Page 166 of Plug and Drain

“Is there a…” she nearly asked for a chamberpot. But this wasn’t just a bedroom. The desk on the far side indicated it was some sort of study, too, one that Arken had been using when she woke.

“Is there a bathroom?” she asked instead, hating the note of urgency in her voice.

Comprehension dawned on Arken’s face. “Of course. It’s just in the other room. I…” He looked away, as if annoyed with himself. “I should have arranged for a nurse. I was meaning to, but I didn’t want to leave you alone.” He lifted his gaze, and there was a sense of authority there. “I will need to carry you there this time. But I promise to make alternate arrangements for later.”

“I don’t need a nurse.”

“I cannot allow you to walk.”

“I did not ask for your permission,” she said dryly, bracing herself.

Here goes.

She slid off the bed, and to Arken’s credit, he didn’t touch her. Both her feet hit the ground without incident.

She sighed in relief.

It was fine. She offered Arken a grim smile. “I’ll be fine. But thank y—”

Her voice cut off as her senses honed in on a growing pain at the base of her spine. It began as a small dull ache, but escalated at an exponential rate, growing more and more painful with each passing second. It sucked the air from her lungs and rapidly passed the limits of how severe Susie thought pain could be, until she was frozen in agony as sharp pain cut down her spine, splitting her in two as her trembling legs burnt.

She couldn’t move.

It hurt too much to stand, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. She didn’t dare move an inch. That would make it worse. That would make it so much worse.

She was paralysed and frightened as the pain surged, and she was sure this was worse than childbirth or torture. If there was a threshold of what she could tolerate, she’d reached it.

Tears filled her vision, and a wretched cry was trapped in her throat. It was the most pain she’d ever felt in her entire life. It was excruciating, but she couldn’t scream. She could do nothing but stand as her vision darkened.

Arken watched helplessly, his hands resting on her shoulders. She didn’t know when he’d touched her. Then his hands were under her arms, just above her waist, as if preparing to lift her. but he had the sense not to move her.

Internally, she shrieked.

And then the pain died down, like a bathtub draining. A few seconds later, the pain was completely gone. As if it had never been.

Susie’s lungs filled with air, and her face crumbled. She moaned. She felt shivery, and cold, her skin slicked with sweat. Fabric clung to her, and she realised for the first time that she was wearing some kind of white nightgown, the same ones the medical bay had. Someone had taken the time to dress her.

At least she wasn’t naked.

It was the only source of modesty she was to have, apparently, because her pride had receded, and her head was resting against Arken’s chest, her hands balled into fists on either side of her head. With no idea how she’d gotten there.

“There, there, it will be all right,” Arken said as she breathed raggedly against his chest, her nose pressed into his warmth.

She turned her head away, but that somehow felt even more intimate; her cheek now rested against the silky fabric of the neck scarf tucked into his waistcoat.

“I’m going to carry you,” Arken eventually said.

He was stating what was necessary, but he waited for her permission. Susie swallowed and gave a small nod. There was no other choice, and so she answered faintly, “Yes, please.”

“Drink this first.” He pulled back slightly and produced a bottle made of green glass. He poured a thick, white liquid from it into a vial. “It’s pain relief. There’s another to help you sleep—a sleeping draught. I’ll administer it when we return.”

Susie took the vial with shaking hands, but hesitated. She was questioning… everything. Including whether she trusted Arken.

She was so confused.

She couldn’t think clearly.

The seconds dragged as she turned the vial in her hands.