“Much better and worn out at the same time,” Rosalie said candidly. “It was a lot to take in tonight. It is still the same night, isn’t it?”
“Morning on the planet actually.” Corilly gave Maxxil one coffee and offered Rosalie the other, which she declined with thanks.
“Did Treylon, did he actually turn into a dragon?” she asked Maxxil. “Or was I hallucinating after getting hit in the face?”
“He did shift, yes,” the officer replied. “He’s back in human form now.”
“But how? I mean, I’ve never heard of such a thing outside of novels.”
“It’s not my issue to explain, it’s his,” the Ardannan said. “I can say certain bloodlines are known to have the capability, although it’s quite rare. I believe the last one in Trey’s family was his great-grandfather. They can shift under certain…conditions.”
She wasn’t satisfied but could see how uncomfortable the discussion was making Maxxil.
Corilly gave her date a nudge. “I’d like to speak with Rosalie alone, doctor to patient, if you don’t mind.”
He gave her a startled glance but obediently got off the chair and headed for the door. “I’ll be right outside if you need me. There are fulltime guards assigned to you as well.”
“Sounds like he’s gone high handed again,” Rosalie said with a smile. “Thank you.”
As soon as the door closed, Corilly sat on the edge of the bed. “How are you doing, really? I mean, obviously I know the physical status, but this must have been huge emotionally.”
Rosalie gulped, eyes filling with tears she couldn’t control. As she broke down the other woman gave her a hug and a literal shoulder to cry on. “I was so scared. They were going to rape me in front of him and then kill me. I was fighting as hard as I could?—”
“Don’t fault yourself because you couldn’t go all superheroine and save yourself from determined, armed terrorists,” the doctor said, rubbing her back. “None of what happened on the planet was your fault or your problem to solve.”
“Trey solved it all right.” Rosalie gave a shaky laugh and took the tissues Corilly handed her. After blowing her nose and discarding the tissue in the mini recycler beside the bed, she said, “I wish you could have seen it. It was like a scene from an action trideo or a romance novel. He became a literal fire breathing dragon in front of my eyes, to save me, which he did. I mean, that’s the reason I’m sitting here in one piece and I still can’t believe it.”
“We have to remember the Ardannans aren’t human,” Corilly said. “We share a common biological design as so many peoples across the galaxy do, up to a point and we’re compatible species but bottom line, we aren’t exactly the same. Were you afraid of him?”
“No, not at all.” Rosalie shook her head emphatically. “Not even when he picked me up. I knew it was Trey and he knew it was me.”
“I think I would have been.” The other woman’s shudder spoke volumes. “Maxxil assured me he doesn’t have the capability of changing into a dragon or anything else, which was a relief, I have to say. I might have to rethink the whole thing if he could!” She assessed Rosalie with a practiced eye and checked the monitors. “Feeling better?”
“Quite a bit, thank you. I guess I needed to have an emotional outburst.”
“You’ll probably need more than one,” Corilly said, standing up. “Seriously, you should probably find a therapist when you get back to Earth or wherever you go next. Speaking as your doctor now, I’d say to expect episodes of post traumatic stress. Flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, that kind of thing. All perfectly normal.”
As if I could afford therapy, Rosalie thought with grim amusement. I don’t even have a job right now and no savings. And my Twilka bathing suit burned up in the bungalow so I won’t even be able to resell it.
There was a knock on the door and Maxxil stuck his head in. “The prince is on his way. His shuttle just landed on the hangar deck.”
Corilly patted her shoulder. “We’ll give you a few minutes to yourself before he gets here.” She tugged Maxxil out of the room, for which Rosalie was grateful. Kind as the couple was, she did want at least a little time to prepare for seeing Trey again.
And hearing what his plans for the future were where she was concerned.
She got out of bed, surprised at how shaky she was and made it to the tiny bathroom. One look in the mirror and she was horrified. Part of her hair had evidently burned off and a section was singed. She had huge circles under her eyes, and a black eye and swollen cheek where the terrorist had struck her.
There was a knock and the door opened in the room behind her. “Rosalie?”
She straightened her spine and turned, walking out of the bathroom with all the dignity she could muster, although the vertigo ruined the effect.
Trey stood inside the closed door, devastating in a military uniform, bare headed, sleeves rolled up to display his impressive biceps. His face reflected nothing but concern for her and he rushed forward as she tripped, catching her before she fell and carrying her to the bed.
“Did the doctor say you could get up?” he demanded.
“No one said I couldn’t.”
“It probably never occurred to anyone you’d try. You weren’t supposed to be left alone.” His frown was epic.
