Covenant (A Lapidot Fanfiction)

Chapter 49: Recovery

I rubbed my eyes as I woke up, sighing from relaxation. This was my first morning home from the hospital, and I was already loving the feeling of my own bed. I still occasionally had headaches, but Peridot had been nice enough to help me stay on a regular medication schedule.

As I was getting up, I was pushed back down onto the bed by Peridot.

"No, no," she said. "I have breakfast for you. You're relaxing."

She placed the tray on my lap and smiled, proud that she was taking care of me. I smiled at her and took a bite of the toast she had gotten for me. It was apple butter toast. Quite the familiar meal.

"Did Turquoise cry last night?" I asked. "Because if she did, I didn't hear her."

"She did," Peridot answered. "But I took care of her for you."

"I don't doubt that you did," I said. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome," Peridot responded.

"Is she awake yet?" I asked.

"She's with Topaz," Peridot answered. "She was sad when she saw that you weren't awake earlier. She really wanted to stay, but Topaz said that she wanted to take her so she didn't disturb you."

"Disturb me?!" I exclaimed. "Bring my baby to me!"

Peridot walked out of the room and returned with Turquoise in her arms, who began to reach for me the moment she laid eyes on me. I took her from Peridot the moment I could, and I hugged her gently.

"Baby," I whispered. "Mama's here now."

Turquoise snuggled up in my arms, making a noise once she was comfortable. I ran my fingers through her hair to keep her happy, and she began to fall back asleep. I smiled. Now that she was happy, I was happy.

"Are you hungry, baby?" I asked.

At that, Turquoise gently tugged on my shirt. Hungry indeed. Peridot sat down on the bed with us while I fed the baby, who still seemed to be falling asleep as she ate. I had to hold back the urge to laugh as she dozed off. I heard Peridot stifling a few chuckles as well. She couldn't hide that. Finally, I decided that Turquoise wasn't going to be able to force herself to keep doing this, so I pulled her away and rocked her until she finally fell asleep. Peridot helped me pull my clothes back down to cover myself.

"She's so happy to be with you," she said.

"I'm happy that I'm with her," I responded.

"She didn't understand that you were gone," Peridot said. "You know I occasionally leave to visit her and make sure she's okay. She was always trying to find you, and you weren't there."

"Stop it," I replied. "You're gonna make me sad."

Peridot kissed my cheek quickly, smiling her sweet smile.

"I don't want you to be sad," she said. "Plus, you're here now, aren't you?"

"Yeah," I answered.

"So she's okay," Peridot said. "No need to be sad."

I ran my fingers through Turquoise's hair again and kept myself calm by listening to the rhythm of her breath. Peridot was looking around, and she focused on Topaz when she walked in.

"They know she's back," Topaz said.

"Wonderful," Peridot responded sarcastically. "She just got home from them nearly killing her. Can't they cut her some slack?"

"You're forgetting something," Topaz said. "They want her dead."

"They want her alive," Peridot corrected her. "They want to kill her."