Library

55. Ell-rom

55

ELL-ROM

E ll-rom sat by Morelle's bedside, his eyes fixed on her still form, her hand clasped in his. Her body was slowly becoming restored, and he had to believe her mind was just taking longer and would eventually do the same.

The chief medic had assured him Morelle would recover. The brain scans showed low-frequency waves interspersed with moments of higher-frequency activity, which Bridget claimed hinted at preserved brain function.

Ell-rom had no idea what the medic was talking about except the last part about brain function.

Bridget also said that the scans she'd done on Morelle's brain revealed activity in various regions, with most functional connectivity still intact. He understood that and the part about Morelle's pupils responding to stimuli. Her heart rate and respiratory patterns were stable, reflecting her body's resilience.

Those were all positive indicators, and Ell-rom took comfort in these assurances, holding on to hope that his sister would soon awaken, but he still couldn't shake the worry gnawing at his insides.

"Come on, Morelle. You need to wake up."

As the room remained silent, Ell-rom sighed, and his shoulders sagged. For days, he'd been hearing the same reassurances that Morelle was improving and that her body was healing, but without seeing her eyes open and hearing her speak coherently, it was becoming harder to believe.

With a grunt of effort, Ell-rom pushed himself to his feet, using the bed for support. His stiff body protested the movement, but he didn't care. He'd been pushing himself hard, and he wasn't about to quit. He was tired of being restricted in so many ways.

He leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Morelle's forehead. Her skin felt cool beneath his lips, but he reminded himself that it was likely due to the room's air conditioning. Bridget had repeatedly assured him that all of Morelle's vitals were stable and improving.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning," he promised. "Please, try to wake up for me."

If only he could glimpse the future and know for sure that his sister would be returning to him.

Maybe he could. Hadn't Jasmine promised him to do a reading on Morelle?

She had promised to read Morelle's future using the tarot cards that had helped her find him. Somehow, they had never gotten around to it, but tonight, he would ask her to do that.

He was tired, but because of how worried he was, he wouldn't be able to fall asleep.

Entering his room, Ell-rom was surprised to find it empty. He had half-expected Jasmine to be there, waiting for him with the tea she had gone to make.

Maybe she had met one of her friends in the kitchen or called someone on the phone. She had a life that she had put on hold for him, and he could not expect her to be there for him every second of the day.

Ell-rom had no doubt that she would be back, though. Those fears were finally gone.

Eyeing the distance from where he stood to the bathroom, he contemplated leaving the walker by the door and attempting to make it across without relying on the thing, but in the end, common sense prevailed, and he decided not to take chances.

If he fell and broke something, his recovery would take even longer. He needed to build muscle and get stronger.

Once in the bathroom, he carefully removed the nice clothes he'd worn for the meeting and hung them neatly in the closet.

Next, he reached for the sleep clothes Jasmine had bought for him. The soft fabric felt soothing against his skin, and as he pulled on the shirt, a wave of emotion washed over him. It was such a simple thing, just some comfortable sleepwear, and yet it meant so much to him because it represented Jasmine's thoughtfulness, her kindness, and the way she took care of him.

After brushing his teeth, Ell-rom stepped out of the bathroom, and as he made his way to the bed, the door opened, and Jasmine entered, balancing a tray with two steaming cups of tea and some sort of baked dessert.

"Sorry it took so long," she said, setting the tray down on the small table by the window. "I got caught up talking with Margo."

Ell-rom settled into one of the chairs and reached for one of the cups, cradling it in his hands. "How is Margo doing?"

Jasmine's smile seemed a touch forced as she replied, "She's fine. Just busy with training for her new job."

Ell-rom sensed there was something she wasn't telling him, but he pushed the thought aside. He hadn't earned the right to be privy to all her secrets yet.

One day, he would, though.

Instead, he focused on the matter that had been weighing on his mind. "Do you remember when you promised to do a tarot reading for Morelle? I was wondering if we could do that tonight."

Jasmine's eyes widened. "I forgot about that. I'll get right to it." She pushed to her feet and pulled out the bag that she was hiding under his bed.

"You know that there is plenty of room in the closet in the bathroom, right? And everyone knows that you are staying with me all night. You don't need to keep your things under my bed."

Pulling out a blue fabric pouch, she shoved the bag back under the bed and rose to her feet. "It doesn't matter anymore. We are both moving out of here tomorrow."

He'd forgotten about that. His memory was still not functioning well.

"True. I hope that's okay with the other occupants of the apartment."

"The two apartments." Jasmine moved the tray to the floor to make room for her cards. "We took over what used to be Kian and his sister's personal lodgings. There are three bedrooms in each and an additional room that can serve as an office or a studio." She pulled a stack of cards out of the pouch. "I can't wait for you to get out of here and finally see the blue sky, the sun, the clouds, the city. And when you feel better, I'll take you out on a tour." Her eyes widened with happiness. "I'll take you to the beach. I bet you and Morelle have never seen an ocean."

"Unless the temple was right on the edge of one, probably not."

Nodding, she put the stack of cards on the small table. "I hope I have enough room to do a spread. If not, we will have to do it on the floor."

"How does this work exactly?" he asked, his eyes fixed on Jasmine's hands as she shuffled the cards.

Her movements slowed as she considered her response. "Tarot is just a tool for channeling what's inside of me. I must have some foresight, but it's a weak ability, and I need something to help me focus it."

Ell-rom nodded, trying to wrap his head around the concept. "So, it's not like Syssi's visions. From what you told me, she doesn't need any tools to bring them about, and they play out like scenes from real life."

"Yeah. Her talent is in a different sphere than mine. She gets her visions from the universe or the Fates or some other external force. I just interpret what I see in the tarot. Also, different people can read different things from the same spread."

Jasmine resumed her vigorous shuffling of the cards. "Each card has its own meaning, but the interpretation can change depending on its position in the spread and how it relates to the other cards. It's not just a talent but also a skill. It's important to remember that whatever I glean is open to interpretation and therefore shouldn't be taken verbatim."

Ell-rom's heart sank. The cards were not a portal into the future, and they might not tell him whether Morelle would wake up with her mind intact. Still, they would show what Jasmine's intuition was telling her, and she had a proven track record of being right.

Comments

0 Comments
Best Newest

Contents
Settings
  • T
  • T
  • T
  • T
Font

Welcome to FullEpub

Create or log into your account to access terrific novels and protect your data

Don’t Have an account?
Click above to create an account.

lf you continue, you are agreeing to the
Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy.