Bastien heard a faint whisper, but woke with a start when he heard it again. He looked at Kate, who was slowly opening her eyes. After almost a full day, Bastien finally breathed again. His heart was beating so fast it felt like it might burst. That tiny whisper had brought him back to life. Tears started pouring uncontrollably. He caressed her face and kissed her hand.
"Kitty, you're okay... I was a living corpse these hours I thought I might lose you," Bastien whispered.
"The baby?" Kate asked softly.
Bastien placed his hand on her belly.
"Our little princess is strong. She's okay. She's still with us," Kate smiled faintly, and Bastien pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
"I'll go get the doctor."
Bastien left and returned within minutes with the doctor, who began checking Kate.
"Well, it seems Katherine is stronger than we thought. She's responding well to the treatment," the doctor said as he checked her head bandages. "Her head is healing nicely. We'll give her a bit more blood and c