Melody had never been prone to night terrors before the potion. An occasional one when she was under duress, perhaps, but never a frequent enough occurrence to make her fearful of sleep. Some of her reluctance to rest stemmed from the thought of never waking again, she knew. The potion was sold with the promise of a gentle night and instead Melody woke confused and disoriented nearly three days later in the hospital. Her irrational fear was justified this time, she was certain of it.

However, it wasn't only the thought of never waking again that kept her tossing and turning in her sweat soaked sheets, but the dreams she suffered through as well. The child she — they lost haunted her with cries she could never soothe. Then, she would turn only to face Ben's fury over their marriage once more. The days of unconsciousness provided a steady stream of memories and fears playing on an endless loop.

It was lucky she slept at all.

The only positive to come from the entire ordeal was that the healers were somewhat able to manage her illness. A collection of potions and she was still vomiting at least once a day, but she was able to manage the nausea usually for the rest of the day. Certain smells and tastes still triggered her illness, and she certainly couldn't stomach the thought of most meats, but it was better. Progress, at least.

She was making her way back into her bedroom from the powder room when the sight of Ben's open door caught her attention. Their relationship was strained as ever, any closeness achieved in light of her ordeal gone when he ignored her birthday and, largely, her for the last few days. She wouldn't have greeted him either if not for the blood soaked bandages he was removing.

Not waiting for permission to cross into his room, Melody closed most of the distance between them to have a better look at his injuries. "Merlin, Ben. What happened?"