Page 5 of Oret
The ship came and picked up the dragon, so their main money-making mine was once again available to work.Victoria threw herself into her work even harder than ever before.He tried to get her to back off just a little, but nothing worked until she collapsed.It was just a little too much, and her exhausted body refused to continue.He met her number two, who carried her to the healer.That was the second section that had been completed in the mountain, and a priority for the community.Daisy was on duty, and she immediately pumped her full of nutrients.
“It's no mystery what the problem here is.She is getting everything that she needs for now, but this is just going to happen again if she doesn't rest and get the nourishment that she needs,” Daisy explained.
The room was filled with people, including those who supported her, as well as friends and family.There was no reason for her to overwork herself the way that she had.She'd also been avoiding him, or at least it seemed that way.Oret could only hope it was because she was tempted and afraid that she would give in.Victoria had gone too far.She was lying in the healer's bed being cared for.He knew that was something she would never want.It would also be difficult for her to escape him, as he was here and intended to visit regularly until she was back on her feet.With a willful woman like her, that probably wouldn't take long.
Once she woke up, everyone had a chance to talk to her, and then they left so she could rest.He didn't leave, just sat in the chair until they both fell asleep.Oret woke in the middle of the night and saw her staring at him.
“You shouldn't be here.It's time to rest so that you can make it to your job in the morning,” Victoria observed.
“My job will be fine for a while without me there.I've trained my team well, and I believe you have too.You work entirely too hard and now you're paying for it.”
“I'll be fine.Daisy said that I will fully recover, so you don't need to worry about me.”
“It’s a shame I can’t turn that off.You mean too much to me,” Oret observed.
“That needs to change.You need to look out for yourself.”
“I was hoping you would take that job.”
“You already know how I feel about that,” Victoria offered.
“Do you want me to find someone else?”A look of pain crossed her face, and that answered the question for him.“We'd be so good together.I would give you time, I've already given you time.Just try for me, that's all I ask.”
She nodded, but he knew she could change her mind in a minute.Daisy came in and checked everything out.“She could go home if she had someone to stay with her and monitor her nutrition to ensure that she is taking everything that I am prescribing for her.”
Oret looked at her.“Okay, we can do that,” Victoria agreed.
He still wasn't sure that it was a real agreement and that she wouldn't try to brush him off as soon as he got her home.“How long should she have someone with her?”
“I would say a week, but I know she won't do it, so at least three days.That will help her get back on her feet, but I don't want her to return to work for at least a week.I've discussed this with Fenwik and Radvar, and they both agree that she will not work for a week.That doesn't mean she can't do other things, but they have to be more relaxing activities,” Daisy directed.
“Would those activities include gathering and, later in the week, possibly hunting and fishing?”
“They would, but if she shows any sign of tiring, she needs to rest.It's clear that she doesn't know her own stopping point, so someone else needs to let her know when she's reached it.”
“I can do that.”
“I will release her with those conditions.I don't know what happened to her clothing, so she'll need to go home wearing what she has on.They need to come back because we're short on medical clothing.”
“We will take care of it.”
He looked at Victoria, but he still saw a stubborn woman who was not ready to give in.He would have his hands full for the week, but he still held onto hope that they could make this work.Oret helped her up, then he took her in his arms and carried her away.There were no shoes for her to wear, and he didn't want her walking barefoot where there were all kinds of dangers to her feet.There was no doubt that she would want to go to her tent, so that was where he took her.
“Daisy said you need to get some rest, so we will take a nap together and see how you feel when we wake.There will be no hunting until you are much better.To start with, we will go gathering when I think you are up to it.Do you understand?”
“Yes, I think, and that might be a good thing.There is a cot on the other side of the room for you.”
“I don't think so.I don't expect sex, but we will be sleeping together in this bed.It is plenty large enough,” Oret said.
“All right.”She gave him a look that said, ‘Remember no sex.’
It made him smile, which made her give him a sour look.That was alright because he'd been wanting to get into her bed since he had met her, and now, he was going to get there.Even without sex, the bed was small enough that there would be some closeness, and that was worth it.Oret stripped down into his underwear, and she stared at him.His body was well-muscled, and it was obvious that she found it attractive.She went behind a curtain, and when she came out, she had a nightgown that covered everything.That was all right because he was sure that throughout the nap, they would touch each other, and the nightgown was not thick enough to hide the feeling of her body.
They settled into the bed, and that proved him right.There was little room between them, and he constantly felt her body moving until she fell asleep.That was when he rolled up against her and took her in his arms.No sex, but that didn’t mean no touching.Oret felt so wonderful holding her, and it was only moments, and he was asleep.He woke when he felt someone tugging on him, and in seconds, he realized that it was Victoria pulling away.
“I feel much better, and I want to go gathering.”
“I'm glad to hear that you feel better, but before we decide on anything, you're going to have to take the medication that Daisy gave you and eat a healthy meal.I also want you to drink plenty because she said that you were dehydrated, and we can't have that,” Oret explained.
