“What was her name?”
“Alya.” He took a drink of water. “I remember thinking she had kind eyes. Honest eyes.” His lips thinned. “Safe to say, I’m not a good judge of character.”
“Why’s that?”
“Her kind, honest eyes didn’t bother to tell me she was pregnant.”
Oh. “Perhaps she didn’t want to burden you.”
Kaj’s dark brows lowered. “Burden? Bijou’s my blood. I hardly see that as a burden.”
“That’s not what I mean,” she said quickly. “You said it yourself, it was a mutual attraction. Perhaps she knew you weren’t looking for more than that.”
He nodded. “Perhaps. Doesn’t change the fact she kept something vitally important from me.”
Acadia agreed. It didn’t. But since the female wasn’t alive to explain her reasons, she didn’t feel it her place to dissect them.
“Well, I’m glad Bijou found you.”
His face relaxed. “I am, too.” He smiled. “I just wish I’d been around to see her grow up.”
“Do you wish for more children?” she asked, managing to force the words past the lump in her throat.
Kaj’s eyes lifted to hers, held firm. “Balisra, the only thing I wish is to have you for the rest of my days. Should we be blessed with young, then so be it.”
She couldn’t look at him. The fact that she would never have children was a pain she couldn’t deal with. God had made the Fae infertile. Those who were here in the mansion were all that remained of her race. And though they were immortal, there would not be any more to carry on their lineage. They were all that remained.
Acadia flinched when Kaj’s warm hand curled beneath her chin. He had moved closer.
“It will all work out in the end,balisra. Trust me on that.”
Leaning into him, she nodded. She did trust him.
But she also knew what the Almighty was capable of. And some things were simply not meant to be.
Lying in the hospital bed, Jane staredup at the television. It claimed to be a previously aired news update, but she had no frame of reference to know whether the stories they mentioned were relevant to her or not. Did previously aired mean recently? Or was it from a year ago? She’d yet to figure out the whys and hows of her surroundings, and those she was interacting with hadn’t offered much, either.
This was day six for her. That was all she knew. Six days into a life she couldn’t remember, one where she didn’t have a name or a family, no shelter, no means of getting to and from. Despite the fact she’d been told she was found injured on the street somewhere, she couldn’t remember that, nor could she remember being brought here. The hospital room she resided in was the first and only deposit in her memory bank.
She probably should’ve been grateful that the nurses and doctors, as they called themselves, had started referring to her as Jane. Simple name, not flashy. She wasn’t sure it suited her, or even how they’d come to decide on it, but it would do, she figured. At the least, it seemed to make everyone else more comfortable to have a way of referring to her.
According to Dr. Chopra, Jane had suffered a concussion, which she said likely contributed to the amnesia, as well as a plethora of broken bones, including her left foot and ankle, right thigh, right elbow, the pinky finger on her left hand. Not to mention, her nose and some sort of tear in her hip. None of which they’d figured out until they’d done extensive x-rays. Dr. Chopra had determined either she had a high threshold for pain or she possibly suffered from a disease that didn’t allow her to feel it.
Jane wasn’t sure about anything other than the fact she was now confined to this bed for an undetermined amount of time. Dr. Chopra said they would take it one day at a time, but they wouldn’t be discussing discharge until she was able to take care of herself.
For some reason, that had settled her nerves. Having thought about being released into the great big world had caused undue anxiety and triggered another of those panic attacks.
Didn’t mean Jane wasn’t thinking about what she would do when they did let her leave. Whether it was in a few days or a few months. Where she would go once she left the safety of this place was anyone’s guess. Trudy, the kind, older nurse who had seemingly befriended her, had told her there was a shelter she could seek. She’d even given Jane a card with the name of a church but told her she didn’t need to worry about it yet.
Easier said than done.
As she had scanned the television channels, she’d felt a little better. At least she now had some frame of reference even if it was all based on fictitious television. There were still some things to be learned from sit-coms, or so they were called.
Jane knew she would need a job, probably something close since she didn’t have a method of transportation. A place to rest her head would also be a necessity.
Panic would’ve set in at this point, but the medical staff had been pushing something into her IV along with the pain medication, something that would help her relax, they said. It kept her calm. Mostly. There was still fear because she had no idea who she was, and the more she thought about it, the worse her panic became.
Breathe.
