"I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because Hildegard would skin me, and Julian would help her."
"Then ask Julian if I can have coffee and a croissant, or just coffee or just a croissant. But I prefer both."
"You usually prefer tea."
"I know, but you were drinking coffee next to me the whole day yesterday, and I was smelling it. I can still smell it. Please?"
He chuckled. "I can't say no to you." He stood up, bent over the bed, and kissed her forehead. His hand came up to cup the side of her face, and for a moment, Arezoo closed her eyes and just enjoyed the intimacy.
"I'll go get the doctor," he said.
"Thank you."
She lay back against the pillows, looked at the ceiling, and felt pleased with her morning. She was hungry, and she wanted coffee, which meant that she was on the mend.
The fever had risen and fallen, the tiredness had taken her under at irregular intervals, and she had had no warning when it would happen. Twice, she had been mid-conversation with her mother and woken up an hour later with no memory of falling asleep.
But other than the first day, she hadn't lost consciousness again.
The door opened, and Julian came in with Ruvon behind him.
"Good morning," the doctor said.
"Good morning. Can I please have a croissant, doctor?"
He smiled. "How do you feel?"
"Better. A lot better, and very hungry."
"That's excellent."
"So, can I have a croissant?"
"In a moment. Let me check a few things first."
He came around the side of the bed and did the small ritual that she had become familiar with over the last two days—going over her vitals, checking reflexes and other things, measuring, and notating everything on his tablet.
"A whole inch," he said.
"It was supposed to be more."
"You are not done yet, but you're over the worst of it. Your temperature has been normal throughout the night, your vitalsare stable, and your color is good. But the best sign is that your appetite is back. You are out of the danger zone."
"So, does that mean that I can go home?"
"Soon."
"How soon?"
"Today. After the ceremony."
Arezoo blinked. She hadn't expected him to say that she was being discharged today. She'd expected him to say tomorrow or in two days.
"That's wonderful," Ruvon said.
