Chapter Three
Warmth pressed against my cheek,and I exhaled heavily, feeling weak and shaky. Rather than opening my eyes, I focused on my breathing, counting the steady in and out rhythm.
“She’s waking.” The strange masculine voice brought back the memory of exactly why I’d fainted.
“Good. We should still have Cassie look at her.”
There was a sharp, rapid knock that tempted me to open my eyes, but I resisted. Someone was carrying me, and when it came to the identity of who, ignorance was bliss. At least until I had a few minutes to recover from the last faint.
“Hey, Cassie,” Brooke said. “This is my friend Terri. She fainted.”
“Bring her in,” the woman replied. “Did she hit her head when she fell?”
Brooke snorted as we moved again.
“Not a chance. Azio caught her before her knees fully buckled.”
I could feel my pulse pick up again and forced myself to think of breakfast. The oatmeal had been so bland the day before. So this morning, I’d tried adding cinnamon and a dash of ginger and nutmeg. It had helped. Sugar would have been better.
“Lay her down here, Azio,” Cassie said.
A mattress pressed against my back, and the arms around me disappeared, making it easier to open my eyes.
I found Cassie’s worried face, one I remembered from our time in the Whiteman evacuation camp, and stayed focused on her.
“I’m a fainter. I always have been. Usually, I feel it coming and try to get as close to the ground as I can.”
“Okay. That’s good to know this isn’t something abnormal for you. Is there something I can do to help with it? My expertise leans more toward patching up physical injuries.”
“No. I should be fine in a few minutes. If I try to sit up too soon or too fast, there’s a chance I’ll go down again.”
“Wow,” Brooke said. “You’re making it sound like this is a common thing for you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you faint before, though.”
I shook my head.
“It’s why I don’t go on supply runs or help gather wood. I’m too much of a liability when I get overwhelmed.”
Cassie patted my arm.
“You’re not a liability. Play on your strengths and hire out your weaknesses.”
“Yeah,” Cassie agreed. “That’s what the fey are for.”
My stomach dipped, and my gaze involuntarily moved to the two fey hovering in the door way. I swallowed hard and closed my eyes again.
“Hey, why don’t the two of you go help Kerr with the kids? He’s supposed to be giving them a bath, but I think he’s avoiding putting Caden in the water.”
“Babies are slippery when they are wet,” one of the fey said.
There was a long moment of silence, then the snick of a door closing.
“You should see Kerr’s face when it’s bath time. Pure panic. He’s terrified he’s going to lose Caden under the water even though he only puts three inches in the tub,” Cassie said softly before adding, “We’re alone. You can open your eyes now.”
I glanced at her and Brooke and felt my face flushing. They’d obviously caught on to why I’d fainted.
“How old is your baby?” I asked instead of addressing the elephant in the room.
“He should be around ten months. It’s hard to know exactly.”