11. Chapter Eleven
Chapter Eleven
Kat
He had me hooked up to a hydromorphone drip, and he promised it should hit different than the other things I’d tried.
Morphine had been what we’d tried at the hospital, I guessed.
So that was out. I didn’t believe him that it wouldn’t fuck me up.
He also said it should only take a few minutes to kick in.
That, I did believe. Because everything was fuzzy.
Everything.
My blankie was fuzzy, of course. But everything I looked at was fuzzy around the edges.
Henry looked almost like he had a halo. That seemed fitting.
I giggled. Then laid my head against his chest, and yep, his shirt was just as soft as it looked.
Suddenly, I was very, very sleepy. But this was the perfect place to take a nap. We were even on a bed! Excellent.
I heard Henry talking, but that wasn’t my concern. I was taking a nap. He would take care of it for me. I was sure of that. I sighed, content right there with his cozy warmth.
“Hmm? What was that, sweetheart?” my pillow asked. I actually remembered! I wasn’t sure why that was exciting, but it was.
“I love how warm and cozy you are. It’s perfect because I’m always cold,” I said, peering up at him from where I laid against his chest. He smiled at me softly.
“Those drugs worked really fast, huh?” he asked me gently. I shrugged. I didn’t know how long it had been. I just wanted a nap.
“Kat, you need to stay awake with me, sweetie,” he said softly.
I pouted a little, but at least I got to spend time with him.
I wasn’t mad about that. My arm was up on that little table again, and I knew that was why I felt like this.
I watched the doctor poke my hand experimentally, glancing up at me quickly.
And it was miraculous. I could feel it, sure. And it would hurt a little when he dug in. But. But. I barely felt it. And I would barely feel that pain. I tried to give him a thumbs up, but he held my hand still. Whoops. I heard Henry chuckle behind me. I liked that sound.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding, were you?” the doctor muttered. I didn’t know what he was talking about, but Henry seemed to.
“Yeah, they hit her like a train. And she’ll be like this for hours,” he responded quietly as the doctor started pickety-poking at my hand with the cold brown stick thingy. I looked back at Henry.
“Like what?” I asked, curious. He kissed me on the cheek.
“Adorable,” he whispered in my ear. I felt a little like he was laughing at me, but for once I didn’t mind. I liked hearing him laugh, so it was okay. I shrugged. He laughed again.
“Tell me a story!” I demanded. I was pretty sure the doctor knew I wasn’t talking to him. But I did hear him laugh while he had my flippy flappy all open and gross.
“You want a story, do you? What kind of story?” Henry asked me quietly, right in my ear. I shrugged.
“You pick!” I decided. I wanted to see what he’d come up with.
“Okay. A fairy tale it is then. Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a princess,” he started.
“Okay, but does she have to wear dresses all the time? Cuz that sucks. It’s okay sometimes, especially when the right person is with you telling you you’re pretty and stuff, but she should get to be badass too,” I demanded. One sentence in. Oh, well. He needed to get it right.
“Can’t princesses be badass in dresses, too?” he asked, a smile in his voice. I wasn’t sure why, but it felt like I knew what he was talking about. But I didn’t.
“I guess,” I shrugged.
“Okay. Let me start again. Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a princess that got to wear comfy jeans most of the time,” he started, pausing. I nodded, content with the correction.
“She raced dragons, and she was better than anyone else she knew,” he whispered. I settled back against his chest, content to hear the rest of my story.
“But there was evil in the neighboring land. And her dad, the king, vowed to help. And his dragon-riding, jeans-wearing, hellion of a princess wouldn’t be left behind.
So, he brought her with, promising himself he’d keep her safe,” he continued.
I nodded. This was satisfactory so far. I liked dragons.
I read lots of dragon books. Those tended to have sex in them, though, and I had a feeling this one wouldn’t.
“They arrived. And to the princess’s delight, there were other dragon racers there.
She wasn’t pleased to find they were all princes, but she had to deal with the hand she was dealt,” he said, chuckling at the disdainful look on my face.
I wouldn’t interrupt again, but there should be more girls, sir.
“And she was a little prickly, maybe because there were no other princesses. Or maybe because she was just a fiery little princess that no one knew how to handle,” he whispered in my ear.
I liked that. The ear whispering, but also that the princess was prickly.
Prickly people were the best people, after all. At least I thought so.
“But one prince was determined to make her his friend. So, he’d stay late, hanging out with his dragon, the way she did with hers.
And he slowly wore her down, just by being persistent and steady and there.
And she became his best friend. But that’s only the beginning of the story,” he said, settling into a rhythm.
I was zoning out to the sound of his voice, staring into the texture of the walls.
“The prince took it on himself to protect the princess, from everything. The other racers, the evil in the land, everything. Sometimes, even herself,” he whispered.
Rude. Why did she need saving from herself?
Honestly, sir. Learn how to tell a good story.
But I stayed quiet. I… did still want to see what happened.
“Because you see, he loved her.”
I was pleased to find that the princess loved him, too. People think little kids can’t love each other, but they do. I knew that. I finally REMEMBERED that, recently. It’s just not weird or sexual or anything adults make love into. It’s simple, then. Much simpler than when you’re older.
“And they found a dragon that was willing to help them get away, even though he was a wild dragon. Theirs were too far away, too small to help on a long journey. But he wanted something in return,” he continued.
I thought maybe he’d been talking for a while, but he hadn’t complained.
And his storytelling skills were VERY good.
Even with some of his smaller details that were a tad rude. No one was perfect, after all.
“What did he want?” I asked quietly, a little afraid to find out.
“Well, he wanted sacrifice. He wanted to see how far they would go to take care of each other. And unfortunately for the prince and princess, there was immediately a chance. Because the great evil had caught up to them. But you see, the prince didn’t notice.
But that tiny, fiery princess did. And she shoved him out of the way of a burning arrow, very nearly getting clipped by it herself. ”
Damn straight, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. When you love someone, you give everything. That’s just how it was. And it doesn’t even feel like everything. Because THEY feel like everything. I nodded, approving. He chuckled behind me. I think he liked when I responded.
“And the ancient dragon accepted that as his payment, he knew he was helping do good, not spread evil, by getting them to safety. But the evil was still there, and they needed to leave quickly. The prince was helping the princess onto the massive dragon’s back when he suddenly shoved her down.
He got hit with an arrow. But he got her on the dragon, and they got away. ”
I didn’t like that. I didn’t like that at all.
Why would he put that in my story? I didn’t want the prince to get hurt, that wasn’t fair!
Especially not protecting the princess. That felt wrong.
She could take care of herself. Especially if it meant that the prince wouldn’t get hurt. I felt tears slipping down my cheeks.
“I don’t like this story anymore. Change it. Fix it,” I sobbed. His arms tightened around me, and he kissed me twice on the cheek. Then he whispered, for only me to hear.
“The story isn’t over yet, my love. They’ll be okay. They’ll grow up and get married and rule the land together, constantly quashing the evil any time it tries to rear its head.” I nodded, choking back my sobs. If he was okay, I could handle that. Maybe.
“Do you promise?” I whispered back.
“I promise, Kat.”