“And when will that be?”
“I cannot say.”
In a fury, Ronan dismissed the doctor. He would have liked to have kicked the man’s backside for being so useless, but he refrained from such things, as he knew there was no point.
Olivia woke shortly after the doctor left, and on sight of Ronan, she cried out joyously and threw herself at him.
“You came!” she exclaimed, holding him as if her life depended on it. “I knew you would. I knew it!”
“Of course I came,” he said, his arms wrapping around her. “I should have never let you leave.”
“It was only a holiday,” Olivia said. “Mother told me it was meant to be fun. But it isn’t fun.” She pouted. “Is she going to get better? When is she going to get better?”
“A holiday…” Ronan frowned, wondering what she meant by that. Then he smiled, realizing that despite leaving him, Thalia hadn’t been able to tell her the truth. She understood as well as anyone how close Ronan had grown to the little girl, and perhaps, deep down, she had wondered if she might return.
He held Olivia in his lap for the rest of the late evening, and well into the early morning. Even once she drifted back off to sleep, he kept her there, refusing to even consider putting her to bed. Despite the awfulness of the situation, it felt good to hold her close, her mother beside them. A big family in ways that Ronan had never experienced before.
And all the while, he watched Thalia, who slept and sweated and groaned through the fever.
Hours passed by. The sun eventually rose, and Thalia’s aunt came in with wet towels. They were rested on Thalia’s head as the curtains were opened to allow in light. Eventually, Thalia’s aunt convinced Ronan to let go of Olivia so she could break her fast.
“Bring her right back,” he told her.
“I don’t want to go!” Olivia cried out.
“It is fine,” Ronan assured the little girl. “I’ll be right here waiting for you.”
He had promised to keep her safe and no matter what might happen, he would do just that. She was his to protect, now and always.
It was not long after Olivia was pulled from the room that Ronan sensed Thalia stirring. It started with a deep groan; she shifted in her bed weakly. Another groan, followed by a yawn.
Ronan’s eyes shot open, and he fell to his knees beside her. He took her hand and held it to his face, fixing his eyes on her and watched…
Slowly, so very carefully, Thalia opened her eyes. She turned her head to find Ronan kneeling beside her. He had expected surprise, confusion or even anger, but instead he received smile and a look that suggested she had expected him to be there.
“Don’t tell me you have been here all night,” she said weakly. “You must be terribly bored.”
Ronan’s brow furrowed, he thought to question how she could say such a thing. But he saw the smile on her lips, the way itreached her glassy eyes, and he couldn’t help but laugh. “I am used to spending long hours in silence. This? It was nothing.”
“Oh good,” she said, her voice hoarse. “I would hate to put you out.”
He squeezed her hand and held her eyes. “Your aunt sent for me. She said… she said you told her not to.”
“I knew she would,” Thalia sighed, still smiling. “But I felt I had to. You know how stubborn I am.”
“I do.”
“Which is why I am not so surprised to find you here,” she continued, and he could feel her squeezing his hand back. “Dare I say, I might have been a tad put out if you hadn’t been. What sort of protector would that make you?”
“I might be here, but I have still failed to protect you,” he said, refusing to so much as blink. “Thalia, I… I should have never?—”
“Don’t,” she said, her voice weak, but still brimming with strength. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
“I do,” he pressed. “And not just for… not just for making you believe that you had to leave. But for everything. Since the day you arrived, I have been cold and distant when I should not have been. I have confused things, pushed you away when I should have been pulling you toward me. I have?—”
“I said don’t,” she cut over him again. “I am the one who forced you?—”
“You did not force anything.”
