Sighing she walked over to the couch and sat down on the edge of the table. Forcing herself to smile she reached out and softly shook his shoulder. Instantly Liam opened his eyes to look at her in confusion. Then a smile broke out on his face.
�Dr. Park! Are you okay?� he asked her and she touched his cheek.
�Yes, I am fine. That�s not what I have heard about you. You should be more careful, Liam. We don�t exactly have spares for you, you know,� she chided him playfully and he smiled.
�I�ll be more careful from now on,� he promised and he pushed himself into a sitting position, wincing as he did so.
�Liam, there is something I have to tell you about, but I want to do it in private, not here,� said Melissa as she helped him to his feet and he nodded towards the bedroom door.
Once inside Melissa closed the door behind her and made him sit on the edge of the bed, before squatting down before him. For a moment she looked at the floor as she composed herself. Even after nearly 15 years as a doctor she still had trouble telling people that she had not been able to save their loved ones. That she had to give a similar message to Liam now made her feel even more uneasy. Looking up into his suddenly scared face she took his hands in her own.
� Liam, what I have to tell is not easy. I want you to know how very sorry I feel for having to be the one to tell you this, but I wanted you to hear this from a friend rather than in the news.� Pausing for a moment she took a deep breath, �Lilli is dead.�
There, she had said it. Looking up at him she saw the news hit home as his breathing quickened. For a moment he just looked back at her, than he pulled his trembling hands from her own and stood up. Pacing the room he suddenly turned to her, anguish written all over his face.
�Who told you this lie?� he demanded and she shook her head.
�It�s the truth, Liam. I am so very sorry. Lilli really is dead.�
Turning away from her again Liam fought the tidal wave of feelings that was about to wash him away. First his father and mother, then all the countless others he had been powerless to save. And now Lilli. In the end there was nothing he could do but give in. In the spade of a single moment the last 24 hours caught up with him. Slowly he sank to his knees and buried his face in his right hand as wracking sobs shook his frame. Instantly Melissa sat on her knees beside him and she pulled him against her, rocking him back and forth, constantly murmuring comforting words.
�It�s okay, Liam. Let it all out. Just let it all out,� she whispered into his hair.

Ten minutes later Melissa emerged from the bedroom, looking utterly exhausted. Softly she closed the door behind her and sat down next to Julienne. Silently she accepted the cup of strong, black tea the other woman handed her and for a while she just sat there, sipping the hot liquid.
�How did he take it?� asked Augur quietly and for just an instant Melissa felt anger flare up inside her. Of all the stupid questions�! Then she forced herself to calmness. Right now they all suffered from frayed nerves. It really was not Augur�s fault.
�Not good,� she answered as she wearily ran her hand over her face, �He�s sleeping now. He is exhausted.�
�As we all are,� nodded Julienne as she put her arm around the shoulders of the other woman, �You most of all, Melissa. Why don�t you try to get some sleep?�
�I will in a few minutes. There�s something else, Julienne. He felt warm just now.�
�Damn! I was afraid of this!� muttered Julienne and Augur felt fear rise up inside him.
�What are you talking about?�
�Liam may be developing a fever. It is hardly surprising, considering the amount of blood he has lost and the circumstances of the operation. It was only a matter of time before an infection would settle in the wound.�
�And what can we do about it?�
�Not much, except keep him as comfortable and cool as possible if the fever becomes worse. If this had been a hospital I would have had him on antibiotics since last night, but neither Melissa nor I have access to antibiotics right now. So all we can really do, is sit back and hope for the best.�

Soon Melissa retired to the spare bedroom to get some much-needed rest. As Augur tried to occupy himself by concentrating on the news, Julienne went into his bedroom to check up on Liam. Seating herself on the edge of the bed she studied his face and her heart ached to see the pain there. Dark lines beneath his eyes showed his exhaustion, both physical from his wound and emotional from the news of Lilli�s death. A faint flush coloured his cheeks. As she reached out her hand to touch his cheeks and forehead he suddenly woke up.
�What�s wrong?� he mumbled sleepily and she smiled.
�You�re running a slight fever. Nothing to worry about. Go back to sleep.�
�I don�t want to sleep anymore. I want to find the one who killed Lilli,� he whispered and unshed tears glistened in his eyes. Julienne softly stroked his hair.
�We all do, but right now your body needs to rest and heal. Close your eyes and sleep, Liam.�
�Will you stay for a little while? I don�t want to be alone right now,� asked Liam and in that moment he sounded every bid the terrified 7 months old child he really was beneath that self-confident exterior he showed to the people around him.
�I�ll be right here, I promise,� nodded Julienne and Liam visibly relaxed. A few moments later his eyes drifted closed and his breathing steadied. She waited until he was deeply asleep before getting up and leaving the room. Augur looked up.
�How is he?�
�The fever is slowly getting worse, but I was expecting that. He woke up when I checked his temperature, but he�s sleeping again now. Is there anything new?�
�Not really. But that means that there�s no bad news either for now. I�m willing to settle for that.�

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