CHAPTER 58 - KAITLYN
Iwas wearing a simple pair of slacks and shirt having taken the quickest shower in the world and now I was once again waiting for Magnus to survive in the royal infirmary, but I had heard from the physician that Magnus was going to be okay. He had his wound cleaned, his skin sutured, and his blood replenished. Now he was sleeping while I watched, because I hadn’t watched him sleep in so long it felt like forever.
I held his hand, calloused and worn, strong and noble. There were cuts and bruises on it. I wrapped around that hand, pressed my lips to it, and nestled my cheek against it, waiting for him to awake.
His fingers shifted. I said, “Hey.”
“Hello, mo reul-iuil.” His voice was weak.
I said, “Your voice sounded stronger when you were in the stadium, are you feeling better?”
He said, “I was pretendin’, I daena ken if ye realize this but I am an amazin’ actor.”
“Are you now? Really? I knew you had a good singing voice, and your dance moves are epic” I chef-kissed my fingers. “But I didn’t know you were an actor too.”
“Aye, I was dyin’ out there. Totally beaten and ye dinna ken I had lost.”
"Here’s a secret about me, my warrior, watching you fight makes me feel really scared, I have to look through my fingers like this, so I’m not surprised that I didn’t realize you were losing.” I sighed. “I’m teasing though, playing along, I knew you were injured, I knew you were dying, I knew it was lost. Thank god for Lochinvar jumping in the ring.”
“Aye, he is goin’ tae crow about it. I barely ken him, but I can see it in his eyes and I ken the type, because he is just like me. He is goin’ tae be braggin’ about how he saved m’life and calling me an old man through it.”
“Dear god, an old man? But you’re young!”
“Thank ye for saying it, but I was feeling m’age out there.”
“You had lost buckets of blood, you were too thin from living in the thirteenth century,andyou had been worrying about me.”
He grinned. “Speaking of, do ye think they will bring us food? I am hungry.”
I rang the bell for him. “Can you please bring Magnus a meal?”
Then I said to him, “We have to get home, we need to see the children. How long was I gone?”
“A few days, enough for them tae be verra worried, but they ken this is the nature of it. They daena understand but they ken. They were verra brave when I spoke tae them.”
I spread out his fingers and stroked his hand finding comfort in caressing him, then I rested my cheek against his palm. “They’re okay, right? I’m so surprised by how the Bridge worked — what if they aren’t there? What if something has happened?”
“Do ye remember our bairns, mo reul-iuil?”
“Yes.”
“Then they are there. Ye remember the lake house?”
“Yes.”
He grinned. “Now put those memories taegether.”
I chuckled. “Okay, got it.” Then I said, “Which kid is the one that’s afraid to jump in the water? Wait, let me guess — it’s Ben. Ben is nervous about jumping in, but when he sees Isla do it he jumps in out of pressure. Archie goes in and out easily but he spends time fussing and worrying about the little sisters and Zoe… Zoe is…?”
“She is fearless, so she is wearin’ those floaties on her arms, ye ken? They hae her in them from morning ‘til night, because if she decides tae she will just go swimmin’.”
“I bet that is cute as hell and also terrifying.”
“Aye, Emma is feelin’ it.”
“Can I climb up on the bed? That was a long time without you and it was scary, echoey, and so alone, now the kids aren’t here and…”
“Aye.” He patted the bed. “Just nae yer usual side, m’left shoulder has stitches in it and I think twill need therapy, but nae the talking kind, twill be a physical kind.”
