Responses to Reviews:
Guest: Thank you very much. There's some more time this chapter. :)
thedarkwhiteangel: Trust me, I would never forgive myself either! I'm glad you don't want him to die. Thank you, and I'm glad that you enjoyed Will's perspective too.
Jillessa Heronstairs: Hahaha, your reviews always make me laugh. :) That would actually be quite an interesting story. I should go write it now! Jk ;) I know… I'm so lucky, and I love the holidays so much!
nightflightthehero: Please read on and see what happens. ;)
laurenathalasa: Hehe, sorry! Luckily I haven't received death threats like you did. Thank you for the compliments!
Tessa made her way to the infirmary as soon as she woke up. It had been three days since Gabriel and Gideon had dragged an unconscious Jem, and a barely conscious Will back to the mansion. She had watched in horror as Jem's head had rolled back when Gideon carried him inside. To see him so pale and with so little life was unimaginable. Will had seemed alright, the majority of his injuries healed by Jem, although he was still in shock and barely comprehensible.
With each passing day since the battle, her heart filled with even more dread, if that were even possible. Everyone was wondering whether Jem would wake up or not. Between the whispers, she'd even heard some people placing bets. She supposed that was human nature though, to take some sort of sick interest in other people's misfortune.
Returning to the present, she knocked lightly on the infirmary door, before pushing it open. Will, who had been pacing at the end of Jem's bed, stopped and looked up at her. They had barely talked since that evening in the library, and even now, Will could hardly meet her eyes. Once he'd been brought back from the fight, Charlotte had confined him to a sick bed, however, with no injury left in sight, he'd soon gotten up to watch over Jem. Will had hardly left the room over the three days, rejecting any food or any form of comfort. Tessa honestly worried about what would happen to Will if Jem wasn't there.
She pushed her thoughts aside, and focused on Jem's frail body, which was dwarfed by the large bed. Tessa was relieved to see he was still taking in shaky breaths, and he lay so still, with his eyes closed. He looked peaceful and serene, almost like what someone looks like before death, which she had seen firsthand. But he'd held on for days, she'd told herself, and he could make it. To anyone else, he might have just looked like he was sleeping, about to wake up at any moment. That's if you missed the gaping wound on his abdomen.
Tessa walked over and lifted up the sheet placed over Jem, as well as his loose shirt, moving the bandage on his abdomen slightly, to see how the wound looked now. Normally the thought of such an act would have left her blushing and embarrassed, but this was Jem, and she had to see how he was going firsthand.
Looking carefully, she noticed the skin had started knitting itself back together, and it was looking healthy, with no infection. In fact, it wouldn't be long until it was fully healed - according to Mary who had temporarily taken over Jem's position - with just a scar left as a reminder.
Replacing the sheet over him, she sat in the chair beside his bed and took his hand, squeezing it to let him know she was there. Over the long days she'd talked to him, in the hope that he'd hear her. She'd even read him a book, and Will had sat by her to listen as well.
But now, Tessa just sat like that for a while, looking at his skin, which was as pale as parchment, and feeling a sense of triumph and hope at every breath. If only he'd open his eyes…
She looked over at Will, who was gazing at Jem with worry. "Jem will wake up soon," she said, her voice full of reassurance. "His body just needs time to recover. He had a near death experience, after all." She winced slightly when she said the word 'death.' She felt like she had to tread lightly around Will at the moment.
Will merely glanced at her briefly, his eyes dull and flat compared to their normal brilliant blue. "He shouldn't have tried to save me. I was willing to sacrifice myself to kill Marbas."
Tessa flinched in shock. "Don't say that, Will! No one wants you to die, and Jem was willing to sacrifice himself for you."
Looking down, Tessa could see Will was clenching his fists. "I should have died," he stated bitterly.
She took a few quick steps over towards him, boldly taking his hands in hers. He looked up in shock, and she could see that her reaction to his kiss was still tearing him up inside. She knew she had to set it straight.
"Will, I don't want you to die. I'm sorry I overreacted after you kissed me. It's not that I didn't like it, I was just scared of your 'gift.' I know you're a good person though, and would never use it to hurt me. I'm sorry." She gazed into his eyes to show her sincerity, since she had meant every word. His eyes seemed to brighten a fraction, although he hid his reaction to her words well.
He shook his head slowly. "No, you were right. I should never use my 'gift' on you, or anyone. I apologise for what happened." His hair fell into his eyes as he looked down, suddenly looking unusually vulnerable. "I'm dangerous, Tessa. You should stay away from me."
Before she could protest, he wrenched his hands out of her grip and went to sit by Jem, swiftly ending the conversation. He gently put his hand on Jem's forehead, testing his temperature, before recoiling in shock when Jem slowly opened his eyes.
Suddenly pulled out of his vivid dreams, Jem's eyes opened, and he squinted as he looked directly into the candlelight beside his bed. Blinking rapidly, to adjust his vision, he moved his head to glance around the infirmary, before his eyes settled on Will and Tessa.
Will was staring at him, as if he'd seen a ghost. "James… you're awake?" he asked hesitantly, his voice tinged with wonder and disbelief.
"Yes, it appears so," Jem remarked mildly, before both Will and Tessa bent down and gathered him into their arms, in a hug. Jem was pleasantly surprised when he felt no pain around his abdomen. He noticed Will was taking in quick breaths, while Jem could feel Tessa's tears running down his arm.
"I'm so glad you're back," Tessa whispered, her voice uneven, as if she was holding back more tears.
"Don't ever do that to me again, James," Will warned, his voice hard and accusing, but Jem knew Will would be mad at himself, most of all.
Jem merely raised an eyebrow. "Don't be ridiculous. You'd do the same if you were in my position. I could never just stand back and watch you die."
Although Will scowled at this, he couldn't argue as he pulled back and straightened. It was obvious he was just happy to see Jem awake.
"So how long have I been asleep?" Jem asked them, wondering how much he'd missed. He guessed it must have been a while judging from how worried they had been.
They both hesitated, but it was Tessa who answered. "It's been three days."
Three days? Jem was shocked, but supposed he should be grateful that he even survived the fatal injury. He looked over at Will, knowing all too well what he could be like. "I hope you haven't been chained to my bed this whole time."
Before Will could answer, Tessa spoke up again, and Jem was grateful to her for telling the truth. "He hasn't been eating or sleeping."
Jem frowned at Will, giving him a hard look, although he could never stay angry at him for long. "Really Will, there was nothing you could do. I was trying to save your life, not make you die of starvation."
Will let out a short bark of laughter, and repeated what Jem had said earlier. "You would have done the same for me."
Jem shook his head at Will's antics, and gingerly sat up in the bed. He lifted his shirt and inspected the wound, his fingers lightly brushing over it. He stretched his body from side to side, feeling no pain related to his lung either. It was miraculous that he and Will had both survived. He'd never known the extent of his 'gift,' but if it could save lives, it would certainly be the most sought after 'gift' in the kingdoms. However, he had a nagging worry in the back of his mind, about the concept of a life for a life. Could he really cheat death? Or would this somehow catch up with him later?
Clearing his mind of the negative thoughts, he forced a smile, glancing between them with fake happiness. He didn't want to ruin it for them.
Will, seeing through his disguise, as always, turned to Tessa. "Do you mind if I talk to Jem alone for a moment?" he asked briskly, but not unkindly.
"Of course," she replied in good grace, giving Jem's hand one last reassuring squeeze, before leaving the room.
Once she was gone, Will sat on the edge of the bed, leaning forwards and lowering his voice. "That was unbelievable, but who questions miracles?" he asked, awe still obvious in his tone.
Jem nodded slowly in agreement, and decided to voice his theory. "I think I survived because I drew strength from someone. It was like that time where I healed the horse, and you leant me your strength. Just before I passed out, I felt someone's arms on me, and it must have happened again."
He couldn't keep the worry from his voice. That kind of power was dangerous. The feeling he got from it was addictive, and it wasn't easy to stop. If he hadn't forced himself to stop that other time, he had the feeling he might have leached Will of all his strength, and that was a scary thought. And if word got out to the kingdom about such an ability, he'd be dead. Most likely hanged or burnt to a stake. After all, people feared what they didn't know.
Jem continued, his voice shaky. "Then you touched my forehead before I woke up, right? Did you feel a tug on your energy?"
Will rested a hand on his arm, which calmed his racing thoughts. "It's nothing that I would miss. I'd give up all my strength just to see you wake up."
He shook his head, feeling increasingly distraught. "Don't ever let me drain you, Will. I'm worried I'll go too far. You can't let me."
In response, Will's eyes softened. "I'm not worried. I trust you with my life. You just need to trust yourself."
For some reason, he felt exhausted, despite the fact he'd been sleeping for three days. Unintentionally, he felt Will's strength being drawn and mingling with his own, from where his hand rested on his own arm. Widening his eyes, he scrambled back, pulling his arm away and leaning his back against the wall. He drew in quick panicked breaths, flashes of the time he'd been asleep suddenly coming back to him.
"I had such vivid dreams, Will. There was fire and battles, and people dying everywhere." His voice lowered even further to a whisper. "I felt helpless, like there was nothing I could do. And then there was Tessa and Mortmain. He won, Will... He won." Jem folded his arms around his middle, rocking back and forth.
"They were just dreams, Jem. Nothing more, nothing less," Will stated in certainty, his eyes holding Jem's gaze, and his hands gently steadying him and holding him still.
Jem shivered uncontrollably, and rapidly shook his head from side to side. "You don't understand. They seemed so real. I feel like it was a warning of what was to come."
"You're a healer, not a seer," Will said firmly. "You just need some more rest." He pulled the sheets up over Jem when he saw him shivering. "I can stay as long as you need."
Relaxing his tense muscles, he sighed and started to close his eyes. "You're right of course. I don't know what came over me. Thank you."
He saw Will nod, and settle beside him, leaning his back against the wall, as Jem himself lay down under the sheets. The last thing he heard Will whisper before he fell back asleep was, "You're going to be fine."
So I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Sorry for the long wait again! Please review/favourite/follow, because your words really inspire me. I was a little disappointed that I only had five reviews for the previous chapter, when I had nine for the one before that. I hope you like other chapters, like action, adventure, etc, besides just the romance chapters. Or maybe I just took too long to update. But hey, five is still better than nothing. Anyway, there will be a change of pace soon, so enjoy the lull while it's here. ;)
~ SilverJem5