Chapter Four: Given
Its all around you.
-Bjork
A soft whimper of pain caused Selene to tighten her hold on Nyssa. Three hours of cleaning the seemingly endless number of cuts and wounds drained the child of any energy she had left. Even mild cleansers burned her viciously. They couldn't keep the IV in her arm either; once Nyssa realized that a rather large needle was beneath her skin, she started to hyperventilate and almost pulled it clear out. They would feed her after they finished here.
Michael gently lifted Nyssa's foot, placing it on the bed and directly in the light. "Okay, this is last one, Nyssa. Then we're all done." Selene cradled their child closely as she nodded into her shoulder.
He turned to the tray beside him, selecting long tweezers and two blunt probes. He looked up to Amelia, handing her the probes. She moved around to the other side and tilted Nyssa's foot back further.
With as gentle of a touch as possible, Amelia spread the wound open with the probes, exposing a good half an inch of the inner flesh of the heel. The hiss of breath followed by a whimper gave Michael slight pause before he worked the tweezers in.
Thirty seconds elapsed and Michael gave a sigh of relief. With a quick tug, he pulled out them out and Amelia slowly let the wound close.
"That would explain a lot," he thought aloud. In the bright light of the lab, the blood looked almost like cellophane on the piece of glass removed from Nyssa's foot. Selene eyed it, guessing it was almost two inches in length. She kissed her daughter's head softly, rubbing her back reassuringly.
"See, all done," she said with a gentle smile. Amelia slowly pulled off one of the bandages on Nyssa's chest, finding the wounds beneath quickly healing up.
"Selene, I think your blood did the trick. Most of what we cleaned are now closed up." She sighed softly before braving her next venture. "But I still think it might be best if she spent the day down here, just in case something happened."
"No," Selene and Michael told her bluntly.
"Look, its not like you wouldn't be with her. We won't leave her alone or...anything," Amelia trailed off as Nyssa suddenly grabbed ahold of Selene tighter. Selene whispered to her softly, getting a frantic nod before looking at Amelia.
"She's going up with us to our quarters. If something happens, we'll call you." Selene shifted slightly, letting Michael wrap Nyssa in one of the thick blankets Amelia brought down earlier. Nyssa reached up for Michael who gladly took her into his arms. Selene walked over and picked up a radio off the counter top. "Samuel?"
"I'm here," a voice replied.
"Are the halls cleared?"
"Everyone is staying in their rooms. Cameras are showing you are good to go."
"Make sure of that," she said before turning the radio off and looking over to Nyssa and Michael. "Ready?"
"Yep. We're good," Michael said, rubbing his cheek against Nyssa's forehead as she curled into his arms further.
As tired as she was, Nyssa stayed wide awake as they left the med lab. The long hallway took them past the dojo, a few of the men training in the far corner of the room. As they came up the steps and into the main house, she adjusted herself up in her father's arms and looked about. Despite being empty, she could smell the numerous vampires and lycans that frequented the main lounge and media areas. Lamps gave a dull glow against the steel plates that covered the windows, protecting any vampires from the now setting sun.
They went through the main entryway, a pair of guards barely visible through small frosted glass panels that rested on both sides of the door. The chandelier that gave off light above them sparkled as they passed beneath it, small rainbow speckles dancing on Nyssa's skin and drawing out a soft smile. She looked over as Selene gently rubbed the top of her exposed foot before pulling the warm blanket over it.
They passed through a long hallway, lined with covered windows that made her wonder what lay beyond the protective barriers. When the rounded the corner from that hall, Selene moved ahead of them, opening up a door and standing aside as Michael and Nyssa went in.
A large, plush brown couch with two big armchairs sat in a semi-square facing a large open fire place. Nearby, a large table sat with four high-back chairs; several papers lay scattered on the surface along with pictures and maps. Michael carried Nyssa to another part of the room that was raised up from the rest. They bypassed a huge bed that looked soft and fluffy just at a glance.
"Marie brought her stuff up from the lab," Selene said, turning on the light to the bathroom and moving inside. Michael brought Nyssa in and stood as Selene twisted the silver knobs on the sunken bathtub. Steam rose up from the tub as water poured out of the faucet, making the cool air of the room grow warm and moist. She came over, smiling at Nyssa before unwrapping her from the blanket and taking her into her arms. "We still need towels. I forgot to grab them on the way up."
"I'll get them," Michael offered, kissing Nyssa's temple before leaving the room. Selene immediately noted the tearful look on her daughter's face.
"Its alright. He'll be right back. But for now," she said, moving them toward a standing shower stall. "We have to get you cleaned up." Slowly, she stripped the scrubs off of Nyssa, carefully avoiding the still healing wounds on her arms and chest. She quickly shampooed and rinsed the last parts of the sewer from Nyssa's hair using the detachable shower handle, allowing her to sit on the floor of the shower as she worked the soft lavender scented baby shampoo through the thin locks.
When she turned off the shower, she quickly moved over and turned off the bathtub's faucet as well. Turning back, she felt a pang go through her whole body. Sitting on the floor, Nyssa wrapped her arms around her body, rocking back and forth with soft sniffles. She's had to do this before, she thought fearfully.
"Oh god," Selene whispered. She dropped down next to Nyssa, rubbing her arms in an attempt to warm her up. "Nyssa, I'm sorry...I-I-I didn't think you'd get this," she trailed off as Nyssa looked up at her, a wave of pain and hurt pulsing from her innocent face. She pulled Nyssa into her arms, not caring that she soaked her clothes completely, and cradled her daughter close.
She didn't know what happened during her years with the coven, but she would all she could to help Nyssa through them.
A/N: Another almost complete rewrite. Hope you like it!
until next chapter,
anthestria.