John stretched contentedly as he awoke, feeling full of energy and ready to go. He looked down to see his four girls curled up sound asleep on the bed with him, and he smiled and stretched again. Not wanting to disturb any of the young women, he lay back, closed his eyes and just revelled in the close physical contact.
With his eyes closed, he suddenly remembered the odd dream he'd had while he'd been sleeping. He recalled being embraced by radiant figures, a glowing nimbus of light had surrounded them and enveloped him, swathing him in a caring and loving aura. The feelings of peace and contentment had been heartbreakingly wonderful, like nothing he had ever experienced before, and he longed to feel that sensation again. He opened his eyes again, and shook his head as if to clear it. These disturbances in his sleep were driving him crazy; from nightmares full of terrifying horrors, to last night's dream, which left him yearning to feel that sense of love and closeness once again.
Now fully awake he glanced down again at the girls, eager for their company, but they were all still deep in sleep. He noticed the trauma kit on his lower torso, and he suddenly remembered the events aboard the Drakkar battleship. He winced as he recalled that huge four armed brute driving a steel blade through his chest, but he was surprised he didn't feel any undue pain or discomfort. Carefully extricating himself from the girls, he sat up and tentatively peeled off the bloodstained bandage, worried at the damage that might be revealed beneath. All he could see was normal looking healthy skin, and he gently prodded the area beneath his ribs, but didn't even feel any tenderness. Wide eyed with disbelief, he reached around to his back and carefully peeled off the rest of the bandage, but he couldn't feel any damaged skin there either. He seemed to have miraculously healed the severe wound in a matter of hours!
Trying to be quiet and not disturb anyone, he climbed out of the covers and then headed down the bed. He hopped off and padded into the walk-in-wardrobe, to go and stare at his chest in the mirrors there. He could see both his front and his back in the reflections, and he turned to look from different angles, but the mirrors confirmed the same thing; he was fully healed. "Well I'll be damned..." he said in wonder.
"Are you ok, John?" Dana called out to him softly, her voice sounding worried.
"Yeah, I'm feeling great actually," he whispered back quietly, as he crept back into the room.
"Holy shit! You're completely healed!" she exclaimed in astonishment, gawping at the fully restored skin on his chest.
"What is it?" Calara said groggily.
"Is everyone ok?" Alyssa, yawned, sounding exhausted.
"What's all the noise?" Jade asked rubbing her eyes tiredly, and then bundling herself up in the covers.
"Everything's fine, just go to sleep," he said reassuringly, and the three fatigued young women did exactly that.
"Come on." John whispered, holding his hand out to the perky redhead. She nodded eagerly and slipped out of the covers, following him into the bathroom, where they shut the door behind them. "How's your arm this morning?" he asked her, concerned.
"I don't feel any pain," Dana said, lifting her bandaged and splinted right arm experimentally. She began to carefully unwrap the bandages, to reveal that both the bruising and swelling around the break seemed to have disappeared completely.
"You look as good as new!" John exclaimed with surprise.
Dana poked her arm experimentally with a finger, but didn't feel any kind of discomfort. She then looked down at her shapely thigh and the hideous purple bruise had vanished as well, leaving healthy tanned skin. "We've both been fully healed!" she gasped with surprise.
"Amazing..." John said, shaking his head with wonder. "You healed so fast!"
"I know!" Dana agreed, nodding animatedly. "It took a couple of weeks for my scars to heal, but this only took a few hours."
"True, and then there's me..." John said thoughtfully. "That was a nasty chest wound. How come I healed so quick?"
Dana shrugged helplessly. "I've no idea, sorry."
"Let's go grab a shower, then we can make breakfast for the others. They looked like they needed a good lie-in," he said with a smile. His auburn haired companion nodded eagerly and they walked into the shower to get ready.
***
An hour later they walked back into the bedroom, with John carrying a tray overflowing with a full cooked breakfast for everyone. The tantalising aromas woke the three girls up, and they yawned drowsily as they sat up.
"You three look wasted this morning!" Dana said with surprise. "You've been asleep eight hours already and you still seem like you need a good night's rest."
"How come you're so perky all of a sudden?" Alyssa grumbled, rubbing her tired eyes. "And where's your bandage?" she asked suddenly in alarm.
"I'm completely fine this morning - fully healed!" Dana said excitedly, as she bounced over and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Me too," John grinned, as he brought the tray over to the sleepy young women.
The girls looked at him in surprise, and he carefully placed the tray down before turning to show them his fully healed chest.
"Wow! That's amazing," Calara exclaimed, then stifled another yawn before suddenly frowning with irritation. "I feel exhausted this morning, and I wasn't even involved in the battleship fight."
"Perhaps you'll feel better after having something to eat," John said comfortingly, uncovering the lids from the various piles of cooked food on the tray. He handed out plates and cutlery, and the girls tucked in, eager to get started on the mouth watering feast in front of them. They hungrily ploughed through breakfast, but still looked tired after they were done.
