Compassion

Poison

She watched John disappear through the brush and rushed home limping slightly and aching all over. In the time she has lived near Townshed, never had she encountered any groups of hunters. She remembered Betty's warnings and promised she would ask Elijah about what happened to him in better detail. Nearing her house she scanned the area and shifted hastening to don her robe. Walking into her house she bent over as the nausea from the silver left her reeling for a second. She knew she was almost out of salve and could not afford to use it in case Elijah still had some silver in his systems so she would have to try to fight it off. With Betty's help years prior she had worked on building some tolerance to silver but with that she still could feel the poison invading her system. Another pang hit her chest and she bit back a scream when her abdomen burned.

"You are back." Elijah called from the room. She winced and tried to straighten herself as he rolled into the room. "Ath--" He stopped as the smell of her blood hit him. He raged as he smelled John's scent but stopped himself from making assumptions, instead he studied her paling face. "Are you alright?"

She gasped in pain but forced a smile. "Yes, just a bit tired from my run." She swayed slightly and went to walk past him. 

"Athena," he grasped her arm as she brushed past him and his heart rate picked up when he saw her bleeding temple and shoulder under her robe and then he smelt it. Under her unique scent and John's scent, which he promised mentally he would ask about later, was the distinct smell of silver. "Is that silver?"

"I am fine Elijah, please allow me to go to bed."

He motioned to her temple and the blood. "You are bleeding! You smell of John and are bleeding! Athena, I am working on avoiding assumptions but if he has hurt you--"

"He saved me Elijah! I was running in the woods and ran too close to town and there were men with guns." She paused when she saw his shock turn into rage. 

He breathed to calm himself and rolled closer to her, studying her. Usually she would blush under his perusal but she could not seem to find the energy. She felt her eye lids dropping and swayed. "Athena!" He panicked. Blood seeped from her open wounds and he could smell the silver. "Where is your salve?"

"I can't." She slurred drifting out of consciousness. "You. May. Need. It."

He looked at her and felt his heart drop, even in intense pain, she thought of his future needs instead of the immediate threat to her life. He wished he could stand and carry her to bed and treat her as she did him but all he could do is guide her onto his lap and roll them into the room. "Please lay down." His voice broke as he watched helplessly as she stood unsteadily and laid in her bed. He quickly bought a cool cloth to lay on her head and thought back to what she had taught him him about aid. He rolled to her closet and got her kit and worked to clean her wounds with his heart in his throat. He gently stripped her of her bloody robe quickly pulling the covers up for her modesty and studied her wounds. From the looks of it, the wounds were not too deep or fatal but what worried him most was the silver poisoning his system. She stirred as the alcohol cleansed the wounds and he took his chance. "Athena, love, tell me where your salve is."

"Elijah, no."

"If you will not tell me I will destroy this house looking for it. You are being poisoned! Do you not feel yourself weakening?!"

"Betty helped me build a tolerance. I am just flushing the toxins. Please just allow me to rest." She whimpered as her abdomen burned and he wiped at her tears ignoring his own. He watched her all night and his eyes never left her form. At times she writhed and he would give her water as he wiped at the sweat on her brow. 

He was awakened from his brief slumber when she rolled out of the bed and took two steps before falling to her knees. Coughing she gasped and he picked her up gritting his teeth when a pain hit his spine. "Bathroom." She whispered coughing. He noticed the blood and worked to calm himself. He helped her put on a clean robe and rolled them the short distance to bathroom. He panicked again when her head lulled and suddenly she vomited just barely making it to the toilet. He ignored the mess on his chest and arms and held her hair. I cannot kneel with her and hold her so I must help as I can. As she rested against a towel dry heaving he washed his hands and brought her a glass of water. Raising it to her lips he watched her tiredly drink before emptying her stomach once more. "Please be alright." He chanted. The thought of losing her nearly had him beside her sickened, but he resolved to remain strong for her and get her back to full health. The purging stopped and she was able to take water as well as some saltine crackers he gave her.