Hi lovely readers! I'm back! Missed this fanfic so much... And thank you again for your support, I love reading your responses and enthusiasm. This was my sanity through finals week... hope everyone is enjoying their Christmas break now! :)) And since this is break, I plan to get a couple more chapters out before school starts again! :D
I think it's time for more fluff, hmm? ;)
Date: 12/26/13 (edited 26 Apr 2020)
Chapter 19: Recovery
The moment Nausicaa awoke she swiftly glanced up and was relieved to see him still sleeping. However, consternation flooded her soul when she noticed the unnaturally pale appearance of his face, and the deathly white color of his lips. His breathing was shallow, his pulse weak and rapid, his skin cold and clammy, all of which she surmised was due to the blood loss. The episode of delirious brain hyperactivity had passed, revealing a frail body that was barely stable. A new resolve to nurse him back to health swept over her, and she quickly slipped off the bed to get some work done.
She tiptoed out of the room to check on the rest of the ship and to tend to her own tasks. The stars had shifted across the night sky and she estimated she had slept for perhaps two hours; the time was now nearing midnight and the ship as a whole lay peacefully asleep. Upon reaching her room she proceeded to organize her belongings, clean herself up a bit, and pull out anything she might need. Then she stopped by the kitchen to grab some food to take back, gathered more medical supplies, and returned to Asbel.
Back in the room she soundlessly lay everything down, and spent a minute simply looking at him: it was quickly becoming a strange pastime of hers. Eventually by the dim lamplight she noticed a drying blood stain on his shoulder, and reached for the new pile of dressing she had just brought back. Carefully she proceeded to peel off the old material and inspect the wound; it was still quite gory looking and slightly seeping of serous drainage, but the inflammation had subsided a bit.
At the motion Asbel startled awake, and panicked for a moment, unable to recognize where he was. Nausicaa quickly responded by softly calling his name and bringing her free hand to his face, that he might register her touch. Several seconds silently passed by as she gazed calmly into the confused daze in his eyes, until somewhere in his mind he recognized her face and relaxed somewhat. Still heaving short rapid breaths he lifted his hand until it lay on top of hers, and with much effort he pressed it against his face, holding it rather weakly there for several seconds. When his arm grew tired he let his hand drop down to his chest and over his heart, taking her hand with him. In the moments that followed he attempted to focus his eyes on her and concentrate his mind, but became extremely tired and closed his eyes once more.
Nausicaa had understood his actions, and carefully leaned forward on the bed, making sure to avoid touching his hurt shoulder. With utmost care, she lightly touched her lips to his forehead and lingered there for a subdued, sustained kiss. Afterwards she continued wrapping the wound, then simply sat still, content to be near him in the tranquility of the night. The serenity of the darkness permeated her mind, as her thoughts wandered slowly and blankly, indicating to her just how exhausted she was. Nevertheless, she was unwilling to leave him unattended, and would stay awake to watch over him. Just watching him rest tempted her to curl up against him and sleep some more...
Overnight she remained vigilant to his every motion, worried that he might worsen into some other terrible condition. He was constantly in a cold sweat, and she had no idea if the poison from the bullet was doing anything or if it was even present in his bloodstream. Whenever his breathing got too quiet she would nervously feel his pulse to detect a weak, lazy beat. His body needed time to replenish the blood supply he lost; perhaps she could feed him some type of soup that contained some easily digestible nutrients and enough water content to keep him hydrated.
Her entire sleep cycle had been disrupted to the detriment of her own health, but she knew her body could handle a few more nights. In between her half-hour long naps throughout the night, she spent the time reading a book or thinking to herself. At around four in the morning she decided to leave the room to check the pilot's cabin. Asbel had just finished a bout of tossing and turning, which brought Nausicaa to adjust things on the bed until he felt comfortable and quietly lay asleep once more.
She knocked on the door and entered the pilot's room to find Jarel inside. The boy turned around perplexed to see anyone up this late, then gave Nausicaa a warm smile - though a tint of concern lay in the crystal blue depths.
"Nausicaa. You stayed up late - or did you get up early?"
"Both; I'm keeping an eye on Asbel."
"I see... How is he?"
"Barely stable; he's lost a lot of blood."
"Oh no," he replied sympathetically. "And you?"
"What?"
"Are you alright? You look fairly exhausted." He remarked gently.
"Yeah; I'm fine."
"What happened? In Merinth?"
"It's rather complicated..." Nausicaa started, but spent the next ten minutes recapping the entire story - from entering the Palace to working in the Conservatory, to escaping the city. She omitted the detail of her own scheduled execution; no one else needed to know about that. Her best friend listened intently to the riveting narrative, engrossed in the story and empathizing at every segment. He radiated an energy and liveliness that was contagious, and Nausicaa was reminded why she loved talking to him; even an energetic person like her sometimes needed a recharge. At the end the boy turned serious to give her a friendly reminder to take care of herself.
"You should get some sleep after that adventure... My shift ends in an hour. I can watch him for a bit then, so you can rest."
"Alright, thank you." She knew that was not an easy thing for him to offer, and thanked him heartily. After finishing her conversation with Jarel, she trotted into the kitchen to scout food for Asbel. She began to throw various fruits and vegetables into a small pot for a bit of broth-like soup. She was careful to add only easily digestible ingredients: low in fat content but high in vitamins and minerals. In thirty minutes she headed back to Asbel's room, a warm bowl of soup and spoon in hand.
Inside the room she again sat down beside him, wondering whether or not to wake him. A minute later he saved her from her dilemma, for he moved in sudden jerks, as if caught in a dream, then abruptly opened his eyes to a conscious state. His mind was still hazy and confused but from the way he opened his eyes and glanced around, Nausicaa could tell his condition had already improved, albeit by a minuscule amount. She called to him gently, her sweet voicing calming his nerves, and she proceeded to spoon some of the steaming liquid and directed it to him. The man tried to take the spoon in his own hand but she noticed the slight tremor of weakness in his arm, while he could barely even bend his neck to look at the bowl.
"Let me." She coaxed in a whisper, seeing that he only had one arm to use. Over the next few minutes she spoon-fed him the entire bowl of soup while he drank obediently and silently, satisfying both his hunger and her own motherly instincts. She recalled how much she loved taking care of others; it came naturally to her and she gained a strong sense of fulfillment from it. Afterwards she watched in satisfaction as he settled back into the bed, an almost imperceptible hint of contentment on his face.
"Thanks." He whispered, still weak and tired, but comfortable enough to sleep again.
"Sleep well." She replied, and observed him drifting peacefully into oblivion once more.
She began to wonder what would happen to the two of them from now on: would their lives be closely intertwined, or simply parallel to each other? Her life and responsibilities lay in the Valley, he lived in Pejite... things could get complicated. It clearly wasn't going to be a simple goodbye between friends anymore... but exactly what would happen would require a discussion between them. She pushed that matter to the back of her mind for now.
The following morning Nausicaa walked out of the room at the sound of people talking. Her friends were in the midst of a discussion, and gave her a short greeting at her arrival. Within the first few minutes it was apparent to Nausicaa that they were planning their next destination.
"So we're fully stocked on supplies?" Tersa asked.
"Yes; we got everything in Merinth." Jarel replied.
"We could head back to Pejite and the Valley now, if there are no other stops to make." Yupa contemplated; at this Nausicaa spoke up.
"Can we stop by Belden Swamp? To meet Kerlin one more time."
"I suppose," The swordsman replied.
"I would also like to see Kerlin." Lewis Findel piped up. "He's an old and loyal friend I haven't spoken to in over forty years."
"Lewis, do you have a destination after this? We can take you there, if you have one." Yupa offered.
"Honestly, I have nowhere in mind," The man sighed. "Though, I believe the further I am from Merinth, the better."
"Come to the Valley with us." Nausicaa cordially suggested. "You can stay until you decide where else to go."
"Yes, perhaps..." The man trailed off pensively.
When their brief "meeting" was over, Nausicaa promptly headed back towards Asbel's room. She preferred not to leave him alone on his risky road to recovery. Blood loss and poisons aside, the prolonged open sore on his shoulder meant he had higher chances of infection, so she changed the bandages diligently, and almost never left his side. For the next few days Jarel and Tersa frequently stopped by to check on her: while Nausicaa incessantly worried about Asbel, her two friends were concerned for her. She had a habit of staying up for hours on end, until someone would come in to force her to sleep - and even then the girl would sleep in the chair nearby or at the seat by the window, in case the Pejite woke up and needed anything.
In the midst of these events Tersa and Jarel were also becoming closer friends. When Nausicaa needed to sleep they took turns watching Asbel, and occasionally Tersa would amble her way into the pilot's cabin. The two of them had such vastly different personalities that if it wasn't for Nausicaa, they likely would never have voluntarily interacted with each other. Years of growing up together as a trio meant they were comfortable with each other, but they hadn't extensively conversed until now. To their surprise, they got along fairly well.
"She just doesn't care about her own health!" Tersa grumbled sullenly one day, following Jarel out of the room when Nausicaa woke up from an extremely short nap and quickly resumed her caretaking responsibilities. Jarel hummed in agreement. The girl stayed quiet for a few seconds, then continued voicing her opinions.
"Eventually she won't have enough energy to take care of others if she doesn't take care of herself! She's going to hit a breaking point if she keeps this up."
"I know; she's strong though." Jarel reminded her.
"Yes, but she's still human." Tersa whined. "I keep trying to tell her, and I don't think she understands. She keeps pushing herself too hard, for too long." The dark haired girl shook her head, worried and frustrated at her best friend.
"At least that makes two of us." He answered. Silence hovered for a few minutes until Jarel decided to defuse the tension. His shift for piloting would start in a few minutes.
"Wanna try steering?" He suddenly started. "Takes your mind off things." The girl looked over in surprise, a frown still carved deeply into her features.
"What? But I've never steered before." She replied, unsure.
"That's alright; I'll teach you." He encouraged.
He spent the next ten minutes explaining the various controls and which dimensional axis they affected: rudders, elevators, and ailerons, and more. When she seemed to have a grasp on the concepts, he demonstrated first, then allowed her to try.
"You're quite natural at this," He complimented several minutes into it, and caught the faintest blush on Tersa's cheeks.
"It's fun," she admitted. "And you're right, it does take your mind off things."
They continued chatting casually, while they co-piloted the craft. Tersa followed the conversation of mechanics and machinery with ease, being the ultimate tomboy and the daughter of a blacksmith. Eventually they got around to the topic of forging tools out of steel and Jarel became increasingly excited.
"So you know all the skills of a blacksmith?" He asked energetically.
"Yes - I will probably take over the business once my dad retires…. if he ever retires." She answered, her last statement coming out as a muse to herself. Jarel still heard it and chuckled.
"Why don't you teach me blacksmith basics, and I'll teach you more piloting skills? When we get back to the Valley?"
"Deal." She answered, a genuine smile brimming across her face.
Two days later Nausicaa's unfailing devotion paid off. It was mid-morning and she had been sitting by his bed reading a book, when he gave a long stretch and opened his eyes. His eyes, fully alert, danced across the room until they alighted upon her face. She looked up and in the moment their eyes met, she noted the softest smile tug at the corners of his lips. The girl returned the smile, closed the book, and moved to sit on the bed.
"Hi…" She sang sweetly, overjoyed to see him looking almost normal.
"How long has it been?" Was the first thing he asked, his mental faculties restored enough to grasp the passage of time.
"Three days..."
"The damn bullet..." He muttered somewhat to himself.
"How are you feeling?" She inquired, bringing his attention back to her.
"Like I haven't eaten or drank anything for a week."
"And your shoulder?" He stretched slightly by way of rolling his shoulders, then furrowed his brows and stopped.
"Still can't move it."
"It's going to take a while," She reminded him.
He grumbled impatiently, looking down at his bandaged shoulder. She noticed his frustration and decided to talk some sense into him before he forcefully tried to rehabilitate his arm.
"Be patient; you looked like you were on death's doorstep two days ago!" she rebuked.
"You hardly look any better," He retorted. "How much sleep did you get in the last three days?" He demanded suspiciously; she had some serious dark circles under her eyes.
"Enough." Came her cryptic reply, and he knew she had overexerted herself again.
"Sleep. Now." He ordered. "I'm perfectly well."
"It's eleven in the morning!" She objected.
"I don't care. My turn to stay awake; you need to sleep."
"But what if you need something?" She searched her mind for an excuse.
"You can sleep here," he replied, scooting over on the bed to give her room. "I'll wake you up if I need anything." Nausicaa glanced at the open spot reluctantly, but obliged and climbed on. The weariness in her bones resurfaced as she leaned into the right, uninjured side of his body, and rested her head tiredly on his chest. Automatically her hand lay above his heart so she could register its even, relaxed rhythm that signified his recovery.
Asbel responded with a smile and placed a hand above hers, holding it gently there and rubbing his thumb along the back of her hand. His undamaged arm possessively slipped around her waist, claiming her to himself. Within a minute she fell asleep and the Pejite looked down at the girl fondly; she must have stayed awake for several nights to watch over him. A couple hours passed and of course he didn't wake her up…she undoubtedly had accumulated a large sleep debt over the last few days. Around the time he started feeling hungry, Tersa came in with a tray of food and was relieved to see Nausicaa finally sleeping. When she finally awoke, they spent the rest of the day together, either chatting or quietly enjoying each other's presence.
"What are you doing?" Nausicaa exclaimed in surprise. She had walked into his room with some food the next morning and was greeted by an Asbel struggling to rise from bed.
"Getting out - what does it look like?" Now that the man had fully regained consciousness he was easily bored with the lack of physical activity.
"No you're not - your shoulder's not ready. Sit back down." She uttered resolutely while putting the food down, and neared he bed to physically stop him. Asbel did not care and continued to lift himself off the bed.
"I'm just going for a walk - I've been stuck in here for a week." Nausicaa tried accosting him but didn't know how to restrain him without hurting him… eventually she gave up and returned to using verbal persuasion.
"You shouldn't be moving." she declared, watching critically as his feet touched the ground.
"I'm about to die of boredom!" He complained in a belligerent tone.
"For heavens sake! You're worse than a four year old." She exclaimed, exasperated. Paranoid that he might hurt himself, she followed closely after him into the hallway.
They traveled not more than thirty feet before the Pejite emitted a surprised grunt; Nausicaa immediately knew he had pushed it a little too far. Instinctively she took his arm, allowing him to shift some of his weight over.
"Come on, take a seat." She nudged gently, and led him to sit momentarily on a nearby chair. He huffed his way down, slightly put out and feeling irritable about his health. She proceeded to briefly check the wound for blood, then sat down next to him.
"Standing up uses your back muscles, which depend on your shoulder." She reminded him softly. "Be patient; it takes time."
"It's healing too slowly…" He muttered half to himself. The girl chuckled sympathetically.
"Don't push your body beyond its limits. A bullet wound is no small matter."
"Says the girl who threw herself into a room full of toxic plants." He answered slyly, catching her off guard with the reprimand. She looked over at him, slightly surprised.
"Are you still angry?" Her voice, lightly touched by worry, floated towards him.
"Yes." was the frank reply.
"I couldn't get myself out of the death sentence once I uncovered the truth." She explained softly. "Sarkil wouldn't have it any other way."
"Why didn't you tell me? Why did you lie?" He snapped, his voice full of hurt.
"It was the only way to make sure you would live."
"If your plan had followed through you would have killed me, not saved me." Nausicaa fell silent; they could probably continue arguing forever about this. She still harbored guilt for deceiving him but if given the opportunity to go back in time she wouldn't have changed a single thing. Nevertheless she understood his sentiment; had they switched places she would have reacted in the same way.
"Please don't run into danger so impulsively," He implored, his voice sounding weary. "I don't want to worry about losing you… losing you so easily." The girl turned to him and her expression softened.
"You won't lose me." She reassured him.
"How do you know?" He bounced back almost angrily, his eyes pinning her down. "You've been lucky each time - what if next time no one is there to help you? What if next time is the last time you can test your fate? You're playing with fire." He argued, desperately trying to make her see his worries.
"Then I will have died for a cause - died knowing I was doing the right thing. Asbel, I've outlived everyone in my family. My job is now to protect and prevent suffering for those that are still alive."
"But please not at the cost of your own life!" He pleaded urgently, raising the volume of his voice. "I'm begging you - your life comes first. Your job here on earth is second to that." With a finger he tilted her chin towards him and looked deeply into her eyes; when he spoke again his voice was softer but no less sincere.
"The lives you have touched still depend on you. You have to be living first to accomplish your tasks."
"Perhaps…" She trailed off, thinking hard. That wasn't quite the response he wanted, but Asbel decided not to push any further, and hoped that the message would slowly sink in.
"I really should be coming with you." Asbel declared from the bed, watching Nausicaa gather her basic necessities. They were nearing Belden Swamp, and Nausicaa was most definitely leaving the plane in order to bid the old doctor Kerlin a fond goodbye. Asbel, however, was not in the right physical condition to be wading through marshy swamps; everyone on board absolutely refused to let him step off the plane.
"You'll do no such thing." She responded. "Be good and stay put."
"Don't you dare get yourself hurt. I know you can't ever stay away from trouble, but please don't willingly put yourself in harm's way."
"I'll be fine..." She trailed off, not really listening, and rather occupied herself with organizing the room; she saw a misplaced chair and carried it several feet across the cozy cabin to park it against the far wall. Asbel slid off the bed and walked toward her.
"I mean it," he continued, with a worried expression on his face. The girl turned around to face him, was surprised to see him so close to her and took a step back towards the wall, somewhat amused.
"I know," she replied good-naturedly. "Don't worry." She reached up to inspect his shoulder - a dull scab was forming - but he surprised her by advancing another few steps, taking hold of her wrists, and pinning her against the wall with hands on either side of her head. His eyes bored into hers, obviously intent upon getting her full attention. With almost a predatory glint, Asbel closed the distance between them. Her fingers curled from the compromising position, her body felt hot and flush, the room seemed to spin as she felt his body pressed against hers.
"What?" She chuckled; this was the strangest yet most physically arousing position to be in and she could feel desire surging through her but she refused to show it.
"Yupa and Tersa will be with me. I can't misbehave when they're around." The seriousness in his eyes melted into sweet care mixed with a tint of reproach.
Surprise stole her breath away when he leaned in even closer and placed his lips on her neck, and smiled against her skin when he felt her throbbing pulse accelerate under him. Her knees felt like they would buckle, her mind was frozen and her muscles paralyzed by his touch. Right when she thought he was finished he claimed her lips as well, softly at first, then fervently, coaxing her into submission until her lips parted to allow him access, and he noticed her fists clenching to cope with the rush in her veins. Even when he drew away she was breathless, had no words or witty response, and merely stared back into his lively amber eyes. He wore a slightly smug smile; from the look on her face he figured he had caught her defenseless.
"Be careful." He hushed, while solemnity resurfaced in the depths of his eyes. "You died on me twice - I won't allow a third."
As soon as she made it out of Asbel's room she was urgently called to the pilots cabin. When she arrived everyone stood eerily in silence by the window, staring out in apprehension.
"Why, what is it-" She gasped in horror before she finished asking the question.
Over half the swamp had been charred black by fire.
I was supposed to fit more events in this chapter! But oh well… at least I have next chapter's events laid out. Thanks so much for reading and hope you liked it! I'm reaaaally trying to finish this thing up but it's sooooo hard! Too many things I want to write and not enough room for it all!
