The Centurion's Woman

Chapter 14

ALEX DIDN'T BOTHER walking during the day. She was exhausted, and the scolding she'd get from Mikey would have been extreme after being instructed during breakfast that today she was allowed to eat, drink water, ride, and drink more water. By dinner she'd been starting to feel better and had been planning to join the group on the Training Ground. That had been kyboshed. Alex was now sitting here, leaning on the makeshift operating table with a needle in her other arm, pumping more fluids into Verus while Mikey checked over the wound and did a more detailed inspection of his condition now the first twenty-four hours had passed.

        Verus had woken often during the day, and was less confused before dinner than on the three previous days in general, but his improvement was difficult to gauge because he was very confused about Mikayla. As Alex had expected, he was also fascinated with the needle and syringe when Mikey gave him a shot of antibiotics during the day, under a blanket to keep prying eyes from seeing. This meant he'd then wanted to talk about needles. A lot. Which meant his confusion was compounded by the sickly shade Alex had taken when she tried to answer his questions without actually thinking about the topic.

        Mikey closed off the valve on the IV after two bags of fluids had drained. Alex nearly passed out from relief as the needle came out of her arm. Verus squeezed her fingers, his grip still weak. She squeezed back, barely any stronger, and tried not to throw up as Mikey stayed in her field of vision to clean up. Alex had already sort of explained to him, badly, what the IV was and why. Mikayla stepped behind her and draped a cool cloth across the back of her neck.

        "Thank you," Alex managed to whisper in Russian, still intently focused on keeping her dinner in her stomach.

        "Do you want me to call your husband to bring you another meal to help with the light headedness?" Mikey asked, concerned.

        The thought of more food was the last trigger. Alex managed to stumble the couple of steps to the chamber pot that had been set out for Mikayla to use as a biological garbage disposal before vomiting. She closed her eyes between retching, but much too late. The used IV needles were at the top of the small rag pile in the pot. Alex whimpered, flooded with terror, and then blacked out. Mikayla made sure Alex was in a recovery position before turning to where Verus was struggling to sit up.

        "Lay down," she ordered in Latin, pressing her hand lightly to the middle of his chest and pinning him to the table with a glare.

        He said something and gestured at the tent entrance, his hand shook with the exertion. She checked through his vitals again, quickly, and frustrated tears stood in his eyes when she was done. Mikey knew his frustration was because she hadn't seen to Alex yet, but Mikayla already knew blood loss and terror were what was wrong with Alex and had higher concern that the internal swelling from the sepsis would rupture something important – like his organs – if Verus attempted to do anything physical right now.

        "Lay down," she warned him again.

        He turned his face away from her, his breath shaking and his jaw clenched, but he otherwise stayed still. She walked over to the entrance and shoved the flap aside to find Brasus standing watch just outside. Mikey ignored the startled expression he was trying to hide when she pulled on his arm to bring him in.

        "Ixillius," she stated calmly and pointed at Alex, still passed out.

        Brasus checked Mikayla's features for any sign of urgency or panic and, seeing none, bowed politely and left. Mikey turned her attention to her second patient, using a cool cloth and some gentle coaxing to bring Alex around to consciousness. A couple of minutes later, Ixillius stepped into the tent to find Alex sitting up and leaning on the stool that Mikey had brought over for her. Alex barely answered him when he crouched to check her, only saying that she was well and apologizing for having him called in from the training. Mikayla glared at her friend, not fully comprehending the conversation but clearly not liking the tone and body language that she understood perfectly.