chapter FORTY-EIGHT
When I woke, it was dark. I wasn’t sure if it was nighttime, or simply the drapes blocking out the sun. Vittorio sat at the little table in the corner, hunched over his laptop. Kevin sat on the other bed watching TV. I sat up and saw a cheeseburger and fries on the nightstand. My stomach growled, ordering me to eat. I took a bite to find it was cold.
Vittorio came to me when I moved. “Are you alright, mio amore?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just really tired.”
“You have healed both Kevin and me in a matter of hours. That would be draining for the most experienced practitioner of the power. For someone as new as you, who did not know how to heal until today…I am surprised you are awake already. I would have thought you would sleep for at least a full day.”
“Sorry the burger’s cold, Elena,” Kevin said. “You were out like a light, and I didn’t know what you needed, so I ordered it as soon as I could. I can go ask them if they can heat it up or something.”
I was already taking another bite, shaking my head. “Uh-uh,” I said through a mouthful of food. “Need to eat.”
“Very ladylike,” Kevin said.
I shot him a Look, then swallowed. “You should be nice to me. Didn’t you have a broken arm a few hours ago?”
“Yeah, thanks for that. I really appreciate it.”
“Anytime.”
“Let’s hope not. Just because you can heal me like that doesn’t mean I want to go around breaking my arm every day.”
I finished the burger, then relaxed into Vittorio’s arms. I was still exhausted, and realized I was shivering. “Why am I so cold?”
“Your body is depleted of energy.” Now that I was done stuffing my face, the full force of the coldness hit me, and I couldn’t stop shivering. “The bathtub is very shallow. I think I will take you down to the hot tub to help you warm up. Kevin, will you be alright here by yourself for a while?”
“Sure thing, boss.” He again saluted.
“Would you like to sit in the hot tub for a while, mio amore?”
“Yeah, that would be good. I’m freezing.” Vittorio helped me change into a swimsuit that he must have had Julian bring with the rest of our clothes and I put my robe on over it. I was shivering so violently Vittorio had to help me walk down the steps to the pool area. I stuck a toe into the hot tub and it felt as if it would burn, but once my skin grew accustomed to the heat, it felt heavenly. I sank down into the hot water with a contented sigh.
“You and Kevin seem to be getting along pretty well. Boss.” I said, grinning.
“We had a man to man talk while you were sleeping. It seems that when you healed him, he also got a glimpse into your heart. He was able to see how happy I make you. He told me that anyone who could make you that happy was okay by him. I promised him I would take the best care of you I could.”
“I’m glad you two are getting along.”
“You really do need to be more careful with your power Elena. If you use too much energy, you could seriously harm yourself. Healing takes a lot out of a person. Most will not perform more than one major healing in a twenty-four hour time span. You are far more powerful than anyone I have heard of. You will be able to do great things, mio amore.”
“I don’t want to do great things. I just want this mess to be over with, and to be with you.” I huddled closer to him in the water.
“I know. We will have to take things one day at a time. We can do nothing else.”
I wasn’t entirely sure what he meant by ‘great things,’ but I was too tired to worry about it just then. I just wanted to be normal. Some of this magic stuff was cool, but I wasn’t sure it was worth the cost.