Eva was lying on her back. She had taken her robe off and a sheet covered her up to her chest. Zoe had woken and was sitting on the side of the bed. Stella hesitated just outside the spare bedroom and watched them for a moment as they quietly talked. The affection between the women was clearly evident. Zoe was doing most of the talking and joking with Eva, which wasn’t surprising, but it was Eva’s quiet laugh that intrigued her the most. The almost surly woman she had been talking to in the hallway had been replaced by someone extremely demonstrative and easygoing. It was an extraordinary transformation. Stella watched as Eva tenderly reached up and stroked Zoe’s cheek while sharing a joke. She couldn’t hear what they were saying. She felt she was intruding on a private moment. Eva was in obvious pain, but it didn’t appear so when she was interacting with Zoe. To the untrained eye it would appear Eva had been lying about the extent of her discomfort, but Stella knew better. Only someone with a very high pain threshold could interact the way Eva was doing.
Stella cleared her throat and walked into the room. “It seems both of our girls are awake. Here I thought we could do this quietly.”
“Tessa can't sleep without you either?” Zoe asked as she got up from the bed gracefully and sat down on the floor with her back against the base of the bed. Eva turned and rested her head on her arms.
“She can but doesn't want to. I know that she will be awake when I get back, so I'll say it's pointless to tell you to go back to bed.”
“I can’t sleep without Evy,” Zoe said. “She has been telling me you want to help her with a technique to ease the pain.”
“Yes. It's a technique I've been perfecting for years with soldiers who suffered from back problems. In addition to that, I'm going to show her how to strengthen her back,” Stella replied. “If you strengthen the back muscles, they are better to support the spine.”
“Theo said you were helping soldiers during the Civil War.”
“Yes, I was, and before you ask, I was on the monarchy side,” Stella added as she sat on the edge of the bed behind Eva. “Not that I wanted that King Fool back, but I didn't want the communists either. Any more questions?”
Stella gazed at her niece, who she knew would not stop the questioning, and wondered how long it would take for Zoe to ask the most important question.
“How do you know so much about what those shocks do to the spine?” Zoe asked as she watched Stella intently.
And there it is, Stella thought as she poured a little of the oil in her hands to warm it up. She positioned herself behind Eva on the bed and applied some of the oil to Eva’s scarred shoulders. Stella didn’t react when she saw the scars that crisscrossed Eva’s back from her shoulders down to nearly her waist. She had seen many a scarred flesh over the years. She didn’t miss a beat as she related her story on how she knew all about electroshock therapy. “It was the summer of 1915 when I met my husband Timothy. Your Uncle Timothy was an inspiration, a doctor that was not of this time. He was forward thinking and intelligent. Unlike some doctors today who are stuck in the past, he wanted to find new ways of dealing with illnesses of the mind. I met him when we both worked at a hospital that cared for soldiers wounded in the Great War.”
“Did you meet in Athens?”
“No, in London, England. I went to London because my best friend Laura was there and she invited me to visit. That's how I met your Uncle Timothy. He was Laura's brother. He was a psychiatrist and I was eager to train in this area. I suspect one of the reasons I was so eager was because of Timothy,” Stella recounted and had a quiet chuckle. “Timothy was a very caring physician. There was a place in their program and I applied. That’s where we met, fell in love, and got married.” She smiled at the memory of her husband. “He wanted to help the men who were coming back from the war, but by the time he saw them, the damage was too severe and the men simply lost their minds. He treated them as best he could but he always believed there was a better way.”
“Was your husband Greek?” Eva asked, taking Stella by surprise. She wasn’t expecting Eva to ask any questions.
“Half Greek. His father was Greek and his mother was English. He went to work in England at a prestigious London psychiatric hospital.”
“How did Uncle Timothy end up in the war?”
“The army needed doctors on the front line, and my Timothy volunteered. He wanted to help the men before their shell shock progressed; usually he saw those men months after the initial damage was done. Unfortunately I lost him in 1915. He died on a battlefield in France tending to the wounded,” Stella replied with a heavy sigh as she gently massaged Eva’s shoulders.
The three remained silent for a long moment before Stella cleared her throat. If she thought about how much she missed her dear Timothy, she would find herself getting lost again. She mentally shook herself and focused on massaging Eva’s back.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Eva said softly. “When did you meet Aunt Tessa?”
Both Stella and Zoe looked at each other in surprise at Eva’s further questioning and they glanced down at Eva, who was unaware of their scrutiny. She had her head down and her eyes closed.
Despite the memories that surfaced, Stella was pleased that Eva had started to speak to her without sounding surly or defensive. Small steps.
“After Timothy’s death I went back to Greece and stayed with my brother Nicky here in Larissa. Actually,” Stella stopped what she was doing and looked around the room, “I stayed in this room. I was despondent and didn’t want to do anything for a long time, but he made me realize that I could continue Timothy’s work. I had a purpose to my life and that was to reach out to help the same people Timothy was helping. I wanted to do that, so I set my sights on Athens.”
Eva groaned a little when Stella probed the scarred areas beyond her shoulders as she noted the tightness in the muscles. Stella stopped for a moment before Eva nodded for her to continue. “Is this the area that causes you most problems?” Stella quietly asked and gently touched the deepest and angriest looking scar. Eva’s grunt was all the confirmation she needed, so she avoided the area.
“Where was I? Oh, yes…I was sent to a hospital treating wounded soldiers and worked under Dr. Kannadas, a horrible man who thought women should be at home. He always called me Mrs. Nikas, never Doctor Nikas. He disliked me so much. I wasn’t helping anyone, which frustrated me.”
“Charming man,” Eva mumbled.
“Yes. In the spring of 1916, Saint Gregori Lunatic Asylum was short of doctors due to a polio outbreak. Dr. Kannadas thought he would get me out of the way for a while so he sent me there.”
“Not many shell shock patients at the hospital?”
“No, not a lot but there were people who needed my help. Dr. Kannadas’ orders to go to the asylum changed my life. Dr. Frankoulis ran the asylum and was a gentle man. He truly cared for his patients and it wasn’t like other asylums that I seen. Dr. Frankoulis wanted to help his patients.” Stella continued to lightly massage Eva’s back.
“Prisoners,” Eva said, and caught her breath as Stella pressed down on the scarred flesh.
“No, they were not prisoners, Eva. They were there because their families wanted them to get better, or they presented there themselves,” Stella gently corrected. “The doctors thought they could be treated and they tried to cure them of their illness. It was run like a normal hospital even though it was classed as a insane asylum.”
“What was so different about it?”
“It was more than an insane asylum. The wealthy sent their kin there to be treated,” Stella said as she felt an adhesion under her fingertips on Eva’s lower back and applied pressure. “It’s going to hurt a bit here because you have a band of rigid tissue.”
“Uh huh.” Eva’s voice was strained.
Zoe took her hand. “Why is that hurting so much?”
“Adhesions can block circulation and cause pain. Eva’s back is very tight.” Stella concentrated on the rigid tissue under her fingers. “Where was I? Oh, yes,
I was sent to Saint Gregori and out of Dr. Kannadas’ hair, the little that he had. That’s where I learnt about electroshock therapy and the use of drugs to treat various mental problems.”
“It sounds like torture. They were already feeling terrible, and to have that done to them.” Zoe said as she glanced at Eva, who had her eyes closed.
“Well, sometimes the medicine appears to be harsh, but it does work. We helped a few to overcome their problems, but there are times when you can’t help them. You try and ease their suffering the best way possible.” Stella finished the massage and stepped away from Eva. “How are you feeling?”
Eva was quiet for a long moment. “The massage helped a little.”
“That's good. It is supposed to loosen up the muscles. We need to give you relief but that takes time,” Stella said. “Now, the rest of the story will have to wait. It’s a long story and I want the two of you to go to sleep.”
Eva responded with a relieved grunt, which earned her a kiss from Zoe. “Are we going back to our room?” Zoe asked.
Eva shook her head. “I don’t want to move back. Do you mind?”
“We are sleeping here.” Zoe chuckled. She got up from the floor and gave Stella a kiss goodnight as Stella walked out.
Stella stood in the hallway for a moment. Goddess, we have a lot of work to do with this child, she thought as she took two strides and entered her bedroom to find Tessa sitting on the edge of the bed with her head bowed.
“Tessa, darling, what's the matter?” Stella asked and knelt beside her.
Tessa lifted her head and looked at Stella. “Angel, we need to get the girls to come here.”
“Where?”
“Here, the farm, until they leave for Germany.”
“Why?” Stella sat on the bed and blinked at Tessa, who seemed to be trying to focus. She looked into her eyes and knew instantly why. “Yes, we can do that in the morning.”
“They need to move. Now.”
“I know, but can it wait till the morning?”
“No. I saw that vision again, the one about the tree and the cabin. I don't want to ignore it. We need to go to the cabin, collect their belongings, and bring them here tonight. It can’t be tomorrow. Tomorrow will be too late.”
“Right, well, then we will go and get their belongings. Zoe and I will go. Eva’s in no condition at the moment to go anywhere, and you are not going anywhere.”
“I want to come with you.”
“Well, that's nice, but your wife is telling you not to, and your doctor is also against it. You've been outvoted.”
“Angel, make it quick.” The urgency in Tessa’s voice made Stella dress quickly. She kissed Tessa goodbye and left the room.
Zoe heard A soft knock on the door and glanced towards it as Stella opened it and entered.
“What’s wrong?” Zoe whispered.
Stella approached the bed and sat at the end of it. “You and I need to go up to the cabin and pick up your belongings.”
“Why?”
“Tessa’s had a vision. She said we need to get your belongings and for you to stay at the farm until you leave for Germany. When Tessa has a vision, I trust what she says because whatever it is, it will come true.”
“Oh.” Zoe looked down at Eva. “Evy’s asleep and I don’t want to wake her. Can't we go tomorrow?”
“No. It has to be done tonight. Leave Eva to sleep... and—”
“I’m not staying,” Eva mumbled. She opened her eyes and looked up at Stella. “Wherever Zoe goes, I’m going.”
“What did you hear?” Zoe asked. “Because I know you were asleep.”
“Um…leave Eva to sleep,” Eva replied and then yawned.
“Thought as much. Aunty Stella says that Tessa had a vision. We need to go to the cabin and get our belongings.”
“Alright.” Eva threw back the covers to get out of bed only to find Stella throwing them right back.
“Where do you think you are going?”
“I’m going with you and Zoe.”
“No. I just gave you a massage and you had a level nine backache. Do I need to remind you of that?”
“Level nine?” Zoe asked. She looked at Eva with a puzzled expression on her face.
“I asked my patient what level her back pain was and she told me it was a level nine,” Stella said.
“Your patient? Are you her doctor now?”
“Yes.”
“And they say miracles never happen anymore,” Zoe gently teased Eva. Eva gave her a wry smile.
“Now, getting back to why I’m here. Zoe, get dressed. We are going to the cabin. I’ll get Hercules hitched up to the cart—”
“Hercules?” Eva asked.
“My horse.”
“Of course.” Eva chuckled. “You’re a Lambros, so you name everything.”
“You, smarty pants, are going to stay here with Tessa. I don’t want her outside.”
“Does something happen to her with the visions so she can’t go outside?” Zoe asked.
Stella shook her head. “No, the silly woman didn’t listen to her doctor when I told her to rest after she fell off her horse and twisted her knee. I don’t want her out in this weather. Selective deafness must run in the Mitsos family.” She gave Eva a mock glare and left the room.
Chapter Two
Eva got out of bed; she was feeling too restless and was wide-awake despite her tiredness. Staring up at the ceiling was a useless exercise. She was worried about this vision her aunt had about them, worried about what it meant, and worried about Zoe going into wet and windy weather without her. She got dressed and walked out of the bedroom.
She stood at the entrance to the kitchen and noticed Tessa was standing at the sink looking out the window and into the storm. Eva reached into her robe pocket and removed her cigarette case. She lit a cigarette and took a long drag.
Tessa turned around when Eva entered the kitchen and smiled. “You couldn’t sleep either?”
“No, once I’m awake, it’s difficult to get myself back to sleep,” Eva replied and stood alongside Tessa at the sink.
“Here. I have orders from your doctor to give you these.” Tessa produced a small plate with two tablets in front of her. “Please, take them.”
Eva was about to protest when she noticed Tessa’s eyes. The protest died on her lips. One eye was dark blue and the other her natural light gray. While she stared transfixed, the dark blue eye changed to match the lighter gray.
“Wow…your eyes.”
“Hmm, yes. I’ll talk about my eyes as soon as you take those painkillers.”
Eva looked down at the pills and back to Tessa. She hated taking painkillers and did everything she could to avoid them. She wasn’t surprised her back was aching more in Larissa—the humidity here affected her more than anywhere else. She had suffered through Larissa’s weather during the war to know how her body would react to it. Eva reached out and took the pills in her hand. She looked at her open palm with the pills and sighed.
She took a sip of the water and swallowed the pills without protest. They didn’t have any of the herbal medicine she took back in Sydney, and this was the only alternative to pain relief. She took the cigarette from the ashtray, tapped the ash, and brought it to her lips.
Tessa eased herself onto the bench and faced Eva. Her cane was hooked onto the chair nearby. “Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”
“It’s harder than you know. I don’t take any drugs if I can help it,” Eva replied and took a drag of the cigarette.
“What do you do when the pain becomes unbearable like it’s doing now?”
“I’m not completely silly,” Eva said a little defensively.
“No one said you were, sweetheart.” Tessa took Eva’s hand and held it tenderly. “What do you use?”
“Devil’s Claw,” Eva responded. “We get it in a powder and then mix it with water. It works for me. Zoe found it after we tried several herbs, and it’s something that doesn’t upset my stomach.”
“Zoe never quits, and she eventually found the herb that worked for me.” Eva stared at Tessa in amazement. “Your eye is getting lighter.”
“Yes. The color changes when I have a vision. They go black, then blue, then a lighter shade of blue, and then gray.”
“Wow,” Eva exclaimed as she gazed into Tessa’s eyes.
“Stella has a fondness for the gray.” Tessa smiled.
“Zoe keeps saying she loves my blue eyes. Must be a Lambros trait.”
“They do seem to share some idiosyncratic traits.”
“If your eyes change color when you have a vision, how did you convince them that you were cured?”
“I had no reason to convince anyone. I was at the asylum because I thought there was something wrong with me. When my eyes changed color I knew the treatment they gave me failed.”
“Wow. When did all of this start for you?”
“I first noticed the change when I was eight years old. I had my first vision and I thought I was dreaming, but it happened in the middle of the night.” Tessa slightly twisted and took a piece of bread and some olive oil from the table. She dribbled the oil on the bread and spread it. She offered some to Eva, who shook her head. “I looked in the mirror and my gray eyes were dark brown.” She took a bite of the bread.
“Not black?”
“No, dark chocolate brown. As you can see, I’ve got gray eyes, and it was a shock to see brown eyes staring back at me.”
“Did it scare you?”
“It terrified me. I kept it a secret from my parents for a few months, thinking it might be like a cold and it would go away. I didn’t know that a cold doesn’t change the color of your eyes. I reasoned it away. Not a good way to deal with problems.”
“How often did it happen?”
“At first once every two to three months. I could get away with it because it would usually happen at night, and by the time I got up, my eyes would be fine. I convinced myself that I was dreaming.”
Awakenings (Intertwined Souls Series Book 4) Page 2