by M.W. Muse
Chapter Nineteen
Legacy was rushed to the hospital and put in intensive care. Her life was hanging on by a thread, but she could hear and feel everything. It was as if she were completely aware of what was going on, except she was paralyzed and couldn’t speak.
She heard River at her side, crying and holding her hand. From the weight of his words, she could tell he was in so much pain.
“I’m so sorry,” he kept repeating over and over again.
She wanted to comfort him and tell him that everything was going to be all right, but she couldn’t. And she didn’t really know if everything was going to be all right. She didn’t know if she was going to live through this. Medusa tried to kill her. She was sure of it.
She wondered where Lissa was. Surely the hospital would have contacted her. She also wondered if she’d contact Adin. Legacy knew River wouldn’t. Not out of malice, but because he wouldn’t leave her side. The bond he’d always talked about, she was beginning to feel it. It had always been there. When she didn’t want to hurt his feelings, it was because of the bond. He was right. She was fighting it. She knew she’d have to continue fighting it because she didn’t want to be with him like that. But she could no longer pretend it didn’t exist.
While she lay in the hospital bed, she started to drift. She felt as if she were falling asleep, but couldn’t really tell since her eyes were already shut. The voices in the room—River was one and the others were probably nurses and doctors—faded. Then she began to panic. What if she was dying?
“You’re not dying,” a beautiful voice said. “You are part of this earth, like me. You are changing, my beautiful Legacy. Every season is your legacy. That’s why I named you that.”
“Mom?” She thought to herself since she could not move her lips.
“Yes. You will be fine. But you will need to be careful, my beautiful Legacy. River and Adin do not understand, but they will. You must be patient with them.”
“What do you mean?”
“You are changing. In some ways, you have already changed. They will not understand how you feel about the other, but fate has a plan. They will both be there for you in the end. Medusa will try to interfere with your change, but I will try to stop her. Your greatest fear is Hades. He knows. He has a plan. If he gets his way, you will not be with River or Adin. I don’t want that to happen to you again.”
“Again?” she wondered.
“Yes, you are my beautiful Persephone. Not the original one because Hades drove her to the afterlife. But you are a reincarnation of her. You are a new body but an old soul. I am Demeter, the goddess of nature. As will you be. When you are ready, we will watch over the seasons together.”
“Why can’t I see you?”
“Because you don’t remember what I really look like. You have no true memory of me. You’ve seen photographs, but you’ve seen the photographs that I wanted you to see.”
Wow. She was really talking to her mom. Well, sort of. But she needed to try and get all the answers to the questions she had while she finally had this opportunity. “What about my dreams?”
“That’s your old soul trying to help you cope with everything. The little girl in your dreams is you. That’s why you wanted to protect her in the beginning and that’s why she was scared. You wanted to protect yourself from the unknown, and you were scared of what was coming.”
“Are you Pandora? Did I open Pandora’s Box?”
“Yes. I am all things Mother Nature. As for the box, it was there for a reason. However, you should focus elsewhere for now. Understand your destiny is not yet decided, but your actions will decide it for you. If you are not careful, you will repeat your original destiny and your legacy will not be fulfilled.”
“The prophecy? Why would I stay with River if Adin lives? I want to be with Adin.”
“I know, my darling. Stay strong, and you will have what you want. No matter whom you want in the end. If you do not stay strong, you will have neither. Embrace this life and live your legacy.”
The beautiful voice faded into the blackness of her mind. It was surreal to hear her mother’s voice, but hearing it helped. She knew everything she’d been told and what she’d discovered had put her on the right path. As she felt the rightness of it all settle, she could hear River’s weeping more clearly now. He was alone with her, and she was okay with that.
“Legacy?” she heard Lissa call after a few minutes. She must be here now.
“She still hasn’t…” River started to say, but he cried.
“Legacy, it’s Lissa.” Her voice was right by her, and she felt another hand on her.
“I’m Lissa Borne. I don’t think we’ve met.”
“Um, I’m River Rysaor. Legacy works at my mom’s store.”
“Of course.”
She couldn’t comprehend her tone, but her voice had definitely changed.
“Have you called her friend Calli?” Lissa asked River in a regular voice.
“No, ma’am,” he choked.
Lissa seemed very calm for what was happening. Legacy figured she knew she was going to be okay, but couldn’t really come out and say this to anyone. Or Lissa hoped she would be and didn’t want any negative feelings to cloud those hopes.
“I’m going to call her,” she said.
Legacy heard Lissa leave the room.
“Baby, can you hear me?” River whispered in her ear, stroking her face. Then she felt his head lean down onto the side of her face, and he cried into her ear. “Please…wake up.”
“She’s on her way,” Lissa said as she heard the door open to her room.
She heard a chair pull up beside her bed next to where River was sitting.
“You have to stay positive,” Lissa whispered, but not to her.
“I-I-I don’t know how to be positive. I love her so much. It’s hard enough not being with her, but I-I…” He starting crying again, and Legacy was shocked to hear him say that he loved her. She knew he cared about her, but this went way beyond that. River took a deep breath. “I don’t want her to be hurt. I’d rather never have her and she keep on living without me than to ever see her hurting.”
“You know who’s responsible for this.” Lissa said. It wasn’t a question. Lissa knew it was River’s mom.
“Yes,” he hissed. “I know. She doesn’t understand.”
“It doesn’t matter. She’s not going to allow it to happen. You know that. I know you know that.”
“I know. I can stop her.”
“You already failed.”
River started crying again. “I didn’t expect it to be so soon. I thought she’d wait until Legacy got stronger.”
“Your mom doesn’t need to wait. In her mind, she has less than a year to take down a god, defying other gods in the process. This isn’t going to be easy. She’s going to take every chance she can get.”
River kept stroking Legacy’s hand in his. “Why does this have to be so hard?”
“Because you’re not a regular human. Regular humans wouldn’t be able to handle this. You’re changing too. She is linked to your change. You may not realize it, but she was helping you when you thought you were helping her.”
“What do you mean?” His hand stopped moving.
“I mean you have both been helping each other cope with the changes in your lives. I can’t tell you if she will love you in the end. Only she knows the answer to that, and she doesn’t know that answer yet. You’ll have to be patient with her.”
That was what Mom just told her. That she’d have to be patient with Adin and River. Apparently, they’d all have to embrace that virtue.
“I don’t even want her around Adin, much less in love with him,” River muttered.
“She can’t stop the way she feels just like you can’t. He’s not your enemy. You both want Legacy safe and happy. He may not see that yet, but now you do.”
She heard the door open.
“Lissa?”
It was Calli’s voice.
> “Oh no! Legacy?” She heard Calli run to her side, and she felt her rub her arm. “What happened?”
“She got electrocuted,” River whispered.
Calli gasped, but she could tell it wasn’t from the news. She must have seen River’s face.
“Um, I called Adin,” she said gravely. “He should be here any minute.”
“Good,” Lissa said. “She needs to hear his voice.”
River sobbed, holding her hand up to the side of his face. “I can’t leave her.”
“No one’s asking you to leave,” Lissa said calmly.
She heard the door swing open, and the person’s breath caught. No one said anything, but she heard footsteps coming around to the other side of her where no one else sat.
She felt a familiar hand on her face. It was Adin. He leaned down and put his lips to her ear. “Legacy? Sweetheart, can you hear me?” His breathing was jagged. He must have been crying before he even got here. “Please…” he cried.
Adin reached over and took her free hand. Now, he was holding one, and River was holding the other. She heard Adin sigh. He put her hand on his face and held it there.
“Your hand is so cold,” he whispered, but he was taking comfort in that. He leaned down and put his forehead onto hers. His momentary comfort disappeared.
“Legacy, please wake up,” Adin pleaded through tears. “I love you so much. I need you more than anything. You have to be okay.” After several minutes of Adin crying with his head down on hers, he finally spoke to the others, but he didn’t move from his position. “What happened?”
“She was electrocuted,” River whispered.
“How?”
“The storm.”
“She thinks your mother controls things like that.”
“I know.”
“Do you think that?”
“Yes.”
Even though they were being short with each other, they were keeping their voices low and trying to be civil for her.
“She should have tried to kill me instead,” Adin whispered. “Not her…not her,” he cried.
It seemed like the two men in the room where the only ones crying. Lissa and Calli must be sitting there watching the two of them fall apart.
She wanted to console them. Her love and her friend. They were all bonded together. But Adin wasn’t the link.
She was.
If she hurt, they all hurt. If one of them was hurt, she’d be the only one suffering. It was her all along.
“She no longer works for you,” Adin whispered, his head still down. It wasn’t a request. It was an order.
River didn’t say anything. She was sure he agreed with Adin on this.
“Excuse me, we need to examine the patient,” she heard a male voice say as he entered the room. “Only her family can stay in here while they do that. It’ll only take a minute.”
She felt River’s hand slip from hers, but Adin didn’t move.
“I love you,” Adin whispered into her ear, and she wanted to tell him that she loved him too. She wanted him to stay. She didn’t want him to let go of her. He lifted his head off hers and placed her hand back at her side. He started to release it, but she squeezed his fingers.
“Legacy?” Adin asked frantically. “She just squeezed her hand,” he said quickly, talking away from her.
“Adin…” she barely breathed, not sure if he could hear her.
He was right back at her ear. “Yes, Legacy, I’m here. We’re all here.”
“Don’t go…”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he cried, but she could hear a hint of relief in his voice.
“Adin, I’m hurting.”
She heard several people gasp. Now that she was able to speak and move a little, she realized she was in excruciating pain.
“Where are you hurting, sweetheart?” Adin was panicked.
“Everywhere.”
She lost the grip she had on his hand. She could no longer speak or move.
“Legacy? Legacy!”
“Everybody out,” someone ordered.
“I’m not leaving!” Adin said, and from the tone of his voice, no one was going to argue with him.
“He can stay,” Lissa mumbled. Since she asked him not to go, Lissa wasn’t going to make him leave. Thank the gods.
“C’mon, River,” she heard Calli say.
She heard River’s breathing spike, and she knew he wanted to stay too. But he left quietly.
She felt hands all over her. Adin let go of her hand, but he was right by her head, talking to her, letting her know he was right there with her.
“Why is she in pain?” he asked angrily.
“This is normal. It’s actually good that she’s in pain. It means she can feel. Now, we need to treat her pain. We’re giving her some morphine. She’ll be asleep for awhile.”
The voice turned away from her, she guessed to talk to Lissa. “Now that she woke up, we’re treating her pain, but the medication she’ll be on will cause her to be out of it for a few days. She’ll wake up here and there, but only briefly. The medication will help her pain while her body heals itself.” He lowered his voice and said, “Because of who she is, it’s the best way.”
“Okay,” Lissa murmured, and she realized the doctor was in on the family secret.
When he spoke again, he used a regular tone. “After a few days, we’ll start to taper her off the medication to see where she’s at in the healing process. If she’s in a great deal of pain, we’ll start all over again. Hopefully, her pain will be less, and we’ll be able to manage it while keeping her conscious.”
“So how is she?” Lissa asked.
“All her vitals are good. Her blood pressure is up, though, but that’s probably because of the pain.”
They must have given her more morphine because the next thing she remembered hearing were monitors beeping. She heard some voices in the room, and she could feel both her hands being held. She tried to open her eyes, but she couldn’t.
“Ouch,” she mumbled.
“Legacy?” she heard Adin ask. “Get the doctor,” he muttered.
The other person dropped her other hand and left.
She moaned again, trying to move her body.
“He’s on his way,” she heard River say, and he held her hand again. “Lissa’s on her way back up too.”
The pain was building slowly, getting more intense. “I’m really hurting.”
“The doctor will be in here in a minute,” Adin whispered. “Your pain medication is wearing off, and they need to check on your healing progress.”
She started crying. “It hurts. It’s getting worse.” Was she on fire? Flames licked all over her.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
She felt Adin’s hands on her face and River’s hand stroking her arm.
Then she started screaming. The pain was unbelievable. She was burning alive.
River dropped her hand, and she heard the door open. He must have left to find out why it was taking the doctor so long.
“Legacy? You have to calm down,” she heard an older man’s voice say as he walked to her bed.
She tried, but she was hysterical. She just cried and cried.
“Can you open your eyes?”
She did, but they were blurry from the tears.
“Why am I hurting? It hurts all over. Adin!” she screamed, turning toward the hand he was holding again.
He put his free arm around her neck and put his head to hers. She cried uncontrollably.
“Shhhh.” Adin tried to soothe her. “What are you waiting for? Please just give her the medication.”
“I just did. I was afraid of this. We’ll give it another try in a few days.”
She whined softly as the pain lessened and she wondered if her skin was charred.
“Try to relax, sweetheart.” Adin had his hand on her face, stroking it.
Then the pain disappeared, and she fell right back to sleep.
Sometime later, she heard
the monitors clearly, but didn’t hear any voices again. She didn’t hear anybody talking to her or each other. She didn’t even hear anybody breathing.
“Hello?” she tried to say, but she couldn’t even hear it herself.
She felt something in her hand. It was the same hand Adin had held, but in it was something hard, cold. She grasped it, trying to figure out what it was, but she couldn’t tell.
Then she heard the door open.
“Legacy, I’m your nurse. Can you hear me?”
She mumbled.
“Good. You’re under medication. There’s nothing to be scared about. I’m going to call Lissa. She’s here. She just stepped out for a minute. The beds aren’t very comfortable.”
“What-what time is it?” she whispered.
“It’s two in the morning.”
“Adin?”
“He left when visiting hours were over. He’s been here every day, all day. So has your other friend. You have quite the little fan club.” She chuckled. “I wish my boyfriend looked like either one of them, and girl, they both think you hung the moon.”
She wanted Adin here. She missed his hand in hers, anchoring her to reality.
“She’s awake,” she heard the nurse say. “Legacy, Lissa is on her way up.”
“’Ka-a-ay.”
She felt like she was falling back asleep, but she heard the door open again. “Legacy?”
“Hmmmm?”
“It’s Lissa. How are you feeling?”
“Tired.”
“That’s good. You need your rest.”
“I want Adin.”
“I know, honey. He’s been here, and he’ll be back in the morning.”
“No…call him, please.”
“I’m doing that now. He asked me to call if you woke up.”
She started to fall back asleep, but she heard Lissa mumble on the phone.
“She’s awake, and she’s asking for you.” A pause. “Yes.” She walked back over and put her hand on Legacy’s. “Legacy, he’s coming up here right now. You can go back to sleep.”
She must have because the next thing she realized was Adin’s hand in hers.
“Adin?”
“Yes, sweetheart. I’m here.”
“What time is it?”
“It’s about ten in the morning.”
“Did you come?” He obviously had come at some point, but several hours had felt like seconds to her.
“I’ve been here since Lissa called me last night.”
She tried to lift the hand he wasn’t holding so she could touch his face, but someone else had it.
“Who’s over there?”
“River. He’s been here every day, too. So have Calli and Lissa. Olive has visited you, too, and so did my mom. Everyone’s been so worried about you.”
“Every day? How long?” She wanted to ask how long she’d been here, but she didn’t have the strength to finish.
“You’ve been here six days. They did two rounds of heavy medication. This is the second time they’ve tried weaning you off. Do you remember the first time?”
“I remember hurting, and I remember screaming.”
“You did,” Adin whispered. “You were in a lot of pain. It was very hard for me—for us—to watch you hurting like that. Are you in any pain now?” he asked softly.
“A little. I still feel very tired.”
She felt Adin move and fidget with something on her bed. Then she heard the intercom.
“Yes?”
“She’s awake and hurting. Can you send in the doctor?” Adin asked.
“He’ll be right in.”
“You need to rest,” Adin said to her. “Your body is healing, but you seem to be doing much better this time. They’ll give you some more medicine after the doctor examines you, but it won’t be as much as before.”
“Okay,” she said, a little strangled.
“How do you feel?” Adin asked while River stroked her arm.
“Like I got hit by a train.” She grimaced.
She heard the door open. Her eyes were still closed.
“Legacy, I’m Dr. Sutherland. How are you feeling?”
“Not good. It hurts to move.”
“We’re going to put you on a morphine pump now, so you can disburse the medicine when you need it. You’re still going to feel pretty tired. I want you to sleep as much as you want today, but when you’re awake, try to stretch out in the bed. Tomorrow, we’re going to try and get you up and around. Depending on how well you do tomorrow, you may be able to go home in the afternoon.”
“Okay.”
“Can you open your eyes for me?”
She opened them slowly, but squinted. The light in the room was too bright. The doctor turned off the overhead light, and she was able to open her eyes a little more. Then he took his light and looked into each of her eyes. Her eyes felt puffy and sore, like she’d spent the day watching sad movies.
He continued examining her, so she turned her head and looked at Adin for the first time. His eyes were red and swollen too. But he looked like he had been crying for days. He looked so tired and weak.
“You look sad,” she whispered to Adin as she faintly rubbed her thumb on the side of his hand.
He sighed, and fresh tears formed. “It’s been a long week,” he breathed.
She tried to smile at him. “I’m sorry you had to go through this.” And she was sorry. She didn’t want him hurting, no matter how much pain she was in.
He smiled, but his eyes were still gloomy. “I’m sorry I couldn’t take your place.” His tears spilled over.
The doctor rubbed her shoulder and that hurt. “Do you know what happened to you?”
“Um, I remember being at work. The roof was leaking, and I was mopping.” She turned her head to look at River. He looked just as bad as Adin did. She sighed and looked at the doctor. “Then I remember being here and screaming.”
She remembered more than that. She remembered everything, but she didn’t want River to hurt anymore than he should. She could tell he had beaten himself up enough already for their fight and for his mother’s involvement. And Adin was apparently trying to be understanding of River and let him stay, so she didn’t want Adin to know about the fight she and River had been having when the lightning struck. Adin’s leniency would vanish, and even though he looked as if he could barely stand, he’d probably find enough strength to throw River right out of the room with his bare hands.
“You were struck by lightning. You’re very lucky,” the doctor continued.
She nodded slowly.
“Hit the call button if you need anything,” the doctor said as he and the nurse vacated.
She yawned.
“You should try to go back to sleep,” Adin whispered.
And she did. She slept peacefully with both her hands being held. She didn’t dream or feel any pain. She was happy to have both Adin and River here with her. She didn’t like the fact that she wanted River here, but she didn’t argue with herself. She didn’t have the strength to fight off the bond that was there. She was just glad Adin swallowed his pride and allowed River to comfort her too. She woke up sometime later and heard Adin and River whispering.
“I’m not saying I don’t believe you,” Adin said. “What I am saying is you’re done.”
“I won’t allow that.”
“You don’t have a choice.”
“Neither does she.”
She heard enough to understand what the topic of their conversation was—her.
“Stop fighting,” she breathed as she turned her head to Adin and opened her eyes.
He straightened in his chair, stroked her head, and looked at her apologetically. “I’m sorry. We didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You didn’t.” She looked over at River. “Be nice.”
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled.
She looked at the ceiling and slipped both her hands from theirs.
“What are you doing?” Adin asked.
<
br /> She didn’t say anything, she just stretched her arms over her head, stretching her back and pointing her toes. She winced.
“Okay, that’s good,” Adin said.
“No.” She shook her head. “How do I get the bed up?”
“Here’re the controls. This one’s up, and this one’s down. Just be careful.”
Adin and River both stood up and watched her face as she set the bed in a more upright position, leaving it slightly reclined. She winced a few times, and they both put hands on her shoulders. She took a deep breath.
“Adin, I can barely lift my legs.”
“That’s because you’re still sedated. You’re not supposed to get up right now.”
“I’m not trying to get up. Can you just move my legs around for me?”
“Sure,” he whispered.
Adin stuck his hands under her blanket and lightly grabbed her ankle with one hand and put his other hand under her knee. He moved her leg back and forth and around in circles. Then he did the other leg. “Is that good?”
“Yes, thank you.” She yawned and blinked, but didn’t open her eyes.
“Legacy?” River asked.
She heard him, but didn’t have the strength to answer.
“Don’t,” Adin said. “Let her sleep.”
“Do you think we should put the bed back down?”
She wanted to stay just like this. She felt like she hadn’t moved since she’d been here, and this new position was wonderful.
“No. Just leave her be,” Adin told him.
Good. Adin knew what she wanted. Then she fell completely under.
The next day came quickly. As she opened her eyes, Adin and River were there with Lissa and Calli. She was asleep every time Lissa and Calli had been in here yesterday, so she was happy they were here when she woke up this time.
She saw Lissa standing beside Adin with a determined look in her eyes. Right. She remembered she had to get out of bed today, and it seemed as if Lissa was thinking there was no time like the present.
“Legacy, how do you feel?” Lissa asked.
“Better.”
“Good. We need to get you up and move you around. Are you ready to try?”
“Sure.”
The bed was still in the same position she put it in yesterday, so she only had to move a little to sit up completely. Adin and River had their hands behind her shoulders in case she slipped back. Adin put the arm rail down so she could slide out.
“Calli, make sure I’m not flashing everyone. Okay?” she tried to joke, but was too weak to laugh.
“Of course,” she said with a smile, came to her side, and made sure her gown was securely fastened. Adin wasn’t watching her, and she knew River wouldn’t watch either.
After she was done, Adin stood right in front of her. He put one arm around her back and the other on her waist, and he gently pulled her out of the bed while she struggled to push. Once her feet were on the floor, she held onto his arms. She felt woozy, but tried to take a step. She stumbled slightly, and Adin grasped her tighter. She heard someone rushing around the bed.
“I’ve got her,” Adin said curtly.
She looked over, and River looked panicked.
“I’m fine,” she assured him. “I’m just dizzy.”
River nodded and sadly stepped away. He didn’t go back to his spot, though. He stayed far enough away to give her some privacy, but close enough he could probably reach her if Adin’s grip slipped.
Calli followed them with the I.V. stand while she took the first few steps. After a few more steps, she was doing better. She had been watching her feet, but she felt comfortable enough to lift her head. She looked at Adin’s face, and he was watching her feet as she walked. They started to make a circle back to the bed, and he glanced at her face, probably to make sure she wasn’t hiding any pain. When his gaze met hers, she smiled.
“Does this count as dancing?” she joked.
Adin almost laughed, but with the condition she was in, he wasn’t going to. “I’d be holding you much closer if we were dancing,” he murmured.
She loosened her grip on his arms and slid her hands up to the tops of his shoulders. She wanted to wrap them around his neck, but she knew she couldn’t stretch up on her toes, and there was too much space between them for her to reach anyway.
As they circled the room, she saw a lot of flowers in here. One table had many different arrangements, and another table had several different vases filled with a dozen roses in each. There wasn’t just one color of roses either. Each of the rose arrangements contained a dozen roses dedicated to a just one color. There were a dozen red roses, a dozen white roses, and several other dozens of other colors. She smiled and sighed.
Adin froze and looked at her face. When he saw that she didn’t sigh in pain, he relaxed. “What are you smiling about?”
“All the flowers.”
“Oh.” He smiled back, and they started walking again.
“Who are they from?” she wondered. Though, she had a pretty good idea who brought the roses.
“Everybody in here. My mom, Lissa’s co-workers, and Ellen and Kate sent you some too.”
She glanced over at Calli, and she shrugged. Legacy should have known Ellen would use her near death experience as an opportunity to kiss up.
“How many roses are over there?” she whispered. She didn’t want to include everyone in the room. It felt too personal.
“Seven dozen,” Adin whispered. “One for each day. I didn’t want to throw out the old ones. I remembered the last time I tried to do that.”
She chuckled, and he smiled.
“I remember when you gave me a bouquet of colorful roses. Do you know what each of these colors represents?” she asked, glancing back at the table full of roses.
“Umm, yeah.” He looked at the table and described them from left to right. “Peach is for innocence and purity. Pink is for elegance and grace. The purple ones identify love at first sight. Yellow is for familiar love and everlasting joy. White is for everlasting love. Orange represents the fire of passion and desire. And red is for true love—those are my favorite to give to you,” Adin murmured.
“Wow,” she whispered. “I’m not sure if I can remember all that.”
“You don’t have to. I explained each one in the cards attached to them,” he said, glancing back at her. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
Once they made the circle back to the bed, she hesitated.
“I think that’s good,” Adin said.
He stepped closer to her to help her back in the bed, and she slid her hands off his shoulders to the tops of his arms. But instead of taking her hands off him to grasp the mattress, she wrapped her arms around him, laid her head on his chest, and weakly hugged him. His breathing changed as he gently wrapped his arms around her back and barely squeezed. He held her gingerly for several seconds before kissing her on top of her head.
“I love you,” he murmured.
And she knew that his love was all she would ever need.