The Phoenix's Mark Book 1: Dogs of War

Chapter 11

“Okay, it wasn’t that bad,” Sarah said, opening her eyes. She found herself staring at a plain, white ceiling. Hearing a steady beeping, she looked to her side to see a heart monitor. Even more confused, she looked around to find she wasn’t in her bed. She looked down at her body to see a thin sheet. “Am I in the hospital?” she asked, aloud, to nobody.

“Well, look who’s awake,” a cheery female voice said from beside her. She turned her head to see a nurse enter the room, carrying a clipboard.

“What happened?” Sarah asked, rubbing the back of her head as a sudden pain washed over her. She looked to her left to find IVs in her arm.

“We’re not sure. Your parents called 9-1-1 when you wouldn’t wake up for school in the morning.”

“Why’d they do that?” she asked, sitting up.

“Because they care for you, very much,” she replied. The nurse began looking at the monitors around her, jotting things down in the clipboard. “How do you feel?” she asked after a moment of silence, as she worked on her notes.

“Besides the pain in the back of my head, I feel fantastic,” she answered, smiling brightly.

“Well, I’m sure the pain will be gone in no time,” she assured her, smiling proudly. She turned to leave.

“I have a question, real quick,” Sarah stated before the nurse could leave.

“I’ll help any way I can,” she responded. Her cheery attitude and bright smile began to make Sarah more than a little uncomfortable.

“I was just wondering how long I’ve been here.”

“Almost two weeks,” she answered cheerfully. “Anything else?”

Sarah shook off her surprise. “Uh, yeah, was there somebody here named Laurence?”

The nurse pointed to the hall. Just outside the door, Laurence sat on a bench, fast asleep. “He’s been here practically the entire time.”

A smile played its way onto Sarah’s lips as she studied the hall. “Thank you,” Sarah said to the nurse.

“Of course,” she replied. She offered a cheery smile before exiting the room to deal with her other patients.

Sarah returned her attention to Laurence. Had he really been waiting the entire time? As if on cue, Laurence’s eyes fluttered open. He smiled, as his familiar, golden eyes met hers, seeing her finally awake. He stood and entered the room. She sat up, allowing her feet to dangle off the side of the bed, and patted the spot next to her. He sat down next to her, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

She raised an eyebrow to his chaste. “I’ve been unconscious for nearly two weeks, and all you give me is a peck on the cheek.

“That’s all I can give you, right now.” Noticing Sarah’s confusion deepen, he added, “Well, if they see a guy making out with his twin sister, it could cause more than a little suspicion.”

“Okay, I’m so confused,” she admitted.

“Well they only allow family members to visit, and we do, after all, have matching birthmarks.” He moved his collar, revealing the mark that stood out on his neck.

Sarah rubbed the flesh of his neck. “I can’t believe I’ve never noticed this before,” she gushed.

“That’s because it hasn’t always been there,” he explained. “It didn’t appear until you completely accepted me as your soul mate.”

“Then, why have I had mine since birth?”

“Because I’ve accepted you as my soul mate the moment I asked.”