Chapter 6 - Panic

• Sophia POV
• The hours flew by very quickly, between one play and another. I look at Perseus' chart and write it down next to the tablet and also hold myself back from screaming. There were many critics, both positive and negative and the crowd had fun, but as I expected, the crowd betrayed me and my character ended up dead. Hyperion asked me some questions about the rules and the history of the characters, but nothing that interfered with the game.
• It was interesting to see a man like him showing so much interest in something that appears so trivial. But, let's face it, there are many wealthy and powerful people who gamble. who are, among others, actors and actresses in Hollywood and so on.
• "You do know that the next campaign is mine and that it will be Cthulhu!” I Warned.
• “Er… I think we have to go to sleep guys. Goodbye!" Vic says over the mic.
• Everyone else nods and then leaves the call as well. I roll my eyes and let out a soft chuckle.
• “Actually, this is really fun. You guys really get into your characters. Don't you?”
• “Well, that’s the intention.” I put the laptop on the other armchair. As I sit up, I feel my head begin to throb. “Um… Food.” I take the chocolate bar out of my pocket and bite into it.
• I look at the hemodialysis machine and note that there’s still an hour of dialysis left to go.
• “Since everything looks fine, I'm going down to get something to eat. I'll ask the nurse on duty to come and stay with him for a few minutes.”
• "I'm hungry too, is there anything good in the cafeteria?"
• “Look, it's almost dawn, there really isn't much going on, but it's definitely better than nothing.”
• “Hum…Hum…”
• "Ahahaha! I just imagined you with a bag of chips and a can of coke. It definitely doesn't match, but it is funny."
• "I agree." I see him get up, go to the door and open it. “Maybe I should have some food delivered.”
• "Only if it's for you, I'm fine." I walk out the room.
• As I walk away from the room I feel my body getting heavier, pain spreading inside my chest, squeezing and twisting my heart. At the same time it feels as though somebody’s pushing pins and needles into my brain. I almost bend over with the sudden pain, but I don’t. I also never complain. This is normal for me. If there is one thing that I am very used to, it is pain. It’s become a constant and inseparable 'friend'.
• I close my eyes and take a deep breath bringing my left hand to my eyes, placing the tips of my fingers over my eyelids and squeezing lightly.
• "I really need to eat something. I hate migraines." I mumble more to myself than anyone else.
• "Are you okay?" I hear Hyperion ask with worry in his voice.
• “It's just a migraine. It's normal. I've been getting them since I was a child. They mostly develop when I don't eat often enough and the pain just escalates from there.”
• I took a few deep breaths and open my eyes again.
• “I'll just take an Ibuprofen and have something to eat. It should subside in about half an hour or so.” I told him.
• We get into the elevator and press the button for the 3rd floor, where the closest cafeteria is situated.
• “I see," Hyperion says, "Does this always happen?” he further enquired.
• “Before, it used to be more frequent and also more severe. They have caused me many nosebleeds when they become very bad. I’ve grown to accept them over the years. At least it isn't something that can kill me.”
• “You talk so matter-of-factly about it. You make it sound as though it’s something that everyone deals with on a daily basis.” Hyperion commented.
• “When you have a chronic illness, it's better to get used to it than it is to let it get you down. I’m not the type of person to complain about things I can't really do anything about. I've already experimented and undergone a number of treatments to help relieve it, but nothing really stopped it from coming back. The pain is bearable today. It’s annoying, but still bearable. Besides, it actually has a really nice advantage. I don't get hangovers. It doesn't matter how much alcohol I consume, I will always wake up feeling good the next morning, with no hangover.”
• "You don't seem like the type of person who drinks a lot," he says.
• “I enjoy spirits and variations like, caipirinha, tequila, whiskey, hi-fi, strawberry vodka, and so on, every now and then, but since I'm on prescription medication, I only drink occasionally.“
• “You and my son would get along well in that regard, he doesn’t like fermented drinks either.”
• “Apart from wine. I love good wine. Wine is good.”
• “He prefers only hard liquor.”
• “I can understand that. My friends prefer beer and wine.”
• The conversation continues as we walk to the cafeteria. The place is almost empty. There are a few people here and there. The night duty staff and some others are having breakfast. I greet everyone and approach the counter. There’s a wide variety of meals to choose from.
• “A shredded chicken sandwich, a passion fruit juice with milk and a chocolate bar.” I ordered.
• After placing my order, I saw that Hyperion had taken two meat sandwiches and a smoothie. I walk to the register and pay for my meal. I went to sit at one of the tables and waited for the head of the Houroux Family to join me. The more time I spend with him, the more I relax in his presence. I’m realizing that he really doesn’t seem like any of the other similarly positioned, self entitled people I've come across before.
• We make small talk about anything and everything as we eat and return to Perseus's room when we are done. There’s still half an hour left for the hemodialysis cycle to be complete. I took advantage of this time to check up on the status of my other patients and the team of nurses who were under my management.
• There are numerous reports to read through, forms to fill out and sign, reviews to go through and other matters that need my approval or rejection. This is the most unpleasant part of my job, but it’s something that needs to be done and it is, after all, my responsibility. When I hear the last alarm for the dialysis beep, I put the tablet aside and call for the Doctor on duty. I have to wait for him to arrive before I turn the machine off and remove the tubes from the patient.
• Only a few minutes pass before Doctor Daniel enters the room.
• “Good evening Lord Hyperion. Sophia. Are you well?" He acknowledges and greets both of us.
• "Good evening Doctor Daniel.” Hyperion responds.
• “Evening Daniel.” I greet him back.
• Daniel is a tall man at 1.83 meters tall and weighs about 75 kilograms. He has blonde hair and dark brown eyes that match his tanned skin. He has a medium build as he works out whenever he has the time.
• “Even if there was a little shortage in the blood supply, It appears to have been enough and all seems to be good.” Daniel comments as he checks the dialysis machine. I assist him with turning the machine off and removing the tubes from Perseus' body readying the machine to be removed from the room.
• “It seems most of the silver has been removed from Perseus' blood by the dialysis. I can see no reason why your son won't wake up soon." he addresses Hyperion directly.
• I took a blood vial and drew a small amount of Perseus' blood and placed it in a tray for testing after clearly marking the vial.
• “We will have his blood tested just to confirm how successful the dialysis was, although the results drawn from the data collected throughout the process, already indicates a steady recovery.”
• I feel my heart warm at the doctor's words. Not that I didn’t already see Perseus' progress, but hearing someone else confirming it, is just so much more invigorating. It’s as though a heavy weight is being lifted off my shoulders as he spoke. Was I so excited to get back to my normal routine? Was taking care of this family such a huge burden?
• “I’m so relieved to hear that!” Hyperion exclaims as he hugs Doctor Daniel in gratitude, but his eyes are trained on me.
• “Richard should be here in a few minutes to relieve you, Sophy.” Daniel informs me. I thank him, give Hyperion a slight bow, greet them with a promise to see them tomorrow and take my leave without giving anyone a chance to say anything else.
• As I near the elevator, I see Richard approaching.
• “Hey Sophy! Good night. You really need to go and get some rest. You look as if you died and forgot to lie down!" Richard jokes.
• “I agree, Richard. I really do need a good sleep. See you tomorrow. Take care of everything for me will ya?” I reply
• "Bye!"
• I get into the elevator and press the button for the ground floor to go to the locker room to change before I leave the hospital. When I get to my locker I lean back a little. I’m suddenly feeling out of breath. It seems the further I am from Perseus, the heavier the feeling in my chest becomes. The shortness of breath worsens little by little as each second ticks by. My mouth goes dry and my body tenses, it feels like I’m having a panic attack, but this is different.
• It's as if my body is being pulled back to his room. Every part of me is screaming for me to go back to Perseus and stay in his room. His intoxicating scent, that I’ve virtually been living in for the past few days, is the only air that my lungs want to breathe. It’s overwhelming.
• I hear and feel my heart rate speeding up rapidly, my racing heart beat rushing in my ears, while my mind’s overrun with images that I have no control over. The images are flashing in my head so fast that I’m getting dizzy. All the images take me back to Perseus and being in his arms.
• I try to force my body to move, to open my locker and realize that I’ve dropped almost everything I had in my hands in my panic to reach my medication, which is in my bag. I need to try to get myself back to reality and snap out of this haze that’s consuming me.
• I have no idea what happened. The next thing I register is a strong, bitter taste in my mouth, which can only be from some kind of medication. I try to open my eyes to look around but the pain in my head won't allow me to see anything but shadows. I’m so overwhelmed that my stiff body doesn't even register any physical sensations.
• “Soph…” I hear someone calling my name, but it sounds as though I am being called from very far away.
• It feels as though I’m swimming upstream against a very strong current and I struggle to regain my equilibrium after being caught up in an intense spiral of senses and emotions.
• “Arg…” I let out a low groan, feeling my body start to relax a little.
• "Phew! She's finally coming to."
• I try to open my eyes and focus, but it doesn't work the first time. I blink a few times and my vision clears a little but everything is still blurry. I take several deep breaths, my senses slowly returning little by little.
• “Good thing I work at a hospital.” I managed to croak. My voice is hoarse and my mouth is still extremely dry.
• "Water…" I managed to get out.
• I find myself sitting on the floor with my back and head leaning against the lockers. I am able to identify that there are three people in front of me but can't make out their faces. One is wearing a nurse's uniform, one a medical coat and the last is wearing regular civilian clothing. I smell a soft scent but I'm unable to identify it.
• Someone places an open bottle of water in my hand and I bring it to my lips and take two small sips just to get some moisture in my mouth and to wet my vocal cords. I close my eyes again and take a few more deep breaths.
• "I'll be fine." I tell them.
• My voice is a little firmer and I feel my head spinning a little less so I open my eyes again. At least my vision is clearer now. I can now see that one of the people in front of me is a nurse with black hair, dark green eyes and dark skin. She’s kneeling in front of me and gently holding my hand. She must have been the one who gave me the water. Her expression is one of concern and relief. A little further back, to my left, is Doctor Daniel. He seems to have an irritated expression on his face but it doesn't appear to be directed at me. On the right hand side, I find Achilles Lykaios, wearing black pants and a blue golf shirt. The soft scent I picked up before is now clearer. The smell of oak moss, mixed with orange blossoms and sandalwood is coming from him.
• When my eyes meet his, it’s as though the rest of the world disappears. His eyes are dark gray with flecks of silver and have two darker circles around the irises. They are easily the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen.
• Achilles has a relaxed composure, but his eyes, besides reflecting relief, show an inner conflict that I can't explain. He appears relaxed on the outside, but I get the feeling that he wants to protect me and is holding back from running over to me when Doctor Daniel comes towards me. The nurse wraps her arms around me but, for some reason, I’m wishing for Achilles' arms to be around me instead.
• I want to scream for the nurse to let me go so I can go to Achilles who stands there looking like a demigod. But the request never leaves my lips. I realize that he knows what I’m thinking and my whole body starts to heat up. I feel my breasts becoming heavier and sensitive. The heat begins to spread downwards reaching my lower belly until it reaches the center of my core. I involuntarily press my legs together to try and relieve the pressure building there causing my inner walls to throb.
• I’ve never experienced this feeling before. It’s primal, wild and mindless. It doesn’t come over me slowly but consumes me at a shockingly fast rate. The longer I look at Achilles, the more my body begs for me to touch him, and longs to be touched by him. I feel as though he could take me right here and now, on the floor, and I wouldn’t care less.
• A loud growl leavesAchilles' perfect lips as the color of his eyes grow slightly darker. They seem to be glowing silver now and, for a moment, I thought he was going to grab me and take me with him, but his body tenses as he spins around and leaves the locker room instead.
• His actions are like a bucket of ice water being poured over me. The feeling of rejection replacing the feeling of lust I felt only a moment ago. It consumes me completely, turning the pleasure to bitterness in an agonizing instant. I shake my head trying to clear my thoughts and get a grip on reality.
• “Sophia, I think you better lie down.” I hear Daniel talking to me. “We can take you to the break room or I can call you an Uber if you'd rather go home. You really need to rest Soph. I think all the extra shifts are affecting you.”
• “Thank you Dan. I think I'm going to go and rest, but I don't think I can go home right now."
• I smiled at him weakly. This whole situation has drained me of all my energy. I need my bed. I just want to crawl into it and sleep for days on end, but the thought of Joshua waiting there for me had my stomach churning .
• "Okay. I understand." Daniel says as he holds out his hand to me.
• I took his hand, and with the help of the nurse, they managed to help me stand up from the floor. I take a deep breath but feel my head spinning again.
• “Sorry Soph, but this will be much faster and easier.”
• I hear Daniel's words and then feel myself being lifted up. The next thing I know, I'm in his arms, being carried to one of the hospital rooms. I feel the anxiety and dizziness wanting to take over but I do my best to control it.
• "Thanks" is all I manage to say.
• "No problem." He replies.
• It isn't long before we enter one of the unoccupied rooms and I feel myself being softly lowered onto the bed.