Chapter 4 - The Long Night's Watch
The doctor worked for three hours.
The cottage was filled with the sounds of medical equipment,
the smell of antiseptics,
and the quiet,
clipped orders of a man trying to beat back death.
Adrien stayed.
He didn't go to his master suite.
He didn't pour himself a glass of hundred-year-old scotch.
He sat on a hard,
wooden chair in the kitchen of the cottage,
watching the door to the bedroom.
Lucia had fallen asleep in his lap an hour ago.
She was a heavy weight,
warm and breathing,
her head resting against his chest.
Her hands were still stained with polish,
and he didn't dare wash them,
afraid the movement would wake her.
He looked down at her,
marveling at the sheer innocence of her features.
How could something so small be so brave?
She had faced the darkness alone,
fighting for her mother with nothing but a rag and a tin of cream.
It was a level of courage he hadn't seen in the boardrooms or the back alleys.
The bedroom door opened,
and Dr. Valli stepped out,
looking drained.
He saw the boss with the child and stopped,
his eyes widening.
"She’s stable,"
Valli said,
his voice low.
"Severe pneumonia."
"Another six hours and her lungs would have given out."
"But the antibiotics are working."
"The fever is starting to break."
Adrien let out a breath he felt like he’d been holding since he stepped through the side door.
"Will she recover?"
"Yes,"
the doctor said,
nodding.
"But she needs proper nutrition,"
"and she needs to stay in bed for at least two weeks."
"She’ll stay here,"
Adrien said.
"Actually,
no."
"Move her to the guest wing of the main house."
Valli blinked.
"The guest wing,
sir?"
"That’s where the dignitaries stay."
"It has the best ventilation,"
Adrien replied,
his tone brooking no argument.
"And it’s closer to the kitchen."
"Move her now."
The doctor bowed his head and went back to prepare the transport.
Adrien shifted Lucia in his arms,
standing up with a grunt of effort.
He carried her out into the night air,
the moon hanging low and silver over the trees.
The house looked different now.
It wasn't a fortress of solitude anymore.
It was a place where people lived.
As he walked,
Lucia stirred,
clutching his shirt with a small,
inky hand.
"Is Mama okay?"
she mumbled,
her eyes half-open.
"Mama is okay,
Lucia,"
Adrien said,
his voice surprisingly gentle.
"She’s going to sleep in a big bed now."
"And you,"
he said,
May you like
looking at the massive mansion ahead,
"are going to have a proper bath."
