Kyle paused in the doorway, hovering on the outskirts of the family circle keeping silent vigil around the biobed Alexei slept in. Kyle knewsleptwasn’t the right word, because he was fairly certain Alexei was in a state of medically druggedunconsciousness.
Alexei looked washed out, even in the dark. The newly regrown skin on his right arm was a shiny pink color, courtesy of a regen regime. His chest and face were clear of bruises, broken fingers whole again. His left leg was elevated and encased in a portable regen device from the knee on down, proof that while Alexei may have been tanked, his healing wasn’t finished. A nasal catheter was hooked under Alexei’s nose, but he wasn’t intubated, while several IVs piggybacked into the catheters inserted into the back of both hands. Antibiotics and other fluids, Kylepresumed.
At the moment, the deep, even breathing coming from Alexei’s biobed sounded like music toKyle’sears.
“I thought I’d find youuphere.”
Kyle looked off to his left as Gracie approached him, tablet tucked under one arm, white coat unbuttoned over her scrubs. “Can you clear melater?”
“I knew you’d ask that question as well.” Gracie came to a stop beside Kyle before digging into her white coat pocket and coming up with three high-caloric nutrient bars. “Eatthese.”
Kyle took them without argument and tore into one, chewing his way through the dense, cardboard-flavored food item. He took a few steps down the hall, moving out of sight of the doorway. “Howishe?”
Gracie glanced back at the room where Alexei slept. “He’ll be allright.”
“He’sinICU.”
“For observation purposes and to finish out the regen regime. I had to tank him while I operated earlier, and that takes a lot out of a person’s system. I pulled him out early to give his bodysomerest.”
Kyle’s fingers twitched on a phantom trigger. Even with Cillian dead, he still wanted to take his anger out on someone. “Whathappened?”
Grace’s lips pursed into an angry moue before she smoothed out her expression. “Crush injury to the knee. I had to amputate because the blood supply to his lower leg had been cut off and the tissue was becoming gangrenous. The regrowth process went well overall. The nanites in the portable unit are merely making sure the tissue and bone at the join site receive no rejection. I did what I could with my power to help outwiththat.”
Kyle turned his head aside, fighting to keep his emotions under control, but they still broke through. He blinked rapidly, the sudden wetness rising up at the corners of his eyes hard to ignore. The thought of losing Alexei—the anchoring tie to his family—it didn’t bear thinking about. They’d known the risk when they signed up with Strike Force years and years ago, but that risk never seemed so starkly realuntilnow.
When his brother hadalmostdied.
Kyle was so,sograteful his family wouldn’t be receiving a folded flag in the nearfuture.
“He’ll be all right?” Kyle asked gruffly as he scrubbed a hand over his eyes, wiping away thetears.
Gracie was kind enough to pretend he wasn’t crying in front of her. “I won’t lie. It was touch and go there for a moment, but Alexei pulled through. Right now he needs a lot of rest and time with the Psych department. Him andSeanboth.”
Kyle knew no one on the team cared for therapists, but after what Alexei had been through, such care was inevitable. “How’s Seandoing?”
“Less physical damage than Alexei, but I think a bit more psychological in his case. He’s nottalking.”
“What doyoumean?”
Gracie shrugged. “Trauma manifests itself in various ways and it’s different for everyone. At the moment, Sean hasn’t found his voice. I’m hoping that, given enough time in a safe environment, the mental block will go away onitsown.”
“And if itdoesn’t?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.” Gracie turned her head to catch Kyle’s eye. “The rest of your team is getting cleared by my people. I’ll give you a couple of hours, but then I want to see you, healing powerorno.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Kylemurmured.
She reached out and squeezed his shoulder. “Alexei will pullthroughthis.”
It was easier to believe it now that Alexei was back with them, mostly in one piece. Kyle entered the medical room, nodding at his parents as Phaedra jumped off the chair beside them and hurried over to grab Kyle’s hand. She led him back to her spot and waited until he sat down before crawling intohislap.
“Will he be okay?” she asked quietly, looping her arms around his neck, staring quietly at where Alexeislepton.
Kyle swallowed around the lump in his throat, the shaky feeling of relief coursing through him making his fingers twitch. “Yeah,solnyshka. He’llbeokay.”
For the first time in days, Kyle felt like he could breatheagain.
16
