In the Shadows~zayn au~Completed ✅EDITING

~Chapter 66: Drastic Change~

I waxed a bit eloquent on this, so I'm sorry if this chapter seems strange. But for goodness' sake, I did 3.5 years of nursing school. It just emerges sometimes #oops

Zayn's POV

As Kalysta breathed quietly in her sleep beside him, Zayn let his voice fade out. She needed sleep and he would let her have it despite his overbearing need to ensure she was alright. He would send Aram to check on her health again later. They couldn't be too careful when it came to near-drowning, and Zayn was particularly loathe to take chances where Kalysta was concerned.

He slipped away from her, getting off the bed and putting fresh clothing on. She was usually a light sleeper so he was careful; disturbing her now would just be cruel. He took a last look at her sleeping form and left.

"How's the Princess with the death wish?" Mahir asked once Zayn had stepped outside of his cabin.

"She's resting still," Zayn answered, sighing. "No sign of any illness yet, but her lungs and voice are still raw. She can't talk; a bit of a blessing." His joke fell flat because of the worry in his voice.

"Funny enough, I grew accustomed to her attitude." Mahir sounded almost wistful.

Zayn would have been suspicious that Mahir had developed feelings for her, except for the fact that he knew the man preferred other men over women. He simply nodded and moved away, heading for the top deck. More work needed doing.

Louis was standing at the helm, talking to the individual men as they approached with their reports of the damages.

He'd been warned. Aram had warned Zayn before they left that there was a storm coming. Zayn, in his drive to placate Kalysta, had insisted they sail anyway. He'd foolishly thought he could handle it with ease; and he'd nearly lost Kalysta. It was good that his men were battle and storm-hardened or he likely would have lost one of them as well.

If he weren't so worried over his despair at almost losing Kalysta, then he would have fretted more over his desperate attempt to please her. Everything involving her was worrisome. From the way she looked at him to the peace he basked in when around her, the situation was distressing. The only time he could consider it was when he was away from her. Otherwise, he was trapped in the net she'd woven for him specifically. The irksome Princess had no idea of her effect either. He couldn't decide which would be worse, informing her or pining in silence.

"Captain," came Louis' greeting. "How fares Princess Kalysta? That pesky Royal had me worried."

"She's better than I could have hoped." Zayn's attempt at nonchalance failed, just as his attempt at humor had fallen short. "Time will reveal the extent of any problems."

"The damages to the ship are less that would be expected," Louis offered. "We were particularly fortunate that we got the main sails down before the winds hit fully. One of the masts has weakened and shows signs of splitting. I'd like to get some repairs done before we set sail again."

"Good idea." Zayn breathed a sigh of relief. So much more could have gone wrong for his foolishness. "I would add that staying close to shore would be best in the case that the Princess' condition deteriorates."

"Agree," Louis chimed in.

Zayn stayed on deck as the rest of the damage summaries were brought in. His poor ship! She'd been the only woman he could rely on and he'd endangered her; yet another example of how drastically he had changed for the Princess.

Kalysta's POV

"Kalysta, wake up." Zayn's voice was gentle, but annoyed her anyway. "You need to drink more and move around some. You'll definitely get sick if you leave any fluid to settle in one spot of your lungs."

She gave a low growl of frustration at her disturbed rest and quieted when the noise was hurt in its production. When she opened her eyes, Zayn was giving her an expression of pity.

"Would that I could take your pain," he murmured quietly.

She reached over to pat his cheek, but ended up running her fingers against the fullness of his beard.

He leaned into her caress before taking her hand. "You need to get up. It's going to hurt, but I'm here to help." He knelt on the bed next to her, placed her arms around his neck, and lifted carefully.

The pain was bearable, but definitely present. Zayn's support alleviated some of what would cause further pain, and together they were able to get her into a sitting position with her feet dangling over the edge of the bed. All her muscles ached, but she had to acknowledge that sitting felt good. It also produced the urge to cough.

When she did, it felt like her lungs had knives in them. And once she'd started coughing, she couldn't stop. It was disgusting as the force of air expelled a substance from within her. Over and over she coughed.

At a brief moment of respite, Zayn held up a bowl and ordered, "Spit here."

She did and was further disgusted with herself. The putrid sense of spewing it in front of him compounded her revulsion. She clutched his arm in thanks, unable to express it with words.

Another bout of coughing sprung on her and her chest heaved in an attempt to get rid of the fluid in her lungs and pull in more air at the same time. The result left her leaning forward with a spluttering fit and a sheer panic at the feeling that she'd never get a proper breath again.

This continued for a moment before Zayn slapped her back forcefully. She'd have been angry except that this action dislodged the offending substance from her airway. He rubbed her back as she spat into the bowl and drew a clean breath finally.

"There, that's better," he said soothingly. "Let's try a bit of water."

He brought the open canteen to her lips, but she gently took it from him, determined to do something for herself.

"Small sips," he cautioned immediately.

She obeyed and was thankful for the cool liquid as it soothed her throat. Water had never tasted so good to her before. It did nothing for the searing pain in her lungs, but it would have to be enough.

"Easy," Zayn chuckled. "Leave some for the rest of us."

A joke, even a poor one, eased some more of the tension in her body. She stopped drinking and handed the canteen back to him, smiling at him in thanks. She then moved to lie back down.

"That cough looked tiring," he allowed, moving to help her. "As long as we get you up fairly often, you shouldn't get any worse. Try sleeping on your side instead of your back this time."

She nodded and sighed into the pillow. She didn't wait for him to move toward leaving; she patted the bed beside her.

Wordlessly, he climbed in beside her and held her close to his chest.

This time, it was the sound of his heart that lulled her.

A/N: They'll get on the "road" here soon and then it's back to Elysium!! Is everyone excited for that? Confrontations, a return after everything she learned/experienced on the trip... Anyone think she's changed in the last few weeks? I think so :)

As always, PLEASE:

COOOMMMMEEEEEENNNNTTTT, VOOOOOOTTTEEEEE.... something.

All the love,

~Kari~