Chapter 13: Painful Wake Up
"Oh my God!" Dalila cried as she ran through the door of the house.
Bryn and Sandra had cleaned up some, but the smell of blood was still somewhat strong, and it was still clear a fight had broke out. She looked around, stunned, as Adam ran up with Shi, and Keegen close behind him.
"What happened?" she asked, looking around.
Bryn walked in from the kitchen and stopped just short of her.
"Blake came back…" he said quietly, looking at her. "And he attacked Madende…" he added, looking away.
"What?!" Dalila cried. "Where is he? Is he ok?" she asked, beginning to panic.
"He's going to be ok." Sandra reassured her. "He's up on the third floor with Jeric." she said.
Dalila set Shadow down on the couch, as Adam did with Shi, and turned, running up the stairs. Bryn watched her, while the others waited quietly.
"What happened?" Adam asked quietly, looking at Bryn.
"I don't know exactly. I just know that I told Madende to stay behind, so he wouldn't get hurt out there at the mansion fighting, and when Shade told me Blake wasn't there I left." Bryn replied. "When I came back, the house was a mess, there was blood all over, the table was shattered, and Blake was in the kitchen on the floor. I had to search the whole house looking for Madende, and I finally found him in the attic." he said with a sigh.
"He is going to be ok, right?" Shi asked, her voice shaking.
"Yes. Sandra healed him the best she could, but he's still going to be sore and needs to heal." Bryn said nodding. "Jeric was pissed and scared. He's up there with him now." he said, turning back to the kitchen.
Shi nodded and shivered, curling up next to her sister. Adam flitted up the stairs, and returned seconds later with a big, thick blanket, throwing it over the both of them.
"Use some of your energy to warm yourselves. You wait much longer and you'll both be sick as hell." he muttered.
"They should change first." Sandra said, sweeping up some of the glass from the table.
"Alright." Adam said, grabbing the blanket again and picked Shi up.
Keegen grabbed Shadow and followed Adam up the stairs, to Shi's room, where they set them both gently down on their feet beside the bed.
"Call us if you need anything." Adam said, turning towards the door.
"Alright." they said, nodding.
Keegen smiled and followed Adam out the door, closing it behind himself. Once the door was closed, and before Adam could walk away yet, Keegen snatched him up in a tight hug. Stunned at first, Adam stood there for a second, before wrapping his arms back around Keegen.
"What's this for?" he asked, his voice almost a whisper.
"I missed you so much…I thought I'd lost you." Keegen replied back, hiding his face in Adam's neck.
"I'm not that easy to get rid of." Adam said, closing his eyes and smiling.
Keegen laughed lightly, lifting his head and looking down at him. Adam looked back up at him just as Keegen leaned down and kissed him gently, and returned the gesture, closing his eyes again, and wrapping his arms around Keegen's neck. Keegen pulled away and smiled at him, gently rubbing his bangs out of his face.
"You want to go up and see Madende?" he asked quietly.
"Maybe later. I don't want to crowd the room. Dalila's already up there and Jeric. I'll give them some time with him." Adam replied quietly.
"You sure?" Keegen asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yea. Lets go downstairs for a while." Adam said, nodding and smiling. "I missed you, and all I want to do is curl up to you and not move." he added, blushing lightly.
Keegen laughed lightly and wrapped his arm around his shoulders, pulling him back into a tight hug.
"Alright. I like that idea." he said, leading Adam to the stairs.
Dalila quietly walked into the bedroom, and walked over to the bed. Jeric opened his eyes and looked up at her, but didn't move otherwise.
"How is he?" she whispered, kneeling beside the bed.
"Better. His breathing is back to normal now." Jeric replied, also whispering.
"Good." Dalila said, nodding and sighing with relief.
She looked at Madende and shook her head, as Jeric gently moved his hand. Closing his eyes again, Jeric nuzzled his nose gently under Madende's chin, making Dalila smile again.
"He's lucky he has you looking after him." she whispered, looking at both of them.
Jeric smiled and looked back at her.
"I do my best." he muttered.
"And he does the same for you and anyone else around here." she said, standing. "Get some rest, I'll come check on you guys from time to time." she said, turning and heading for the door.
"Alright." Jeric replied, smiling and closing his eyes again.
Dalila silently closed the door behind herself and started down the stairs. When she came down the stairs, she smiled at Keegen and Adam, who were curled up on the couch, Adam wrapped tightly in Keegen's arms. Keegen was leaned back against the armrest of the couch, with one leg up on the couch and the other resting on the ground, while Adam lay on his stomach, arms wrapped tightly around Keegen's waist, and his head resting on Keegen's chest, nose tucked under his chin. Keegen opened his eyes and looked at her, and smiled as she headed into the kitchen, where Bryn and Sandra were.
"Need help with anything?" she asked.
"No, I think its done now." Bryn muttered, shaking his head.
"Except for the bloody footprints going up the stairs." Sandra corrected.
"I'll get those." Dalila said, nodding and smiling.
"Oh, and the attic…" Bryn muttered, more to himself than the other two. "Are there any lights up there?" he asked, looking at Dalila.
"Yea, should be." Dalila said, nodding. "The switch should be on the left hand wall, just as you come up through the door." she explained.
"Alright." Bryn said, nodding. "I'll go up there and clean up some." he said, walking passed them.
Dalila and Sandra nodded, as Dalila went to the sink and knelt down, opening the cabinet doors. Sandra watched her, as she pulled out a small mop bucket, and some soap, and a small carpet brush.
"Is there anything else I can help with?" Sandra asked quietly.
"I don't think so. You guys have done a lot already, you can take it easy now." Dalila replied, standing and filling the bucket with hot water.
"Ok." Sandra said, turning and leaving.
Just as she left, the front door opened, followed by the sounds of the others gasping.
"What the hell happened in here?!" Shade cried, and Dalila turned the water off and went to the living room.
"Long story short, Madende got attacked, both got their asses kicked badly. Madende got stabbed, and his sides fucked up again, but he killed Blake before he went to the attic to hide." Bryn said, as he went up the stairs.
"Oh…" Shade said, watching him, then went silent.
Adam was now looking up at the others, but hadn't moved otherwise, nor had Keegen. With a groan, he dropped his head again and nuzzled his nose back under Keegen's chin, making him laugh lightly.
"Comfy are we?" he asked, wrapping his arms tighter still around Adam.
"Mmhmm…Very…" Adam muttered, smiling.
Keegen smiled and rubbed Adam's shoulders, and laid his head against his.
"Where are the girls?" Eclipse asked, looking down at them.
"Upstairs in Shi's room." Keegen replied, without moving.
Eclipse nodded, and both he and Shade headed up the stairs. Jake, Abi, and Jareth each sat on one of the other empty couches, and waited silently, as Sandra headed up to her room, and Dalila cleaned each one of the steps.
It was a long quiet day. Everyone was glad to be home, but worried about Madende and Jeric, who hadn't come down since he'd been back. After a while, Abi turned on the radio, and they sat silently listening to the music playing softly from the speakers. Keegen and Adam ended up dozing off on the couch, after Keegen changed to a more comfortable position, and Abi and Jake stretched out across the couch they were laying on. Jareth went up to one of the bedrooms and Dalila took his spot on the couch, laying down and stretching. Bryn stayed up late, poking his head around the door of Madende and Jeric's room for the time being, making sure everything was ok, then disappeared to the room on the other side of them, and laid down.
Shade took Shadow back to their room, and laid down with her, as Eclipse did with Shi. Both girls had warmed up now, and were sleeping soundly. Eclipse changed into his night pants and lay down behind Shi, curling up to her and pulling her close, falling instantly into a deep sleep.
XxXxXxXxXxX
~ * Four Days Later * ~
Jeric sat quietly in the chair next to Madende's bed, his head resting tiredly against the palm of his hand, and his eyes closed. He had woke early and had been downstairs for a few minutes, long enough to get a drink before he returned to the bedroom, and sat silently watching Madende. Madende's hand suddenly twitched lightly, but Jeric didn't see, for his eyes were closed. Slowly opening his eyes, Madende blinked several times, and groaned, turning his head to the side and closing his eyes again. This gained Jeric's attention and he looked up quickly, but Madende's head was turned away from him now.
"Madende?" he asked quietly, leaning forward.
Madende slowly turned his head back to him, and looked up at him. A huge smile stretched across Jeric's face, as he leaned over him and brushed his hair away from his face.
"You're awake!" he said happily, gently kissing Madende's forehead.
"Yea…" Madende muttered, his voice hoarse with sleep. "And I hurt so bad…" he muttered, closing his eyes and groaning again.
"Well don't move. I'll go get Sandra." Jeric said, gently rubbing the side of his face.
"Don't plan on it…" Madende muttered, his voice cracking slightly.
"Hang on, I'll be right back." Jeric said, turning and jogging to the door.
Running down the stairs, and almost falling twice, Jeric ran into the kitchen, sliding to a stop.
"Where's Sandra?" he asked quickly.
Startled, Abi jumped and looked at him, eyes wide and jaw hanging open slightly.
"I-I don't know." she stammered. "Why? Is everything ok?" she asked, but Jeric was gone. "Jeric?!" she called after him, going to the door.
"Anyone seen Sandra?" he asked, standing behind the couch in the living room.
"She left to get a few things from her house." Bryn said, looking up at him. "Why? What's wrong?" he asked, leaning forward.
"Madende's awake and in a lot of pain. I wanted to see if she could give him something." Jeric replied quickly, trying to catch his breath.
"He's awake?!" Shi cried from the couch.
"Yea, just woke up." Jeric said, nodding.
"My buddy's awake!!" Abi cried, jumping up and down in the doorway of the kitchen.
"We need to hold off before everyone rushes in there. He still is sore and all." Jeric warned, looking everyone over.
"When can we see him?" Adam asked, looking at Jeric.
"In a little while. Like I said, he just woke up, I don't think he wants the whole house gathering around him yet." Jeric replied.
Adam nodded and smiled as Keegen wrapped his arm around his shoulders again. Shi leaned back with a sigh of relief and smiled at Jeric.
"Where's Dalila?" he asked.
"She ran to town for a while." Shi replied. "She'll be back in a bit, but I can call her if you want." she added.
"No, that's ok. We'll tell her when she gets back, so she doesn't kill her self on the way back." he said, shaking his head.
"Alright." Shi agreed, nodding.
"I'm going back up there. When Sandra comes back, can one of you send her up?" Jeric asked, turning towards the stairs.
"Of course." Shi said, smiling.
"Thanks." Jeric said, and disappeared, shimmering off.
Bryn got to his feet and jogged up the stairs, disappearing around the corner. Jeric appeared next to Madende again, who had his eyes closed again, and his head facing away.
"I'm back." he said quietly, so he wouldn't scare him. "Sandra isn't here at the moment, but she'll be back." he said, sitting down beside him.
Madende opened his eyes and looked back at him, and nodded tiredly. Jeric smiled and gently rubbed the side of Madende's face, leaning down and kissing his temple.
"I'm so glad you woke up." he whispered, laying his forehead against Madende's head. "I was beginning to get worried." he said.
Madende smiled, and gently put a hand on Jeric's leg.
"You know, I could hear you the whole time…I just couldn't wake up…" he said quietly.
"I know. I kind of figured that when I was talking to you the other day, and you groaned at me when I got up." Jeric said, smiling and leaning back some.
"Yea…" Madende said, nodding weakly. "I didn't want you to go." he said, smiling.
Bryn quietly walked through the door, and stopped beside the bed. Jeric and Madende looked up at him, as he knelt down beside him.
"I'm sorry this happened to you…" he muttered sadly.
"Don't be…you couldn't have known he'd come back…" Madende muttered, shaking his head.
Bryn looked at him for a moment, then dropped his head. Jeric looked between the two, then sighed and looked towards the window. Madende looked at him and gently rubbed his hand over his leg, causing Jeric to look down at him and smile.
"I'll leave you to rest." Bryn said quietly, and stood, turning and leaving.
"Are you hungry or anything?" Jeric asked, looking down at Madende.
"Not really…" Madende replied, shaking his head.
Jeric gave him an odd look, and Madende smiled at him.
"But I'll drink some blood." he added quietly.
"Good." Jeric said, starting to stand.
"Do you have to leave me?" Madende asked, a teasing smile on his face.
"If you want something to drink, then yes." Jeric replied, smiling back.
"Oh alright…" Madende said, and his hand slipped off Jeric's leg. "But hurry back. I'll be lonely." he said, with a small yawn.
"I'll be back before you know it." Jeric said, standing and shimmering off.
Madende sighed and turned his head back to the side, closing his eyes again. Just as he was about to doze off again, Jeric shimmered back in, and gently touched his shoulder. Slightly startled, Madende jumped slightly, then winced as pain shot up his side.
"Its ok, just me." Jeric said, gently sitting down.
"I know. I didn't hear you come back though, and you startled me." Madende muttered, taking the glass as Jeric handed it to him.
"I'm sorry." Jeric said, then looked at him, smiling. "How do you plan on doing this?" he asked.
"I have to sit up…" Madende muttered sadly.
"Here, I'll help you." Jeric said, standing and taking the glass from him, and setting it down on the nightstand.
Madende nodded and hooked an arm around Jeric's shoulders as he knelt down over him, slipping an arm under his back.
"Ready?" he asked, looking at Madende.
"About as ready as I'll ever be…" Madende muttered, and Jeric slowly pulled him up.
Madende clenched his jaw and groaned in pain as he sat up, with Jeric's help. Once he was sitting up, he gingerly slid back, so his back was against the head board, and took the glass of blood from Jeric as he handed it to him.
"You ok?" Jeric asked, sitting down beside him.
"I think…" Madende muttered, taking a drink.
Jeric watched him with sad eyes. It killed him to see Madende in pain like this, and there was nothing he could do to help. After Madende was done drinking his blood, Jeric took the glass from him and sat it on the table.
"Let me see your side." he said, getting up and walking to the other side of the bed.
Madende lifted his arm as Jeric pulled the blanket away, and shivered as the cool air touched his warm skin. The bruising on his side had gone down some, but there was still some left. His side was slightly swollen too, but nothing to bad. Sighing, Jeric stood up, and pulled the blanket back up to Madende.
"It looks a lot better." he said, looking down at him.
"Good." Madende said, nodding.
"What's wrong?" Jeric asked, sitting beside him.
Before he could answer, the sound of footsteps running up the stairs reached his ears, and he looked over to see Dalila come through the door.
"My boy! You're awake!" she said, going over to the bed and gently hugging him.
"Easy, Mom." Madende muttered, as she hugged him. "Still sore." he said, patting her back.
"Oh! Sorry!" Dalila replied, jumping back and releasing him.
"Its fine. Didn't hurt to bad." Madende replied, shaking his head.
"Good." Dalila said, nodding.
She noticed the empty glass on the nightstand, and the blood staining the inside of it, and smiled.
"I see you were thirsty." she said, looking back at him.
"Not really, but Jeric insisted." Madende said, smiling at him.
Jeric smiled back and looked up at Dalila. She smiled back at the two, and nodded.
"Well, its good he's here. I know you all to well." she said, pointing at him.
"What?" Madende asked, raising an eyebrow.
"When you get hurt, or you're sick, you won't eat or drink for days on end, and it scares the living shit out of me." Dalila replied.
"Don't have to worry about that now." Jeric said, shaking his head.
"I know." Dalila smiled, and looked back down at Madende. "Bryn said Sandra called and she'll be back as soon as she can, and that she'll give you something to ease the pain." she said.
"Ok." Madende said, nodding.
"Ok. I'm going to go back downstairs. Do you care if Abi and Shi come up for a few?" Dalila asked, looking up at Jeric.
"No, send them up. I just don't want the whole house up at once." Jeric said, smiling lightly.
"I understand, and ok. I will." she said, nodded and leaning down, gently kissing Madende's forehead. "Glad you're awake, dear." she whispered.
"Me too." Madende said, nodding and smiling.
Dalila smiled back and took her leave, heading out the door and down the stairs. After a few minutes, Shi and Abi came up, and visited for a few minutes, before leaving as well, leaving the two alone. Jeric sat down beside Madende, who slid over some to give him more room, and leaned back against the head board. The sat in a comfortable silence, hand in hand, as they waited for Sandra's arrival.
A/n: well, that's that. next chapter is done :) not to many more and it'll be complete! sorry it took so long to get it up, but here it is now, so review for me!! LaterZ!
Shoutout
to Abi!
hope i got everyone right...