He considered his options. Going back to Teös would leave him exactly where he’d started, if not in a worse position, because now, he’d done exactly what they worried he was going to do. He’d almost killed someone. Perhaps he had killed someone. Örim tapped his chest node. No. He couldn’t consider that outcome. Cassie had to survive. If Cassie died. If she didn’t wake up as a result of his work, he might fully crack.
CHAPTER 15
Örim
The late evening sunlight dimmed as the brighter sun set, and the whooshing rhythm of the ventilator was interrupted by heavy footfalls as someone entered the clinic.
“Eleri? I am here.” S’samph called out to his mate, without paying any mind to anything else happening. He marched through the clinic, tracking a distinctive trail of dust behind him as he moved through the space with alarming speed.
“S’samph.” Eleri emerged from a room off the clinic’s main atrium. Her face was red and swollen, and Örim watched warily as S’samph’s frill rose into a defensive position.
“Eleri. You are covered in salt. What has happened, my mate?” His tongue flicked out along the swollen skin under her eyes. Eleri took a single rattling breath, glanced over toward Cassie’s prone form, and then burst once again into the same gasping sobs. S’samph gathered her into his arms in a single, practiced motion, and the node at Örim’s chest ached. Hewanted to provide comfort like that for Cassie. Now he’d be lucky if she even acknowledged him after what he’d done to her.
When S’samph had finished tending to his mate, he turned his attention to Örim. Whatever ire he might have faced from Eleri, Örim was much more concerned about her mate’s reaction. Örim wasn’t a large male. He was average for a teösian, but S’samph was large for a latil’e, and the size difference was even more apparent the closer he got.
Örim rose from his seat, trying to at least meet the latil’e face to face.
“I will keep this brief because we are in a sick bay, and disturbing Cassie’s peace is the last thing I wish to do.” S’samph’s frill was at full mast, tail thrashing violently behind him. “First, you will apologize for upsetting my mate, which somehow, is the least of your transgressions."
"I did not mean..."
S’samph cut him off with a single hiss. “I do not care what you meant.”
Örim stilled, clutching his wrist nodes tightly. “I apologize for upsetting Eleri.”
“Next, and you will think very carefully about your answer, you will explain to me why a female under my care is faced with uncertain terms of survival.”
Örim quavered under the weight of S’samph’s fury. “It was an accident.”
“It was not. Lie to yourself if you must, but do not lie to me.”
Örim’s electrical core stuttered as he tried to find adequate words to express the catastrophe he had wrought. “I failed. I didn’t pay attention to Cassie when I was trying to access her voicelock.”
“You ignored my warnings. This tiny, damaged human female might not survive the night. If she lives, you will stay away from her. She is not for you. If you so much as look in thewrong direction, I will have you exiled from my town. Let the IA decide what to do with you for nearly killing one of their special refugees. If she dies, I will throw you in a cell and wait for the peacekeepers to drag you back to Abwele. Are we clear?”
“Crystal.” Örim felt his electrical core steady as S’samph backed away two paces. Without another word, he gathered his things and left, even though he would know no peace until he got word of Cassie’s status.
CHAPTER 16
Cassie
“Get up, Cassowary.” The Aviarist nudged her with his foot as the medical team entered the room behind him. “I expect better of you. Manage your clients. I’d rather not replace valuable merchandise.”
“I am so sorry. Let me try again!” Cassie’s voice pitched high with enthusiasm while she struggled to breathe through what must be cracked ribs. Maybe a broken nose. She wasn’t quite sure. The client had been angry. He was new and clearly not stable enough to be in a pain clinic. She had miscalculated. The Aviarist was right to be upset. She should have been more cautious with a new client.
The Aviarist made a disgusted noise. “Get her to the medical room. Take her off service for the next two weeks. I’ll see if Hawk can handle this client instead.” Cassie watched the patent leather of his shoes as he walked away. She knew she’d bepunished for her failure as soon as she was well enough to take it.
When Cassie woke, sunlight flooded her eyes. She tried to lift her hand to cover them, but everything felt weighted down. Eleri sat next to her bedside, reading something on her datapad. She smiled sadly when she caught Cassie’s glance.
“Hey, how are you feeling? Don’t try any big motions just yet. We have you on an IV drip of a few different painkillers plus a nutritional supplement.”
Cassie placed a hand on her pounding forehead. Everything seemed like it was covered in a thin veil of fog. She blinked away the disorientation and tried to ask the obvious things. She made a few hand signs, but knew Eleri only recognized a few of them.What happened? Where’s Örim? How long was I asleep?Despite her flurry of questions, Cassie suspected none of them would be answered.
“I’m sorry, I can’t read your signs very well yet.” Eleri frowned apologetically. “I’ll keep practicing, but let me try to give you all the important information that I can for now.” Eleri glanced over to where Aglao was attending to another patient before refocusing her attention on Cassie.
“Please know we’ve done everything we could. You were in bad shape by the time Örim was able to get you to us.”
Cassie nodded, her chest tightening. She was used to bad news. What was worse was the not knowing. The pit in her stomach at the unknown behind the door. It was why she always preferred familiar clients to new faces, even if they were allequally horrible. Eleri smoothed her hands over the blanket at the foot of Cassie’s bed before continuing.
