CHAPTER 421: PIERCING PAIN

"Please tell me what you see!" Arabella pleaded with them as Dr Damiana kept her hand flat on her forehead.

The two doctors seemed blown away by something within her chest. Silas’ features twitched. A clear indicator he fought the expression that pushed and pressed to take over his entire face.

Though unlike the doctors, Arabella needed no more hints as to the fact that her husband wasn’t the least bit amused by their discovery.

"What is the meaning of this?" every letter out of his mouth was measured to the last smidge, his voice as steady as his frigid tone.

"This is truly unlike anything we’ve seen before," Damiana breathed, her eyes refusing to blink. Out of the fear she’d miss the slightest shred of whatever spectacle offered itself before them, no doubt.

"What am I to do with that?" there was one vein on Silas’ forehead that stood out among its peers, pulsating with the threats of popping at any second.

"Please, what are you seeing?" she begged once more, that time around looking Silas straight in the eyes.

He, however, immediately averted his gaze away and back on her chest.

That small action, as insignificant as it may have seemed, carved a bigger hole into her heart that it should have been able to.

A harsh reminder that he still held something against her. Perhaps their most recent argument...

"My Lady," Dr Zarveth bent closer to her face, making sure to maintain a professional distance between them, "There is a sampling of tissue we must perform," he sounded the most hesitant Arabella had ever heard him, "Though it aches me to inform you that it might subject you to an excruciating amount pain," his voice turned so low at that sentence, "But know that it is beyond necessary!" his tone rose once more.

"Is there no other way?" Silas brought the attention of the room onto himself.

"Believe us, my Lord," Dr Damiana picked up, "We would put nothing but her health above her comfort,"

"Then give us some time to discuss-"

"Can you do it now?" Arabella practically leaped to a sitting position, cutting Silas off before the end of his sentence saw the day... Or night.

The doctors paused, their eyes zooming between their Lord and Lady, but no one looked as taken aback as Silas in that moment.

"I am sorry," she offered him a grimace, "But if I take the time to consider then there is a higher chance I will get cold feet and cower away,"

Silas did not argue, but kept his diamonds on anything in the room that wasn’t his wife’s eyes.

That did not give her cold feet per se, but it certainly yielded a freezing rush around her chest.

"Right, well," Dr Zarveth turned around to fumble among their medical utensils, "Let us proceed as quickly as possible to avoid the maximum amount of discomfort and dread too,"

"It would be better if you shut your eyes," Damiana smiled sweetly and held her hand while making the suggestion.

But much to Arabella’s misfortune, the doctor did not speak fast enough for her to shut her eyes on time before the sight that stunned the blood coursing her veins.

Indeed, from the tools, Zarveth had picked a syringe so long, it took Arabella more than a second to view the full body.

As lengthy as Arabella’s forearm it was with a thicker diameter than the usual syringes the young woman had been accustomed to.

"This one is meant to sample thicker substances than blood," hearing the gasp that had escaped Arabella, Damiana seemingly scrambled to provide noise other than the frantic drumming of the human’s heart, "Please, my Lord, take her hand," she turned to Silas.

His fingers wrapped around hers in a haste for his thumb to paint gentle little circles on her skin.

"What will you be sampling if not blood then?" he cleared his throat.

"Cells from her very lungs around the affected area," Zarveth neared the examination table.

With every step the doctor holding the needle took her way, her heart battered its cage louder, demanding more air to function which her lungs weren’t particularly doing a great job at providing.

After a moment of staring down at her, the doctor’s eyes went over his colleague who then turned back to Arabella.

"My Lady. We are going to have to expose the higher part of your chest so please, would you disrobe then cover yourself with these sheets?"

Damiana handed Arabella a neat square of folded fabric to serve as a sheet.

The young woman looked at her husband who gave her a subtle nod before following in her tracks behind the privacy screen that was available in the room.

Facing her back, only his warmth spoke to her body as his hands unfastened the ribbons holding her gown around her. Neither of them breathed a word as he helped her shed her dress.

There were little flinches and shudders here and there when their naked skin came into direct contact but that was it.

Once undressed, Arabella quickly wrapped her body into the sheets and clutched at it firmly to prevent it from falling away.

Silas still walked behind her as she went back to the examination bench, purposelessly... It wasn’t as if there was something else he could have done for her, but he did it anyway.

Lying down, she squeezed her eyes shut so tightly that little scribbly and wobbly dots materialized behind her eyelids.

"Take a deep breath, my Lady," whispered Damiana.

For some reason Arabella’s neck snapped to the side as though shutting her eyes was no longer enough.

Nothing prepared her for just how cold that tiny point would be upon landing on her skin. The connection made every muscle in her body contract and lock in one position, bracing for the worst.

All of the sudden, Silas’ hand seemed like her last and sole heaven. The only thing offering the solace and comfort needed for her heart to keep on beating.

Arabella’s fingers curled around it as strongly as she humanely managed, but even that amount of effort exerted wasn’t enough to distract her mind from the searing pain that pierced through her tender flesh.

Only the clenching of teeth prevented her screams from echoing throughout every nook and cranny in the manor.