He was caught in the storm last night while on an evening ride." She chose her words carefully. She knew that now was not the time for the truth. And she hadn't lied anyway, she'd just omitted a few details. The queen looked like she was about to say something else, but at that moment the doctor arrived.
There had been silence for several minutes as the doctor examined the young prince. Finally he turned back to face the king and queen. When he spoke, his voice was grim. "I'm afraid it doesn't look good your majesties. I have done all I can, but there is simply no cure for this kind of thing. I'm very sorry, but I do not believe he will see the dusk." The queen's cry of grief echoed Serena's own, silent agony.
"What have I done?" She thought. "This is all my fault!" The pain was unbearable. "Oh God, please don't take him from me!" She looked down at the unconscious prince. "Please Endymion, I know you're stronger than this. You have to fight."
He must have heard her, for he fought valiantly. He defied the doctors prediction and was still clinging to life six days later. The doctor was amazed. "He's strong, I must say." He told the king and queen. "But there are still no guarantees."
The days themselves were a blur for Serena. She ate little and slept less, unwilling to leave him for a moment longer than necessary. His fever raged for another three days and Serena remained by his side.
On the ninth day since he became sick, Serena got a nasty shock. She had been trying to make him more comfortable in the bed, when he suddenly stopped moving. Her cry of terror brought the king and queen running, with the doctor close behind. "He stopped moving! Just stopped!" She cried, almost hysterically at the doctor. He quickly went to look at the now still prince. The others waited in silent fear. It seemed to be an eternity until the doctor finally turned around - and smiled.
"Good news!" He cried. "The fever has broken, he's going to be okay! The lack of movement was only because he has slipped into a deep sleep." King Sol let out a sigh of relief and hugged his queen.
"Thank you doctor." He said, his emotion clear in his voice. "I can't tell you what this means to us." The doctor nodded.
"You are welcome your majesty. But in all honesty, I did very little. It was mostly him and his incredible strength. However, I will remain here until he awakens, which will probably not be for another day or two."
Relief washed over Serena. She hadn't lost him, he was going to be okay! She gripped the bedpost for support. The relief was almost overwhelming. "Thank you" She murmured to whatever was responsible for this miracle, "Thank you."
Queen Gaia looked at her sleeping son with a soft smile. He always had been a fighter. Her gaze drifted to the servant girl by the bed. The girls hair was messy and there were bags under her eyes. With a shock, she realised that she could not recall a single point in the last nine days when she had not seen Serena in the room. Had she had any sleep at all? The queen doubted it. She went to the girl and laid her hand on her shoulder. Serena looked up in shock. She went to speak, but the queen stopped her. "It's okay. Your name is Serena isn't it?" Serena nodded and the queen continued. "I know that you have hardly left this room since my son became ill. Your dedication is above and beyond the call of duty and it will not go unrewarded. But you must rest now, or you will become ill yourself." Serena could not deny that she was exhausted. She'd only had seven hours sleep in nine days. Now that she knew that Endymion was going to be okay, she could relax.
"Thank you your majesty." She said. The queen smiled.
"No Serena, thank YOU. Now go on, get some sleep." Serena nodded and curtsied. Then she turned and went into her small room. She pulled off her clothes, crawled into bed and instantly feel asleep. She did not awaken for twenty four hours.
End Chapter 14
When she awoke the next morning, it took her a moment to work out where she was. Then, as she looked around her, she remembered what had happened. She sighed and looked over at Endymion. He was still asleep, his back to her. She reached out and shook him gently to wake him. She had a lot of explaining to do and she wanted to get it over with. However, he did not respond to her shaking. "Endymion?" She called softly. Still, he did not respond. Surprised at the depth of his sleep, she rolled him over - and a cry of horror escaped her lips. Endymion's face was flushed and a quick examination revealed dangerously shallow breathing. Placing her hand on his forehead she felt unnatural heat. His hands however, were freezing. He had a fever. Panic gripped Serena. Fevers were unpredictable and could be fatal. She needed to get help and quickly. Diving out of the bed she threw on some clothes and ran down the hall. Almost flying, she dashed into Jessica's office.
Upon hearing running, Jessica looked up. Her eyes widened at the look on Serena's face. "Serena! What's wrong?!" She cried. Serena shakily replied.
"The prince! Oh Jessica, he has a fever! I - I don't know what to do!" Jessica cursed. She knew instantly what had happened, he'd gone to bed without drying off and warming up. Silently, she blamed herself for not making sure he was okay. But she would have to worry about the repercussions later. She grabbed Serena and hurried to the prince's rooms.
One glance at the pale figure on the bed told Jessica exactly how serious this was. She would have to act quickly. "Serena, I need to get some things to make him more comfortable. You go and get the King and Queen." Serena gasped.
"Me?" Jessica sighed.
"Yes Serena, you!' She snapped. "We don't have time to waste! Now go!" Nodding, Serena ran out of the room.
Serena knocked sharply on the great doors to the King and Queens rooms. They were opened a moment later by their personal maid, Eliza. Eliza frowned. "Serena? What are you doing here?" Serena took a deep breath.
"Eliza, I must speak to their majesties right away! It's an emergency!"
"What's wrong dear?" Came a voice from behind Eliza. Serena gasped as she realised who the speaker was, Queen Gaia, queen of all the earth. She was sure she was trembling as she spoke.
"Oh your majesty, It's the prince! He's very sick!" Gaia looked horrified at Serena's words.
"Endymion is sick? What is wrong?" She tried unsuccessfully to keep the worry from her voice. Behind her, King Sol was also listening.
"He has a fever." Serena said quietly. The king let out a loud curse, then pushed past and hurried down to his son's room, stopping only to yell to Eliza to summon a doctor.
Jessica gently wiped the prince's forehead with a cold cloth, trying to lower his temperature. She looked up as the door opened and curtsied and the king and queen rushed in. The queen went to her son's side. "What could have caused this?" She whispered. It was Jessica who answered. "He was caught in the storm last night while on an evening ride." She chose her words carefully. She knew that now was not the time for the truth. And she hadn't lied anyway, she'd just omitted a few details. The queen looked like she was about to say something else, but at that moment the doctor arrived.
There had been silence for several minutes as the doctor examined the young prince. Finally he turned back to face the king and queen. When he spoke, his voice was grim. "I'm afraid it doesn't look good your majesties. I have done all I can, but there is simply no cure for this kind of thing. I'm very sorry, but I do not believe he will see the dusk." The queen's cry of grief echoed Serena's own, silent agony.
"What have I done?" She thought. "This is all my fault!" The pain was unbearable. "Oh God, please don't take him from me!" She looked down at the unconscious prince. "Please Endymion, I know you're stronger than this. You have to fight."
He must have heard her, for he fought valiantly. He defied the doctors prediction and was still clinging to life six days later. The doctor was amazed. "He's strong, I must say." He told the king and queen. "But there are still no guarantees."
The days themselves were a blur for Serena. She ate little and slept less, unwilling to leave him for a moment longer than necessary. His fever raged for another three days and Serena remained by his side.
On the ninth day since he became sick, Serena got a nasty shock. She had been trying to make him more comfortable in the bed, when he suddenly stopped moving. Her cry of terror brought the king and queen running, with the doctor close behind. "He stopped moving! Just stopped!" She cried, almost hysterically at the doctor. He quickly went to look at the now still prince. The others waited in silent fear. It seemed to be an eternity until the doctor finally turned around - and smiled.
"Good news!" He cried. "The fever has broken, he's going to be okay! The lack of movement was only because he has slipped into a deep sleep." King Sol let out a sigh of relief and hugged his queen.
"Thank you doctor." He said, his emotion clear in his voice. "I can't tell you what this means to us." The doctor nodded.
"You are welcome your majesty. But in all honesty, I did very little. It was mostly him and his incredible strength. However, I will remain here until he awakens, which will probably not be for another day or two."
Relief washed over Serena. She hadn't lost him, he was going to be okay! She gripped the bedpost for support. The relief was almost overwhelming. "Thank you" She murmured to whatever was responsible for this miracle, "Thank you."
Queen Gaia looked at her sleeping son with a soft smile. He always had been a fighter. Her gaze drifted to the servant girl by the bed. The girls hair was messy and there were bags under her eyes. With a shock, she realised that she could not recall a single point in the last nine days when she had not seen Serena in the room. Had she had any sleep at all? The queen doubted it. She went to the girl and laid her hand on her shoulder. Serena looked up in shock. She went to speak, but the queen stopped her. "It's okay. Your name is Serena isn't it?" Serena nodded and the queen continued. "I know that you have hardly left this room since my son became ill. Your dedication is above and beyond the call of duty and it will not go unrewarded. But you must rest now, or you will become ill yourself." Serena could not deny that she was exhausted. She'd only had seven hours sleep in nine days. Now that she knew that Endymion was going to be okay, she could relax.
"Thank you your majesty." She said. The queen smiled.
"No Serena, thank YOU. Now go on, get some sleep." Serena nodded and curtsied. Then she turned and went into her small room. She pulled off her clothes, crawled into bed and instantly feel asleep. She did not awaken for twenty four hours.
End Chapter 14