Chapter 5
Charlotte, Lord Babington, Tom and Mary waited in the sitting room whilst the doctor examined Sidney. Charlotte took all the control she had ever mastered to maintain her composure when finally the doctor emerged.
"Bad day to get in a frozen river. He has a bad fever," said Dr Fuchs. "It is dangerously high and combined with a congestion of the lungs, it makes his breathing difficult".
Charlotte squeezed her hands together so hard her fingers turned white. She barely noticed. I cannot lose you, she thought.
"Keep him comfortable. I will return in the morning" said the doctor.
Tom spent all the night beside his brother. Mary did not dare to disturb Tom, nor draw him away from his brother's bedside.
A hand rested on his shoulder and he blinked to see Mary. She tried to hide her worried expression, be positive for his husband.
"I've never seen him this sick before Mary. What if he gets worse?" Tears began to stream down Tom's face.
"He won't. Dr. Fuchs will make sure of that"
"Indeed" said Dr Fush who was now entering in the room to check Sidney as he promised he would do in the morning.
Tom could feel the strain of exhaustion creeping over him after a sleepless night and it didn't wen't unnoticed to Dr Fuchs.
"It would be best if you got some rest, Mr Parker. No sense in wearing yourself out until you come over ill as well" said the doctor.
"That's what I've been telling him" added Mary worried for his husband.
Charlotte waited with Lord Babbington downstairs whilst the doctor examined Sidney. She could not restrain the agitation that led her to pace. She tried as hard as she could to maintain her composure but when she heard the doctor leaving the sickroom and talking to Mary and Tom she could not avoid to run upstairs to hear the doctor's explanation. Lord Babbington worried for his friend too, followed Charlotte.
"His fever is still high. But most dangerous, if I dare to say it's the bleakness of spirit that seemed to accompany him which prevent mr Parker himself from mustering those defenses that a young man of his usual robust health might be expected to have" was saying the doctor when Charlotte and Lord Babbington joined the conversation.
Charlotte could not bear another day of forced inaction, of waiting. She needed to do something, anything to keep the madness of fear away.
"What can I do?" asked Charlotte.
"We need to get his fever down", repplied Mary.
Charlotte nodded as she looked inside the room where Sidney lied. She was distressed by his burning forehead and face.
"I will replace the cool clothes " she said.
As she was about to enter the room, when doctor Fuchs added.
"I will highly recommend to keep talking to the patient. My experience has showed me that even unconscious, patients hears and sometimes they respond to things they hear," the doctor explained to everyone but specially looking at Charlotte who he suspicously believed she may have the key to restore the patient's spirit and give him a reason to fight.
"And for you Mr Parker" said the doctor looking directely to Tom "It is my recommendation that you go and take some rest. I would venture you need sleep above all else".
Tom nodded and let his wife to help him go to their room.
"As you say" Tom nodded and before leaving the room he looked once more at the unconscous form of Sidney.
Mary nodded to Charlotte as a gesture to let her know she trusted her for Sidney's care as she would be with his husband.
"Let me accompany you downstairs doctor" said Lord Babbington as they both disappeared.
Charlotte entered the room with fresh water and strips of clean linen. There was a short moment when Charlotte thought she might cry. Lying there on the bed, he saw him so vulnerable. It was so unlike his usual dominating appearance. She shook her head and settled for holding his hand in both of hers, gently running my fingers over his palm.
"Doctor Fuchs says we should all talk to you, that deep down you hear us. But... what should I say to you?... I-I have never been so scared" Charlotte put her lips on his hand and let the relief spread over her. "You can't die".
She looked away from him because she needed to hold back. He can't die because if he does, she would too. Her soul wouldn't bare that. But she couldn't say that aloud.
"What are you waiting for? Wake up please. Just a squeeze of my hand, your right hand. Just squeeze."
But nothing, no motion.
Sidney felt himself lift in and out of consciousness several times and deep down he could hear Charlotte's voice, but his fever made his body ache in such a horrid way that the moment he considered opening his eyes, he quickly decided against it, bracing against the pain.
Hours passed by when Lord Babbington came to the sickroom. From outside he could hear Charlotte talking to Sidney. His hand hesitated on the door handle.
"You need to fight this Sidney, to wake up" whispered Charlotte as a sob broke through as she thought of losing him forever. Charlotte wiped away her tears. She had to control her emotions. She took a deep shuddering breath and felt it reverberate through her chest as she stood up.
"Miss Heywood?" a deep voice came from her back. She whirled around blushing deeply.
"Lord Babbington" she exclaimed, hoping very much that her tears were not still on her cheeks, and that her eyes were not puffy.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Quite," she managed, but her voice cracked in the middle of the word, and this was all that was needed to set her off to crying again.
She turned away, horrified at the fresh tears, and clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle any noises.
"Forgive me" she began.
He had already made his way to be in front of her. His hand proffered a fresh handkerchief, which she took wiping at the tears on her cheeks.
"He'll get better" he tried to reassure her.
She looked at the sheen of sweat that covered his forehead, no matter how many times Charlotte bathed it. Charlotte nodded surprised at how low her voice was when she spoke. "I hope you're right"
"You do care for him, don't you?" said Lord Babington more of a statement than a question, watching her reaction closely.
At his words, her breath visibly hitched in her throat and she dropped her gaze.
"I do" he told her, softly.
"He's strong, miss Heywood" she says. "He will get through this".
For the first time Lord Babbington realized miss Heywood was deeply in love with Sidney and he suspected the feeling was mutual. Sidney was ill. And no trifling illness, a sniffle or a cough or a sore throat, such as might be easily treated with home remedies and a hot tea or hot toddy. No, his ailment was something far more serious, something so grave. He suspicously believed that Eliza's proposal was the reason his friend's soul was broken once again and he was afraid that his friend would not be able to fight it back as he did the first time his heart was broken.
Reviews?
