Red Haired Beauty (wattys2016)

Chapter 7: Morning

*Edited*

John awoke at daybreak the next day, after being helped through the house and placed into a room with a old hard bed. The room was straightforward in design with a grey, uneven stone floor barely two meters wide and three meters long with a single window and blue tattered curtains that have seen better days; letting the suns golden morning rays flood into the small room. John sighed and rolled to his side, a dull ache echoed in back from the firm bed under him. A single pillow that was solid as rock was just giving his head the rest he needed and nothing more. John pushed himself top sit straight, swinging his legs over as his good foot grazed the cold stone, sending shivers through his body. He pushed himself to stood up, slowly applying pressure to his foot, he smiled feeling that there was no pain at all. He jumped slightly on his foot to double check it was not just hiding the pain. Quickly satisfied that it was no longer going to cause him pain, He reached to the bottom of his bed and moved his boots to in front of him. He sank back down onto the hard bed and pulled on his boots. Seeing his waist coat on the back of a broken wooden chair, he pulled it off and slipped it over his white baggy sleeved shirt. He his hand through his hair, to make sure it was presentable again and walking out the room just as Grace walked in through the front door with a bucket of water in hand. Grace turned around and smiled when she saw John standing watching her.

" Good morning." Grace smiled to him as she walked over to the little dining table and lifted the water onto it, before turning to the wooden chest.

" Good morning, Grace. Sleep well?" John asked as he looked around the small hutch, There was a small fire going with Sally still asleep. His gaze then fell to the chair next to the table, it had an old blanket draped over it. He instantly knew that Grace had given him her bed and took to sleeping upon the old uncomfortable chair. An instant wash of guilt blanketed him as this dawned upon him.

" Very well thanks." Grace lied to him easily. For her, sleeping in uncomfortable places was normal and she paid no heed to it. Grace closed the chest and grabbed a small chipped cup into her hand and scooped the water, filling it up.

" If you want to wash pour some water into that bowl there." Grace smiled to him pointing to a large wooden wash bowl not to far from the table. John nodded and walked a few large steps over to the bowl, he picked it up; pouring water into the bowl. Grace mixed a orange coloured liquid into the water before walking over to her mother's bed. She gently shook her shoulder, waking her mother up softly.

" Good morning, mother. Here drink." Grace instructed her as Sally took the cup and drank the solution quickly, not wanting to prolong the taste of the horrid stuff. Sally then handed her daughter back to cup and quickly fell back to sleep. Grace stood up smoothing out her dress and walked back over to where John was now standing with the half fully wash bowl.

" What was that, that you just gave her?" John asked as he rubbed the water over his face and ran his wet hands through his hair, repeating several times.

" She is ill... Has been for a while." Grace said not looking up from her hands that washed the cup.

"Will she get better?" John asked worryingly as Grace sighed and slumped her shoulders stopping her movements.

" I have seen this before and it will only get worse. First she will gain a rash on her wrists and hands then it will be her breathing and before long she will barely remember anything before she passes on to the next world." Grace said as a single tear fell from her eye.

" The medicine does nothing but kill the pain which the illness causes." Grace said shaking her head and continuing to wash the chipped cup. But the tears continued to fall from her blue eyes.

"Grace." John whispered as he placed his fingers under her chin and pulled her face up to look at him. He used the pads of his thumbs to wipe away the tears that had fallen. The warmth that emitted from their touching skin was blissful in the morning chill.

" I am sorry. Is this a popular illness?" John asked her as he moved his hands again, leaving him cold and wanting to touch her more. He sat down on the chair next to the table.

" No. Most of its victims are healers. In fact 90% of cases are healers themselves." Grace said with a sad look upon her face as she finished drying the cup with a dirty cloth.

" But that means that you..." John began quickly to be finished by Grace.

" That I will share in the same fate? Yes, I am afraid so." Grace said putting the cup above the fire on a ledge with other cups and plates.

" How does it only affected Healers?" John asked with a sad look on his face.

" We are exposed to may different herbs, both poisonous and not all our lives. The toxins slip into us and mix, causing damage which cannot be reversed." Grace whispered as she looked down at the fire with her hands placed out in front of her to soak up the heat. John stood up and walked the several steps to stand behind her, grabbing her shoulders he turned her to look directly at him. He reached up and moved a piece of her red hair aside and behind her ear, as his deep brown eyes searched her ocean blue eyes for any hint of fear within them.

" Then why do you continue this skill-set if you know that it will mean your death?" He asked with pain and sadness echoing in his words, expressions and eyes.

" Because people need to be helped. We healers dedicate our lives to helping the sick and only keep what money we need for our own needs. So we have enough money to make sure that fathers are well to work and provide for their family. So that mothers can have and raise children and the children so they can continued the families name. There is reasoning behind everything Healers do." Grace explained to him with a fused brow. But even though she masked it, he could see deep down in her heart that she was scared of the idea of dying. He placed both his hands onto her cheeks and looked deeply into her.

" But it will kill you, Grace." He whispered with fear in his voice as he caressed his thumbs over her cheeks. Grace tried her best to keep the moan of pleasure from escaping her lips at his tender touch.

" I do not mind if it saves lives." She whispered lowly, too scared to speak any louder than need from the fear her voice might give her pleasure of his closeness away.

" But I do. I care for you in ways that you do not see. If anything were to happen to you... I could never forgive myself." He whispered to her as he held her face looking at his own. Grace than saw his brown eyes flash with an emotion she though she would never see.

" Grace. I-I. Erm I uh I am never one with a way for words. But." John began flushing red at his thoughts as he looked down to his feet unable to meet her gaze. His hands dropped down to his sides as he began to play with his hands.

" Grace, you mean everything to me. Over the past few months we have spent together has given me time to get to know you. But not only that, it has allowed me to fall helpless in love with you." John said with nothing but love edged in his eyes. Tear pricked Grace's blue eyes as his words hit her, her mouth slightly open.

" Will you allow me to court you, Grace?" John finally said to her, happy he managed to tell her. Taking the weight off his shoulder after so long of carrying it, gave him a for of indescribable relief but at the same time put a new layer on.

" I- I... Y-yes." Grace spoke deciding this time to let her heart take control over her life for once. Grace's smile grew as John smiled back and pulled her into an embrace. He held her close and took in her scent of the fresh forest that he loved so much. Her arms slowly wrapped around his waist as she buried her head into his left shoulders, felling his hair tickle against her cheek as she took in his manly scent of fire and whisky.

" Thank you." He whispered to her and embedded his nose further into her hair in order to smell better her aroma which he loved endlessly. Grace smiled as her heart lifted at his warm and secure embrace.