This chapter was written as part of the Facebook challenge "Sur Votre 31":
- Invite : ''Hand''.
- Number of words: From 100 to 1000 words.
All the universe of Game of Thrones belongs to GRR Martin, DB & DW.
Context: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting
Enjoy reading!
When Jaime left Cersei's house, he wasn't sure if the evening he had just experienced was real.
He had been happy to be able to spend a few hours quietly with his twin, for once his father didn't fill his schedule with boring meetings at the very highest level, in the hope that Jaime, as the eldest son, would one day take over the family business. Those moments had become rare, unfortunately, but that only made Jaime's pleasure when they came around even greater.
But he certainly hadn't expected the news Cersei had to tell him.
She was pregnant. She was carrying his child.
It was unexpected, and yet Jaime couldn't have been happier.
Having children with Cersei was something he hadn't dared to dream about since they were children themselves. But now it was no longer a dream. Now it was going to come true.
As he got behind the steering wheel of his car and drove back to his apartment, Jaime couldn't help but ask himself hundreds of questions.
Would it be a girl or a boy? Would he have Cersei's high cheekbones and thin face? Or would he have his strong jaw and his locks that looked like hammered gold? And would the baby recognize him?
He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't see the truck roll in, as if out of nowhere.
The last things he was aware of were the sound of a horn, the ominous cracking of the car's body and the airbags being triggered...
When Cersei was awakened in the middle of the night by the ringing of her cell phone, she knew instantly that it was Jaime. After all, who else could call at such an hour?
Grabbing the phone, which did indeed display her brother's number, with a picture they had both taken a few years ago, she picked up the phone and mumbled, her voice still heavy with sleep:
''I'm warning you, Jaime, you'd better have a good reason for calling me at this hour...''.
She was cut off by an unknown voice at the other end of the line:
"Excuse me, are you Cersei Lannister?''
Feeling immediately much more awake than she had been a few minutes earlier, she sat up in bed and frowned:
''Yes, why? Who are you?''
Could it be that Jaime had a problem? No, it was impossible... She would know if he had had a problem. He would have called her... Unless?
''Sorry to bother you so late, Madam, but this is the hospital emergency room...''
After that, the only words that Cersei managed to distinguish were "your brother", "serious accident" and "surgery". Tears were already filling her emerald eyes and silently running down her cheeks.
The lady on the phone fell silent and asked:
"Madam, are you all right?''
Cersei didn't even know how she managed to articulate a coherent answer, but she arose, and began looking for clothes to go immediately to the hospital.
When she finally arrived at the hospital, she rushed to the emergency room, running in as if her life depended on it, which it almost did, after all.
She must have been easily recognizable, as an elderly nurse with a kind smile on her face approached her, and gently touched her arm:
''You are Cersei Lannister, aren't you?''
Cersei nodded, and the woman continued, her voice soft and reassuring:
''I'm the one you spoke to on the phone. Your brother has been taken care of. He's currently in surgery. He should be out soon.''
''Is he...''
Cersei didn't even have time to finish her question when new tears formed in the corner of her eyes.
The nurse looked at her with compassion and took her by the hand, dragging her to two empty seats in the crowded emergency room waiting room and making her sit on one of them, while she sat next to her, still holding her hand:
''You guys must be really close, right? Few men your brother's age ask their sister to be called their first-person-trustworthy".
''We are twins.''
''I see. What I'm about to tell you is not easy... Your brother...
She paused hesitantly.
Cersei wanted to scream at her to spit it out, to tell what had really happened to Jaime, her twin, her lover, her other half, her everything.
''Yes?''
''Your brother lost a hand in the accident... his right hand.''
Cersei felt her heart miss a beat. Whatever emotion, whatever feeling, she had never felt before. She saw black spots, and felt herself almost collapsing, before the nurse held her by the arm :
''Stay with me... Our best doctors are with him right now, they're going to heal him...''
Really?! Cersei wanted to scream. Maybe they're going to give him back his hand?!
The nurse took her to the room that had been assigned to Jaime, but it was empty for now.
Cersei sat down in the armchair, and, despite the anguish gripping her chest, let sleep win her over...
When Jaime woke up, the first thing he saw was his sister asleep in the armchair on the left side of his bed, her long golden curls in battle.
When he raised his right hand to start stroking them, to gently wake her up, he found himself raising his arm covered with bandages.
Oh. Yes. That's right. He had forgotten that little detail.
He had forgotten that in the night, when he was barely conscious of what was happening to him, doctors had rushed to fill out a paper saying that he was authorizing them to amputate his right hand.
To save your life, Sir, they had insisted.
He had agreed, not that he really had a choice.
He stretched out his left hand, then, and began to touch Cersei's blonde locks a little awkwardly, but tenderly.
As soon as his hand made contact with her head, Cersei fluttered her eyelids and woke up whispering:
"Jaime ?''
And before he could record anything of what was happening, Cersei hugged him, her arms around his neck, paying attention to the many wires that connected him to various machines, burying her face in the hollow of his neck as he gave her back her embrace:
"Oh Jaime, don't ever scare me like that again...''
"Never again, I promise...''
When Cersei finally moved back, he raised his stump towards her, and said to her, with a smirk:
''Well, I guess I'm going to need a golden hand now...''
Cersei emitted a sound between sighing and laughing, before saying to him :
''Oh how foolish you can be... Of course you'll have your golden hand...''
And with these words, she took him back into her arms.
Thank you for reading!
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Don't be too hard on English, it is not my mother tongue.