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Ban Ryu slept for the next few hours.  And her mother encouraged Soo Yeon to head to bed around sunset.

“You look utterly exhausted, darling.  I’ll watch over him for a few hours.  Then I’ll send a servant to rouse you.”

Soo Yeon stubbornly shook her head.  “No, Eomma.  I could not possibly sleep right now.”

“Sweetheart, the surgeon is going to stay with him throughout the night.  He can surely do more for Ban Ryu than you can.  Get some rest.  The boy is going to need you to distract him when he wakes up tomorrow.”

Her mother’s gentle voice was doing little to soothe her.  “I will not leave his room.”

“Then I am going to have a yo bed set up in the corner of this room.  And you are going to lie down on it.  I promise to wake you if something changes.”

Reluctantly, Soo Yeon finally agreed to this arrangement.  And sooner than she would have believed possible, she drifted off to sleep.  As her mother watched over both her and the object of her affection.

––

Soo Yeon awoke to faint sunlight streaming through the windows.  She blinked, not recognizing the room she was in.  Or the hardness of the mattress beneath her.  It was almost as if she were lying on the floor with but a slim pad protecting her from its cold.  She reached out and slid her fingers over that thin mattress.  And the events of the previous evening flooded her mind.  She instantly sat up straight.  And turned her head towards his bed.

“How is he?” she gasped. 

Her mother turned to smile at her.  “He is still sleeping.  The doctor didn’t rouse him last night.  Though we did clean his wound a couple more times.  Somehow, he slept through it.”

“Is he still burning up?” Soo Yeon queried as she scrambled to her feet and flew towards his bed.

“He is still warm.  Though not as bad as yesterday, I think.”

“He needs to take his medicine now,” the doctor interrupted their discussion.  He glanced at Soo Yeon.  “If I wake him, can you get him to drink it?”  He had marveled at the patience which she had exhibited yesterday in coaxing the young man to down his medication.

She nodded.  Then she turned towards her mother.  “Have you been awake all night long, Eomma?”

That fine lady bobbed her head.  And yawned.

“Eomma!  Go to bed!  I will take care of him today.  Sleep well.  You can relieve me again tonight.”

Lady Bit Na beamed up at her child before standing up herself.  She leaned forward to kiss her daughter on the forehead.  “All right, Soo Yeon.  But promise me that you will take care of yourself too.  You must keep up your strength…for his sake.  Make sure that you eat every meal that is brought to you today.  And drink lots of water.  And rest as much as possible.”

Soo Yeon bobbed her head enthusiastically.  “I promise, Eomma!”

She watched as her mother turned to walk out the door before her eyes met the surgeon’s.  “I am ready, sir.  Tell me what you need.”

“I’m going to disinfect his wound again.”

She winced as she anticipated her beloved’s violent reaction.  They spent the next hour draining his wound, disinfecting it, packing it, and wrapping it.  And Soo Yeon administered his medication during that period too.  Her arm firmly embracing his shoulders.  He was panting in pain when she first touched him.  But the medication soon took effect, and he slipped into a fitful sleep.

“No!” he suddenly cried out.  “No!  You can’t kill them!  They’re innocent people!  They didn’t do anything to you!”

Disturbed by his distress, Soo Yeon leaned forward and touched his cheek.  She was startled a moment later when his hand suddenly snapped up and his long, slender fingers wrapped tightly around her wrist.  He surprised a squeak out of her as he yanked her towards him.  She fell forward, landing on top of him.

He screamed as she fell across his thigh.  He shoved against her, his grip bruising her wrist.  She regained her feet and tugged her arm free of his grasp. 

His eyes flew open as he inhaled a sharp breath.  His thigh was shrieking now.  But then his gaze focused on her sweet face, and he read her anxiety.

“Soo Yeon?” he breathed.  “Are you all right?”  He winced at the pain that continued to spiral through his thigh.

“I’m fine.”  She rubbed her offended wrist.  “Are you okay?  How is your leg?”

He heard the chagrin in her voice.  But before he could respond, the doctor was pushing her out of the way as he bent over Ban Ryu to check his wound.  Blood was soaking through the bandage again.

“Miss!” the doctor called her a few moments later.  After he’d unwrapped the wound.  He covered it with a clean strip of cloth and turned towards her.  “Place your hands here and press down with all your might.  We must get the wound to stop bleeding again.”

Soo Yeon did as she was bid as silent tears streamed down her face.  “I am so sorry!”

“No, no,” the surgeon responded.  “It’s not your fault.  He was dreaming.  He reached out and grabbed you.  There’s nothing you could have done.”

“I shouldn’t have touched his cheek.  He just seemed so distressed.  Will he be okay?”

“If we do our job right, yes.  Keep steady pressure.”

After a while, the flow subsided, and the doctor bandaged his thigh again.  Soo Yeon sat down in her chair.  Shaking.

Ban Ryu finally seemed to come to himself again.  His eyes traveled to her face.  And then down the length of her.  He reached out a hand to her. 

“You’re trembling.”

She glanced down at his hand.  Hovering in the air before her.  She reached out and slipped her fingers along his.  Before curling them around his.  Then she tugged his hand until their locked fingers were resting against his bed.

“Are you all right?” she asked in a tiny voice.

He released a harsh chuckle.  “No, I wouldn’t say that.”

Just then, she realized that he was shivering.  She glanced at the surgeon in alarm.  “Doctor?  Does he still have a fever?”

He nodded.

She stood up. “Ban Ryu, are you cold?  Do you want another blanket?”

He glanced up at her with eyes clouded with agony.  A mighty tremor rippled through him.  His teeth began to chatter.  Then he groaned again as another spasm shook him.

She squeezed his hand before releasing it to find some more blankets.  A couple of minutes later, she bent over him as she piled several warm blankets over him.  She tucked them in around his shoulders as she gazed down at him in concern.

He opened his eyes again and noticed the lines around her mouth, the pinched expression around her eyes, and the tears streaking her cheeks.

“Soo Yeon,” he whispered, “I’m fine.  Don’t weep for me, my love.”

The doctor glanced sharply at her.  But she ignored him.  “Ban Ryu.”

“Shhh,” he breathed.  “I’ll be fine.  I just need some sleep.  That’s all.”  He yawned.  “I’m so tired.  And for some reason, my leg is on fire.”

“Here.  Get him to drink this,” the surgeon shoved a cup into her hand. 

She nodded.  Then she lifted the blankets and slid under them until she was sitting next to her beloved.  She slipped an arm around his shoulders and urged him to sit up a bit.  Then she began to tip the cup towards his mouth.  This time he drank the liquid much more quickly.  Her arm squeezed him close as another shiver rippled through his body.  When he finished drinking, he turned his head towards her.  Into her shoulder.  And closed his eyes.  His right arm slid part of the way around her waist.

She glanced up at the doctor.  “I can’t move,” she whispered.

He nodded and took the cup out of her hand.  “You’re warm.  He’s seeking heat,” he gave the injured lad a ready excuse.

She looked mortified for a moment.  But then the surgeon remarked, “If anyone asks, I’ll tell them it was my idea.  Your body heat will keep him warm.”

“But don’t we want to get rid of the fever?”

“We want the fever to break.  But right now, that fever is helping his body fight the infection.  In the meantime, let’s keep him as comfortable as possible.  The man is in no position to ravish you.  And I am here.  Hold him tight.  And keep those blankets around him.”

She did as she was bid.  But after a little while, she began to roast.  The man was a raging fire. 

Still, she kept her arm around him and did her best to scoot into a more comfortable position as she leaned back against the wall.  “Shouldn’t he be lying down?”

“It doesn’t matter.  All that matters is that he rests.”  The doctor glanced at the young hwarang’s face.  “He’s asleep, is he not?”

She nodded.  “I think so.  Can you tuck the blanket in around him?  But take it off of me?” she breathed quietly.

He nodded and made the requested adjustments.

“Ah, that is much better.”  She smiled at him before beaming down at her sleeping beau. 

Without conscious thought, she rubbed her fingers back and forth along Ban Ryu’s upper arm.  And decided to bask in the moment.  Holding her beloved close to her heart.