WMMAP - [S2] Shelter You

22: Tale Of Love And Lost

Lucas' POV

The first thing that woke me up was a voice; a very angry voice, from afar that was muffling and yelling at the same time. 

For the rest of the conversation, I could no longer put them into words because I felt like my head was still throbbing in pain, an invisible kind of pain, from this ringing noise.

I couldn't muster the strength to open my eyes. Maybe I was still dreaming? But what kind of dream was this now? If I could move my hand and punch myself, would I be able to tell if this was a dream or reality? 

So, I tried again to touch my head. But as expected, my limps still felt heavy and I doubted I could move a muscle. 

The sounds of water dripping intruded my ears, and suddenly, the pain slowly faded and I felt this... Softness below my body, my arm, and my neck; the cold water against my skin before it disappeared again. 

This time the damp cloth was on my face, dapping on my cheek, and forehead. 

Whoever was wiping my face, their hand was so tender, so careful and somehow it freshened me up a lot.

"—cas. Can— me?"

What was that...

Slowly, I blinked. Once. Twice. I repeated until I could make it out who was in front of me.

I didn't know my eyes were already open. Everything was so blurry that I couldn't tell what was what. But the ringing in my ears started to fade and I saw a motion of hand in front of me.

"Lil... Lian?"

"Good... You're finally awake," she said before going back to cleaning my face again. "How are you feeling?"

I couldn't find the word to describe nor could I feel anything or even say anything. 

"Are you in pain?"

My mute answer must have left Lilian in confusion. No wonder she asked again.

Besides the fogginess in my brain, I didn't think I was experiencing anything of those. So, I shook my head. I wasn't sure if she could see I was doing my best to move my head though.

"Are you still —umb?"

Is she... calling me dumb right now? What did I do?

"...Dumb?"

"Numb, Lucas. Are you still feeling the Numbness?"

"Oh..."

Numb. Yes. That was the only way to describe my body and head right now. But I did feel dumb for mishearing her.

"It's a normal reaction," she assured me. "Don't worry too much about it."

Then I watched her opening this bottle of ointment, smearing the balm on her palms, and rubbing her hands together before moving from the chair next to the bed to the mattress. 

It was really awkward for her to move because of her pregnancy, but from my understanding, if she made up her mind to it, there was no stopping her so I let her do as she pleased.

No wonder Athy was so stubborn—

Wait...

Athy...

Fuck.

I NEED TO—

Lilian pressed my skull back into the pillow, and gave me a warning, "Don't even think about it."

Talk about inhuman strength... But that's not the point.

"You don't understand... She—"

"She's downstairs with everyone," Lilian cut me off then sat down on the bed on my right-hand side.