Orion was lying on his side, staring at her. She had the most adorable round face, with a playful little chin.

   “What?” She asked with her nose still buried in her book. When he didn’t answer, she looked up. He was breathing heavily, “Orion?”

   “Nothing,” he thought for a moment. “What color is your hair?”

   “I call it dishwater blonde.”

   “May I see?”

   She looked at him almost confused. But she did take her hair down. To Orion when she shook her head, it was in slow motion. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders resting on her breasts.

   “It’s beautiful.” He panted.

   “Thank you. I don’t like it because it’s not a color.” She ran her fingers through it. “When I look in the mirror I see strands of white, blonde, gold, and light brown.”

   “That is why I like it; it suits you. Hair as complex as the personality wearing it.”

   “What would you know about the complexity of my personality?”

  He moaned, “Based on the women I know. You are the most complex.” 

   “Would you care to explain?” She closed her book staring at him with utmost curiosity both professionally and personally. She put her book on the seat beside of her then went over kneeling in front of Orion. He was sweating profusely. She wiped his face with her hand, “Orion.”

   “My mother is a loyal devoted loving woman.” He panted, “My sister would have been better suited to meet you. She is in it for the now.”

   “Instant gratification?” she got up to get some water from the bathroom.

   He reached for her, “no, don’t.”

   She held his hand as he struggled, “then keep talking to me.”

   “Not instant gratification,” he continued his conversation about his sister. “She’s willing to wait on something’s. I call it the ‘Now Factor’ it’s whatever gives her the quickest greatest amount of pleasure.”

   “Why would she have been better suited to accompany me?”

   “This train makes five stops before we get to our destination. She would have enjoyed the shopping.” He groaned in pain.

   “Then why are you with me?”

   “Honestly. My parents are worried to death. I think they thought it might help me.”

   “I can understand that.” He gripped her hand with amazing strength as he continued to breathe heavily. “What is wrong with shopping?”

   “Nothing, it just isn’t something I enjoy.”

   “You don’t strike me as a man’s man?”

   “Why is that such a bad thing?” He hissed.

   “I never said it was.”

   There was a long period of silence; he was trying to breathe; trying to keep some of his self-composure. “The other woman in my life is my wife. She’s just, for lack of a better word, cruel.”

   “I thought you said you ‘was’ married once? I took that the mean that you used to be married.”

   “I did.” 

   Sarah could see that keeping him talking was actually helping him through this. She was confused as to how to keep it rolling. She wanted to call him a big freak and a weirdo but she didn’t. Instead she asked, “Then why marry her?”

   “I didn’t”, he gagged, “have a choice.”

   “Dr. Carter asked me if I would come to visit him. He told me he worked for the House of Morian. Am I to assume you are the Crown Prince? With the people that I’ve met on this adventure calling you Lord and sir”

   “I am.” His chest was on fire. His lungs burned and his ribs ached.

   “I’ve read reports that you are ill. It always did amaze me that the press makes so light of it. And Jack is an excellent doctor, for him not to be able to help you is dumbfounding.”

  “Why are you here?”

   “Jack only told me he needed some advice.”

   “Jack?” He scoffed. “He has worked at the palace for 12 years; I never knew his first name was Jack.” He gagged, “Oh dear God make it stop.”

    “You really should let me go so I can go to the bathroom. Water and a towel would be really helpful right now. Or I can call the porter.”

     “Keep talking to me.”

  He squeezed out, “are you married? You never did answer me.”

   Sarah studied Orion’s face as he stared at his glass of wine. He didn’t look happy at all. There were no little laugh lines around his mouth or eyes. The flesh around his eyes looked dark and sunk in. He reminded her of a sack of bones. Every time he moved it seemed to pain him. 

     He looked up at her. “What?”

   She shook her head, “Nothing. Sorry.”

   Even his eyes were lifeless and dull. 

   The waiter entered with their soup.

   “This smells wonderful.” She purred.

   “Thank you,” replied the waiter. “I will extend your compliment.”

   Orion took three spoonfuls of the soup. He didn’t touch the bread, and only sipped at the wine.

   “Not hungry, my lord?”

   “Please, don’t.” He sighed, “My name is Orion.” 

   “As you wish.”

   “No, I’m not.” He sat back in his chair. The waiter removed his bowl. Orion looked across the table at Sarah. “Do not hurry because of me.”

   “I won’t because this is really good.” She wiggled in her chair. 

   He smiled almost laughing.

   “He can smile.” She teased.

   After dinner, he escorted her back to the sleeping room of the train car. He took off his white coat exposing a white tee shirt underneath. He hung the coat in the closet where the porter stored her bags. He then kicked off his shoes side by side as if he had bent over and placed them there. 

   “White socks,” she remarked.

   “I was in a white mood this morning.”

   “I see.”

   He turned, walking back to his respective seat. A groan escaped him as he clutched his abdomen. 

    She watched him, “are you okay?”

   He leaned over his lap. She sat down beside of him rubbing his back. She could feel all of the vertebrae along his spine. It amazed her that he was able to stand upright.

   “It will pass.” 

   “Is there anything you need me to do?”

   “No, I will be fine.”

   She got up, returning to her seat. He stretched out, falling asleep. At some point he opened his eyes. She was still fighting with her book, but had gotten a pen and was making notes as she read.

   “Feeling better?”

   He sat up. “Food makes me sick.”

   She placed her pen inside the book, closing it. “That isn’t natural. Our bodies are designed to use food. Does all food make you sick?”

   “Don’t play doctor on me.”

   “As you wish,” she opened her book continuing to read.

   He got up disappearing through a door beside the one that lead to the dining room. When he returned, he said, “That is the bathroom.”

   “Thank you, I am sure that will come in handy.” She didn’t look up from her book.

   “I’m sorry. I had no right to snap at you. I will not let our resident doctor near me.”

   “Afraid of doctors?”

   “When I first became ill, no one could diagnose me so I gave up.” He stretched back out on the seat.

   She looked up from her book. “You don’t make noise when you sleep.”

   “What does that mean?”

   “Just an observation; I’ve never met anyone like you. You lay down and that’s it.”

   He rolled onto his side to face her. “What noises do you make?”

   “I moan and groan; so much so that you might want to get another car. I toss and turn. I have horrible allergies sometimes so much so that I can’t breathe and I wake myself up snoring. Most mornings I wake up more exhausted than when I went to bed.” She paused for a moment, “and I have horrible nightmares that makes sleep difficult.”

   “What makes you think I will be the one looking for a new place to sleep?”

   “I’m not uprooting myself to accommodate you. If you don’t like it, leave.” She wiggled her nose.  

   “Do that again.”

   She looked stunned, “what?”

   “Wiggle your nose.” He smiled.

   “Why?”

   “I like it.”

   “I shall not wiggle my nose until it’s time.” She wiggled on the seat.

   “You big tease,” He smiled.

   “So what if I am?” She stiffened up at that comment.

   “Are you married?”

   She scoffed, “what does that have to do with this conversation.”

   He took a deep breath, “no.”

   “What about you?”

   “Once,” He paused running a finger over the white mark on his ring finger. “Do you ever sleep? We’ve been on this train 12 hours. I haven’t even witnessed you yawn.”

   “You have been asleep most of these 12 hours; you would be hard pressed to know when I sleep.” He kept changing the subject on her so she thought she would point out his obvious oversights.

   He just looked at her, anticipating her answer. She noticed that his chest was moving rapidly and that he really wasn’t focused on anything.

   “Not much.”

   “Interesting?”

   “How so?”

   “It’s just interesting. He rolled back over facing the ceiling. She assumed he was asleep. He didn’t move a muscle. She got lost in her book again.