I woke up abruptly; the horror of the dream I had slept through seemed like a wet sheet clutched to me. I was breathing heavily; I could barely distinguish dream and reality and I definitely did not like what I saw.
The room was faintly illuminated with the light coming from the curtains that were drawn all over the room. My eyes met with a man hovering over me. That man was my uncle, Napoleon an evil grin stretched over his face; he was holding one of the twins. My breath caught in my throat, and I cried out loud. "No, please! Please don't kill him."
"Kill him?" He raised his eyebrows, then suddenly the face changed and I saw it was Emily then and not Napoleon at all. She put the baby back in the crib and walked back to me, her face looking worried.
"Gina, what's wrong?" she asked me. "Is everything okay?"
Then again the face changed into Napoleon.
I closed my eyes quickly, attempting to rub the images of the nightmare right out of my head. My vision slowly roused and I was able to see the room more clearly. It was Emily’s anxious face looming over me not Napoleon’s malicious one.
"I'm... That’s right,” I replied hesitantly. “I am sorry.” "I thought... I thought he was here."
"Who?" She asked but I did not answer.
She traced the line of my forehead and removed the strands of hair that were splayed across my forehead with such a tender touch. “That was probably a nightmare,” she whispered. "You're safe Gina."
The door to the bedroom opened slowly, and in walked Simon, the physician, wheeling in his black leather bag. His face was filled with so much seriousness and a little bit of worry. “May I take a look at you, Gina?” he said in a rather calm and comforting tone.
I sank into the pillows and shivered as though I was suddenly struck by a spell of flu. Simon touched my wrist to check my pulse, then my forehead and his face scrunched up as if he was worried.
“You have a high temperature,” he said. "So it is not surprising that you are not feeling well at the moment. "You need very good rest and a few herbal tonics. Then I shall be here to examine you every few hours.'
Emily stood close to me, staring at my face with an obvious worried look on hers. ‘What do you believe that led to the fever, Simon?’ she asked.
Simon shook his head. "It's hard to say. It can be stress, tiredness or perhaps an infection. The important thing is to lower her fever and to make her take some herbs.”
Harriet came in next, with a maid bearing a tray with a cup of tea steam seemed to rise from her scented like leaves. “Here’s the herbal mix,” she said as she passed the cup to Simon.
Simon passed the cup to me and I took it. "Drink this, Gina. It will help to lower your fever.”
As I reached out and took the cup from him my hands shook. The liquid was foul-tasting and smelled horrible, but I swallowed it anyway, knowing what a necessity it was. I saw Harriet and Emily look at each other, frowning nervously watching me.
“Thank you,” I managed to mutter almost in a whisper.
Simon sat on a chair close to my bed. He seemed so deep in his thoughts. The physician asked, “Gina, have you had any other complaints? Did you ever have chills, body aches, anything like that?"
I nodded weakly. "Oh, yes, I have been sore, and I have been cold too, and… I've been having nightmares."
Simon frowned. "The nightmares can also result in a high fever. It is crucial to sleep and lie down as much as you can during the day. I shall prepare more herbs to help ease your body pain and help you sleep better."
Emily frowned at Simon, concern reflected in her face. “How soon do you expect her to be well?”
Simon sighed. "It's hard to say. If properly managed the fever should subside in a few days. She needs to stay away from stress altogether. Rest and relaxation is the best medicine and only she can give it to herself.”
Looking at Simon, Harriet nodded her head, "Rest assured, we will ensure that everything that she needs is provided for her. I'll make sure she won’t even have to lift a finger."
Emily looked back at me and while holding my hand in a comforting way. "Don’t worry, Gina; we will handle everything for you. You just need to concentrate on your recovery.”
I sat there nodding, tiredness creeping up on me. The fever seemed to be worsening each second, weakening me; physically and mentally, I didn’t even have the energy of a tired ant. Sitting down on the bed itself was tiring as well.
After a few minutes of awkward silence, Simon rose as he zipped his bag and ready to go. “I will check on you in a few hours, Gina. Make sure you get adequate rest by then. Eat a good meal and drink more of the herbal potions I will have sent to your room."
“Thank you, Simon,” I said in a low tone more like a whisper.
After Simon went out of the room, Harriet and Emily immediately started to fuss over me to make me relax more. Harriet fanned me with a cool pillow while Emily cleaned up my hair and made me comfortable behind my head.
‘You’ll be okay, Gina’ Harriet said. "We'll make sure of it."
Emily nodded in agreement. "You need to rest. We will stay here and help with everything. I understand that your maids’ presence may not be comfortable for you. We'll help with the kids as well."
I simply gave a nod and before I knew it, everything around me faded as I drifted off into another slumber.