Page 16 of Spears and Shadows (Defenders of the Light)
Drew had finished wrapping her thigh in a fresh bandage, and the nurse had exited the room to fetch something or another. He straightened and cleared his throat pointedly before saying, “We are going to start you on some antibiotics for this infection and monitor your fever. You let us know if you are feeling any changes at all, okay?”
Nora nodded, and Drew shot a hard look over his shoulder before pushing past the curtain and out of the room. The two of them were now alone and Adam settled himself into the chair at the head of the bed.
“This is the pits. I hope this doesn’t keep me away from work too long,” Nora huffed and attempted to cross her arms but was impeded by her IVs.
“I wouldn’t worry too much. Dr. Coleman has been…vigilant.”
Nora nodded in agreement. There was a pause before Adam continued.
“I don’t think he likes me very much.”
Nora was about to ask him where he got that idea when another round of violent shivers wracked her body. Adam leaned in and tucked the blankets around her as tightly as he could, commenting, “It must be from the fever.”
Nora made to nod, but moving her head seemed to make her unbearably dizzy.
“Adam, something’s wrong.” She tasted metal in her mouth and her shivering had transformed into more of a constant tremor. Even her vision was distorted.
Adam put his hand on her cheek and tried to meet her eyes but she couldn’t bring his face into focus.
“No, no,” he whispered. “This isn’t an infection. Infection doesn’t progress this fast. This is poison.” His voice sounded like he was trying to speak to her from underwater.
She opened her mouth to ask him how she could have been poisoned but she couldn’t breathe as her whole body went rigid.
“Nora!” Adam cried, but she couldn’t respond. Her world had turned a blazing white and she didn’t have any control over her limbs as they shook, but she could still hear Adam. Fingers scrabbled at her IVs, ripping them out, droplets of warm blood running down her arm.
The whole time, Adam muttered, “Thad. Thad will know what to do.”
Then there were more voices, Drew’s deep voice like thunder, barking orders and demanding Adam step away from her. There was more yelling, something about poison and more about whomever Thad was.
Nora tried to scream but made a horrible choking sound instead. She couldn’t breathe. She needed them to stop arguing. She needed quiet. She needed the shaking to stop.
Adam’s determined voice cut through the haze. “You can follow me, but you can’t stop me from taking her.”
Her world lurched again as arms tightened around her. Her limbs thrashed against them, but Adam got her over his shoulder and held her tightly.
Drew’s voice reached her. “I’m not letting her out of my sight.”
Then the world spun away, and Nora was falling but didn’t remember ever hitting the bottom.
