Pharmacist Penumbra (Draft)

Chapter 11: Caring For a Frightened General

Ying Yue returned to her duties, as a poison tasted of course. She munched on the samples of Consort Ming's dishes. The meals were extravagant and delicious as always.

Patting her stomach, which spiked in pain. She groans in pain, as she gets up from the chair and goes to take a small walk to help her digest.

Ambling through the corridors of the Palace, she gazes to the court women with their saccharine smiles and tinkling carefree laughter. She sighs, as she continues her walk down the corridor to a more secluded area of the Palace.

She hears a soft sobbing sound. Curiosity grips onto her with an iron grip, as she follows the sound.

A child. A chubby boy is sobbing, as tears fall down his pudgy full cheeks. Panic grips onto her conscience. Walking up to the boy, "Little one, are you lost?" asked Ying Yue.

The boy's sobs lessen at the sound of her voice, as his water eye land on her. "Mama!" he cries out. Leaping into her chest, as he grips onto her clothing. Shaking.

Stunned, she falls backs from the impact. His trembles rack his small body.

He was so small, so fragile. How fragile a child was she realised. "Little one, I am not your mother. But I will help you find your mother." offered.

He shakes his head, as he snuggles into her bosom. Then his body relaxes and becomes limp as a corpse. Ying Yue's eye widens, as she placed her cheek against the child's forehead. It hot. Really really hot.

The boy is panting heavily and is heating up. She holds the boy into a more comfortable grip, as she quickly gets up from the floor and rushes in the direction of the Pearl Palace.

Coincidentally, it started to rain. Rain droplets pelt down on her form, as she tries to protect the boy in her arms. At this rate, she is going to get sick as well. She runs into the closest building, as she finds a door that is ajar.

She rushes into the room with a care, but her first priority was the boy. "Ying Yue?"

Her head whips to the direction of the masculine voice. She sees Long Fan in loose casual clothing with a sneak peek of his very muscled pectoral muscles. "Do you have any drying cloth?" asked Ying Yue.

He has a slight glimpse of a very red-faced child, as he disappears for a bit and throws Ying Yue a dry cotton towel.

She takes off the boy's clothes and dries down the shivering boy's body. But then Long Fan pushes Ying Yue out of the way. "What are you doing?" snapped Ying Yue.

"Get yourself change before you get a cold. There are another drying cloth and a spare set of clothes for you to change into. She looks down at herself, the clothes on her body stick to her figure and is quite sheer. Blushing embarrassed.

She goes into another room, as she strips off her clothes and dries herself off with a cotton towel. She goes to put on the spare set of clothes, but it obviously very large on herself.

So she uses the top instead and uses a sash to secure into place. Grabbing the pants, as she rolls the hem int she can properly walk into it.

Walking back into the room, as she pushed away from the confused General. She grabbed the oversaturated ice cold towel, "General you should have used luke cold. You're going to aggravate the fever more." stated Ying Yue, as she poured a bit of hot water into the ice cold water and wrung it till it was damp to the touch.

The General was awfully quiet, as she turned to the General. "Long Fan, it quite alright. It's nothing to be upset about." comforted Ying Yue.

"I'm not upset," he spoke.

"Your hands say otherwise. You're shaking." pointed out Ying Yue.

"C-cold." muttered the boy with a covering body. This drew the attention of both Long Fan and Ying Yue, as Long Fan carried the child to his bed and covered him with a heavy warm blanket.

They sat together awkwardly. Not knowing what to do, but listen to the raindrops hitting the eaves in a soothing manner.

From her peripheral vision, she sees a bright flash of lightning. A loud crack resonates sharply shocking Ying Yue. Jumping in surprise, she takes a few breaths to calm her racing hearts.

Suddenly, the missing figure of the General is nowhere to be found. She stretches her neck to find the large man. Then she spots a large bulge under the blankets quivering violently.

Was the General perhaps, afraid of lightning?

She walks up to the quivering form of the General. "Long Fan, are you perhaps afraid of lightning?" questioned Ying Yue. His shaking pauses but resumes, as another lightning strikes fear into the General's heart.

Moving under the blanket, as she covers his ears. All his hears is the muffled lightning, as his shaking settles down but not completely. Long Fan realises how cold Ying Yue's hands are. They are cold like ice and her eyes misty with fatigue.

Long Fan wraps his strong arms around Ying Yue's smaller frame, as she tries to resist. "Rest, you need it," he whispers softly. A small being squeezes into them snuggling comfortably between them.

They all lay down in his bed. Darkness cradles them in its arms, as they all fall asleep.