Chapter 10
Arax
When I awakened, it was the next morning.
I was alone in my room. I blinked my eyes open a few times and took a moment to take in my surroundings.
It was the first time I was able to do so without interruptions from egotistical males; though, truth be told, Drake did seem sweet.
I must have slept peacefully through the night, since I felt more like myself today.
I thought I had the makings of one of my dreams, but the memory was fuzzy.
It dematerialized the more I sought to grasp it, and it gradually faded from my mind once I was sitting up.
Wherever I was, I could tell it was high-end and high-tech.
The space was quite big, more like a medical suite than an examination room.
It was furnished and with taste, much nicer than any other hospital room I’d been in, with their cold, clinical atmospheres.
I shuddered at the recollection and tried to shake it off.
Here, a gentle breeze floated the curtains aside, allowing me a peek of blue skies and green speckled hills.
Sunlight filtered through the gauzy fabric and reflected on the walls, warming up the muted ecru and enveloping the room in all the comforts of a lazy afternoon.
Instead of linoleum, the floor was hardwood, stained a coffee shade of brown, which brought out the fine detail in the grain.
A loveseat and a recliner were angled around a circular glass coffee table and looked custom made.
Their light-colored upholstery had not a single mark or scratch.
Even the machines to which I was attached were bright and shiny and new.
My bed was feathery and comfortable, fitted with sheets that were cool and soft to the touch and pillows that were the perfect balance of fluffy and firm.
I was still hooked up to the various machines and the I.V.
, so I couldn’t get up. My arms were covered in cuts and scrapes; some quite severe that they required several layers of gauze.
There was a significant amount of bruising visible, even through my tattoos.
Each of my fingers was taped, swollen from the damage they’d suffered.
Bending them was difficult since my joints were creaky from the lack of movement.
Extending my arms, I couldn’t believe I had any skin left on my body.
I remembered falling. It was the most scared I’d ever been in my life, yet I didn’t remember landing.
I must have knocked out by the time I made it to the bottom of the mountain.
Somehow, I’d ended up here. I’d thought it was a local hospital at first, but then Konstantine, that giant prickly tool, stated I was on private property.
Was it a reservation? A cult? I had so many questions and I should have been scared, yet…
No matter how much the rational side of me searched for that feeling, it wasn’t there.
They’d found me, saved my life and from the conversation with the doctor yesterday, it didn’t look like I was to be released any time soon.
I figured if they’d wanted to hurt me or leave me to die, they would have done so while I had been unconscious.
“Good morning, sweetie,” a pretty, middle-aged nurse said as she walked in, carrying what looked to be a tray of food. “Good to see you awake and seemingly coherent.”
“Hi,” I replied, and my stomach grumbled loudly.
“Well, that’s a good sign! You haven’t had solid food for some time now, so we’ll start slow,” she said, setting up the tray in front of me.
I was expecting the standard disgusting hospital fare: off-color pudding, mystery meat, etc.
, but when she lifted the cover, I was hit with the most delicious smell of chicken soup, and my stomach rumbled even louder.
Warm bread accompanied the meal, its steam rising when I opened the cloth napkin in which it was folded.
There was also a small bowl of fresh fruit for dessert.
“Let me get you some more water,” the nurse said. “I’m Annalee, by the way.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Arax.”
“After you finish, the doctor will be in to check on you. You might be released tomorrow! You’ve healed so well. You gave us quite the scare. When he brought you in, you were covered in blood and had lost consciousness due to your injuries.”
She was talkative, but I didn’t mind. It was nice to have company who didn’t look like they loathed me more and more with each passing second. Since she seemed to be so forthcoming, I decided to ask her about something she’d said. “I’m sorry, but who brought me in? The doctor?”
“Oh, no, the alph—errr Konstantine, sweetheart,” she answered and headed for the door. “Now eat up and call me when you’re done.”
The soup tasted as good as it smelled, and my mind wandered while I ate. So big, bad Konstantine probably saved my life. Damn. I really wanted to hate him, but I owed him.
When I finished, I went to reach for the call button on the side of my bed, and something caught my eye.
A small vase full of jasmine sprigs had been placed on the side table.
Their fragrance was heady and beautiful.
I didn’t remember them being there before, but then again, I hadn’t been myself for over a week. I was liable to miss a few details.
Instead of the nurse, it was Doctor Distefano who walked in after I called.
“Hello, Arax. You’re looking better and better each time I see you,” he said jovially.
“Thank you, Doctor,” I replied.
“I’m just going to check your chart, and I want to order a couple of more tests and examine your head to make sure the swelling is going down. We might be able to get you out of here and set up in the main house as early as tomorrow.”
“About that, Doctor,” I said cautiously. “Is that really necessary? Honestly, I think I should just go home and follow up with my doctor. Maybe you can forward her all my X-rays and scans and what not.”
He thought about it for a moment. “Is there someone at home who can keep an eye on you?”
I looked down. Even if my mom were still alive, she wouldn’t have been able to.
The last few years of my life had been spent just keeping us afloat and keeping her going.
And Danny… Danny couldn’t know about my near-death experience.
He had had to deal with so much of my nonsense already, I wasn’t prepared to let him add caretaker to that list.
“No,” I said truthfully. “But I can look after myself. I always have. Please, I just want to go home.”
“I think Konstantine would be quite angry if I let you leave against my own recommendation. I’m sorry, Arax.
As a medical professional, I have to look out for the well-being of my patients, even if it makes for an unpopular decision.
I’m going to be very honest with you. You should be dead.
It’s a miracle you aren’t. Therefore, I need to make sure you are completely in the clear before I release you from my care entirely. Does that make sense?”
“Okay, yeah,” I said, disappointed.
“One week.” He smiled at me. “And we’ll see what happens.”
“Right,” I replied.
I dreaded the thought of staying here another minute, much less a week. My nerves were shot, and my experiences with both Konstantine and Cyrus had left me anxious and jittery. I hadn’t seen Drake again and wished he would come visit. I found his presence more comforting, at least.
My tests were done bedside, and Doctor Distefano came back a while later and gave me somewhat good news; he was happy with my results, and I’d be moved into the main house in the morning.
“Where is this main house? Will someone come get me?” I asked Annalee as I ate my dinner. She was prepping me to turn in for the night.
“It’s close. I’m sure Konstantine will be sending someone to collect you and show you to your room. You’ll love the main house. It’s actually a stone castle, built into the mountainside, and it’s beautiful,” she said enthusiastically.
A castle? In the middle of these mountains? “An actual castle?” I asked her.
“An actual castle,” she replied.
“Who lives in it?” I wondered out loud.
“Konstantine and his family, of course!” Annalee said, like it was obvious.
“What do they do that they can afford to live in such a place?” I asked.
“Konstantine took over the… the… family business when his father passed. He’d barely turned twenty-one and had just finished his studies.
He had to grow up quickly.” Annalee then shook her head at me.
“No more questions,” she said gently as I opened my mouth.
“Get some rest, Arax. You’re going home tomorrow! ”
No, I’m not, I thought bitterly as I eventually fell into a restless sleep.
It felt like hundreds of hours had passed before morning came.
I’d woken up every few minutes, and it would take me forever to fall back asleep.
Despite all my worry about basically moving in with Konstantine and his family for a while, part of me couldn’t deny that I was ready to get out of this bed, maybe even take a shower and wear some real clothes. Then I remembered I had none. Awesome.
Annalee came in a little earlier than she had the day before, with a change of clothes in her hands.
“Oh, good. You’re up!” she said pleasantly when she walked in.
She handed me the clothes—some basic sweats, a T-shirt, shoes, socks, and undergarments—and proceeded to disconnect me from everything.
I took a big stretch, and my muscles ached from the extra movement.
I sat up in bed and wiggled my legs, noticing more of the same cuts and bruises on them as my arms. It had been too long since I’d last walked.
Gingerly, I got out of bed and, with Annalee’s help, hobbled to the restroom to change.