The Scroll of Knowledge

Chapter 15

"Shay, wake up. It's time to eat," Thomas said. Shay pulled the pillow over her head. He smiled. She was back to hating mornings. For a while, he'd thought he'd never be able to force her out of bed again. Routine was such a comfort.

He yanked the pillow away from her. "Shay, wake up. You have to eat."

"Go jump off a cliff," she muttered. She pulled the blanket over her head.

"Is she always this hard to wake up?" Amber asked. She wasn't looking at him. She must still be embarrassed about crying earlier.

"She's speaking in coherent sentences. It's one of her good days," Brennan said sleepily. "Why did you wake me up? Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to fall asleep?"

Thomas rolled his eyes. "Eat then drink your tea and go back to sleep. I'll make you extra if one cup doesn't work."

Brennan looked at the tray Amber rested on the stool in front of him. "Where's yours?" he asked.

"I already ate."

"Shay, wake up." Thomas pulled her into a seated position. Her eyes were still closed. He opened the bottle of medicine Yavar had given him. He pressed it to her lips. "Here. Drink." She swallowed the contents, her eyes still closed.

She grabbed his shirt and pulled him towards her. She hugged his waist and smiled. "Hm. Warmth," she said.

Thomas sighed. "I knew this was the only reason you married me," he said. Shay rubbed her head on his stomach. "Hey. Stop that!"

"Maybe you should just let her sleep. She must be exhausted," Brennan said. He picked at his food. Thomas knew he only wanted the tea and was forcing himself to eat some of what was on the plate.

"No. She took the medicine so she has to eat. She can sleep afterwards," Thomas said.

Brennan's fork froze to his mouth. He stared at Amber for a moment then put it down. "You were crying," he said. It wasn't a question. He noticed that even half asleep.

"It's okay. She borrowed Thomas for a bit, so she's fine now," Shay said. Her eyes opened. "Oops. Sorry. That just sort of came out."

"You borrowed Ju?" Brennan asked. "What does that even mean?"

"It means it doesn't concern you and you should finish eating breakfast," Thomas said.

"Ah." Brennan nodded. "You were crying and Junaid decided to assume the role of a teddy bear."

"How is that your first assumption?" Amber asked. She seemed extremely interested in the blue and purple carpet of Shay's room.

"Because it's Junaid we're talking about. There really is nothing else for me to assume," Brennan said. "You were crying. Tears are his kryptonite."

"What does that mean?" Thomas asked.

"It means you have an unhealthy obsession with Shay and you can't stand seeing people cry," Brennan said.

"I'm not obsessed with Shay," Thomas said. He had nothing to say about the second part.

"Let's stop talking about this," Amber said.

"There's no need for you to be embarrassed," Shay said, rubbing her eyes. "I reacted a lot worse to seeing both my parents abandoning me than either one of you reacted to hearing about your mothers' deaths." That was something they still hadn't talked about even though he knew it still bothered her. She yawned and looked at the tray. "Thomas, where's my milk tea?" He rolled his eyes and pointed to the thermos. She smiled. "Thomas makes the best tea."