The Thorn in My Shed

Chapter 89: Rock Bottom

Marix and Dr. Lein rushed Eilownia back to the cabin and laid her down on the bed. Lein checked her pulse while Marix sat next to her, petting her hair as he called out her name.

"Leave us. I need to do an examination." Dr. Lein said as he started to open Eilownia’s eyes to check her pupils.

Marix did so and stood outside the door, pacing back and forth as he chewed on his thumb nail, one arm crossed over his chest.

Jinya, Prav, Whimble, Tryde and a few other soldiers approach the cabin, waiting around for news on Eilownia.

"Is she going to be okay?" Prav asked quietly.

Marix didn’t answer, too busy in his own head.

"She’s a strong girl, I’m sure she’ll be fine." Jinya responded for him, hoping to give Marix some encouragement too.

"She issssss...slrrrp....very strong. She even sssssurvived.....slrrrp...torture. Everything she’sssss been through.....slrrrp.....something like this won’t...slrrrp...take her from ussss.....slrrp....." Whimble wiped at the drool that was beginning to flow out of his mouth as he tried to uplift Marix’s spirits as well.

"That’s right, General!"

"Yeah, she’s a real fighter!"

"If anyone can overcome these kinds of things, it’s her!"

"Have some faith, Sir!"

The others shouted, trying to get through to him, trying not to see their General succumb to worry and anxiety.

Marix simply nodded, although he wasn’t really listening to anything any of them were saying. His mind was running through all of the scenarios of what may be wrong with her and what the outcome may be, his heart sinking in his chest with each one.

A few minutes later, Dr. Lein emerged from the cabin, closing the door behind him. The expression on his face was grim and Marix’s expression dropped at the sight.

"Can I have a moment alone with General Marix, please?" Dr. Lein requested, his voice low.

The group went silent, nodding slowly as their eyes fell to the ground. They went their separate ways, leaving Marix and Dr. Lein to have a most likely, difficult conversation.

"Don’t sugar coat it. Let’s not waste time, just give it to me straight."

Marix stood tall as he stared down at Dr. Lein, the corners of his mouth twitched downwards and Dr. Lein was sure he could see tears forming in Marix’s eyes.

"Well. It’s not good but it’s not the worst news. This is why I was concerned about her pregnancy to begin with. Her body isn’t very strong. She’s been through a lot this pregnancy and she’s been a champion through all of it."

Marix nodded slowly, his eyebrow twitching in irritation as Dr. Lein went through his speech instead of just giving him the news.

"Pregnant women shouldn’t have to go through ordeals like this, pregnancy alone takes a large toll on their bodies, which I don’t think Miss Eilownia would’ve handled all that well to begin with. Now add all of this on top, her body has been pushed to the brink of exhaustion."

Marix sucked on his lips a moment before crossing his arms, "Just get on with it, Lein. Don’t draw this out."

"The exhaustion and stress has been getting to her. She needs complete bedrest."

Marix’s eyes widened, "That’s it? What about our child? Is our child alright? Is she alright?"

Dr. Lein nodded slowly, "For the most part, right now, both are fine. You need to understand that if she keeps dealing with stress and things keep going the way they are, that will most likely change."

"Can I see her now?" He asked, his gaze immediately locking on to the door that separated them.

"Yes, you can but remember: Complete. Bedrest." Dr. Lein shook his finger with each of the last two words to emphasize them as Marix rushed through the door. Marix closed it behind him, sealing the two of them in the cabin.

Eilownia lay there looking so fragile all of a sudden. Her eyes fluttered open as Marix approached.

"What.....happened?" She asked as he sat next to her, her voice barely audible.

"You fainted. Dr. Lein gave you a checkup. Do you remember that?" He asked as he pushed her hair back and began to pet her head.

She shook her head, "I just woke up a little bit ago....."

Then, her expression changed to worry as she gasped, "Is everything okay?!"

Eilownia began to sit up but Marix gently pushed her back down.

"Yes, everything is fine, but you need complete bedrest from now on. You can’t leave this bed to do anything. You have to stay here, avoid stress and focus on your health."

She nodded slowly in understanding.

"I’ll go get you some food. Stay here, alright? Rest some more."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, then one to her lips before he exited the cabin and headed to the lower deck where they kept most of their food supplies.

Marix grabbed a cup of water and turned to Jinya.

"Can you make anything for her? Something simple. Use my rations if you have to."

Jinya lowered her head, nervous at the idea of taking food away from their General, before nodding slowly.

"I can make her a basic, plain broth with some potatoes and carrots."

Marix gave a short nod, "Good. Then make her that."

As he left her to it, he couldn’t help but worry about their amount of supplies and Eilownia’s predicament.

Would they have enough for her to eat? Would she be alright?

He wanted to go for a stroll around the ship to clear his head and settle his emotions some more, but he knew he needed to get back to Eilownia.

With a deep breath, he headed back to the cabin and sat on her bed.

She was sleeping and hadn’t noticed him come in.

Marix cupped her cheek and rubbed it with his thumb as he stared down at her. His gaze trailed down to her large bump before his hand slid down to touch it. ƒreewebɳovel.com

He could feel a light roll against his hand as he did so.

"You have to stay strong, little one. Don’t make things too hard for your mother, she’s doing what she can. Hold on a little longer."

Eilownia’s eyes fluttered open again as she let out a yawn.

"You’re back." She said quietly, her voice groggy.

"Here, sit up a bit. I’ve brought you some water."

With gentle arms, he helped pull her up and lean her against the back of the bed before handing her the cup of water.

She began to slowly sip it, allowing it to slide down her throat. It wasn’t cold but it was still refreshing.

"Jinya is making you something to eat. She’ll be here soon."

Eilownia nodded before handing him the half-empty cup.

He placed it on the side table and stared deep into her eyes.

"Do you need anything else? Would you like a massage?"

By the time Jinya arrived with the broth, Marix was massaging Eilownia’s legs. Her eyebrows raised as she walked further into the cabin. It was a sight she’d never seen before.

"I’ve made the broth. I hope you like it and your strength returns Miss Eilownia."

Eilownia gave her a small smile but didn’t reply vocally.

Jinya returned the smile and handed Marix the broth before leaving, her heart sinking in her chest.

Eilownia seemed completely depleted.

Marix stared at Eilownia as he lifted a spoon to her mouth.

"You didn’t say much to her. Usually you would at least say thank you." He said, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.

Eilownia swallowed the spoonful and slowly nodded.

Little did they know, both Marix and Jinya were sharing the same exact concerns about Eilownia’s well being.

Two months passed. Eilownia was still on bedrest. The water supply had been used up and everyone was busy praising Whimble for his life saving invention as they lined up to get water. freewebnoveℓ.com

Their food supply was also gone and they were relying now on Etil’s fish catching skills. Tryde had been pretty much fully healed and was helping out on the ship more and more to help build strength and going along with Etil to catch fish.

Morale was near rock bottom. Everyone was tired of being at sea, starved for food, and beginning to wonder if they’d ever see land again. Many whispered about the possibility of dying before they made it while others began to carve letters to their loved ones on empty food containers.

They were growing tired of eating fish. Eilownia was miserable, sobbing every day when she was brought a fish dish. She was near ready to give birth, and wasn’t sleeping well either.

Marix’s heart ached like nothing else whenever he heard her cries.

Aleiza, on the other hand, seemed to be the happiest on ship as she watched Tryde swab the deck and bring in the day’s catch. He’d been on the brink of death and now he had overcome it, working like nothing had ever happened.

Suddenly, everyone’s attention snapped up to the man in the crow’s nest as he shouted.

"I SEE LAND!"