And so, he set himself to watching her and waiting and praying.
Slowly, Hudson began to see a change take over his sleeping wife.
At first, he thought it was his imagination, so desperate was he for her to get better. He believed that he was imagining the change in her skin tone, the way her palm felt less clammy, or how much softer her breathing became. He held back his excitement, not willing to put himself in a situation where he might hurt as he had been doing this past week.
Only then, as the sun began to set on that first day, did Florentia stir.
“Florentia...” He sat up and shuffled in close, his heart beginning to race. “Florentia?”
She shifted on the bed as if trying to get comfortable. She groaned and then cleared her throat. Her grip on his handtightened, which nearly had Hudson crying out in happiness. And then, ever so slowly, Florentia opened her eyes.
“Florentia!” he gasped and fell to his knees beside her. “You’re...you’re awake.”
“It would seem that way,” she said weakly, her voice barely a whisper.
“I did not think...” He was sobbing and he did not care. “I was not certain you would...”
“Water,” she said with a hoarse voice. “If it is not too much trouble.”
Beside the bed was a glass of water, already mixed with the iodide salts. He stood over her, helping her to drink it down to the last drop.
“Gah,” she grimaced. “That water is ghastly.”
“It is mixed with iodide salts,” Hudson explained. “I imagine it is not the freshest water you have ever drunk.”
Her nose curled. “Why on earth would you do such a thing? Are you trying to kill me?”
He laughed, sniffed and wiping at his nose which was thick with mucus. “The opposite, in fact,” She looked at him with confusionand Hudson was quick to explain what had happened between himself and Caroline.
Naturally, Florentia was more than a little surprised.
“Caroline?” she gasped, still in a pitifully weakened state. “She...she tried to kill me?”
“She tried to sterilize you against having children,” he corrected, not that it made things any better. “She went too far, however. And I doubt the courts will see things differently.” His expression darkened. “I have had her arrested, of course, and I do not expect her to escape justice any time soon.”
Still, Florentia looked as if she could not believe it. “But why? She and I...I mean, I know we were not close, but I thought she liked you.”
“It is not your fault.” He was sitting by her head, still holding her hands, wanting nothing more than to smother her in kisses as if those might bring her back from the brink. “She is not of sound mind, and she blames my father for much of her woes. By extension, that blame has fallen on my shoulders. This is my fault, Florentia. I am the one who?—”
“Don’t do that,” she spoke through him. “By the sounds of it, I have you to thank for saving my life.”
“Which would not have happened if?—”
“Again, do not do that.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Is this how we are to spend the rest of our lives? Arguing over whose fault it is that I was almost killed? Truly, it sounds miserable. Perhaps I should not have drunk the antidote.”
He shook his head, glad that his wife’s sardonic sense of humor had remained intact. “Let us blame Caroline and leave it at that.” He brought her hands to his lips and kissed them. “You are alive. You look as if you are getting better. For now, that is all that matters.”
“And you are here.” She looked up at him, and despite how frail she was, how sickly, he could see the love in her eyes, certain that it matched the same he looked down upon her with. “That is what matters.”
“I am here,” he agreed. “And I will never leave your side again. That, I promise you.”
“You better not, or I might not be so forgiving next time,” she said with a soft laugh, her voice still hoarse, her energy still low. Yet the changes were starting to take hold, and even in these last few minutes, Hudson could see her improving vastly.
He sat with her for the rest of the night, ensuring that she took another dose of the antidote before she went back to sleep. By that point, Florentia was so clearly improving in health that he did not worry for once that she might not wake up. And once she was sleeping, he stayed by her side, watching her dream, a smile on her lips that mirrored his own. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he was feeling a sense of peace.
However, just because Florentia was awake did not mean she improved immediately. She spent another week in bed, with small steps taken each day toward reaching her full strength.
And Hudson was sure to keep his word, not leaving her once.
