“He took care of you but didn’t look after himself?” Kelevra seemed to find this information fascinating. He’d brought the metal tray he’d gotten over to Rin at some point and Rin was picking at the plate of fruit absently.
He kept frowning at his brother while he pretended to eat, clearly concerned even though they were in the hospital and their doctor was one of the finest on the planet.
Bay understood the feeling. He was also freaking out internally and trying his hardest to keep it all together on the outside. Panic wouldn’t help anyone, least of all Sila. Right now, he should just be grateful he’d been included and no one had tried to kick him out of the room. They’d even gotten the doctor to look him over as well.
That was…nice.
It was a far cry from having a blaster aimed at his face, that was for certain.
“Do you happen to know where the patient has been all day?” Ome asked.
“He was with us earlier,” Rin supplied, chucking his chin toward Kelevra.
“He made a trip to the shuttleport after,” Bay said, and he could tell that this was news to Rin. “Then he came to find me. We were on Sickle Bridge for a little and then…” He pursed his lips.
“Crescent Street,” Rin told the doctor, and him. “They were in a house on Crescent Street.”
Rebecca let out a whistle. “Nice neighborhood.”
“Any unusual substances there?” Done with Bay, the doctor moved over to the machine the nurse had vacated a while ago and clicked a few buttons before humming to himself. “As I’ve thought.”
“What is it?” Rin asked.
“There are signs of a foreign substance in his system,” Ome explained. “He was poisoned.”
“What?” Bay shot off the bed and almost fell, catching himself just in time.
“I advise against any sudden movements,” Ome said. “You’re running on fumes right now, Mr. Delmar. I’m going to prescribe you a sleep aid. You should try and get some rest to recover.”
“I’m fine, thank you.”
“It’s not like there’s anything you can do,” Rin told him. “Unless of course you know who poisoned him?”
“And with what,” Ome added. “Unfortunately, it’s coming up as an unknown in our system.”
Bay felt his stomach plummet. “What does that mean?”
“Can you not treat him?” Rin demanded to know.
“We’ll do our best, of course.” Ome didn’t seem convinced.
“Can I borrow your multi-slate?” Bay held his hand out to Rin, assuming he’d agree. “I might have someone who can help.”
“I can have a team of toxicologists here within a half hour,” Kelevra stated. “Who could you possibly know that would be better than them?”
He set a cold stare on the Imperial Prince. “Berga Obsidian.”
Rin immediately offered up his device. “Call him.”
Chapter 29:
He felt a lot like that time he’d been acting as Rin and had been dared to jump off the Highgate Bluffs back in middle school. Sila had hit the surface of the ocean hard enough to jar his entire body and he’d needed to be fished out by his brother and some friends. The end results had been a couple of broken bones and two weeks of bedrest due to a high fever.
Everything ached and when he came to, it was slowly, as though unconsciousness was trying desperately to cling to him. His eyes were sticky and gunky and he had to pry them open, only to be met with the harsh overhead glare of a blinding white light. The curse heaved out of him, said in the private language between himself and his brother, and then hands were on his arms, helping to lift him into a sitting position.
Sila blinked and processed it was his twin, and then the rest of his surroundings came into focus.
Hospital.
