Chapter 14
“Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?” Spencer asked her. It was a week into their honeymoon, and they had chosen an all-inclusive resort in the middle of Bermuda. It was sunny, classy, and a small enough island that they had plans to explore the whole thing before they left. However, they had mostly spent the time floating in the pool and relaxing in the ocean or in bed. Their plans to explore the island weren't quite working out, but he didn't mind.
“No,” Katianna said. “But maybe you could go and bring me something for later? I just want to stay here, take a cool shower, and then relax.”
“I can stay with you,” he said, concerned. She had been quiet today, moving slowly, and he had been watching her every movement like a hawk.
“Spencer,” she reminded him. “I don't breathe fire; I'm not used to heat. I just want to relax, that's all.”
“I don't breathe fire in human form either,” he said, but kissed her gently. “I won't be twenty minutes.”
“Please eat first,” she begged him. “I don't want you to come back so ravenous that you consider eating the livestock.”
“There are a ridiculous amount of chickens wandering around, if you've noticed,” he pointed out. “It reminds me of the old days.”
“The old days had chickens just wandering around?” she raised an eyebrow. “I guess that was the definition of fast food.”
He laughed at that, shaking his head.
“Only you, my dear, could make a joke like that and get away with it.”
“I was just suggesting,” she grinned, “that Kentucky Fried Chicken has a longer history than it realizes.”
“Go and take a shower,” he said. “I promise you that I will be back before you are done.”
“Can you bring me some of those pastries?” she asked. “From the dessert cart? And then just some coffee.”
“Coffee?” he replied, in shock. “It's evening. You want to be up all night?”
“Caffeine helps headaches, so I want to ward one off. But also, I wouldn't mind being up all night.”
“Katianna…,” he started, and then decided to take her up on her invitation. They were on their honeymoon after all. “I'll be back soon.”
“See you,” she said, waiting until he was gone before she headed into the bathroom. Taking off her clothes, she looked at herself in the mirror. She was thinner than she would have liked, having lost weight despite the buffet here. Her face seemed odd to her, her eye twitching. It had never done that before, and she had been working for the past half hour to control it. Now that he was gone, it was a relief to relax and take a deep breath.
Her vision was going funny around the edges; black spots dancing in front of her eyes. She told herself she just needed to cool down, and she turned on the shower.
It only took a moment for the water to become the perfect temperature before she stepped in.
The cold water hit her, and she breathed out. Her body had been burning, and it was instant relief.
This place was heaven; it really was. She had a hard time wrapping her head around the fact that she didn't have to go back and live with her parents. She loved them, of course, but she had moved on from that life. This was real life–living with Spencer; having him come home to her every night.
She was almost finished with school and had spent some time looking for jobs already. He said that she didn't have to work, but she wanted to, and he accepted that. She wanted to manage a grand hotel somewhere, maybe a former castle. She thought fondly of her time on Umora, even though they had parted on unclear terms. It had changed her life, and she wanted a reminder of those days around her.
The last she heard from Enya, Alexander was dying. She wished she could reach out to offer her condolences to the family. Dragons were so majestic and so strong; she couldn't believe that they could just waste away. She hoped he would be all right, but she saw death differently since Spencer found her.
There was always a way to return somehow.
The water pounded onto the back of her neck, and she closed her eyes, letting the stream wash away the soreness of her muscles.
She was so tired today, and the world swirled around her. She arched her back, trying to steady herself, and lost her footing.
Her head made contact with the marble behind her with a loud crack. For one moment, she felt incredibly nauseous. The world rushed up to her, and the last thing she remembered was her cheek cracking against the drain.
Her limp body pushed open the door; the water quickly flooding the bathroom floor. Her hand lay out in front of her, her wedding rings sparkling from the recent cleaning.
It was exactly twenty-three minutes until Spencer returned. He was carrying enough food to feed an army, wanting her to be satisfied. His arms were full, and he knocked on the door twice before becoming concerned.
“Katianna?” he called through the door. He put his ear to it and heard the shower running. “Still?”
Putting some of the food onto the floor, he reached into his back pocket, pulling out his key. He slipped it into the door, and pushed it open.
The first thing that he noticed was that the carpet was soaking wet. There were noticeable puddles of water everywhere, and it was coming from the bathroom.
“Katianna?” he asked, moving toward the bathroom door. He opened it, and the sight he found was horrifying.
There was blood everywhere on the bathroom floor. Her body lay half out of the shower, her eyes unseeing as they stared up toward the ceiling
“Katianna!” he screamed, moving toward her. “Help! Help me! Somebody please help me!”
His brain should have registered to call 9-1-1, but he couldn't quite bring himself to do it. He was stuck in the early 1900s, the first time he had found her like that.
He grabbed a towel, wrapping her in it as he picked her up. She was limp, and he frantically reached for a pulse.
To his relief, there was one, but it was weak.
“Help!” he screamed again.
It only took a moment more before a member of the staff came running.
He didn't remember much about the next few moments. He knew that there were more staff members running in, and someone called 9-1-1. The paramedics came rushing in, and they had to pry his arms from her to try and help her.
It was the most terrifying moment of his life to see them pressing on her chest; hooking her up to machines and putting her on a stretcher
“Is she going to be all right?” Spencer asked frantically. “Please, is she going to be all right?”
“We're doing everything we can, sir,” the paramedic said. “Come with us. We're taking her to the hospital.”
He had lost her before, and he knew what this was going to feel like. But it didn't mean it got any easier. He held onto her small hand as the ambulance sirens screamed, talking quietly to her the whole time. He wanted her to know that he was there; he wasn't leaving. And if it ended like this, he wouldn't stop looking for her.
There was fear in the pit of his stomach, though. What if her lives weren't unlimited? What if he never found her again?
And what if Ariel's words were right? What if this wasn't real?
The hospitals had changed in the last century. The equipment was updated, and the terminology was different. Procedures were quicker and more efficient; doctors were more confident in their tests results than their own minds.
One thing that he noticed hadn't changed was the emotion. Despite the advances in technology, hospitals were still places of fear, of tension, and of sadness. There were still families pacing the hall; people crying in corners–overtired eyes and weakened life forces. For all the advances they had made, they still hadn't been able to cure death.
They took her straight through emergency setting her up in a room. She lay motionless, while they ran a battery of tests on her. Spencer went with her for every single one. There were CT scans, blood tests, x-rays, and some things that he wasn't even sure about. He didn't protest to anything, letting them do what they needed. He signed papers, gave permissions, and stepped back when they needed him to. He would have let them open his own body and donate whatever was needed if it would have made a difference.
But as two days and nights passed, he knew that nothing would make a difference.
“It was an aneurysm,” a doctor said to him quietly at dawn of the third day. “She was born with it, most likely. Did she show symptoms of any head pain in the past?”
“Yes,” Spencer said, numbly, speaking of this life and the past few ones. “Always.”
“Was it ever investigated?” the doctor said, and he shook his head, numbly.
“No,” his voice broke at that. “We've only been married two weeks.”
“I'm sorry,” the doctor answered, flatly. “There's not much we can do in these cases. We've run the tests three times, and each time, it's come back with no brain waves. She's gone. I'm sorry. All that's left to do is turn off the machines.”
“No,” Spencer replied, sharply. “No, please. She could come back.”
“Sir, maybe you misunderstand me,” the doctor replied. “She is gone, her brain is dead. The machines are the only things keeping her alive. She can't come back.”
“She can,” Spencer said, quietly, closing his eyes.
“You let me know when you want me to turn off the machines,” the doctor said softly. “Take as much time as you need.”
He left the room then, leaving Spencer to hold her hand, his own trembling.
He never had to make a choice like this before. She had always died young, and in his heart, he knew that this time wouldn't be any different. This was just the way it was. But to make the choice to take her life away was something he wasn't sure he could do.
He had to be sure in the belief that he would find her again. He had to truly believe that this was his Katianna, and that the second he pulled the plug, her soul would soar to a new body.
It would be at least fifteen years before he was able to recognize her again. He would wander the galaxy alone – waiting, hoping, and praying. He would look for clues, hire witches to follow magic trails, search the internet–anything that he could do.
“Till death do us part, my love,” he whispered softly, kissing the top of her head. He was trembling as he stood up. “But I will find you again. I will.”
He desperately wanted her to respond, to wake and tell him that she loved him. He wasn't sure he could wait that long to hear those words again or see those beautiful eyes.
But he had to, for this was what fate delivered to him.
“I'm ready,” he said, going out to the hallway. The doctor looked up from his notes, surprised
“That was fast,” he answered. “Are you sure?”
“I'm sure,” Spencer replied. “I will see her again someday, and I want to speed that process along.”
The doctor's brow furrowed. He heard a lot of talk about death in his career, but that was a confusing phrase. He didn't question it, though. People said odd things in the throes of grief.
“All right,” he said. “And again, I'm sorry.”
“It's all right,” Spencer repeated. “I'll see her again soon. I have to.”