The Hathway Kingdom (Book 2)

Thirty-Two.

~Thirty-Two. ~

Romulus didn't know how long he, Theodoras, Tristan or Elissa waited outside the medical room. He's lost count of how many days had gone by after he had first found her amongst the rubble. He'd been trying to remember everything that had happened since then, but nothing came back to him. Nothing except for the image of Larissa lying on the ground, covered in blood. That image would be burned into his memory until he died.

Elissa did her best to make sure that everyone who had gathered outside the medical room still ate and got some sleep. He knew she was just as worried and afraid as any of them were, if not more so. He knew that she had been with Larissa since they were both children, Larissa had told him in amongst the talks they shared the night that they had spent together and how much she valued Elissa as a confidant and a friend. He frowned as Elissa went to hand him a plate of food and looked at her. He took it and set it aside before he reached out and took her wrist gently, stopping her before she could go to the others. She gave a small squeak in surprise before she looked at him with wide eyes. He met her frightened blue eyes with a gentle, reassuring expression.

"You don't have to be strong with us, Elissa," he said to her as gently as he could manage as he looked at her. He watched her as her eyes widened as she held his gaze before he saw her bottom lip shake and he knew. He watched her for a moment longer and, before she could break down completely, Romulus pulled her to him and allowed her to cry into his chest, being a good foot taller than her.

She cried into his chest for some time, but he didn't move away or move her away. Once she had finished crying, Romulus allowed her to pull away from him herself before she went back to her work, and he turned his gaze towards the doors of the medical room. There was plenty of movement beyond the doors within the room but there were no voices carrying out to them. In fact, other than the sounds of whatever they were doing to save Larissa, there was no sound and it worried him. Each time he saw movement near the doors, Romulus could feel his heart beating against his chest furiously, only to grow harder and faster when the person or persons that went near the doors moved away. He sighed and slumped back into the chair that had been provided to him this time around, closing his eyes for a moment.

A few moments later, however, he was on his feet again as the doors opened and out filed several exhausted looking medical staff. He watched their faces but none of them gave anything away as they all bowed to him and then the others before they left the room and the wing. He gritted his teeth, fighting to urge to curse them and grab one of them by the shoulders to demand an answer from them. But he didn't. Instead, he kept his eyes trained on the doors as they all filed out. Eventually, Rosaleen came to the doors, looking absolutely exhausted, and very much like she would pass out where she stood, wiping her hands on a clean towel. Romulus took note of both the dried and fresh blood that was splattered about her person as he walked over to Rosaleen, who looked up at him through tired eyes.

"Is she..." he began to ask but the words died in his throat as his voice broke and he clamped his mouth shut as he waited for her to answer the unfinished question that hung in the air. She held his gaze for longer than he wanted, feeling as though she was seeing straight into his soul and with a mixture of hope and fear burning in his already frightened eyes. He found himself holding his breath the longer she held his gaze, his fear increasing and tugging at his already rapidly beating heart.

"She's alive," Rosaleen said, loud enough for everyone that had gathered there to hear, and a collective wave of relief washed over the group, which now included the Professor as he finally felt well enough to join them as they waited.

Elissa broke down into relieved tears and Tristan, being the kind soul that he was, went over to her to comfort her, holding her close as she buried her face into his neck. Theodoras sank into his chair with a loud sigh of relief, throwing his head back as he closed his eyes and the Professor looked as if ten years had returned to him. No one spoke or moved further than they had already. No one except Romulus, who took a small, cautious step forward.