A LAND OF FIRE AND DARKNESS

Chapter 14

I sat in the darkened room while crawled into a ball. I tried to focus on the book I read, but my eyes kept drifting to the bed.

Lewis lay looking paler than he had yesterday. His bones on his cheeks were protruding out, and his eyes seemed far more dull than usual.

I shook my head and turned my attention back to the book, but it was a boring book, that was not nearly interesting enough to distract my mind.

I closed the novel and sighed out before looking out the windows.

"Al?" Lewis groaned out. I looked towards him and met his ill-looking face, "What is wrong?" He asked with a croaked voice that broke my heart.

I shook my head at him, "You are sick." I reminded him.

"People get sick, Al." He said with a smile. He looked like death, but still, he tried to smile.

"You don't," I stated as I put the book down on the table next to the chair. I slouched forward on the sofa and examined his face.

I had never seen him ill since I could remember, he was always healthy.

"Come here." He said propping himself up and patting the side of the bed.

"No." I stated sternly, "We are not saying goodbye."

"Al," He groaned with annoyance, "Stop being so incredibly stubborn for once, and come and sit here."

I rolled my head while I pushed off from the chair and strode to the side of his bed. I placed myself next to him and held back the tears at the sight of him. He looked worse from here. His sockets were deepened, his lips appeared to look black and blue.

He reached for my hand and grabbed it in his boney fingers. When last did he eat?

"You are stronger than you think, Al."

"This sounds like a goodbye," I stated with narrowed eyes.

"Al." He sighed, "Listen to me."

He reached up and caressed my cheek with his fingers. "I need you to make a promise to me." He said softly.

"What promise?" I asked with annoyance at his words that sounded far too much like a goodbye.

"When the time comes for you to choose a side, make sure you are on the right one." He asked with a faint smile.

"What side?" I asked with creased eyebrows, "What are you talking about?"

"I was going to tell you." He said with a kind tone as his hand returned to mine, "I was going to take you to him myself." His face softened.

"Who?" I asked with an anxious tone.

His eyes drifted from me before his body began to convulse against the bed. His face morphed into pain as his body twitched and his mouth began to foam.

"Lewis," I exclaimed as I shot up from the bed. "Help!" I called out towards the doors. "Please someone." I tried to grip Lewis's shoulders to keep him from falling off the bed.

The doors snapped open as a line of doctors and nurses who had been tending to Lewis strolled into the room. The one Nurse pulled me away from Lewis and pushed me towards my Ladies in Wait. They gripped onto me while I stared at Lewis.

"Please save him," I ordered with a firm voice towards the doctors.

They all exchanged looks and I knew what that meant. I knew there was no saving Lewis.

I shot up from the bed and took in a heavy breath. A tear slipped out from my eye instead of sweat. I wiped it away as swiftly as it appeared and stared at the fire.