Chapter 18
Sho-dono: Hey all you faithful readers guess what...no one voted for the ending of the story so Shiinmaru-dono and I are going to have to extend the waiting period. Thanks a lot. #major sarcasm#
Shiinmaru-dono: You really need to learn the difference between commenting and starting the chapter...#head bangs on desk# I need to get my homework done...so I won't be commenting until the end of the next chapter. #leaves; door slams shut and frantic typing is heard#
Sho-dono: Yay me!! #several "twangs" are heard and Sho-dono is pinned to the wall by an outline of arrows#
Consciousness was slow to return to Liam after the doctors had sedated him. He could feel that he was lying on a bed with the covers wrapped around him but aside from that, he had no clue where he was. He heard someone shift to the side of him and stilled. After a moment a soft voice whispered, "Liam? Are you awake?" a small smile graced his lips; it was only Beka.
"Yeah...is Artemis okay?" Liam's voice was hoarse from shouting.
"He stopped seizing but he's still in a coma. Sorry I don't have better news..." Beka trailed off. Liam was quiet and his brow was furrowed.
"Where's Amaya?"
"Still with Artemis, he seemed extremely worried about something; he kept mumbling something about a Silver Shade1." Liam bolted upright in an attempt to scramble out of bed.
"This is bad; very, very bad. If Rei isn't already dead, I'm going to kill him..." Liam was starting to growl, but when he yanked off the heart-monitoring electrodes the nurses rushed in; they threatened to strap him to the bed if he tried to leave again. This left Liam grumpier than before and stuck in the hospital bed with Beka snickering in the chair next to him.
After an hour of sulking Liam finally sighed and gave up. He wasn't getting out of the hospital bed without getting strapped right back in so he might as well try to do something constructive; like trying to find Artemis' mind.
Liam settled back into a more comfortable position and began to focus on his beloved. It took a few minutes before a foggy image appeared in Liam's mind. He saw Artemis talking with a little girl in a blue sundress; he tried to call out but was unable to. For some reason it felt like his body was frozen; as if he was paralyzed. Slowly, what he was seeing faded and the hospital room's scent began to fill his nostrils. Soon he knew he was no longer within Artemis' mind but was back in the hospital.
Someone shifted nearby and a small insane giggle reached Liam's ears. He knew that voice; it was Rei's voice.
Down at the nurses' station the sound of a commotion drew the attention of the head nurse and her under nurse. When they approached Liam's room however they saw Rei Byakko tied firmly to the bed, shouting, "Please untie me, my love. I only want you to love me… and screw me."
Liam's frown deepened and he spoke softly, "Please call the police…Now, Ladies!"
The under-nurse squeaked a quiet yes sir and ran off to follow through with the order. The head nurse, Bruna, crossed her arms and glared at Liam.
"Get your skinny ass back in bed, NOW, Liam. Unless, of course, you want to be strapped down to the bed again," Liam ran to the other bed in the room and leaped under the covers.
"Liam is a good boy, no need to strap him down," he whimpered pathetically. Bruna smiled, satisfied. After a few minutes the police final arrived. They stared at the effectiveness of the bindings that held Rei; needless to say they were impressed. They cut the bond, cuffed him quickly, and dragged him off without saying a word. Liam sighed happily and closed his eyes to try and reconnect back to Artemis, but when he tried he was met with a barricade of some sort. 'Now what?' Liam thought exasperated.
The harder Liam pushed against the barricade, the stronger it became until a bright blue flash engulfed him. Liam heard a little girl giggle. "I can't let you in to help, Daddy; Mommy has to figure this out all on his own! But," the little girl continued in her sing-song voice, "I'll explain everything to you if you can say my name!" Liam felt a migraine coming and groaned in frustration; nothing was ever easy when magic was involved – the same went for the fey. "Come on, Daddy! This kind of thing should be easy for you!"
"Be quiet; I need to think," Liam growled out, rubbing his temples as the migraine hit full force. 'If I was Artemis, what would I name a little girl? Let's see, he's Irish...Fiona? No. Roisin? No. Olivia, Catherine, Robyn, Natasha, Melissa, Alana? No, no, no, no, no, and no! Think, Liam!' Liam snapped his fingers, "Your name is Wynne; Wynne Aithne. Your last name hasn't been decided, yet." The little girl laughed as she jumped and clapped her hands, "Yay! You figured it out, Daddy!" Wynne placed her hands behind her back and cocked her head to the side, "Now, what do you want to know, Daddy?"
Liam sighed softly, "How much time does Moons have left?"
A sad expression came over Wynne's face, "Not much, not much. If Mommy doesn't remember my name soon… he'll die," with that she began to fade.
"Wynne? Wynne!" Liam cried, trying to grab hold of her shoulder futilely. Everything around him was fading into darkness. When he was finally able to move again he felt the familiar hospital sheets wrapped around him. A single tear slipped down his cheek. He had to see Artemis, had to contact him somehow; he needed to talk to Amaya.
Liam sat up carefully, trying his hardest not to make a sound that would alert Nurse Bruna to him being awake. He managed to make it all the way to Artemis' room without anyone catching him, which was a good thing. He slipped into the room silently and listened. He heard the soft beeping of the machines and the deep slow breathing of two figures. One was Artemis, the other must be Amaya...taking a nap. Liam slid up to the bedside and felt around for Artemis' hand; he found it shortly and gripped it tightly, "Moons… please wake up. Please, I need you to wake up soon. I don't want to loose you. I love you, Artemis, I really do." He pressed his face against Artemis' chest and listened for his heart beat to lull himself to sleep.
Sho-dono:OMG, I can't believe it's been so long since we've updated. Shiinmaru-dono and I are sooooooo sorry. Isn't that right?
Shiinmaru-dono: #scratches head and looks remorseful# I'm really sorry; between two A.P. classes, getting grounded, and dealing with my sister's manic bipolar, and then putting said sister into the hospital for an extreme ear infection – I just haven't had the time or the inspiration. Anyway, if you notice the little one next to "Silver Shade" you probably are looking at me strangely. #see youko in nerdy teaching outfit w/ glasses and a pointer#
Humans are considered (in my witchy world) to be "white," while Shades are "black" (it has to do with auras); so, normally, when a human inhales the Shade's aura and then eats/drinks within 72 hours of inhalation, they become a Shade (or, in rare cases, a Grey Shade). But Artemis already had some Fey Magic in him when he the whole past three-four chapters happened; thus, the Fey Magic partially negated the "black" of the Shade – but only partially. There wasn't enough "black" in Artemis for him to become a Shade or a Grey Shade; instead, Artemis became a Silver Shade (only four Silver Shades have EVER existed). Liam was worried because of how dangerous the change from human to Silver Shade is and how painful it can be. Do you lot understand? #see youko turn to towards you w/ pointer crossed over chest# Shiinmaru-dono out!