Page 161 of Heart of the High King
Chapter 61
While the rest of the family was anxiously awaiting Jeremiah’s arrival the following day, Rafe was teleported to the hospital with two wolves, a warlock, two darkfallen, and the Grand Duke. They poked and prodded at Rafe; then he was instructed to wait in the exam room for Dr. Suricata. When she walked in with a deep frown, Rafe was unsurprised.
“Do you know what I’m looking at?” she asked, waving his file.
“Yeah.”
“Didn’t I specifically tell you to gain weight?”
“Yeah.”
“So, tell me why you’re a pound lighter than the last time I saw you. And while you’re at it, explain those dark circles under your eyes. Where’s His Highness? Did something happen between you two? Rafe, you’ve come too far to let anything get in the way of your progress. If things aren’t going well, we can get you a counselor.”
Rafe shifted uncomfortably as he stared at his dragonskin boots. “No, Sander and I are fine. Mortis needed his mate, so the Arch Lich resurrected this guy, Nox,” Rafe explained. The wolf in question walked over to sniff the meerkat.
“Fate’s sake, how didn’t I see you?” Dr. Suricata asked Nox, petting his head. “You’re enormous. But shouldn’t you be with His Highness?”
“Sander’s in some kind of coma thing. It’s been close to two weeks. We don’t know how long it’s going to take for him to wake up.”
“Which explains the weight loss and lack of sleep. Rafe, you’ve had an incredibly traumatic year, and the last thing you need right now is stress. Your mate would want you to take care of yourself, including eating right and getting plenty of rest.”
Lifting a shaking hand to his mouth, Rafe hated that he had to discuss things with an audience. “The night terrors are really bad right now. I guess I’m afraid he won’t wake up or something. They keep telling me he’s going to be okay, but I used to think I had a pretty good life once too. Shit happens, you know.”
“A lesson you’ve had to learn much harder than most,” Dr. Suricata said. “I’d offer to prescribe you something to help you sleep, but you aren’t going to take it, are you?”
“No.”
“Fine, but if you haven’t gained weight by our next appointment, you’re going on an appetite stimulant, whether you like it or not. I don’t want to have to hospitalize you and force food into you, so don’t make me. You aren’t near that point yet, but you’ll get there if you don’t eat. Rafe, I don’t care if you’re hungry. I want you eating every two to three hours, even if it’s snacking, is that understood?”
“Yeah.”
“Your blood work looks good, although the values are a little lower. How long has it been since His Highness bit you?”
“Since the night before Nox was resurrected,” Rafe responded with heat creeping up his neck.
Dr. Suricata sat and jotted on his file. “When he wakes up, let’s make sure that’s done weekly until your dragon returns. I don’t want to see these numbers getting any lower. You are virus and infection clear as far as we can tell, but you’re stressed and that can lower your immune system, so keep that in mind.”
“Okay. I haven’t been leaving D’Vaire.”
“Any issues with teleporting today?”
“Little stomach upset. Same as ever.”
“We’ve suspended Sorcery D’Vaire meetings until Aleksander wakes,” Saura explained. “But that doesn’t mean we aren’t still working on the project to come up with a treatment.”
“How’s the dragon training going?”
“I haven’t been doing it since Sander went to sleep, but my dragon trainer is moving to D’Vaire, so I can get started on it again as soon as my mate is awake.”
“Do you find yourself with an inability to focus?”
“No, I’ve been doing my normal job during the day. I’ve just added some new projects and stuff.”
“It’s good that you’re keeping busy. Have you started exercising?”
“I started teaching swordplay to some D’Vaires, the sentinels are training me with daggers, and I’ve been jogging every night.”
“That’s a lot of exercising, which also might help explain why you haven’t gained anything.”
