26- Hespah

“Ms. Stille, I feel like I must express my concern here.  When I said that he could resume normal activities, this was not what I had in mind!”

Hespah nodded to placate the man as she walked him to the door.

“Both of them are in very serious condition.  If either of them would let me, I’d have them both checked into a proper hospital and placed under twenty-four-hour supervision for at least a week!”  He began waving his hands in the air as he spoke. 

Hespah rolled her eyes behind his back.  He was really overreacting.

At the door he paused, and Hespah stifled the instinct to flinch when he took one of her hands and held it in both of his as if it were some small animal.  He tilted his head and smiled at her.  “Of course, I know you’re not to blame in any of this, Ms. Stille,” he said in that gentle, condescending tone that older gentlemen often used when speaking to small children, the mentally ill, and empty-headed pretty young women, “But as they won’t leave this house and they’ve both refused to hire a nurse, you’ll be the only one here to see that they’re properly cared for.”

Hespah nodded again.  “Don’t worry, doctor,” she replied, “I’ll take good care of them.”

He nodded.  “I’m sure that you will.  I’ve given them both a list of prescriptions.  Please see that they’re filled, and that they both stay in their beds.  I’ll be here again in one week to check up on them, but if anything happens before then, please give me a call.”

“I will.”

He was halfway out the door when he stopped and turned to her again.  “First the stab-wounds, now the impact injuries . . . Ms. Stille . . . I’ve been wondering for quite some time now . . .  Exactly what line of work are they in?”

Hespah smiled sweetly.  “They’re accountants,” she told him.

He frowned as if that were the most contradictory idea he’d ever heard, but after just a brief hesitation, he said his goodbyes and hurried out to his car.

Hespah closed the door behind him and laughed.  Really, Karl and Jacob just needed to rest for a few days and they’d both be fine.  If that doctor hadn’t come for one last check-up on Karl’s previous injuries, they never would have even seen a doctor.  A few fractured bones and some light internal bleeding was nothing to get excited about in this house.  They all knew how to take care of themselves around here.

And she’d gone easy on them– she always did.  Hespah paused to look at the bruises on her knuckles.  Okay, so maybe she’d been a little stressed out lately.  Maybe she’d been itching for a good fight for a few weeks.  Maybe she’d gotten a bit carried away, and maybe she’d unintentionally taken a little more of her frustrations out on Jacob and Karl than she had meant to.  But really, if they couldn’t even handle that much of a fight, they seriously needed to work on their skills.  She hated to think what would happen to Fortitude or Grushilde if someone like Tsu Lai or Nadina came after them when Jacob and Karl were unarmed.  Sure, they were relatively young, but that was no excuse.

And if Shepetheleh were ever in a situation where he had to rely on those two . . .

No way in hell would she let Shepetheleh come to harm because those two idiots had let themselves get out of shape.  She decided that as soon as they were both fully recovered, they would start training with her.  Hespah headed up the stairs to inform them both of this decision.

She came upon Fortitude in the second-floor corridor.  Something about the look on her face made Hespah stop.  Fortitude was staring at her with so much anger in those dark green eyes that Hespah took a step back.

“You hurt Jacob, and you don’t even care,” she accused.  “You hurt Karl, and you don’t even care.”  She took a step toward Hespah.  “You are supposed to be our friend.  Our ally.  We trusted you.”  She came closer, and Hespah felt the wall against her back.

“Fortitude . . . I’m sorry . . .”  Hespah scrambled for words.  “I didn’t mean to hurt them that much.”

Fortitude’s eyes narrowed. “All you’ve done is blame them and call them weak.  You haven’t even apologized.”

“I– I will . . .”

“No.”  Fortitude shook her head, her dusty-blonde hair bouncing around her face.  “It’s too late.”

“Fortitude, you don’t understand.  We were just practicing.  This kind of thing . . . it’ll make them stronger–”

Fortitude’s pallid cheeks flushed with color.  “They certainly don’t look stronger to me!”

“Just ask Jacob.  He’ll tell you . . .”

“No!”  Fortitude was nearly shouting now.  “I don’t want to hear them making excuses for you again!”

Hespah’s head was beginning to hurt.  She’d never seen Fortitude this angry before.  “Listen,” Hespah said, “They’ll both be fine.  Just give them a couple of days and you’ll see.”

Fortitude took another step toward her.  The pressure around Hespah’s temples intensified until it was getting difficult to bear.  “You just stay away from them!” Fortitude shouted, and this time  Hespah heard the power behind her words before she even finished the sentence.  “Stay away from all of us!”

Hespah cursed as she stumbled to her own rooms and slammed the door behind her.  Her head was in excruciating pain, and she could feel Fortitude’s command like steel bands wrapping around her.

That little bitch.

Hespah made her way to the toilet and forced herself to vomit, relieving some of the pressure in her head.  Damn that bitch.  She leaned over the sink to rinse her mouth out and rub cold water on her face.  She stared into the mirror.  Her face was so red.  She lifted a shaky hand to wipe the hot tears from her eyes.

“Shepetheleh, where are you?” she whispered. 

That was the real problem here.  Fortitude would never have tried something like this if Shepetheleh were around.  She wouldn’t have dared.  Fear of Shepetheleh’s wrath usually kept all of them in line.  And Hespah was supposed to be untouchable.

Maybe she would tell him about this when he got back.  She thought about that as she climbed into her bed and pulled the blankets up over her head.  How much longer would she have to wait for him?  She needed him there now.  Everything was better when Shepetheleh was with her.

Hespah pictured him as she had seen him last.  He’d been tall and strong and beautiful.  Full of power and authority.  So clever and wise.  Fearless.  She tried to imagine what he would do if he were there right now.

He’d make that little bitch grovel at her feet.  Hespah belongs to me, he would say.  A hand lifted against her is a hand lifted against me.  And he would find some perfect and clever way to punish Fortitude for what she did.  Hespah could just see it.  And then he would ask Hespah if she was okay, and clap her on the shoulder, and leave the room to go about his business.

Hespah sighed.  Even in her fantasy, he treated her like a man.