Page 35 of Dark Shaman: Love Found
"I don't care."
She rolled her eyes but kept feeding him until he was done with both cups. "The Jello’s strawberry," she announced.
"I hate strawberries."
"You've just said that the red was your favorite."
"Because it's yours. I don't like strawberries."
"Too bad. It's all we have." She loaded the spoon with the wobbling red substance. "Think of it as character building."
"My character's built enough, thank you very much."
"Apparently not, if you're going to whine about Jello flavors."
He sighed. "I'm not going to say another word about it."
She looked skeptical. "We'll see."
He ate it all without even making a face, and the truth was that it hadn't been as bad as he'd thought it would be. The artificial flavoring was only slightly reminiscent of strawberries.
"All done," she announced as he swallowed the last spoonful. "How do you feel?"
"Full," he said, surprised to realize it was true. The gnawing hunger had retreated, leaving him feeling almost human again. "Tired. But good."
"That's what I like to hear." She disposed of the empty containers and returned to his bedside. "You should rest now. And by that, I mean sleep, not the two-week coma variety."
"Will you stay?" The words slipped out before he could stop them. "Just for a little while?"
She studied him for a long moment, and he expected her to refuse, to cite professional boundaries or other patients—except there were no other patients, were there? He was her only one.
"Of course, I'll stay," she said finally, settling back into the chair. "But you need to sleep instead of staring at me."
"I'll try." He closed his eyes but immediately opened them again. "Hildie?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
He wanted to say more, to tell her how her voice had anchored him through the darkness, how the thought of seeing her again had pulled him back to consciousness. But exhaustion was already dragging him down, his body demanding rest to fuel the changes that were still to come.
11
ELUHEED
The scent of strong coffee and fried eggs permeated the hotel's sprawling lobby, where breakfast was being served. It was the same fare as yesterday and the day before, but he wasn't complaining. The hotel's kitchen was trying to feed many more people than it was used to, so it was no wonder that they were sticking to the basics.
"Are you going to eat that?" he asked Tony, who was pushing his scrambled eggs around the plate.
The guy lifted his head as if startled to find Eluheed sitting across from him. "Do you want it?"
"If you are not going to eat it, yes. I don't like seeing food go to waste." He'd been hungry too many times to take food for granted.
Tony pushed his plate toward him. "Enjoy. I'm not a big fan of eggs."
Eluheed pulled the plate the rest of the way. "You should eat more. Wasting away while pining for what you can't have is not a good strategy. You need to remain strong."
