Treasured

53)

Wren's P. O. V.

A cough spluttered from my throat, causing me to whimper immediately after. My head was resting against Eddie's shoulder so I could lay sideways across the seat. My left leg was cushioned by some pillows, and my right leg was braced against the seat to keep me from falling all over the place.

Fletcher squeezed the hand he was holding, sympathy making his eyes shine a bit too moistly, and Branson frowned, tucking my blanket a little tighter. Eddie used his free hand to feel my forehead and then to brush the white strands from my eyes.

"I'm sorry, love," Eddie sighed. "It isn't much further now - I can see the town ahead."

Hope lit the inside of my chest, warming it with the promise of love and warmth. I couldn't wait to rest in my own bed with my loved ones all around me. Eddie had already told us we were going to have a holiday of sorts since everything was so upset as of late.

"I'm so tired," I whispered, turning my face into Eddie's jacket. "But I want to see them all..."

Eddie instinctively tightened his grip on me, swallowing with emotion. I was no fool. I knew that he had suffered with Orion's death, my situation, and now, with my ill health and missing appendage.

"Sleep if you must. There will be time enough to greet them all," Eddie softly encouraged. "You heal with time and rest, and lord knows you've had neither of late."

~

I was groggy, and slow as I came to myself. My eyes felt weighed down, and my lips were sealed tight, so the others thought me to be asleep. Eddie drew my hood up, making sure that the cloak was drawn around me to ward off the cold. The coach dipped, then swayed as Fletcher and Branson disembarked and began giving hushed orders.

"Let me see him!" A youthful voice demanded.

I knew it was Robin. The very thought of having him near sent a wave of relief through me.

"Here, I've got him," Branson's gravelly voice said.

"Be careful," Eddie apprehensively responded.

"We've given him the spare across from Eddie's room. He should be comfortable there," June's comforting presence made itself known.

A gust of wind tore through me, making me cry and turn into Branson's body for heat and reassurance. His steps quickened, trying to get me out of the cool, evening wind and into the house.

"A storm's rolling in," Cee Cee observed, making me smile a little. "It's a good thing you left when you did. He's already miserable, being wet and cold wouldn't do."

"I have some hot tea, cakes, and a fire ready for everyone," Sal mentioned, as we headed up the steps.

I shivered, making Branson swear under his breath. A moment later, another blanket was tucked around me to try and warm my ankle and other extremities, and Branson was ducking over me to get a look at my face.

"He looks so fragile," Eddie lamented as he paused nearby.

Branson didn't answer, focusing on maneuvering me through the door without hitting my foot on the frame or tripping on the blanket. Sal as always, was being useful by opening doors and guiding us down the passageways.

I didn't want Branson to put me down. A sudden terror gripped me, the idea that this was all a dream a dreaded certainty. I didn't want to wake up only to find that I was far away from them...

"Fletcher," Branson called, causing a slight disturbance behind us.

"I got him," Fletcher sighed, gently uncurling my fingers so Branson could lower me down.