Page 60 of The Last Knight

His brow furrowed, eyelids fluttering until finally opening. When he noticed her, Gunther seemed to rouse.

The nurse smiled at him. “I’m going to lift you up to a sitting position so you can eat.” The bed began lifting his torso up as he winced and let out soft groan.

“Who is your friend?” the nursed asked a still groggy Gunther.

“Aubrey,” he murmured. “She is here?”

“Yes, she is here.” The nurse motioned for Aubrey to come closer.

Aubrey touched the side of his face. “You will be better soon. I will stay with you.”

When he closed his eyes, the nurse spoke loudly. “No more sleeping. Let’s get you to drink some juice.” She poured juice into a small plastic cup and handed it to Aubrey.

When she brought what looked to be apple juice to his lips, he drank it greedily. The nurse refilled the cup. “He is always thirsty. It’s the medication. Doctor Patel will be weaning him from it over the next two days.”

“I wish to leave,” Gunther said his eyes half open. “I do not need to remain here.”

Aubrey and the nurse exchanged knowing looks. He was barely able to get out of the bed, much less leave the hospital.

After checking Gunther’s vitals, the nurse left, promising that food would be coming soon. They were finally alone.

“I thought you’d died,” Aubrey blurted out in a low tone, so as not to be overheard. “What happened?”

Gunther shook his head, then scanned her face as if memorizing every detail. “I do not know. I thought I had died, then I woke up here.”

Footsteps sounded, but continued past the door. Aubrey leaned closer. “Do you remember anything that can explain how you came to be here?”

“I remember you and Sterling. I was overtaken by…” He stopped, obviously not wishing to bring up the evil that had inhabited him. “Everything went black. I was in so much pain. It was as if something tried to tear me apart.”

Judging by the bruising and swelling, it was not an exaggeration.

He looked about to fall asleep again.

“How do you feel? Other than sleepy?”

“The doctor says I respond strongly to medication. She has had to lower the dose, twice.”

“Probably because you are from another time and have lived in a realm without modern medicine.” Aubrey scanned the machinery, the rhythmic lines of the EKG reassuring.

“Did you know they had to perform surgery in your chest? Gunther, they had to open your rib cage. I am sure that adds to the pain of your bruised ribs.”

Doctor Patel visited after Gunther ate. The pretty Indian woman, who had a serious disposition, introduced herself, asked Gunther how he felt and then reviewed Gunther’s vitals and checked his incision.

“Nurse Macdougall says you are still sleeping too much. If your pain is tolerable, I am lowering the dose once again,” she informed Gunther.

“I am not in too much pain,” Gunther replied, then he coughed and groaned.

Doctor Patel looked at Aubrey. “The rib injuries are probably more painful than the surgery. I have prescribed pain medication that shouldn’t make him so sleepy. We will see.”

“How much longer will he need to stay here?” Aubrey asked. She needed to get Gunther away before they asked too many questions. The stolen wallet excuse would not hold up much longer. They would want to clearly identify him.

“If all goes as it has been, Mr. Janssen should be cleared to leave in two or three days.”

After the doctor left, Aubrey turned her full attention to Gunther.

He looked impossibly out of place in the narrow hospital bed. This man, who had once stood like a fortress, sword in hand, unshakable. Now, surrounded by beeping machines and sterile white sheets, he seemed almost too large for the room. And yet, even battered and bandaged, he hadn’t lost his commanding presence. Strength still clung to him, something this new world couldn’t strip away.

She leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to his jawline, careful of the bruises. “I’m so glad you’re alive,” she whispered, her voice catching. “Every day since I came back, I’ve felt like I could barely breathe. I kept crying for no reason. But now that I know you’re going to recover…you’re coming home with me, as soon as they let you go.”