Mint and Honey

[heartofcourage]

"Did things get worse with your mother?" Yasmine asked with concern written on her face from the glance that Alex gave her.

 

[KieranSoares]

"No. My mind just races about all the possibilities, what could happen, what I can do to prevent some things, how helpless I am to prevent others. I'm... anxious about it all, to say the least."

 

[heartofcourage]

“There’s no need to be nervous or anxious. Everything will turn out alright.” Yasmine said softly, knowing hat Alex would worry about things no matter what. “I’m sorry that I kept you away for so long in Palmyra.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"You didn't keep me, I stayed," Alex corrected her. "I won't have you blaming yourself for that. And while it would've saved her some worry if I'd come home right away, Ma's problem is between her health and my grandfather. There's not much I can do to change that whether I'm here or across the continent." He reached across the table to curl his long fingers around her darker hand. "And I'm glad I stayed with you... Otherwise I would've missed our chance."

 

[heartofcourage]

“We might have had other chances.” Yasmine contradicted stubbornly.

She squeezed his hand as he sought to reassure her, telling her that the problems his mother was facing had nothing to do with their time away from Inverness.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Unlikely," Alex shook his head, eyeing her as if to remind her of all that had happened. "If I hadn't stayed, you might be dead in the middle of the desert somewhere. That's not to say I'm special, but you didn't have another healer on hand after your run-in with that viper woman's mercenaries. I hate to think what might've happened if I hadn't been there... Your sister never would've forgiven herself if you'd died on her watch."

 

[heartofcourage]

Yasmine simply raised an eyebrow at his passionate statement, declaring that she would be dead if he hasn’t been there. He didn’t let on to much but it seemed that he felt very deeply about her and her future with him.

She was about to say something when Jeanine Ghis suddenly appeared at their table. She was ready to take their order, but she glanced towards Alex and asked him something in a very soft voice in French. Her face looked as if she were barely holding herself together.

“There’s been pain in my chest for a few days.” The lovely young woman murmured softly, glancing towards her husband to make sure he wouldn’t overhear and worry. “I don’t want Seamus to know in case something might be wrong. He so desperately wants children, but weak hearts run in my family.”

Yasmine sat quietly as Jeanine spoke in her native tongue, not wanting to intrude on the moment in the least.

 

[KieranSoares]

Alex looked up as Jeanine approached, only relinquishing Yasmine's hand as Jeanine whispered to him and Yasmine saw his expression change to one of professional concern. His posture straightened, and he spoke up, drawing upon his knowledge of a vast array of languages, in French. "You should've come to me sooner, love," he murmured, the word 'love' coming out in Italian instead of French as per a habit from his grandfather. "When do you finish here? I'll see you right after if you like. Or in the morning, if it's too late." He gave a glance to Yasmine, silently asking her understanding and patience as a family member came to him for help.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I don't want Seamus to know." Jeanine whispered softly, glancing towards the bar one more time as she saw Seamus serving up something to Silas, the little boy grinning at his cousin as Gerald was busy with pulling a keg from the cellar. "Maybe when he goes with Gerald tonight to get more ale for the week."

Seamus had been a confused and angry soul when she first met him. He told her all the time that she was his saving grace and that he couldn't live without her. She worried that he might slip back into the same habits that he had once had. He had worked so hard to let go of his old anger, to be a man that his parents could be proud of.

"He absolutely can't know." Jeanine insisted again, a moment of discomfort making her brow furrow slightly before she forced herself to relax and her features returned to normal.

 

[KieranSoares]

Alex's eyes narrowed on Jeanine's expression as her features changed for a moment, knowing from that alone that it wasn't something to put off. "I'll be around, then," he promised. "And we'll leave Seamus out of it for now. But if it's serious, Jeanine... you should tell him. You'll need him."

 

[heartofcourage]

Jeanine nodded as Alex said that, taking their order before she disappeared back behind the bar to do her job. Yasmine watched her go, curious but also knowing that it wasn't her place to ask questions of Alex if he didn't want to tell her.

"Duty never waits." She said softly, reaching out to take his hand again. "And you'll always answer that call."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Especially when it's family," Alex nodded, his gaze turning back to Yasmine. "I'll have to stay here a while to meet with her, but I'm yours afterward if you want me." He took her hand in both his own.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'm in no rush, love." Yasmine said softly, giving his hand a squeeze to prove her statement. "Perhaps we can ride some drakes when you're done. It's been a while since our have had a proper ride."

 

[KieranSoares]

"True. I'm sure Fatin thinks I abandoned him," Alex smiled lightly. "I really should start training him to work with me."

 

[heartofcourage]

"People would run screaming if you showed up with a drake as your pack animal. And what about your horses. I thought you couldn't do without them?" Yasmine posed the questions as their drinks were served, Seamus placing them on the table in front of them before he was off again.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I think people would love Fatin. Drakes are starting to get a good reputation around here. People feel for them because we tend to buy the rejects, the ones not pretty enough to serve mainland lords. And I do love my horses, but I have to admit to myself that Fatin would be far stronger, faster, smarter, and he has far better intuition thanks to his intelligence. Not to mention drakes have very dexterous front feet. I could teach him to do things like moving people I'm not strong enough to move alone, how to rake up weeds with his claws, all kinds of things." He smiled at the thought. "Horses aren't much more than beasts of burden and good pets and friends compared to drakes."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Since when did you become an eternal optimist?" Yasmine asked with a smile as Alex dreamed of all of the things that could be done with a drake that had some training. "We can start on his training whenever you have time."

Yasmine stuck with Alex after dinner was over, going with him a short time after the tavern closed to the small house that Jeanine and Seamus lived in. The little house was slightly isolated on a piece of land that Seamus had bought with money earned from his aunt Julia. It was small but well built, showing French influences that he had done just for his beloved bride. Jeanine kept it tidy and clean, well decorated, and a small garden always growing just outside. Seamus was in the process of building a small barn to house their horse and a few goats and chickens that wandered in the field beyond.

Jeanine opened the door as soon as Alex knocked, glancing towards Yasmine for a moment and then looking down the small road that led towards the town. "He'll be gone for a little while." She said softly as she ushered the duo into her living area and closed the door behind her.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Don't worry, love. If he comes back while I'm still here, we can tell him it's just a normal checkup. After all, you two have been planning on children for a while," Alex reasoned. "And Yasmine is just waiting on me." He nodded to Yasmine to wait in the den while he followed Jeanine to more private quarters where he spent a good few minutes checking vitals and listening to her heart. His brow furrowed as he did, not expecting the lack of rhythm.

"Hm..." Alex stood up straight and took a notebook from his bag, jotting down notes. "You said weak hearts run in your family... I just have a few questions to narrow it down. Have these other members of your family been prone to drinking too much? And how much alcohol do you drink?"

 

[heartofcourage]

“Neither Seamus or I drink. He’s had a problem with it in the past and wenjust agreeed that it was best to keep it out of our lives entirely.” Jeanine said softly, thinking about her own family history with alcohol. “Both of my parents died of over drinking. It’s a common theme in my family.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"Well, it's best if you avoid too much of it yourself. A glass of wine won't hurt you, though." Alex didn't look up as he wrote. "You have an irregular heartbeat. It's not terribly uncommon, and if it's been causing you pain, it's a bit more serious. It may be the warning signs before a heart attack." Alex met her gaze at that. "We can take preventative measures with medicine and diet changes. And it would be in your best interest to avoid stress."

 

[heartofcourage]

“Life isn’t stressful here. Seamus takes care of the hard things.” Jeanine said softly as Alex told her that everything she had been experiencing could be a precursor to something more serious. “But what about children? He wants them badly. After getting the chance to finally be an uncle, becoming a father is something that he takes very seriously. We haven’t been stopping things from taking a natural course for the past few months.”

 

[KieranSoares]

Alex nodded, evaluating his notes before flipping through to something closer to the front. After a moment of consideration, he looked to Jeanine again. "Pregnancy is tough on even those in perfect health in low stress environments. It's a risk for you, love, especially the actual birthing process. That's what kills. That said... I have been learning from those traveling were healers how to deliver a child when the mother isn't able. While I don't want to plan on a procedure like that... That may be what happens if your health is threatened. And of course before any of that, you're more likely to have a miscarriage if you undergo too much stress for too long. I need you to understand that the entire process of pregnancy is a risk to you and a baby. But if you're willing to take that risk, I can support and monitor you the whole way through. I'm confident in my skills, but I can't stop stressful life changes or misfortune. It's up to you."

 

[heartofcourage]

Jeanine quietly sat there and contemplated what Alex was telling her. She knew that she needed to have a conversation with her husband about their future together.

“Would you stay to talk to Seamus? I have a hard time explaining in English sometimes and his French isn’t good enough to ask complicated questions.” She asked softly.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I can stay a while," Alex nodded, putting his things away. He then offered a smile, "I still can't believe you married that oaf, Jeanine. You're in for a long haul with him." Alex had a soft spot for Jeanine, being one of the people she went to as a translator when more complicated topics came up. Her English was fine, but Alex could translate things that were difficult to change between languages.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You don't understand him like I do." Jeanine said in earnest, knowing that Seamus had taken her out of a very difficult situation and given her a very beautiful life in Scotland. "I owe him everything that I have and more."

Jeanine welcomed both Yasmine and Alex into the living area for some drinks and refreshments as they waited for Seamus to come back. The town bell was just ringing nine when the front door opened and Jeanine met him with a smile and a kiss, asking him to join her in the living area with Alex and Yasmine.

"There are a few things we need to talk about, Seamus. Alex can explain better than myself." Jeanine said softly as she sat on the cushioned seat with him, holding his large hand in her own tightly.