Heavy Burdens 《Completed》- -

Chapter 30

Liz POV

Her silent slumber doesn't last when a sudden, stinging pain causes her to jolt up and face a man with bloodied hands. Her breathing heavy and with every inhale, her body aches. Liz's hands travel down to the where the wound is. Her sight still blurry and she has no sense of time.

"Lie down," the grey man before her says, "You will tear your stitches."

"What," her voice confused, eyes flickering around the room and tears cloud her gaze when she recognises the bed and the furniture. "No," she begs, when the man, a doctor Liz thinks, pushes her down on the soft mattress.

As soon as her head touches the pillow, she sees the face of Lord Benton looming above her. Her eyes adjusting to the environment and Liz notices the grin on the old man's face.

"Good morning dear," Benton muses, "welcome home."

"What?"

Knowing full well she's repeating herself but Liz's mind refuses to put the pieces together. When she wants to sit up again the grey man pushes her down again. And, he's not being gentle about it which makes her hiss out in pain. Even if she wants to, Liz's unable to fight the iron grip the doctor holds her in. Just by resting his arm on her chest. Meaning she was weak. Probably due to blood loss and it didn't help that Liz had no idea how long she'd been out. But she can remember seeing Declan's face right before passing out.

"Declan?" She manages to speak up while the doctor stitches up her wound, closing it with a snap through the wire with his scissors.

The room fills with laughter but it isn't a joyous one. And it isn't Benton whose laughing.

And then it dawns on her, turning her head to the left, she sees a face she wished to never lay eyes on again. The man she tried to kill.

And he's laughing, a sound that makes her skin crawl and Elizabeth wants to scream. She's not able too... the pain in her abdomen too vivid with every breath she takes . But, when Captain Chesterfields notices Elizabeth looking at him with horror written all over her face, he grits his teeth.

"Declan's dead," he sneers, "unlike you, I know how to use a bloody dagger."

"Yes, dear. I fear our Captain needs to heal but he won't be using crotches forever. I'm sure you will enjoy his protection in a few weeks again."
The old man clears his throat and looks out of the window. What he's looking at, Liz has no idea since it's dark outside and the only thing they can see is their own reflection.
"I fear," Benton starts, fake compassion on his face and laced in his voice, "that you'll never see Declan Harp again, my dear. I know he was a good friend of yours, but, Captain Chesterfield did his duty. Even wounded, my good Captain made sure Harp wasn't able to kill me."

And with those words, everyone left the room. Even the doctor leaves without giving her any advice how to threat her wounds. And, of course, she hears the lock of the door. Making sure she wasn't able to leave. They all left Liz alone in the big bed and she stares out the window into the darkness of the night.

Unable to move, although she tries a few times by rolling on her side. The stitches ache, her body is too weak so she gives up after a while. Elizabeth surrenders and lets her head rest into the too big and too soft pillow...

And she mourns. Mourns her fate. Mourns the loss of her freedom but she lets the tears fall freely when she thinks about Declan.

After all, it are heavy burdens to carry all alone. And alone she is.

She survived one unhappy marriage but Liz isn't sure she'd be able to live through this one.