\u201cHow is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thom opened his eyes, wincing at how gritty they felt.\u00a0 Must\u2019ve fallen asleep in the chair.<\/i>\u00a0 It was like he\u2019d rubbed sand in them before drifting off.\u00a0 He twisted toward Matt, rubbing his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019ll be fine,\u201d he murmured.\u00a0 \u201cThe wounds weren\u2019t that deep and they were pretty clean.\u00a0 A couple stitches in her arm and a few more \u2018round her knee.\u00a0 Whatever she did with Phelan is what made her drop.\u201d\u00a0 At least, that\u2019s what we\u2019re thinking it is.<\/i>\u00a0 He frowned turning away from his brother-in-law.\u00a0 He stared at his wife, fast asleep in their bed, bundled in quilts.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd yet you\u2019re not in bed with her,\u201d Matt said quietly as he came deeper into their cubby.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re asleep in the chair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was an accident,\u201d Thom said, shooting him a wry smile.\u00a0 The smile faded as he leaned forward to brush hair away from Marin\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cThough I didn\u2019t want to wake her.\u00a0 Whatever she did sucked a lot out of her.\u00a0 I could tell.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you buy that explanation?\u201d\u00a0 Matt asked as he leaned against the wall nearby, regarding Thom with a serious look.\u00a0 \u201cAbout what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thom felt hollowed out, sick at heart as he shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know, Matt,\u201d he said quietly.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know what to believe anymore.\u201d\u00a0 His fingers tightened briefly in Marin\u2019s hair.\u00a0 He was excited by the prospect of being a father\u2014that was for certain\u2014but he was worried about Marin, especially how frail she seemed to him despite the strength she seemed determined to show to everyone else.<\/p>\n
We still don\u2019t know why she collapsed while she was setting the wards.\u00a0 We still don\u2019t know what\u2019s really wrong with her.<\/i>\u00a0 He swallowed bile, thoughts returning to the terrifying visions he\u2019d had over the past few years.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not going to watch her die.<\/i><\/p>\n
Matt touched his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019ll be fine,\u201d Matt said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll keep an eye on her, you and I.\u00a0 Everything\u2019s going to be okay.\u00a0 I promised you I\u2019d help, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRight,\u201d Thom murmured, then sighed, knuckling his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he murmured.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m just worried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish I could blame you for being that way.\u201d\u00a0 Matt exhaled, straightening.\u00a0 \u201cGet some sleep, Thom.\u00a0 Things\u2019ll be better in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
He snorted humorlessly.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s my job to say that.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Or hers.<\/i>\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re not the Seer here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not,\u201d Matt admitted.\u00a0 \u201cBut I know it\u2019s the truth anyhow.\u00a0 Sleep.\u00a0 You\u2019ll both feel better.\u00a0 We\u2019ll all feel better.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow late is it, anyway?\u201d\u00a0 Thom asked as he slowly unfolded from his chair, stiff and sore.\u00a0 He\u2019d changed out of his bloody clothes after the fight while Jacqueline saw to Marin.\u00a0 She\u2019d made short enough work of that and then had a look at Thom\u2019s array of gashes and bruises, giving him a few stitches of his own.\u00a0 He, Cameron, and Marin had taken the brunt of the assault on the front lines.\u00a0 Thordin only had a few minor injuries and Matt and Rory were apparently untouched.\u00a0 Thordin said they\u2019d been lucky.<\/p>\n
Maybe he was right.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just got off the first watch,\u201d Matt said.<\/p>\n
Eleven or so, then.<\/i>\u00a0 Thom nodded.\u00a0 No wonder he felt tired\u2014he\u2019d been up since dawn and with the melee and getting hurt and all the adrenaline wearing off\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cGuess you\u2019re right,\u201d he said, rubbing his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cWake me when it\u2019s time to eat something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matt chuckled softly, straightening.\u00a0 \u201cIf I\u2019m awake enough to make it to breakfast, I will.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thom nodded and watched Matt go, the door falling shut behind him.\u00a0 Thom stretched with a wince and rummaged around for sweats to sleep in, rubbing at his eyes.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s right.\u00a0 You need to sleep\u2014both of you do.<\/i>\u00a0 He glanced at Marin and smiled slightly.\u00a0 At least she\u2019s going to be okay.<\/i><\/p>\n
This time, anyway.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cHow is she?\u201d Thom opened his eyes, wincing at how gritty they felt.\u00a0 Must\u2019ve fallen asleep in the chair.\u00a0 It was like he\u2019d rubbed sand in them before drifting off.\u00a0 He twisted toward Matt, rubbing his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019ll be fine,\u201d … Continue reading