Tears Come From Cracks in Her Weak Skin

Chapter Eleven

Jack and Karl walked in with armfuls of bandages and potions, eyes glued to who they were meant for, "So, who's gonna be the one to patch her up?" Karl spoke up first.

"I can do it." Eret suggested, "Forgive me but I think she's a little bit more comfortable with me, and when she wakes up I don't want her to freak out. You two can help make some food for Niki when she comes to."

"I can go by her bakery and bring back some cakes and bread. She'll like having some sort of familiarity," Jack proposed.

"And I'll go cook some steak and chicken, that way she'll get some protein as well. She's going to need it if she's gonna get back to 100 percent." Karl added.

"Okay, go. And Jack, while you're at Niki's bring back some clean clothes, this tunic is probably unsalvageable, considering all the blood on it." Jack stared at him blankly, "You don't have to go digging through her underclothing drawers, just find a clean top and a pair of clean pants, it shouldn't be that hard." Jack nodded, and he and Karl left the room, leaving Eret and Niki alone.

"Alright, let's patch you up," Eret muttered to himself as he lifted her blood-soaked shirt to reveal the wound. Thankfully, it had already stopped bleeding, but that left the skin around it looking pale and colorless. He grabbed a clean washcloth, dousing it in water, and gently washed away the blood, both dried and fresh, hers and others.

The wound looked considerably less terrible now that it was clean, the skin around it only a little red from the irritation of the cloth and the beginning of infection. But it was early, so perhaps he could prevent any major infections.

As he slathered the wound in healing and regeneration potions, Niki's fingers would twitch with consciousness and her eyes would flutter every so often, she stayed sleeping though, to Eret's relief.

Jack was the first to return, his arms full with warm bread and pies, a stuffed bag on his shoulders packed with what Eret assumed were clothes for Niki, "I didn't really know what to bring, so I brought everything. I don't think she'll be going back any time soon anyway. And I brought some bread and her pumpkin pie. I always liked those best."

"That's perfect. Thank you, Jack." Eret took the bag and began to empty its linen contents, "I'm going to change her clothes, so it might be best if you step out for a second. You can keep watch for Karl outside. If he returns before she's ready, you can help him take the rest of the food to the kitchens downstairs," Jack nodded, understanding the connotation of what Eret was asking, and left the room once more. The king resented having to send Jack and Karl away so often, seeing as they were only trying to help Niki. But he doubted she would ever forgive him if he allowed an audience while she was vulnerable.

He tried not to linger on any second as he quickly cut her pants away and replaced them with a new, clean pair of cotton shorts. Her top was a little easier, seeing as it was a simple cropped tank top, which allowed for easy access to her wound. And since he needed to let the wound stay open to allow for infection, the shorter the top, the better.

Karl and Jack walked in shortly after he gave them the all-clear. They stuck to the edges of the room, observing the unconscious girl from afar. Almost like if they came to close they would harm her, "You can touch her. She's not as fragile as we thought she was."

The two relaxed slightly as they gently crept forward, sitting in the chairs beside the bed. Karl took her hand in his, "She's so cold, why?"

"She lost a lot of blood, I really don't know how to replace it all. But from what I understand, her blood vessels are constricting to compensate for the loss. I can go get some more blankets while you two stay with her." Eret left the room, inadvertently giving Karl and Jack their own moments of privacy with their unconscious friend.

"It's funny, you know," Jack chuckled, "I never really knew Niki, I mean, yeah she was a part of L'Manburg, but we never really got the chance to get to know each other. I guess I never really got the chance to know any of the citizens of L'Manburg. I wish I did, though. They were amazing people."

"Yeah, Niki is the kind of person you want to know, you know? She just has that personality, the kind that just makes you feel welcome. I think that's what makes her that much more powerful."

"Wilbur saw that in her from the very beginning," Eret said from the door, having returned with several heavy looking blankets, "there's a reason why he made her First Lady of L'Manburg."

"Yeah, I always felt like I could go to her whenever I needed someone to talk to." added Karl, massaging Niki's hand to keep it warm, "Here, let's get those blankets on her, she's still really cold."

The three went to spread the two blankets on Niki, careful of the still open and healing wound, but as they smoothed the soft fabric over her body, her hand twitched, clenching the covers in a tight fist. Karl noticed first, and slowly brought his eyes up to her face, where her formerly serene forehead was taught with stress and anxiety, "Hey guys, I think somethings wrong with her."

Eret gently placed his hand on hers, sympathy dancing across his features, "She's probably having a nightmare, there's nothing we can do about it except wait for it to end. Remember, this is probably going to happen a lot, we just need to be patient. She'll be okay, she just has to be strong."