Epilogue: Warmth
Epilogue: Warmth
Luina collapsed again the next day. The five of them had just finished cleaning up after breakfast when she suddenly went pale and stopped to lean herself against the table to support herself. Tears began gathering in her eyes and she held her hands over her mouth in an attempt to fight her nausea.
Although everyone was panicking, Anima managed to keep himself together enough to pour a glass of water for Luina. They had expected the previous day’s symptoms to disappear with the first rays of the morning sun, but that clearly wasn’t the case. Luina carefully sipped her water and took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down.
“I’m sorry for making you worry.”
“You don’t have to apologize; I just want to make sure you’re feeling okay. Do you still feel like you have to throw up?”
“No, I’m fine,” Luina responded with a smile. Her nausea was apparently gone, but there was still the underlying issue of not knowing what was happening to her. The thought that she’d contracted some unknown, serious illness sent a chill up his spine.
“Are you sure you’re fine?” Myuke asked. “Don’t push yourself.”
“Did you catch a cold?” Bram added. “We know you don’t have a fever, but tell us if you get tired, m’kay?”
“I will.”
Nothing had seemed off about Luina when she’d woken up. Everything was fine until the nausea had hit, so the chance that she was lying to keep the girls’ spirits up was very slim, but that only worried Anima even more. His fear that some unknown illness had befallen her was gaining more traction, amplified by the knowledge that her random bouts of nausea would keep happening until they found a cure.
“If it’s not a cold, I’m out of ideas, m’kay?”
“Maybe I ate something bad?” Luina hesitantly proposed. She must have expected her condition to be gone by morning, making it just as perplexing to her as it was to everyone else.
The girls were visibly worried, and Anima was ready to explode from frustration, but he had to calm himself down. Luina was already shaken by the situation, and him going berserk wouldn’t do any good for anyone. He had to stay calm and composed.
“The food wasn’t bad by any means. It was delicious, as always,” he told her.
“Yep, for sure. It was super yummy. I definitely don’t think that’s what it is.”
“You only got sick the other day, so maybe it’s ’cause it’s cold out, m’kay?”
“I make Mommy warm!”
Marie’s warm hug put a smile on Luina’s face.
“You’re very warm, Marie, but I’m not cold at all.”
It was pretty comfortable in the dining room thanks to the gently swaying flame in the fireplace. Even Bram seemed to be completely fine, so her condition couldn’t possibly have been caused by the weather. But if it wasn’t that, then Anima was pretty much out of ideas. Nothing came to mind no matter how much he ruminated over it, leaving them with only one option.
“We need to get you to a doctor.”
“Yeah,” Myuke nodded. “I don’t have any ideas either. We should definitely leave it to a professional.”
“That’s that, then. I’ll get you the best doctor in the country—no, the world! Just wait here!”
“Y-You don’t have to go that far.”
Luina hurriedly tried to stop him. He turned around to plead his case, but she seemed a bit annoyed. The only person who knew how she was feeling was herself, and she didn’t believe her condition called for a doctor.
While Anima understood how she felt, that didn’t change what he had to do. He was going to make sure they acted before it was too late, and not even Luina’s protests could stop him. If she was fighting some sort of terrible disease, putting off treatment for even a single day could jeopardize the happy, carefree lives they’d fought tooth and nail to be able to live. He would not give up after dealing with Malshan and asking the king himself to be pardoned for it. He would not lose his happiness, and he would crush anything that threatened it, human or otherwise.
“Who is the best doctor in this world and where can I find them?”
“No clue, but the best in the country is definitely gonna be in the capital.”
“Probably the one who helps the king, m’kay?”
It would have been nigh impossible for an ordinary man to set foot in the throne room, but Anima was no ordinary man. If he enlisted Shaer’s help, getting another audience with the king was very well possible.
“I’ll be off. Take care of Luina for me, girls.”
“W-Wait!” She stopped him once again. “There’s no need to go all the way to the capital.”
“Don’t be silly. I’ll get you the best doctor and the best medicine, no matter what it takes. If I have to tear a dragon’s fang from its mouth or drain the blood from a phoenix, then so be it.”
“That’ll probably give her food poisoning, m’kay?”
“I’ve never even heard of a phoenix.”
Dragon fangs and phoenix blood were two of the most effective medicines in his old world, but they might not even have existed in his new one, as evidenced by the girls’ jokes.
“Anima, listen. I know you only want the best for me, but there’s no need to go to the capital. I don’t want you to be away for days.”
Luina was completely right; bringing back a doctor would take him several days. He would have been able to make the trip in a day if he went by himself, but bringing someone along was another story. He got the sense that people weren’t built for near-supersonic travel, so he couldn’t exactly grab someone and run them back.
“I can’t just sit here and watch you suffer, though. Let me do something for you!”
Luina closed her eyes for a moment, then flashed a warm, loving smile.
“I’m so happy to have someone in my life who loves me so much.”
“I’m just as happy, and I don’t want this happiness to vanish from my life. I want to protect it at all costs, so please, tell me what I should do.”
“Okay, then can you do something for me?”
“Anything,” he stated without a moment’s hesitation. He was ready to do anything for his wife, and he was going to prove it. “Whatever you need, I will make it happen.”
“I don’t want you to go to the capital, but I do want to visit the doctor in Garaat. Would you come with me?”
“Of course I will! We’re going right now!”
“That’s all well and good,” Myuke interjected, “but Mommy needs to rest now. It’d be better if you got them to come here.”
“Why don’t we do that, then?” Anima was ready to do anything Luina asked of him, but Myuke’s solution seemed much better. Luina thought for a moment, nodded, then sat down. “So, where is this doctor?”
“They live right behind the Hunter’s Guild. It’s a one-story building with a red roof. You can’t miss it.”
“Red roof right behind the Guild. Okay, I’m off!”
He bolted out of the house and set off toward Garaat. As if he were an ancient dragon taking to the skies, the trees in his path trembled violently, shedding branches and leaves in the wake of the powerful blasts of air created by his incredible speed. He arrived at Garaat in the blink of an eye, and immediately took to the rooftops to avoid injuring the passersby.
“There it is!” The Hunter’s Guild was the tallest building in the town. Leaping over it, he landed on a red roof—the doctor’s roof. He hopped down and started banging on the building’s wooden door. “Doctor! Doctor, are you there?!”
A couple moments later, the door slowly opened, pulled by an old lady.
“All right, all right! For goodness’ sake, keep it down! We’re out of hangover cure; you have to go to the pharmacy down the main street!” she grumbled, looking at Anima with tired eyes. She seemed to have been dealing with hangover patients lately, and while Luina did have nausea, she certainly didn’t have a hangover.
“I need you to come and see my wife! She didn’t have any alcohol, but she’s been having fits of nausea since yesterday. Come, I’ll take you to the orphanage.”
“‘The orphanage’?” The woman raised an eyebrow. “Are you talking about the Scarletts’ house?”
“Yes, it’s Luina’s home. Do you know her?”
“Everyone knows the Scarletts, dearie. I assume you’re Luina’s husband?”
“I’m Anima, but let’s skip the small talk. I need you to come with me right away.”
“I’m going, I’m going. Give me a moment.”
She went inside her house and picked up her bag.
“Can you run?” Anima asked.
“I was swift on my feet when I was younger, but those days are long gone. I can surely muster up some strength if you want me to run with you, but don’t expect a miracle.”
“No, that’s fine. I don’t want you to push yourself. I’m already beyond grateful that you’re willing to see her on such short notice.”
“My, what a gentleman you are, dearie. I’d make you get down on one knee and propose to me right here and now were I ten years younger.”
“Sorry, but those feelings will never be mutual. Luina is the only woman I love.”
“I’m joking, dearie. Lighten up a little,” she giggled to herself. It almost felt like she already knew what kind of man Anima was.
Regardless, Anima was relieved. The doctor seemed like a very kind, gentle woman who would take good care of Luina. All he needed now was for them to hurry things up. He was grateful for her swift response, but at the rate they were going, it was going to take hours for them to get back.
“Can you get on my back? I’ll run us back home, but I’ll go at a reasonable speed so you don’t get hurt.”
“Of course. I’m always happy to feel up the youngsters.”
While she was much older than Anima, he got the sense she wasn’t joking.
“Let me know if I start going too fast for you,” he said, then put the woman on his back, took to the rooftops, and set off toward his home.
The trip took only a couple of minutes, and he immediately headed into the dining room. There was no one there, and the fire in the fireplace had been put out, so the girls had presumably moved Luina to the bedroom. He went up, still carrying the doctor on his back, and quietly opened the door. The girls immediately turned and rushed over to him, which meant Luina was likely still awake.
“That was quite impressive. Thank you, dearie.”
Anima put the doctor down and bowed to her.
“It’s a pleasure to see you again,” Luina said to her. “Sorry to make you come all the way out here in this weather.”
“Don’t be silly, darling. You’re like a granddaughter to me; I’d come running to help you in the strongest hailstorm or the longest drought.”
“Do you know each other?” Anima inquired.
“Yes, she’s been my doctor ever since I was around Marie’s age. We’ve spent a lot of time together—I was a sickly little girl.”
Anima only knew about one case of Luina falling sick, which he’d heard about from Myuke. Apparently, though, that wasn’t the only time it had happened, and she had fallen sick often before starting the orphanage. Gaining a new, loving family member with every child saved must’ve helped her get over her sickly phase.
She could no longer allow herself to be bedridden. The first time she’d collapsed, she’d assumed that Anima had given her the freedom to show some weakness. After several instances of it, however, it was clear that there was something much more serious behind it. She could only hope the doctor would be able to diagnose her.
“Please, you gotta help Mommy!”
“Tell us what she needs to get better and we’ll get it for her as fast as we can, m’kay?!”
“Peeease!”
The three girls bowed before the lady.
“Well, now, would you look at that. You raised your girls very well, Luina. There, there, worry not. I’ll take a good look at your mother, okay? Go wait outside with your father, would you?”
“Please, find out what’s wrong with her!”
Anima bowed deeply before herding the kids out of the room. They could hear Luina’s and the doctor’s voices coming from inside, but couldn’t make out what they were saying.
What if the doctor was sharing terrible news with her? What if she had contracted some incurable illness? Dark thoughts like that clouded Anima’s mind, but he couldn’t let his concerns show in front of his daughters. He had to stand strong for them.
“Are you girls cold?” he asked, trying to mask his troubles.
“This is nothing, m’kay?!” Bram answered with a broad smile. “Why? Are you cold, Daddy?”
“I’m fine.”
“But you just came home, and it’s really cold outside. Don’t worry, I’ll warm you up!”
“Me too! I can do the warm!”
The three of them tightly hugged him. The warmth of their small bodies enveloped him, chasing away his fears.
“Thank you, it’s really nice and warm now. Though it’s only fair for me to return the favor.”
The girls squealed as Anima returned their hug. They held each other until the bedroom door slowly drifted open.
“We’re done. Do come in.”
The doctor invited them in with a slight grin. Luina, sitting on the bed, was also smiling, hinting at the fact that she likely didn’t have any sort of serious condition.
“So, do you know what’s making her sick?” he asked in the most deadpan tone possible, and was given his answer alongside a warm smile.
“Congratulations, dearie. Luina’s pregnant.”
Her words didn’t register in Anima’s brain. He just stood there, staring at the doctor, unable to speak so much as a word. A long pause later, he managed to pull himself out of his daze just enough to ask a simple question.
“…Come again?”
“I’m pregnant!” Luina excitedly declared with the most dazzling smile he’d ever seen. Finally, the doctor’s statement was starting to make sense to him.
“You’re… pregnant?”
“Yes! We’re going to have a child!”
“I-I see… A child…”
He repeated his wife’s words with a dumb smile. His worries vanished into thin air. The only thing he felt was overwhelming happiness. The girls watched as Anima’s smile got bigger by the second, and began cheering at the magnificent news.
“That’s amazing! Congrats, Mommy!”
“This is incredible, m’kay?!”
“What’s ‘peggant’?”
“They’re gonna have a baby!”
“You’ll be a big sister for real! You’re gonna have a little brother or sister, m’kay?!”
“Woooow! Good job, Mommy!”
“Thank you!”
“Congratulations, Luina!” Anima said, finally able to form full sentences. “This… This is incredible!”
“Thank you. Congratulations to you too, Anima!”
“Thank you! I’ll do every last thing I can do to become a great father! I promise!”
Luina giggled, then looked deep into Anima’s eyes.
“You’re already a great father. We all love you dearly. Isn’t that right, girls?”
The girls immediately broke into smiles and hugged Anima tightly, and Luina slowly got up from the bed to join their hug. Anima opened his arms and wrapped them around his loving family. While the weather outside was cold, the Scarletts’ bedroom was filled with a warmth that even the height of the summer would envy.