Chapter 22: Good Medicine
"Ennnggghh..." Merrick moaned as he lay on the rollaway cot, realizing that he is now in Adam's bedroom. He can hear Adam's voice talking. He peeked as he saw Adam standing at the doorway, his back facing him, and holding up a small object to his ear.
"... Yes, Captain? It's Adam... Yeah, I'm calling to ask if I might have the next few days off? ... It's um..." Adam sighed and paused, "It's about my... Best Catch... Yeah... No no, we're back together... Well, actually, that's not the best way to put it... It's just... He's... He's on his deathbed, Captain..." Adam said as his voice trembled, "I need to be with him, please... All right, thank you... Ok, thanks, Captain, I really appreciate this... Goodbye..."
Adam brought the cellphone down, and leaned on the doorframe. After taking a moment, he walked away, and into the kitchen. Minutes later, he came back with glass and a purifying pitcher of water -- the kind that filters water. Adam put them on the nightstand, and gently caressed Merrick, "How're you doing, sweetie?"
"I... I feel heavy" Merrick moaned feebly, "And so hot..."
"Really? Lemme check..." Adam put his hand onto the blonde's forehead, "... Oh my God!" He put the back of his hand onto his forehead "You're burning up!" Adam got up, and ran back out, and came back with an ice pack wrapped in a cloth, "Here, keep this on your head," He then poured some cold, fresh water into the glass.
"Wait, Adam," Merrick began coughing and moving off to the side of the bed. Adam hurriedly grabbed the bucket, and held it for the merman. Merrick grabbed onto it, tucked his head into it, and began to vomit a mess of blood and oil again. His eyes clenched and watered as his body forced out the morbid contents of his insides. Adam gently rubbed Merrick's greasy back as he heard his lover suffer.
After a couple of minutes of hurling into the bucket, Merrick shook as he lay back down. Adam wiped up his mouth. Merrick curled up and started to cry. Adam looked sadly onto his love, wanting nothing more than to curl up with him and hold him close.
"It's... It's just not fair..." Merrick whimpered, "I love you, Adam..." The merman shuddered and sobbed "I don't wanna die... I don't wanna die..." Merrick cried profusely as Adam rubbed his arm.
"Honey, I have an idea," He said hastily, "You said merfolk don't waste anything that they eat, right? What if you kept drinking water, huh? Wouldn't it get the oil out of your body?" Merrick sniffled and shook his head, "C'mon, sweetie, you say there's no cure, that not even a Noita can save you, but lets at least try this, huh?" Adam said as he offered the glass of water. Merrick's reddened, blue eyes looked at the glass, "Please..." Adam said, "I can't live without you..."
Merrick reached out his shaking hand, and gently pressed it around the glass. He attempted to take it, but it slipped from his oily hand. Adam caught it before it could spill, but then gently slipped his hand below Merrick's head. With his other hand, he gently held the glass of water to the merman's lips, and let the water flow into his mouth.
~~~
The day went on and on. Adam stayed at Merrick's side, not even leaving to get something to eat -- the only reason he'd have leave was to get more water for Merrick.
Jamal put on his jacket, and glanced into Adam's room. Merrick coughed weakly as Adam gave him a very gentle sponge bath, having laid a large beach towel over his bed and tending gently to Merrick, with various parts of Merrick's body blue and silver from the moisture of the sponge.
He sighed sadly as the blonde would start hacking and coughing, before Adam would pick up the bucket, and gently rub him as he vomited into the pail.
Adam groaned as he poured another glass of water, but it slipped from his oiled hands. "Ah dammit," He swore as he picked up the glass. It's getting harder to keep Merrick awake long enough to have him drink the water. He fears his time is coming...
"Huh?" Adam turned his head to see Yuri coming in with a couple of PB&J sandwiches and two glasses of milk.
"Here. You need to eat something," She said. Adam wiped his eyes and accepted the plate and glasses.
"Thanks, Yuri..." He mumbled as he took a bite; regardless of a slight nagging of hunger in his gut, he felt extremely reluctant to eat from feeling so much of this grief. She sat down at the end of the bed, moved her hand under the ice pack.
"... His fever hasn't gotten any lower." Adam sighed as he set aside the food.
"I know..."
"... I'll go get some saline and an I.V. for him" She said as she got up.
"Yuri, that's all the way at the hospital." He groaned in response, feeling exhausted as well.
"I know," She said as she turned to look at him from the doorway, "Oh, and for the record... I would've believed you." She said with a soft smile. Adam nodded and looked to his merman again as Yuri went out, and drove off.
~~~
All day at this, and Merrick doesn't show any signs of getting better. He's had to have had 50 glasses of water already, but he's still perspiring grease, running a fever, and vomiting blood and oil occasionally. It's dusk now -- it's dark outside as well.
Adam's eyelids are growing extremely heavy as he rubbed the wet sponge onto Merrick's belly for his 7th sponge bath. He has not slept a wink since he brought Merrick here. His will power is dwindling as he began to see images, before his body finally gave in, and lowered down, asleep.
~~~
"~Ã¥AaaaaaaaAAAAAAAaaaaaaaooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhOOOOOOOOOOooooooonnnnnnnnnn~"
"Mmmmgghhh..." Adam slowly woke up, suddenly jolting up and realizing how dark it is! He checked his cellphone.
2:18 AM
He put his ear to Merrick's chest again. He sighed as he heard a weak heartbeat, still resonating in his chest.
"~Saaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrooooooooooaaaaannnnnaaaaaaaaaaa~" He blinked as he heard a woman singing. It reminds him of the siren's voice from 5 years ago, but this voice is on a slightly deeper pitch, like she could be singing in an opera. He felt a cold wind blow through his open window as the voice flowed through the breeze. He got up, but looked at Merrick. He wrapped the towel around him, and kissed Merrick's cheek, before taking the back way out.
"~Hoooonnnnnooooorrrrrrruuuuuuuaaaaaaaannnnn~~" The female voice sung out as Adam ran into the very windy night. He carefully listened for the wondrous singing, and looked in several directions before walked in one of them.
There, he spotted a grown woman, shined by the moonlight. As she sang, the wind whirled around her long, flowing platinum blonde hair. She walked slowly with her dainty feet, feeling the winds willow and blow around her long, flowing white dress -- the fabric gleams and shines in the moon's rays, as if it's woven with magic infused inside it.
Adam trotted up to her, and followed her to the small cliff over by the beach as she continued to sing, as if luring him to the ocean. She stopped at the cliff, singing a long, beautiful note as she sang to the ocean. He waited until the last lyric finished, before saying something.
"E-Excuse me, Miss?" He said. The woman gracefully turned around, looking at him with silvery eyes, as her hair and veil dress danced to the flowing wind, "Is there anything I can help you with? Are you lost?" He asked.
The woman then started drop backward. Adam gasped as he sprinted up to her, "Miss!" He called out as he held out his hand, and missed her by inches as she fell off the cliff. "Oh my God!!!" The woman fell from the cliff, and splashed into the sea. Adam walked back, and ran back up to the cliff, and dove right in!
Adam grunted internally as he felt the icy bite of the water numb his body. He swam and looked around, looking for the woman. As dark as it is, and as clearly as Adam can see, he can't see anything white around! It's like that woman dissolved into the water itself...
He moved his arms to push forward, until he felt his arms stop. He gasped as it felt like his arms are being... Squeezed. It's like the water around his arms thickened to a point where it's like gravity and density intensified around him. He struggled, and felt a tinge of fear as he felt his legs sealed and held in place, just like his arms! Then, his torso felt pressed upon, like the water is thickening everywhere on his body! He felt the cold force push onto his neck, and push around his mouth.
'~Do not try to escape...~' Came a gentle, stern tone, '~I can end you at any moment...~' A mystical voice that echoed around and inside his head. Adam's eyes darted around, until he spotted a glamorous, pearly white mermaid with a veil-like body with long, white tendrils on her head. On either side of her are thin, semi-transparent, cloak-like membranes run from her wrist, and reached to her hips. Her long tail flows with a long, veil-like tail fin.
'~This shall not be long. I know humans cannot survive in the sea~' She loomed gracefully around Adam, her mouth not moving at all as she slowly circled him. She looks just like the mermaid on the beach the other day... Except THIS one is much bigger and has more veils and frills around her body...
'~The one you keep in your land-ship...~' Her voice rang in Adam's head, echoing and rippling in his inner ear as Adam's own house came into his mind, '~The one who is poisoned by the black blood of the earth...~' Images of Merrick floating in the water with red coming from his mouth and gills, and resting, coughing in a bed. The memories are being forced into his immediate thoughts. He grimaces with emotion as he sees his love stained as such in his mind.
'~His time in our worlds grow shorter and shorter as you keep him in your dwelling~' Adam couldn't help but tremble in fear -- he can't move, she has him just where she wants him, and who knows what this mermaid can or will do to him.
'~Your healers cannot help him~' He watched as the mermaid's veiled body undulated very smoothly in front of him as she swam slowly around him, "~Nor can we of his pod can give him aid~" She isn't talking at all... Or is she? Is it telepathy? Merrick said only mermen can do that... What is she?
'~There is only one way to save him~' The mystical mermaid then turned herself as she drifted in front of Adam, her gleaming eyes looking into his.
"~Seek out Atarah. The Forbidden Ancient~" For the first time, the mermaid's mouth moved, talking as her eyes flashed. Images of a swamp and a river with crystal clear waters flashed in Adam's mind, along with a mysterious figure, a female, and an image of Adam, holding Merrick in his arms, "~For it is only she who knows the secret of purification~"
The next thing Adam knew, the mermaid is swimming away from him, her voice still echoing in his head. '~He has but one sun left...~' His eyes grow heavy again, as if the water is lulling him to sleep '~Do not allow him to perish...~'
~~~
"GUH-HHHHHHHHH!" Adam gasped out as he sat right up! He shivers madly as he looked around, realizing that he has washed up on the beach near his home. He jumbled as a wave washed up to him. Adam then looked up at the faintly lit sky - it's early dawn.
His heart pounded as a single statement echoed in his head:
"~~~Seek out Atarah. The Forbidden Ancient~~~" Those words in that mermaid's mystic voice bounced around in his mind as he looked at the water. It seems to real to be a dream, but it seems too fanciful to be real.
Who is Atarah? Where does he find them?
Regardless, Adam turned around, and sprinted off.
~~~
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