"His heart and lungs both sound good and strong," I heard a soft female voice say, "I think he just has to recover from the blood loss."
"He has been mostly unconscious for four moon rises, barely waking to eat, and definitely not coherent," replied the sexiest voice I'd ever heard. "I am just worried."
"Apparently, I'm pretty tough to kill," I said in a rough, dry voice, but my jaw ached when I moved it.
Then I opened my eyes to see Talise and Queen Nerissa rush over to my bedside with surprised looks on both of their faces.
"Thank the gods and goddesses, you're awake!" the queen gasped. "You had us all worried."
She sat on the edge of my bed, put her hand on my face to caress my cheek, and ran her fingers through my hair. It was the first time she'd ever touched me, and I could have died a happy man right then and there. Her hands were like a cool bath on a hot summer day, and they were soft and comforted me tremendously.
"Definitely not my intentions, Your Majesty," I said as I tried to talk past the tenderness in my jaw. "I would much rather be doing so many other
things."
At that moment, Talise came over to do an examination of me. She felt my forehead, held candlelight near each eye, trailed her fingers along my throat and chest, and palpated my stomach. She looked so serious doing it all, and I had to chuckle.
The healer gave me an admonishing look, but I could tellshe was fighting a smile of her own. "What is so funny, Ben?"
"I have never seen you being so serious," Ireplied, "that's all."
"You did give us a fright," she whispered. "You got quite a nasty wound there."
"What exactly happened?" I asked as I tried to frown but winced from the pain. "All I remember is the last monster coming at me and me jamming a spear in his head. I know he managed to hit me, but I've been out for four days?"
Talise came closer and pulled back the blanket covering my body.
My left arm, right below the shoulder joint, was covered in thick bandages, and she slowly peeled them back to reveal a gnarly gash that had been sewn up and covered in a thick green paste. The injury wrapped around my
deltoid muscle like a crescent moon and was a few inches deep.
I tried to move my shoulder a bit to see how it felt. Surprisingly, there wasn't a sharp pain, more of a dull and throbbing ache like when old
injuries acted up. I was amazed at how much I'd already healed in only four days. These women had some kind of magic medicine.
"This doesn't feel as bad as I thought it would," Itold Talise, "just a little stiff and sore. What did you do?"
"It was a very deep cut all the way to the bone," she replied gravely. "I cleaned it out very well, sewed it up, and applied a poultice I'd been
working on to help speed up the healing. It seems to be working well on you. You also took a backhand to the jaw when the imbecile missed, but that doesn't seem to be affecting you too much."
"It's a little sore, but nothing major. You are a miracle worker, Talise."
"I am just glad Mira saw him approach and could yell out a
warning," the healer said quietly as a few tears rolled down her face.
"Nothing would have cured you if he'd managed to hit your neck or head with that blow. We would behaving your funeral, instead."
I reached up to wipe the tears away gently.
"All is well, Talise," I said in an effort to comfort her. "I am here, I am obviously well taken care of, and in the best hands I could be in. Plus, I
am going to have one really great scar!"
"You are an incorrigible flounder, Ben," she sighed while she tried to hide a smile.
"I've been called worse things," Iteased. "Could Ipossibly sit up? I feel weird staring up at the two of you."
Just as Talise and the queen helped get me into a comfortable sitting position, a loud commotion and banging noise drew our attention to the
doorway.
Mira came barreling in like something was chasing after her. The
shock on her face was clear, and I also wasn't expecting it when she quickly strode over to my side, took one look down at me, and promptly punched
me in my uninjured upper arm.
"Ow?" I cried as I rubbed the tender skin and stared up at the warrior with wide eyes. "What the hell was that for?"
"For scaring Talise and the queen," Mira sniffed with derision, but I thought I caught the barest glimmer of unshed tears in her eyes.
"Oh, really?" I asked with a cocked eyebrow. "Just them?"
"Of course," the warrior scoffed, but she wouldn't meet my gaze. "They were up for four days worrying about you."
"And I'm sure you weren't with them." Ismirked.
Mira's golden cheeks blushed a ruddy pink. "I-I--"
"Thank you, Mira," I interrupted and saved the woman from her embarrassment. "Without your warning,I could have ended up dead. You helped save my life."
The warrior woman crossed her muscled arms over her chest, and her gold eyes darted to Nerissa, but the queen was hiding a smile behind her
hand.
"Yeah, well," Mira mumbled, "Talise would have been upset if you had died. I couldn't let that happen."
"Of course." I nodded seriously, but my lips twitched at the corners. "Well, either way, I'mgrateful."
As the warrior finally met my eyes, I took a moment to study her. She looked as though she'd fought an injury or illness of her own, like
she'd withered away and lost ten pounds. Her hair wasn't its usual shiny jade green, and it was pulled back into a ponytail that stuck out like a duck tail because it was so short. Her golden scales were a bit dull and had lost some of their shine. Her clothes were the same ones she wore during the fight with the raiders, and I noticed how dirty she appeared to be all over.
Now, I was worried about her.
"When was the last time you slept or even ate, Mira?" I questioned her.
She averted her eyes, and a look of embarrassment crossed over her pretty face. Then she glanced up at her sister and her best friend, but she still didn't answer my question.
"She rarely left your bedside, Ben," Nerissa said with the barest hint of a smirk. "Talise and I both tried to gether to sleep, eat, or even bathe, but she wouldn't hear of it. The only reason she wasn't here when you woke up is because Talise sent her to fetch some more bandages for your shoulder."
Mira clicked her tongue and glared at her sister, but the queen seemed vastly unaffected.
"Is this true, Mira?" I asked as I took her hand.
She kept her eyes averted and grumbled under her breath.
I smirked and wanted to tease the warrior a little more, but I thought better of it at the last second.
"Well, thank you, Mira," I said with a small smile, "I am very
honored. But, now that you see I am alive and well,I insist you go take care of yourself. Bathe, eat something, and rest, please."
I could see her hesitation to leave me, even at my request, but then Nerissa spoke up.
"Mira, you can come back here and rest with Ben, if that is okay with Talise," the queen suggested.
"That is an excellent idea," Talise agreed with a smile. "With our patient now awake and alert,I think this will be his last night in the
infirmary. It would be good to have you herewith him, Mira, so I can take care of the ones who really need me."
The warrior woman still looked reluctant to admit any true emotions toward me, but she eventually nodded and stood up to go.
"I will be back soon, Ben," she said quietly. "Thank you for not dying."
Then she disappeared through the door and left me in the hands of the queen and Talise. I was glad she would be back, though, even if she tried to insist it was no big deal to her.
Nerissa returned to my bedside and took a seat very close to me. Again,I was surprised at her sudden comfort and ease around me. While she was never exactly standoffish toward me, she'd definitely kept her distance. Now, she was sitting so close her glorious ass nestled into my side, and she laid her hand on my chest.
I was suddenly light-headed since all the blood left in my body decided to go straight to my dick at her touch, but I didn't mind.