Episode 3 Continued - Her Butler, Trained to Heal
I silently carried Master Yumi up the steps of her manor as she remained asleep in my arms, and after parting the door expertly by kicking it open, I entered the manor.
"Sebastian, your back!" Carter called from the kitchen. "You've been gone for days, it seems like!"
Cammie and Scarlet came out behind him, brows drawing together. "Master...?"
Yumi still breathed shallowly, struggling a little as she remained asleep.
"Oh, no..." Cammie said, pressing her hands to her cheeks, "Master's fallen ill!"
"We must get her in bed immediately!" Scarlet answered, nodding quickly. "Here, Sebastian, if I just might help—"
"No," I started, feeling them all stiffen, and I just parted my eyes, glaring down at them. "You will not. I will take care of Master Yumi like I always do, you on the other hand, do your jobs."
Cammie looked down, looking annoyed, and Scarlet gave me the big, beady pleading eyes.
Carter just scratched the back of his head.
"Where's Maddox?" I said then, gazing behind them.
"Oh, he's in the kitchen," Cammie answered, "yes!"
"Bring him here. I need to talk to all of you."
Seconds later we were all still standing in the entryway, and all the servants stared at Yumi in worry as she coughed a little and breathed shallowly.
"Be on your guard," I said then.
They all looked up to me then.
My eyes narrowed. "You know why I hired you."
All of their expressions immediately masked, and their eyes grew cold and emotionless as their lips thinned.
"Master was poisoned," I explained to them, lashes lowering. "Which means that someone is trying to kill her. Which means that you do what I hired you to do." I lowered my head and felt my eyes flash red. "If anyone sets foot on this manor, kill them."
All of them just bowed forward and stood up straight. "Yes, Sebastian."
I just turned and exited down to the hallway.
Yumi coughed again, gripping my shirt tightly as her eyes squeezed shut tighter.
"Master, you're awake?" I said.
She never answered, but gazed around lazily, still breathing shallowly.
I just finally made it to her room and opened the door, kicking it shut behind me as I carried her over to the bed.
She released me as I laid her down, her legs toppling over the sides of the bed.
I let her lay there as I stepped over to the nightstand, finding a pot with a spout—clearly having steamed water in it—as well as a bowl with a rag sitting on a tray.
"Finally," I said, rolling my eyes when I thought of my servants. "You do something right."
Master Yumi continued to struggle to breathe as I poured the freshly heated water into the bowl, watching the steam mist out from it.
I set the rag in the water and pressed it in, finally pulling it out and wringing out the extra water. "This might be a little old fashioned." I said, stepping over to Yumi. "But I learned it helps with sore muscles."
She remained laying down as I lightly pulled off those medical socks that they gave her.
I just lightly ran the hot rag over her calves, cleaning off her skin in hopes to rid of the horrid stench of death. "Oh, master. To think that you've had scarring in your lungs all this time. And you didn't think to warn me one bit. Not even when I helped you with all those colds and illnesses."
"It didn't seem fit to tell you," she answered. "I thought I had it under control."
When I finished with her legs, I stood up and helped her sit up, finally undoing the ties from her hospital gown and letting it fall, and I smiled a little as I continued cleaning off her arms and torso.
She coughed again, covering her mouth, and I just gazed up at her nervously.
But when she moved her hand away, I lightly ran the cloth over her neck and face, cleaning off every last speck of that horrid neighborhood.
When I was finished, I set the rag aside and guided her back into her nightly button-up, slipping it over her shoulders and buttoning it.
I left a little of the chest unbuttoned in hopes to not strain her breathing.
"Alright, master, lay down now." I pulled back the sheets as she laid down and got under them, and I pulled them to her shoulders, making sure her head was propped up so she could breathe.
"Sebastian... water..." she said needily.
I just stepped over to the nightstand and picked up a glass of water I made sure to leave here, and I kneeled down beside her bed, pressing the rim to her lips.
She swallowed slowly, and I made sure to watch her every movement in order to assure that I wouldn't choke her.
When she finished, I pulled the glass away and set it on her nightstand, and I gazed back over at her.
She had her eyes closed as she breathed uneasily.
My lashes lowered over my red eyes, and I just raised my hand and set it on her forehead.
Her eyes parted at the feeling, but she stared into the distance.
"Master," I said quietly, "you're burning up."
She glanced over at me then, still looking uneasy.
I just brushed her hair away from her face to air her skin out a bit. "Get some rest, okay?"
"Sebastian..." she said, voice raspy, "the bodies. The... the doll girl. We need to find out who the 'father' is."
"Not right now," I told her, shaking my head. "Right now, you need to rest, my lord."
"It's an order," she replied, glaring but she looked more in pain, "go find clues or something... and alert Jack Christo—pher that..." she closed her eyes tightly, catching her breath, "that his daughter is dead...."
"Master," I soothed, smiling a little as I leaned down, "I will not."
"But I order you—"
"In the contract, it states that if your survival was at stake, I do not have to follow orders." I smiled kindly. "But nice try."
She gave me a look. "My survival is not at stake... it's just an illne—"
She coughed again, squeezing her eyes shut tightly as her body lurched at the action.
"...ness..." she finished.
I watched her with lowered lashes. "Master, it is. You are very sick. Now if you stayed at the hospital then I could go—"
"No," she said immediately.
I looked down at her.
"Hospitals are for sissies," she told me, coughing again. "I am... a Phantomhive."
I just chuckled and shook my head. "I will never understand your hatred of hospitals, will I?"
"Sebastian..." she said this time.
I gazed down at her.
"My head really hurts," she told me.
My lashes lowered as I lightly pressed my hand to her forehead again. "Burning up still." I sighed, stepping over to the rag I left and dipping it back in the hot water.
After wringing it out, I then stepped over to her. "Close your eyes."
She listened, shutting her lashes.
I placed the warm rag over her eyes, and her stance seemed to ease a bit. "Now try to sleep, my lord. You need the rest."
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