The Dragon's Cure - Shaun

Chapter 8

While Amanda changed her clothes, Shaun made them coffee, trying his best not to look at her. Though he had seen women in different states of undress, the mere thought of her body being revealed bit by bit as she pulled her clothes off, had him crouching in front of the fire, taking deep breaths to ease the ache in his groin.

He picked up the smell of lilies as she walked passed him to lay her wet clothes near the fire. He smiled to himself when he saw her baggy t-shirt and pajama pants.

"Is that a hint that I should leave? You probably feel exhausted after the night we had," Shaun said.

"I could sleep. Unfortunately, I did not bring any warm clothing with me, so it's PJs or freeze. Anyway, there is no way I can sleep until I know for sure that Jenna is okay," Amanda said, sinking down to the ground with her own cup of coffee cradled in her hands.

"No way. I'll stay up and watch her and you can get some sleep. You need it more than I do, so there is no reason to argue about it," he said when she tried to say something.

She shook her head, before saying, "I was going to say that I can't sleep with all the noise. I've hardly slept this weekend. I've taken the week off to do some research, but I'll probably end up sleeping in on Monday."

"I'm probably going to kick myself after saying this since I was warned not to say anything, but... Yeah, I kind of heard you talking to Jenna and she mentioned your week off and...well, when you said you were doing research on twins, I put the two together. I don't mean to upset you again," Shaun said sincerely.

"Relax. I was a bit emotional with Jenna mentioning her and then Brad showed up, acting all stupid. I usually don't break down that easily. Melinda was my other half. She could light up a room with her smile and even though she would get sick a lot, she still had so much life in her.

"The week before she died, my Nana came to the house and made her a tonic. She died the next day, but she told us that it would happen. Nana said that her own immune system was shutting down and she wouldn't make it through the next day, but she wanted to make sure that Melinda got one last tonic before she passed.

"That week was amazing. We went to the movies together and she dragged me to an amusement park. I hate going on all those rides, except for the big wheel. There is something magical about being up that high and looking over the world. The adrenaline rush and speed of the other rides, spoil the whole effect," she said.

"I don't usually go to amusement parks, so I wouldn't know about that, but I have climbed a mountain or two and sat looking down at the world, so I have to agree with your statement. There is a sense of calmness when you are up there, away from all the hustle and bustle of the city," Shaun said.

"You've interrupted my story, but I'll forgive you this time, since I just found out where you go when you are not behind a desk," Amanda said.

"Ah, but that is not so much a secret. I would have told you, had you asked," Shaun said.

"I'll keep that in mind. Now as I was saying, we had the best week ever. It was late the Friday night, after we came home from some stupid comedy that she wanted to see. She started coughing again. This time, she coughed up blood and we rushed her to the hospital." Her eyes got a far away look as she remembered the event. Shaun wiped a tear from her cheek, but she hardly noticed. He doubted that she knew she was crying.

"When we got there, they told us to sit in the waiting room. It got so bad that she started throwing up and one of the doctors came in to help. They rushed her into a room and told us to wait outside. Four hours later, we were allowed to go in and she looked like she had aged at least ten years.

"The doctor spoke to Mom and Dad and the next thing I knew we were on our way out of the hospital. No one wanted to tell me anything. As we reached the car, Melinda turned to me and said that everything will be okay and then she hugged me. I felt this overwhelming...love flow through me. Everything felt...right.

"And then she just collapsed. She...She just fell to the ground. She died right there. The doctors rushed out and tried to save her, but she was gone before they...before..." She gasped for air and hid her face in her hands, shaking her head. "Sorry, I-"

Shaun pulled her onto his lap and held her against him. "You don't have to apologise. There is nothing to be sorry about. You lost her after a magical week and that right after losing your Nana. You have every right to get emotional about that," he said feeling a deep ache inside.

When Amanda finally settled down again, he ran to his tent to collect his own sleeping bag and a spare blanket. Unlike the usual thin sleeping bags, theirs were stuffed with wool, protecting them from any lose stones, and lined inside with a soft flees to retain body heat.

After laying it down near the fire, he held it open and said, "Your bed for the evening, ma'am. I have a blanket to sit on so don't say no and you can't sleep in your own sleeping bag because Jenna is sleeping on it."

She shook her head and slipped into the bag. He could see, by her sagging shoulders and red eyes, that the fight to remain strong had left her drained and defenceless. He took the head phones from his neck and placed it over her ears.

"This should have you sleeping in no time. I'm going to turn on the music for you and sit here, right next to you, keeping an eye on Jenna," he said.

Shaun waited a few minutes for Amanda's breathing to get deeper, before crawling into the tent and whispering to each of the girls in turn.