Highland Magic Ch. 29

The sun was setting in the hills when Maggie finally opened the door to the small cottage. Closing it softly behind her, she looked down at Cien. He sat with his back propped up against the cottage wall. He looked up at her expectantly, like a child. A sad smile eased her lips before she sighed and looked into the distance.

"How does she fare?" He asked quietly.

Maggie was silent for a long time, simply gazing out into the setting sun. Finally, she sighed and looked at the ground. "She bleeds. It is inside her body, draining into her.

There is nothing for either of us to do." She stopped and looked at Cien carefully. He was staring off into the distance. "She pains, and I have given her something to help her sleep. The lass will not make the night. Of that I am sure, Cien." Looking away, she fought tears of her own.

She blamed herself. She could see into the future, and the past. She should have known. She should have stopped this from happening. Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks, and she whipped at them angrily. This was all her fault.

Taking a deep breath, she forced the guilt back down. "She will want ye by her side, Cien, when she departs this world. She will want ye with her." Cien nodded, mute. Standing on shaky legs, he turned to Maggie. He could see the tear stains on her cheeks, but didn't say a word. He knew she wanted to save Regan, that she would do anything she could for her, but there wasn't anything she could do.

He stepped inside the cottage and turned to Maggie. "Nay, I'll wait out here, Cien. Ye two need your time together while ye have it." And she turned away walking further into the woods.

Cien turned back to the cottage, closing the door behind him. Regan lay with her face toward the wall away from him. He thought she was asleep. Pain welled deep inside of him, such as he had never known. Taking a step toward her, he realized she was awake. She lay on the small cot, tears running down her face. Maggie had told her. She knew she was dying.

Cien didn't even realize he'd moved until he was on his knees beside her, clutching at her hand. He felt his own hot tears running down his face, and didn't care. She turned to him and broke out into loud sobs. Clutching her hand to his lips he kissed it over and over again.

She reached up with her other hand and pulled him down, holding him to her. They cried together, her tears streaking his shoulders, and his running down her neck. And together they mourned. They mourned the loss of their love, of their future together, their hope of a family.

"Donna leave me," He cried into her shoulder.

"I don't want to go," She sobbed into his. "I l-love you, Cien... I love you...so m-much. I ...wanted to m-make babies with... you and s-spend our lives t-together." I shuddered out as she sobbed.

Pulling back from her, he began to wipe her cheeks. "I love ye, Regan. With all of my being I love ye. I would wait eternity for ye, and wait I will." He wiped all the tears away, and tried to wipe the fresh ones as well. "I donna want to spend the last of our time mourning. Joy. Let us be happy we found each other."

Regan let out a short sob. "I am so grateful I met you." She started wiping at the tears on his face. "I never thought I could be happy about going back in time, but I met you. I never thought I could love the way that I do now."

"Will ye wait for me?"

"Everyday from here to eternity." She answered, looking deep into his eyes. "Your the best thing that has ever happened to me. I want you to know that. I couldn't ask for more."

Cien closed his eyes against the pain in his body. It was a physical ache. He felt like he was going to vomit, and there wasn't anything he could do about it. The feeling was only getting worse, not better. Opening his eyes, he could see the pain in her eyes.

"Does it pain you much?"

"Yes, but whatever Maggie gave meit'sts making me sleepy." She shook her head. "I don't want to go to sleep, Cien. I don't want to lose any moment of being with you." Fresh tears leaked out the corners of her eyes and slid down into her hair. "I wish we had more time. I want to be a wife to you."

"Joy. We must talk about joyful things."

"I don't have anything to talk about."

"Tell me of your future. Tell me of your life there."

Regan smiled. "Alright." For the next hour and a half she talked about her life in Portland, teaching, and her family. She had to clarify what things were every now and then, and Cien listened, trying desperately to memorize the sound of her voice. She told him of her dream of coming to Scotland, and how she had finally made it and how she came to be in his time.

Finally the tiredness won and she fell asleep midsentence.

Cien sat beside her all that night and when her last breath fell from her lips, he was there, holding her hand, and whispering love words into her ear. He kissed her gently on the lips as she passed away. Kissing her hand, he stood and placed it on her chest.

She looked so peaceful, and he knew that God would welcome her into his house with open arms. That didn't stop the tears falling down his cheeks. He clasped his hands together and bowed his head, giving her the last rights.

When he finished, he looked down at her, whispered his own goodbye, and turned out of the cottage. Maggie was sitting where he had sat earlier that night, waiting for her. Now it was his turn to deliver the news. Maggie looked up and he only nodded.

She burst into tears, and he knew there was no comfort in him to give her. With a deep breath he walked into the woods, far away from the cottage and dropped to his knees. It was only then that he lost all composure, screaming his pain into the darkness. He slammed his fists over and over and over into the ground, screaming through the pain.

As the sun rose in the sky, his strength was depleted and he fell helplessly into the dried leaves of the forest floor. His eye lids heavy, his last coherent thought was that he needed to find a place for the burial.