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1. [DL-J] Kisses Sweeter Than Wine (JP)
From: "Arlene" <wondermom@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2005 02:25:21 -0500
From: "Arlene" <wondermom@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [DL-J] Kisses Sweeter Than Wine (JP)
Day 1
Afternoon
Corwin grabbed the front of Oga's tunic with one hand and swung his
massive fist again and again into his face, and would have continued to
pummel him, if Syngnath's frantic voice wasn't echoing in his head to
look after Hsina.
Keeza was frightened for her rider and could not reach her there in the
quartermaster's office.
Corwin dropped Oga with a heavy thud, and hoped that the bruise he'd
have when he came round would hurt! He gave him one more good kick in
the ribs before he turned to look at the woman he loved.
"Hsina?" Corwin knelt beside the large Assyrian woman. He could see
the dark ooze of blood seeping from the wound in her side. Gently, as
a
mother would cradle a sick child, he lifted her into his massive arms.
He didn't know how he had gotten her to the medical center, but after
what seemed like an eternity of pacing, Balagon emerged from the
operating room. His clothes were soaked with blood, and he looked grim
faced.
Corwin's heart seized in fear as he asked, hoarsely, "Healer?"
"She's lost a lot of blood. Amazingly, that spear didn't hit any major
organs. I've patched her to the best of my abilities but only time
will
tell..."
"She'll live!" Corwin stated vehemently.
"Yes, she might well survive this, but, I'm not yet sure if we can save
the baby." Balagon put his hand on the large sailor's shoulder, "I'm
sorry."
---
Late Afternoon
The wooden chair creaked as the large man ****fted his weight. He knew
he should be worried about the missing riders but he found there was
only room in his heart for one person, Hsina.
Slowly the fog lifted, though Hsina could not recall ever feeling so
out
of control in her life. She had no idea where she was, had no feeling
from her body, and as her eyes fluttered slowly open, she was quite
surprised to see the interior of a building in Jasra, rather than her
chamber in the great Ziggourat at Nineveh.
Corwin turned when he heard a soft gasp from the bed beside him. He
was
relieved to see Hsina's eyes open. He reached over and grasped her
hand
and smiled down at her. "Hsina?" He murmured softly.
Hsina's eyes tried to focus. Who dared to address her by her first
name, she wondered.
Slowly her eyes came into focus and the first thing she did was close
them again immediately, then open them again to see if the strange
golden hair was still there.
"Corwin?" she asked weakly.
"Yes. I'm here! How do you feel?" Corwin asked solicitously as he
patted her hand. Why hadn't she told him about the baby? He stared
into her dark eyes, wondering.
"Where am I?" She tried to sit up, but her abdominal muscles did not
cooperate in the slightest.
"Oga?"
He wondered which to answer first, and decided that he'd better tell
her
about Oga first. "Oga is well secured. We've got to find out what he
knows about the Emperor, and Princess Kyomi. And you... are in the
medical center." He reached out quickly and put both hands on her
shoulders, "And you are not going anywhere for a while."
Hsina tried once more to rise, but it was futile. "I didn't walk away"
she said resignedly. "And I didn't deal with Oga" she added. "Nobody
beats time, not even me."
"No, but..." Corwin frowned, "Women in your condition... Well, I've
heard that fainting is common."
Hsina was still not fully here. "I've been hurt worse before," she
replied.
"Perhaps, but have you ever been in this condition before?" Corwin
asked.
Hsina was now very confused. "You mean carried off a battlefield? No,
never."
"No... I mean... about the...," Corwin frowned and his resolve broke,
"Why didn't you tell me about the baby?"
"Baby? Did you take a shot to the head?"
Corwin's mouth opened and he sank back into the chair, which let out a
large complaint. "You don't know?"
"Know what?" She looked at him closer. "I know that for the first
time
in my life I was carried off of a battlefield, and that is not
something
I am able to digest easily."
Corwin shook his head, "Hsina. Your baby. Our baby. You are having a
baby!"
"That cannot be possible" Hsina said. "I can't have a baby, and
neither
can you?"
"Hsina... you are a woman. I'm a man. We've been... together. And
you
are having a baby." Corwin explained patiently. "You really did not
know?"
"No, I didn't" she replied. "I cannot be a mother, I am not the one to
raise a child, and you cannot even commit to me, how can you commit to
raising a child?"
Corwin shook his head, and laughed ruefully, "It isn't something I
ever
considered for myself. I never imagined I'd be a father." His
ice-blue
eyes looked sadly at Hsina. "We might not get a chance though.
Balagon
...." He frowned unsure of how to tell her the news.
"I'm no mother, Corwin. A child deserves to know his parents as he
grows up. Even if I was around, what sort of example would I be?"
"I think you are an amazing woman and anyone would be proud to call you
mother. But the father I had wasn't someone I was proud to call a
father." Then he looked at Hsina, "But to have a baby with you... Our
baby." He smiled. "A daughter like you. That I would like."
"You can't even settle down for yourself, how could you raise a child?
I'm almost forty Corwin, how can I raise a child?"
"You are not alone here, Hsina. There is a whole warren full of people
to help with a baby."
"And what about you? Will you be there?"
Corwin swallowed and then slowly nodded, "Yes. If... if Balagon can
save
the baby... and she is born... I will be there for her and you."
"I have your promise?"
Corwin squeezed her hands gently and smiled, for the first time sure of
himself, "Yes, my promise I freely give to you... and our child. I
will
be there for you."
Hsina closed her eyes and smiled weakly. "As will I" she said, her
voice
barely more than a whisper. It was the first time since her arrival in
this strange place that she finally felt that she belonged. "I love
you," barely escaped her lips as she drifted back to unconsciousness.
"I love you... Hsina." Corwin whispered back. He kissed her lips,
gently, before settling back into the protesting chair.
---
Summary:
Day 1
Afternoon.
After Hsina collapses, Corwin carries her to the medical center.
Balagon
works to save her life, and tells Corwin that she might live, but that
their baby might not. Corwin is rather surprised by that news.
Late Afternoon.
When Hsina awakens, Corwin tells her the news, and she is equally
surprised. She agonizes over her becoming a mother, and Corwin assures
her that he will be there for her and the baby.
Respectfully submitted by:
Andrew F.
AKA
Hsina
Arlene Jacobs
AKA
Corwin
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