CHAPTER 422: A BREATHER?

Grunting through her teeth was what Arabella had been reduced to. Not that anyone ordered silence... She forced that condition on herself all on her own.

Every inch of that needle was felt as it sank into her ever so agonizingly slowly.

"Keep it together for a moment longer, my Lady," Damiana encouraged her.

Arabella was able to respond with nothing but hushed and broken sobs through her clenched jaws.

A familiar touch landed so very gently upon her forehead before caressing down her hair. Silas kept repeating that cycle over and over until she managed to open her eyes even though just slightly.

By then it seemed that the syringe did not need to go any deeper into her chest, thus providing a sliver of relief for as long as it sat still.

However, when the plunging stopped, the syphoning replaced it, earning yet another gasp out of her along with a short yelp in addition.

All in all giving the impression the tool attempted to suck more than a chunk of her soul out.

If Arabella focused on something in order to block the hurt her body was being subjected to, it was Silas’ hand that won that race.

His skin was never truly the softest, but never the most callus either. Two contradicting characteristics that fused together to yield a unique feel that would help identify her husband among thousands, if not millions.

"Please, remain still for a second longer, my Lady. I am almost done,"

Zarveth’s voice came around the same time the needle was being drawn out of her with utmost care.

The moment the metal separated from her body was when the loudest of sighs escaped her lungs. Its insertion had caused far worse than a pinch and as thin as it was, it had occupied far more of her chest than it seemed to do.

"It has been done, my Lady. You may rest," Dr Damiana gave her arm gentle, little pats for comfort.

And breathe she did, inhaling then exhaling to her heart’s desire as if trying to match the amount of tears shed throughout it all.

"You may leave for now," Dr Zarveth spoke without removing his eyes from his busy hands as he stuck the needle down a glass tube, "We will inform you as soon as we reach results,"

Silas did not leave Arabella to struggle after the strain that pushed her body to its limits. With one arm under her neck, he helped her to a sitting position.

He also did not allow her to step onto her feet and instead lifted them off with his second arm.

Her hands flew to keep the sheets from falling, but other than that, Arabella voiced no complaints and simply buried her face into his chest.

Silas did not rush the pace across the hallways and took his sweet time, listening as her breathing slowed to an even rhythm.

"I truly did not mean to upset you," her murmuring came muffled.

"I am not upset," he whispered back without a second to consider his words.

"Then I didn’t mean to hurt you," still smooshed against him her face was.

To that, on the other hand, Silas did not have a quick response. To her, it meant she was spot on.

"That is hardly important for the time being," in the same tone as before he spoke.

"It is very important to me," finally, one of her eyes freed itself and peered up at him, all red and puffy.

As pathetic as Arabella believed it to be, she was, at least, satisfied with the fact that Silas looked down at her.

He looked right into her eyes for the first time since their argument.

"The good thing is we will have all the time we need to remedy that," there was the faintest of smiles across his features.

It was the kind that seemed repressed or held back by something else. Warm but so meek it was barely visible.

She returned his smile but gradually, it faded the same way it had appeared, "What was it that you saw in my chest?"

Silas immediately broke eye contact to stare ahead of himself.

"Please... I want to know. I need to know," she begged.

"The issue isn’t that I don’t want to tell you, but that I don’t exactly know what to say...," he trailed off.

For the shortest of moments, her eyes widened as the brows above them knitted, "Can you at least describe what you saw?"

Very slowly, his head shook from left to right, "I am not sure I can do that either,"

"Would you at least try?" her voice thinned out to a near breaking level.

"The rest of your body seemed fine enough, but your heart along with a small area around it...,"

"Yes?" when he took too long to finish his sentence, Arabella nudged him.

"It seemed different,"

That cleared none of the fog plaguing her mind, "Different how?"

Silas clamped up for a second before sighing, "It looked as though that area did not belong with the rest of your body,"

"What?" her reaction was instant.

Arabella straightened in his arms, turning rigid. Silas pressed her closer to him. Not out of need since she barely weighed him down, but simply to offer her comfort.

"I... I can’t fathom your words," she muttered, her eyes unable to decide whether they wanted to remain open or shut.

"It seemed as though while your body functions just fine, the area around your heart came from a different being or from another time,"

It made little to no sense to her and judging by his wording, his mind couldn’t wrap around the concept either.

"I will return to the medical wing later and ask if feeding you my blood would be a good idea," he added.

Arabella chose to remain quiet, nesting her face back into his chest.

From another body? From another time? Was she ever going to earn a breather from the universe?