She was startled by the sudden movement of her mother falling to her knees beside the bed and Artemis felt herself being gathered close to her mother's bosom, somewhere she had not been held so close to for such a long time. Artemis had always loved her mother, of course, but she had not wanted to be held close, figuratively and literally, during her childhood. She had been loud and rambunctious and it had been rare for her to stay still for long enough to be held, but she had been immobile for nearly a month now and she allowed herself to be held closely, not feeling the strength to respond in any way. The young Marino would not have fought the embrace, anyway, and with her weakened state, she could do nothing but allow her mother to lavish her with kisses and to hold her tightly.
As her mother held her, Artemis' question went unanswered, but more questions formed in her mind at the words her mother spoke and the way they caught in her throat. She did not realize she had been asleep for so long, did not realize at all how close to death she had come, though she knew that something was certainly wrong. She had been playing with Denali... Right? It did not make sense, how she got here, and she did not understand what her mother meant. "Perso me? Che è successo?" she asked weakly, her voice quieted by her body's state of weakness, as well as the confusion and the closeness with which her mother held her.
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