Chapter 88
Wiping Aurora's face with a towel soaked in warm water, I could see the sharper contours of her cheeks. She had lost so much weight in just a few days after the incident. She'd been doing perfectly fine before, but now the changes in her body were impossible to ignore.
The way she jerked in pain. The faint tremors in her hands. And I couldn't do anything to ease it. I set the towel aside and picked up the hairbrush, gently brushing through her disheveled hair as she closed her eyes.
"How's Dione?" she asked quietly, making my hand falter for a moment.
I swallowed hard but kept brushing. "She's happy you're awake... but she keeps replaying how she saw you lying there. Almost lifeless." I forced a faint smile as I caressed her cheek.
Aurora opened her eyes, looking at me. "She must be traumatized," she murmured, lowering her gaze.
I pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I already scheduled therapy for her," I reassured softly. "She said she keeps dreaming about what happened."
Aurora nodded slowly.
"Don't let her see me like this, okay? If she asks to visit, tell her she's not allowed.
" She scoffed as she leaned back against the headboard, her chest rising and falling too heavily for someone simply trying to breathe.
"It'll only make things worse if she sees me like this.
I don't want her to remember me as weak. "
All I could do was nod. Even if I wanted Dione to see her, Aurora was thinking only of our daughter. She was too young to understand all of this.
A knock broke the quiet. Thalia slipped in, smiling softly as she closed the door behind her.
"Hey," she greeted, setting a basket of fruit on the bedside table. "I spoke with your attending doctor, Rory. You're scheduled to be airlifted to Switzerland tomorrow."
Aurora glanced at her, then at me.
"And," Thalia continued, "Uncle Henri will visit later. He'll probably go with you on the flight back. You know you're not supposed to handle all of this alone, right? You're pregnant, and the stress isn't good for you."
"I understand," I murmured, finishing the last strokes of the hairbrush and setting it aside.
Aurora's fingers lightly poked my hand. "Gelato?" she rasped, barely above a whisper.
I blinked—half laugh, half choke. "Honey, you're literally recovering from a gunshot."
"I know," she said, wincing as she shifted. "But I want raspberry rose. Please?"
A small hum escaped my throat, and I nodded. "Okay." I cupped her face, rubbing my thumbs along her cheeks. "I'll get you raspberry rose gelato. Anything else?"
She shook her head, managing a faint smile. "Thalia, go with Sol, please? I don't want her walking around alone while she's pregnant."
Thalia nodded. "Of course," she said as she headed for the door.
"But..." I hesitated, glancing between them. "You won't have anyone here."