The Rainlands: Grand Delusion

Chapter 22: I Need to Sleep

"If this was before the Calamity, I could treat him." A voice answered in a faraway place. Levi couldn't open his eyes. They were too heavy, his eyelids felt like sandbags. I'm so cold...

"What do you mean? Can't you give him something?" Jasmine's voice was also in that faraway place. Levi had to strain to hear and it was just too hard focus. All he could do was float in this nothingness and listen without really listening. "Please, you have to help!"

"You don't understand. I've stitched his wounds shut as best as I can, that much we can still do. But there were medicines from before, things which could stop infection. All those things we used to have the a-anti-ah the things which we used, they're either expired, or have lost so much of their potency by now that they won't save him. I'm telling you, those wounds were dirty, you said they came from a wild animal, he probably won't make it." The voice was emphatic, it sounded friendly. But for some reason Jasmine was fighting with it. Why are you so angry at the nice man?

"I don't care if he probably won't make it!" Jasmine screeched. "Just do what you can! You can't just give up on him! There must be some way!"

"If I had the drugs from before, I could. I really want to help you, Miss. But there's just no way. None at all. I've given him what I know still works, but it won't be enough. You should prepare yourself. It will hurt but you need to be ready." The man's voice, the way he was talking sounded familiar. Doctor. He's a doctor! Jasmine made it. Wait, made it where? What happened again? Levi's thoughts trailed off into oblivion once more. He just couldn't hold his mind together.

"Y-you...damn it all to hell!" Jasmine's voice grew desperate. But then it became cold, ice cold. "Give me something to sleep. Surely you have that much at least? I can't rest like this."

"What?" The doctor seemed confused. "But Miss, your friend, I didn't want to say it but I don't think you understand. He's dying! This is your last chance to be with him, to see him. Don't you want to stay with him?"

"Shut up. Just give it to me. You must have something. Something strong!" Jasmine's voice dropped, became dangerous and determined. The doctor sighed.

"I'm telling you you'll regret this, but I have something, it'll need to be injected, but it's one of the few things that I know still works after the Calamity. I'll bring it to you." The voice disappeared, with a few footsteps. Jasmine's voice grew closer, Levi started to come to a bit. He tried to move. He was so cold. He tried to tell them he wanted a blanket. Nothing came out of his mouth but then Jasmine was next to him, a hand on his brow.

"Levi? Are you awake? Don't worry. You're going to be ok." She said in his ear. He kept trying to open his eyes, but they were so heavy. I need to tell her. A second later, the doctor returned, there was a clink.

"Take this if you really want to sleep. But remember, this is the last time you'll see him. You'll regret it. Also, it might give you bad dreams." The doctor's voice went away. Jasmine's hand remained on Levi's brow, stroking it. He tried again to open his eyes. This time, he succeeded. The light was blinding, he wanted to blink but he was scared that if he did, he wouldn't be able to open them again. His eyes were crusty, gritty, painful. But he could see Jasmine hovering above him, one hand on his forehead, the other fiddling with something else. It was blurry, hard to tell what anything was. Is that a needle?

"What's that?" Levi asked weakly. Jasmine just kept fiddling with it. She took her hand off his brow and looked down at it. "I'm going to die, aren't I?"

"No. No Levi. You're going to be fine I promise." She wouldn't look into his eyes, just continuing to fiddle. "How do you feel?"

"Bad. Really bad. I...there was someone else here, a doctor. He said I was going to die, didn't he?" Levi's voice was soft, afraid. Though he didn't want Jasmine to see him afraid, he was scared and couldn't control it. "I'm going to die. This is it!"

"No! No! No! I won't let you die, Levi. The doctor doesn't know anything, the medicine might work. You need to stop talking, conserve your strength. I'll be right here by you, waiting for you to wake up." Jasmine's voice grew quiet, and Levi's eyelids were growing heavy again. Everything turned blurry as his eyelids fluttered, and he felt this chilling cold take him over. It was like fall, winter, and nothingness all in one, penetrating him to his core. He shivered, even though he couldn't consciously move and he burned for a second before the icy cold replaced everything. Jasmine's movements grew erratic. He could just barely make out her fumbling with something, a needle. She lifted the armguard she always wore, revealing her forearm but Levi could barely see what she was doing. There's something wrong with it. Tears came in Levi's eyes, even crying hurt. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I don't want to die!

"You're fine Levi. I have you. I'm right here." Jasmine whispered over and over in his ear, though he was losing sight now, black encroaching on the edges of his vision, replacing the red with empty space. She replaced her armguard, dropping the needle to the ground and grasped Levi's hand, though he couldn't feel it. Oh gods, why can't I feel her hands? What's happening?

"I can't feel your hands!" Levi managed to whimper one last time before he had to close his eyes. Beside him, Jasmine just kept telling him he would be ok, and he briefly felt a hint of warmth, just the tiniest spot against his chest as she bent over and laid her head down in her arms by his side.

"I'm here with you Levi. Sleep, it's going to be alright. When you wake up, everything...everything's going to be alright..." Her voice faded away. His voice was gone too. It was all gone, gone, gone.

Goodbye.