Long ago, in one of the science books โ ๐๐ง๐๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฒ & ๐๐ก๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ, which was often snatched from me by my psychotic family for my 'abnormal' curiosity to seek alternative methods of helping besides prayers, I remembered reading an article for fainting cases. If the swoon was not a symptom of a stroke, or otherwise extreme accident, you'd have to shock the system back from shock, ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ.
So I did just that, pulled Dominique's unconscious head by the veil and vigorously slapped her cheeks to rosy tint, until her lids slowly lifted to reveal semi-dazed, cinnamon eyes.
"Oh, Virgin MaryโฆJesus in heavenโฆ.thank GOD!" ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐ง๐ถ๐ค๐ฌ! I heaved a sigh of relief, overjoyed to see that color โ brown! At that moment, brown seemed to have become my favorite color, so warm, so human.
I just felt impossibly guilty looking into her browns for what I had done to her. Nevertheless, I had to do something to mend my recklessness.
"Whaddaaaโฆwh'atโฆisโฆgoโฆingโ"
"You fainted, okay? Fainted. It's alright nowโฆit's allโโright." I reassured.
She blinked at me, highly disarrayed. Pupils dilating โ contracting โ dilating โ contracting, as they adjusted to the harsh lighting and my unnerved physiognomy.
I thought of Asmodeus. ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐น๐ฉ๐ข๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ค๐ฉโฆ
"How are you feeling? Nod if you're okay and if nothing hurts."
She seemed to had exerted all of her strength for that one nod, but she managed.
"Okay, sister. I will now help you get up. Can you stand up for me? Hereโฆ" I propped my arm under hers, gripped her tight to reassure I had enough strength. "Lean on me, okay?"
She cautiously lifted herself upright, but wobbly and dizzy, she swayed and flopped down on the chair despite my grip, and she did it so abruptly I thought she'd faint again. Her head shook in slow-mo, distress and confusion knitting her brows into one. A pitiful sight.
I could only imagine what she feltโฆone instant sitting all sky-high elated, about to tie cute ribbons into cuter bows, and the next moment โ can't even get up. How much of her time was even wasted on that chit-chat with Asmodeus? At least I was the one who paid for the time she had lost.
๐'๐ฎ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ณ๐ณ๐บ, ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฆโฆ
"Heyโฆ" I rubbed her shoulder, looking once more into her gentle brown eyes for self-assurance, "don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Just stand up slowly and lean your weight on my shoulder. We justโwe have to get you to the infirmary, so you can rest. Think you can do that for me?"
She appeared utterly overwhelmed, gawked at me with her helpless, glossy eyes like a fawn. God, she looked so miserable I could cry...
I rubbed her back some more, circled my hand around to soothe her.
"It's all right, Dominique. I got you. Okay? I got you." ๐๐ถ๐ค๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ, ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ท๐ช๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ. ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆโฆ
She exhaled, nodded cautiously slow.
"All right then, let's go."
We tried two more times where she'd get up and flop back down, and rise once more and fall on the chair. She'd get frustrated with her useless limbs and I'd be like, "You're doing great!"
Third time was a charm, and she was standing, more stable and leaning on me like I'd begged her to do.
Inching ever-so-slowly, we looked like siamese twins or some mutated zombies with limbs intertwined, trying to wobble our way to our destination.
One of the nuns saw us struggling, hopped in and without questioning supported Dominique from the other side. Like this, we guided the nun to the very bed.
As soon as Dominique's head hit the pillow, she immediately dozed off, going into a dream deep enough to give off gentle snores.
And again, watching her drained body, with those eyelids nearly glued, and those strange, occasional finger twitches, I couldn't help but remember Samson and his passed-out body. And I couldn't help but be horrified to think of what would happen if Asmodeus used her body the way he used bodiesโฆdeath, no less.
Thank Heavens he let her off the hookโฆ
I watched Dominique's chest rise and fall for a long time, for tens of hours, it seemed, comforting my conscience with her breathing, grateful she was alive.
In the back of my head, however โ a nagging worry that she would still die, bleed somehow or suffer a stroke or something else horrific, that Asmodeus would still take her life mercilessly like the heartless, ruthless, unscrupulous evil that he was.
I fought that dark fear of losing Dominique for even longer, if felt, as I stared at her, pet her, squeezed her miniature hand that felt like putty, and the longer I watched her peaceful breaths, the more I counted them, the calmer I became.
Then when the fear diminished significantly, I pulled a blanket over her some more and left, remembering why I put the poor girl through this misery in the first place.