Nightmare Fantasy 2: A soldier's story

Chapter 28: Aftermath

Chaos opened her eyes, feeling the sensation of heat radiating on her left side. Pain shot all over her body like stabbing a pin cushion. She was so tired to move. The world swirled around in her vision. Feeling the sensation of warm breath down her neck following a rhythm of sleep, she shifted her head with gravity helping to turn. Golden hair caught her vision as she observed a male form asleep next to her side. Too tired to care what was going on, she felt comforted as she drifted back to sleep. His presence meant all was well regardless.

Vivid dreams lacing old memories took her away from reality. Holding hands with Orionna and Nokomis in an emerald green field, sitting down in the library with Marix, sipping a warm drink as she filled out never-ending paperwork at a desk, all felt more real than the reality she was unconscious for. Dream after dream shifted constantly, and she couldn't seem to puzzle the reason. At one point, she simply resigned herself she was dreaming, and what could she do about it? Then the nightmares of war altered her dreams, Tribrinka as a shadow form grabbed her as she tried to gasp out of dirt she was sinking in. She yearned for Marix. She was dying, and he couldn't handle that.

She gasped as she looked around, seeing the cool blue under-lighting of a medical unit at night. She reorganized her thoughts as she remained as still as possible. Everything hurt tremendously, wondering how many pain medications circulated through her system. Still feeling that comfort of his warmth again, she looked over his direction.

With an intake of breath, Marix studied her with red, worn eyes. He was on the brink of exhaustion from seeing no improvement from her day after day. He nestled beside her on the hospital bed, unable to drift off even after lack of sleep nagged at him.

"Marix?" she murmured, rubbing her exhausted eyes.

"Why are you on this bed?" she teased with her eyes closed. Oh, did the world spin so! She was impressed that both fit tightly next to each other on the modest medical cot. No one would dare argue with him about not to regardless. He had a commanding aura people didn't challenge.

He propped his head up with his arm as he gazed at her in concern, watching all her movements carefully. Assessing her functioning and observing steady, unlabored breathing, he calmed some. "I couldn't sleep without hearing you resting in case you took a rapid turn. You've not been in a good state, any moment I worried you'd pass on me. I just wouldn't relax without feeling you alive, the movement of your breathing, a heartbeat in the quiet room, I couldn't help it."

"What if you would have woken with me dead beside you," Chaos shook her head as she reached toward him.

"It would be fine," he firmly justified swiftly.

"I would have never wanted you to suffer that way," she returned as she bared the pain of her body while embracing him.

"I wasn't going to live much longer then either. I don't think I'd be thinking straight at that point. I need you," he responded gently as he pushed her back to protect her badly damaged body. He rubbed the back of her neck instead as he carefully rested his head within the uninjured side of her shoulder.

"What happened? Is Orionna and the rest ok?" she inquired, mustering up her energy the best she could. Moving made her ill.

"The Tribrinka we once knew is gone, thank goodness. Orionna is our queen, and she's doing all she can to rearrange things. Guard is helping, but," he sighed with a frown, "...I know they desperately needed me, but I haven't been in good form since... all this."

He nestled near her as he hid his face in her neck. She felt wetness trickle down as he whispered with voice breaking, "I almost lost you, Nevar knew how to strike at me to pull me down. Without Orionna giving her blood and both Leaders healing, you wouldn't be here. I couldn't find anyone else who could save you, Sky is still missing."