• Chapter 15

    She sighed, holding her forehead, “I’ve got to talk to your father about this, but right now you and the Prince need to be looked at by the doctor.”, she looked to Nicholas, still holding Rian, “Take him to the infirmary please, Nicholas.”

    He nodded and carried Rian off swiftly to the infirmary. Gabriel picked me up easily and started to follow Nicholas.

    “This really isn’t necessary Gabriel, I can walk to the infirmary.”, I said, looking up into his dark brown eyes.

    He smiled, “I know you can, but I highly doubt you could keep pace with Nicholas.”

    I nodded and rested my head on his armored chest, “How long have you been a guard Gabriel?”

    “About five years now.”, he answered as he set me down onto an empty infirmary bed next to Rian.

    I sat up and looked around, “That was fast.”

    Gabriel and Nicholas looked at each other and laughed. “That’s how we were trained, fast and strong.”, Nicholas answered flashing a wide and bright smile.
    I smiled back. “Well you’re definitely fast”, I looked over at Rian, still out cold, “and apparently strong.”

    “We try.”, Gabriel said proudly.

    “Thank you both.”

    They bowed. “You’re welcome.”, they said in unison as they walked out.

    “Angel, it’s nice to know you’re home safely.”, said a familiar voice.

    I turned to see Dr. Carst standing by the foot of my bed. “Doctor! It’s so nice to be home.”

    He looked from me to Rian and back again. “So you two have made up?”

    I nodded. “We realized that it was all a set up courtesy of his parents. They never wanted us to be together.”, I sighed.

    He put a supportive hand on my shoulder. “Well here no one objects if you two want to be together.”

    I smiled, “I know, that’s what I’ve always loved about Caelum.”

    He nodded. “I should probably assess you two and see what needs to be done healing wise.”

    “Ok, can you assess Rian first? Since he’s still unconscious?”

    Dr. Carst chuckled, “Of course.” He poked and prodded Rian, as Rian moaned and winced a bit in his sleep. “It looks like he’s got a couple broken and bruised ribs. Nothing too bad.”

    I took a breath of relief. “Good. So he’ll be alright then?”

    “He’ll be just fine. Now let me have a look at you.”

    I nodded.

    “Before I actually start, is there anything that hurts?”

    “Well my right arm, my back hurts only a little, and my ribs are a little sore.”

    “How deep of a breath can you take? Nevermind, let me listen.”

    I nodded and he placed the stethoscope onto my chest. “Take a breath, breathe as deeply as you can.”

    I took a breath until it began to hurt, which wasn’t a very deep breath. “So Dr. Carst, broken or bruised?”

    “A few are broken, judging by the sound of your breathing and the shallowness of your breath. But it doesn’t sound like they need to be reset, so I’ll cast you up…after I take a look at your back.” He put on his glasses and took a close look at my back. He sighed, obviously frustrated.

    “What’s wrong?”

    “Well the lacerations will get in the way of a cast, so I’ll just have to bandage you. That means extremely restricted movement and the bandages will have to be changed every few hours to prevent serious infection.”

    I sighed. “I understand. What about my arm?”

    He lightly touched up and down my arm. “Nothing feels out of place. But I will cast it so everything stays in place.” He left quickly to get the materials up for Rian and I.

    “Angel?”, I heard Rian whisper.

    “You’re awake! How are you feeling?”

    “Like I just had a Caelum guard beat the crap out of me.”, he chuckled softly. He tried to take a deep breath, unsuccessfully. “Ah, I guess he beat me better than I thought.”

    “I’d suggest you stay down. At least until you’re bandaged.”, Dr. Carst said from the doorway. He had us bandaged quickly. I was so restricted I couldn’t turn my torso at all.

    “So Dr., exactly what can’t I do?”, I asked worriedly.

    “No bending over, no twisting, and no activities that would require a lot of fast movement.”, he looked at Rian, “Watch her closely.”

    Rian nodded, “I plan on it.” He walked to me and pulled me into a loose hug, “We’re finally home.”

    I sighed happily, “Yes, I’m so glad that we made it.”

    Gabriel walked into the room smiling widely. “Your parents are throwing a party in half an hour to celebrate your return. Both of you are expected.”

    I smiled up at Rian, “Ready to have some fun?”