Chapter 170: Nasty Cold

A blinding ache seared through her head. Winnie tried to scream, but her mouth felt too heavy to move. Her limbs were worse—they didn’t feel like a part of her body.

She forced her eyes open, and bright candlelight made her squint, worsening the already blinding headache.

"She is awake!" Palmer cried.

Winnie winced and tried to tell her to lower her voice, but she didn’t get the chance as a tingling feeling crawled up her nose.

Achoo! Achoo!

Her entire body shook as she sneezed hard enough to erupt mucus out of her nostrils.

"Eww," Arlo said.

"That she is," Richard replied to Palmer. He was sitting next to the bed.

Palmer leaned forward and wiped her nose. "I am glad you’re awake. I was so scared."

She opened her mouth to speak but ended up sneezing three more times, racking her entire body and worsening her headache.

She grabbed her head as her eyes watered. She prayed she wouldn’t have to sneeze again; her nose burned, and the tip was bright red.

She looked around as the sneezing eased. She was on a bed—a strange bed. This wasn’t her room, but there was something familiar about it and the scent that floated to her nose.

Theo!

She was in his room. Why was she in his room? She scrunched her face as she remembered Asher was in her room. If she also needed treatment, she couldn’t have been in the same room as him.

"How do you feel?" Richard asked.

She turned red-rimmed eyes toward him with her hand still on her head. "Sore," she managed to say, but her voice sounded strange. She tried to clear her throat, but that didn’t make any difference.

"You have a terrible cold," Palmer announced.

Clearly!

"Not just terrible. A nasty one. It came pretty close to hypothermia. I can’t begin to imagine what caused it. Can you feel your fingers and toes?"

Winnie wiggled her fingers that lay on her forehead. It didn’t ease the pain, but it was easier to bear the pain if she just concentrated on the weight of her hand.

"My fingers, yes." Her voice still sounded strange. She wiggled her toes. "My toes, yes."

"That’s good."

Achoo!

"Agnes is making some soup for you. It should help with the cold and the sneezing. What were you doing walking about in the rain? You were so drenched. No wonder you caught a cold," Palmer frantically ranted.

Winnie doubted the rain was the main cause of her cold. It might have been everything else.

She frowned as she realized the rain had stopped, but it was still dark, so she wasn’t unconscious for too long.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Not very long," Palmer explained. "You fainted as soon as you arrived, and we feared it was worse. Theo carried you to his room."

"Where is he?"

"With his brother," she replied. "He didn’t want to leave him alone since the physician is here."

"Where is Alaina?" She didn’t care about her sister but she needed the information.

"With him. She came in briefly and said I should let you know when you woke up."

Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!

"After eating, I’ll give you something for the nasty cold," Richard said.

"And the sneezing," she added.

"I can’t do anything about that, but the warmer you get, the better it should be too."

She sneezed twice and shook her head. "I have a headache," she mumbled.

"That, I can treat. It should be from the cold. The soup should also help with it."

Just what kind of soup is this?

Winnie’s expression soured suddenly. "And Asher? How is he?"

"Still unconscious, but still alive. The nasty part is over. If he held out till now, I am pretty sure he will hold out for even longer."

"Thank you," she whispered and closed her eyes.

She wouldn’t have been able to handle the guilt if he had worsened while she was away. Not that it would have changed her decision, but it certainly made it easier to deal with.

"Mother," Arlo called, and her eyes flew open.

He was standing next to the open door. His mother walked in wearing an apron.

Her black hair was tied in a low bun, and in her hands was a tray holding a bowl. Winnie could see the steam floating out of the top.

"Arlo," she said with a small smile before noticing Winnie. "You’re awake!"

"Agnes," she replied, a slight coldness in her voice as she recalled their last conversation.

"Here," the older woman said when she got close to the bed and stretched out the tray.

Winnie struggled to push herself into a sitting position. She was covered in a thick blanket—no wonder she couldn’t feel her limbs. She winced the entire time as the sudden movement made her head hurt more.

"Thank you," she said as the tray was placed over her legs.

She lifted the bowl and let out a satisfied sound as the warmth seeped into her sore fingers. The heat eased the pain from all the running she did.

No one spoke as she ate, but she could see the questions in their gaze. The only person who didn’t stare at her with intense curiosity was Richard.

He seemed more concerned with her getting better than with what might have made her ill.

Winnie sipped the soup slowly, wondering what she was going to say. How she was going to say it.

By the looks of things, they had noticed the tsunami and had tried to protect themselves by gathering in the main house and getting to higher ground.

"What happened out there?" Agnes asked as she handed her the empty bowl.

"Maya saved us," she mumbled. That was actually the gist of it.

"What does that mean?" Agnes asked.

"You saw the tsunami, didn’t you?"

"It never came, and now they say a huge wall of ice is—"

The rest of Agnes’s words drowned out as the door burst open and Alaina marched in. "I hear my sister is awake."

"Alaina!" She yelled her name like a curse.

"I’d like to have a private word with my sister."

"No," Winnie replied. "I have nothing to say to you."

Richard stood up from his chair. "Get some rest. The soup might help, but it’s still a nasty cold, and there were nasty bruises all over your palms and feet. Try not to move too much."

"I will ask you questions later," Agnes replied and followed after Richard.

Palmer touched her arm, and Arlo waved before they stepped out together.

Winnie narrowed her eyes. As much as she wanted to be left alone, she would have preferred it if it wasn’t because of Alaina.

"What do you want, you devil!"