A Smidge of Magic

Chapter 76

Ian woke with a start. His hands flew to his stomach searching for the wound and finding it bandaged. The pain almost nonexistent only a dull ache. He was in a hospital or, at least, the equivalent of one. Sterile white paint covered the walls with a thin band of pink running around at the level of the beds. Sunlight was streaming in from the open windows banishing any shadows and the nightmares that may lie within.

Ian settled back into the bed, his mind still groggy and his memories fuzzy. Part of him wondered if it had all been an elaborate dream. The bandages and aches told him otherwise; he fell back into the bed. He didn't have to wait long for someone to come and check on him

An elf dressed in soft blue robes entered the room with a chart in one hand and a pencil in the other. He glanced towards Ian and nodded, ticking off marks as he checked on the covered occupant in the room's second bed.

"I will be with you in a moment Gent McClintoc, though I am glad to see you are awake. You had us worried for a while there," he said.

Ian looked over to the table next to his bed and was pleasantly surprised to find his wallet, phone, and gun all sitting there. He reached over and picked up his phone. He'd left it on for hours and the battery was not looking good. Then the reason for his phone being on came back to him in a flash, Anders.

He jerked up into a sitting position causing his head to spin. He looked at the other bed hopeful of what he would find. And there was his partner, still disfigured, still unconscious, but breathing steadily. The cleric rushed over to Ian and gently but firmly pushed him back down.

"Do not worry; your friend is alive. We are taking the best possible care of him. He has not woken up yet but we are hopeful. Priestess Ybarra herself must have been watching over him day and night since he was brought in; it is remarkable. My name is Cleric Figgus, you are in the Nestairium, in Landorei," Figgus said offering Ian a cup of water.

Ian slid back into the bed and turned his attention back to his phone long enough to shut it off. He'd find some way to charge it later. He drank his water slowly and answered what questions he could from the cleric's routine chart. Ian flexed his legs, stretched out his stomach, and moved about every muscle that he could. Aside from a little soreness in his stomach, he felt fine.

"Alright," Figgus said, making a note on his sheet after he finished questioning Ian, "you are free to go. You have been asleep for a few days now and your friends were getting anxious. You'll find your clothing at the foot of the bed. But promise me that you will not push yourself for a few days, alright? They said they were staying at the Hearthfelt Inn. The hailer can give you directions."

"I won't, thank you," Ian mumbled. When the cleric left the room, Ian pulled off the hospital robe and retrieved the contents of the trunk at the foot of the bed. Inside was a bound package with a note attached.

Ian,

Thank you for being so understanding about all this. I know this has been hard for you, and I am sorry I did not believe you at first. Please accept these clothes as a way of apology. I will get you back home safe and sound and, if I cannot know that you will always have at least one person who calls you friend.

-Valethalassa

He folded the note up and placed it tenderly inside his pouch. He donned the outfit, it was a perfect fit. A grief that he hadn't allowed himself to feel washed over him and he let it. He accepted her sacrifice and his loss. When he was able to, he checked on his partner. The venerable detective stirred in his sleep.

"We have a lot to talk about," Ian said. "But we'll do that when you are feeling like your old self. Get better Anders, I'll see you soon."

Ian left the clinic and followed the Hailers directions to the Hearthfelt Inn. The walk did him some good. Fresh air and sunshine along with the gentle scenery left him feeling more at ease. He entered the Inn and found himself in a large open room. Table and chairs were spread out in no discernable order. A smattering of customers sat around them holding quiet conversations. Ian could see a bar and an open window into the kitchen behind it. An elven woman was moving about in the kitchen as a waiter took out the food orders that she placed in the window. The check-in counter was off to the right-hand side of the tavern. An elderly elf with a kind face was manning the desk.