SWNOVELS Chapter 70
There was a scream in the air, I wasn't sure who it came from but I couldn't focus on it. Noxian had a knife shoved deep in my gut and to add insult to injury, he twisted it deeper before he was shot to the ground. The only thought running through my mind was that I was pregnant. I stood there frozen in shock when arms came around my shoulders.
I knew it was Jaxon but even the warmth of his embrace could not comfort me in a time like this. The rest happened in a blur. One minute, I was standing on my feet, the next I was crumpling in his arms. He was too weak to lift me up and we both knew it so he just held me. I heard footsteps and a gasp then arms came around my body and lifted me from Jaxon. I looked up into Aiden's face and although I opened my mouth, no words would come out.
I could hear Kiara's confused voice, I heard Jaxon's pained groans but it was like white noise in my ears. I wanted to tell them I was pregnant, tell them there was a baby but I couldn't form the words. There was no way a baby would survive that. The knife was still protruding from my stomach and I thought that maybe, just maybe if I pulled it out then my child would stand a chance.
I reached down to grab the hilt but Aiden slapped my hands away. I tried again when we got to the car and this time, he grabbed both my hands in his.
"Do you want to bleed out here?" he asked and I turned to him in confusion. "That knife is the only thing keeping you alive right now. If you pull it out, you will die and I will rather not deal with Jaxon when he finds out you died in my arms. Just hold on until we get to the hospital."
I vaguely understood his words but there was a ringing in my ears. There was an urge to pull it out and I desperately wanted to but I managed to keep myself still. Aiden sat in the back with me while someone else drove. I wondered where Jaxon was but my tongue couldn't form the words. I was too weak to speak and my eyes began to droop. The only reason I stayed awake was because Aiden kept slapping my cheek to keep me awake.
When we got to the hospital, I was rushed onto a stretcher and pulled away from Aiden. I was going in and out of consciousness but the next time I opened my eyes, I was in a room surrounded by doctors in scrubs. There was a lady standing over me and she had a warm smile on her face as she brought the anesthesia mask and I knew it was the last chance I had to tell them about the baby.
"I," I began but she shushed me gently.
"We will take good care of you, your majesty. We just need you to relax," she placed the mask over my face and I was already droopy before then so it didn't take long for my eyes to start closing once more. "Baby," I managed out but my voice was garbled and I doubted she heard me.
JAXON'S P.O.V
Aiden was adamant that I get to the hospital on my own. If I was in a better state of mine, I would have argued with him but I was weak. That was the plain truth. I could not even lift Freya when she fell unconscious in my arms. If Jael had not called Aiden, Freya would have died in my arms because I was too weak to lift her up.
I was furious and I wanted to rip something or someone apart. The scene of Noxian stabbing Freya kept replaying itself in my head. One second, she was standing over him and the next, I felt a searing pain in my chest. I knew the pain wasn't mine and when I looked up, there was a knife protruding from Freya's body. She was in complete shock so she didn't make a move. I grabbed the nearest weapon to me and shot Noxian. I didn't shoot to kill, I had greater plans for his death and they involved torturing him slowly and getting all the information I could out of him.
By the time I got to the hospital, Aiden told me that Freya had been wheeled into surgery. I practically collapsed on the hospital chairs because the sheer adrenaline I was running on had worn off and I was left feeling less than a human. I could barely lift my limbs and there was a splitting headache at the back of my head.
"I need to get back to the palace," I said and I tried to rise to my feet but I couldn't so I held out a hand for Aiden. He hesitated for a second and I knew he was debating whether to help or not. "Help me to my feet Aiden, I have work to do."
"You can barely stand," he deadpanned. "Don't you think it would be better if you were checked out first? Noxian is not going to vanish into thin air. He is comfortable in the palace dungeons."
"I don't have time for this," I muttered and I tried to rise but Aiden was quicker.
He guided me back into the chair and called out for a few doctors. Despite my process, I was led into a hospital room. I felt stupid and I thought it was unnecessary but it didn't matter how many times I said it, no one listened to me. I was forced to lie down in a hospital bed while they put wires into me.
All I got was one wound from the battle. It was not like I was dying but no one shared the same sentiments. It took me a few minutes to realize that I was growing weaker and more tired. I tried to speak but my words came out garbled and that was when I finally looked at what was being pumped into me. Aiden walked into the room at that exact time and from the look on his face, I knew.
"I'll kill you," I told him and he chuckled.
"You will thank me when you wake up stronger," he corrected. "Goodnight, Jaxon, I can handle things until you are back."
I don't know how long I was out for but when I woke up, it was bright and early. I felt a lot stronger but there was no way I was going to admit that. I dragged myself into a sitting position and pulled the IV out of my wrist. The moment I did, a loud sound filled the air and two nurses rushed in looking alarmed.
"Your majesty, you need to stay in bed," one of them implored. "You were supposed to be out for at least another day."
"Another day?" I repeated and she flushed pink. "How long have I been out?" When no one answered my anger fueled. "Can someone tell me what the fuck is going on right now?"
"You've been out for a full day," the first nurse responded and I muttered a curse under my breath and began pulling out the other wires. I needed to see Freya. "It was natural considering how weak you were and everything that was in your system. It is my professional advice that you remain in bed because your system isn't completely clean yet."
I froze and turned to her in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"You were poisoned your majesty, I don't know how you weren't dead. There was enough poison pumped into your system to kill a grown lycan. You were quite literally on the brink of death when you were brought here."
My body gave out beneath me and I fell back into the bed. How was I poisoned? How could I not have known that I was poisoned? There were so many questions that were flying around in my head and I didn't know which to ask first. I was grateful that I was alive but I was also confused.
"What kind of poison was it and how was I poisoned?" I asked finally and the second nurse walked forward with a patient chart in her hands.
"We don't know what kind it was. It looks more like a mixture of a few. There was wolfs bane and there was anathis. It is a rare plant that is known to have disastrous effects on lycans. How it was getting into your system, we don't know because your entire system was filled with it. All we know is that it is pure luck that you are still alive."
I tried to speak but I couldn't form the words.
"If you would get back in bed, your majesty, we need to put those tubes back in."
"I will," she sighed and moved forward but I held out a hand to stop her. "I need to see my mate first. Once I see her and I am sure that she is awake and healthy, I will come back."
They looked between each other and I knew they were having a silent conversation. Finally, the nurses turned back to me and nodded. "You have a deal, your majesty."
I was not allowed to walk which pissed me off. They told me I was too weak and wheeled me into her room on a wheelchair. I wanted to protest but just knowing I would see her was enough for me so I shoved my resignations aside and allowed them lead me to her room.
She was in the private wing kept aside for the royal family. As soon as the door opened, my heart clenched. She looked so frail and fragile with all the wires sticking out of her. The only sign that she was alive was the steady rise and fall of her chest. When we got there, a nurse was checking on the bandages on her torso and a stab of guilt went through me.
I was wheeled closer to her bed and the nurse bowed to me before leaving. As soon as the door shut behind her, I grabbed Freya's hand and pressed a soft kiss to it. She didn't stir once. I placed my forehead against her upper arm.
"I am so sorry," I whispered hoping she could hear me. "This would never have happened if I took better care of you. I will do better for you- for us."
The door opened behind me but I didn't pull away. A man in a coat walked around me and stood on the other side of Freya. I knew he was the doctor and from the expression on his face, he wanted to speak to
me.
"What is it?" I hated the way he was fidgeting. I would have preferred he just ripped off the band aid.
"I was going to wait until she was awake to give you the news together but seeing as you're awake-"
"Stop beating around the bush and tell me that is wrong." He was making me anxious with his words and I was imagining the worst. What if he said she would never wake up?
"The Queen was pregnant before the battle. I am sorry for your loss."