“What will happen to him now?”
“EvO is going to speak to father, then we will see.” He nods his head before walking out the door. Laying my head back down, I gently run my fingers over his long, blue ones. I remember how he held me close, protecting me from the falling ceiling panels, and the look on his face when he kissed me goodbye on my forehead. Those thoughts are the last thing I remember as I drift off to sleep.
A beep from one of the screens has me jerking up, and I sit back as the long arms that had been working on his burns fold back up into the ceiling. In some places, his skin looks almost new, like they grew it and folded it over the worst of his burns.The tube has been removed from his mouth, and he somehow appears clean. I must have been sleeping harder than I realized to have missed all of this.
Standing up, I stretch, then head quickly into the bathroom. Splashing water on my face, I stare up at the girl in the mirror. She has dark bags under her eyes, her hair is sticking up everywhere, but she doesn’t look lost like before. Making sure not to be gone long, I practically run back out, only to find EvO, Rafe, and ViN standing around Falon’s bed. The captain turns toward me with the raise of an eyebrow.
“What’s the matter?”
“Forgive us, Edie. I was not made aware that you were here with him.”
“Where the hell else would I be?”
“Once again, I apologize. We only came because LeX thought that he would be awake, but it seems he is still sleeping.”
Rylie and LeX stroll in the door, and suddenly the place feels very crowded.
“LeX, I thought you said Falon should be awake?”
“He should be, EvO. His vitals are back to normal, and he is mostly healed. If you had told me this time last rising that he would be on the mend this quickly, I would not have believed it. I do believe it is mostly due to his enhancements. Once he is awake, I am going to ask him for permission to run further tests. The species that experimented on him as a youngling were able to modify and change things that are against all laws of physics as we know them.”
“You think he should have awakened already, LeX?”
“Yes, there is nothing I can see on the scans that would say differently.”
LeX leans over Falon and gently taps him on the cheek. “Falon, are you with us?” He looks over at EvO and the others, and I can see the worry on his face. No movement, not even a twitch. Now I’m concerned.
“I hate to do this, but I may need to be a little more forceful.” LeX walks to the end of the bed and pulls the cover up that is hiding Falon’s massive feet and takes a pen out of his pocket. He hits something on the side, and the end turns a pale blue. I see a small spark just as LeX touches the bottom of Falon’s foot, but he still doesn’t react.
“This is unexpected. I will have to run more intensive tests. It seems his body has healed, but his nerves are not telling his mind that.”
“Keep me updated. Father has asked to speak to him.”
Everyone but LeX leaves the room, and I just stand there looking down at Falon. “Now that they’re gone, tell me what’s wrong.”
“Something is blocking him from awakening. I am going to run a brain frequency and nerve test … see if there was something I missed the first time.”
I step back out of the way and settle on the couch, watching as LeX is in total doctor mode. He brings in machines and runs scan after scan. All of them show green on the main console, but I have no way of really knowing what that means. Several hours later, he steps back, shaking his head. He turns, looking at me, and I can see the questions on his mind.
“You can’t find anything, can ya?”
“No, and I have run everything I have. He should be up and running around, not lying in this bed. It is almost like he has lost his link to this world. His physical body is here, but his spirit is not. I am going to recheck a few tests and then refer to a couple of medical journals to see if there is something I am missing. I hate to ask you to keep staying here with him.”
“It’s fine, I have nowhere I need to be. If anyone can figure this out, it’s you.”
LeX walks out of the room, and I can tell this is really bothering him. I lean over the bed to brush a stray hair off Falon’s face, gripping his face gently in my hand. “Where you at in there big guy? You know, I hate to admit it, but I would love to see one of those killer smiles of yours about now.” I run my fingers across the marking on his shoulder, and I swear I see his arm twitch. Leaning down further, I lay my head on his chest, his heart beating strongly against my cheek. His beautiful, full lips beckon me closer. Without thinking, I simply react and I’m not disappointed. The moment my lips meet his, they’re just as soft as I thought they would be. I’m just pulling back when a set of strong arms drag me further onto the bed, and I suddenly find myself lying on top of a very alive male.
“Falon,Oh my God,you’re awake! Thank heavens. Just minutes ago, you were unresponsive. How do you feel? Let me up, I need to go get LeX.”
“I think I will keep you right here. Did you miss me, little morsel?”
“Maybe, but I’ll never admit it.”
“That is my female! If I had known my imminent death would have me waking with your lips pressed against mine, I wouldhave had Destiny prepare to launch me out of the airlock sooner than she threatened.”
“You scared the hell out of me. You still haven’t told me how you’re feeling? Let me go you brute, you’re still healing.”
“Beautiful female, you will stay where you are. I would be lying if I said things are not a little fuzzy. My skin seems overly sensitive but having you in my arms helps.”
