Eleri came alone this time instead of K’kaen. She checked Cassie’s stitches while Örim sat at the table on the other side of the room.
“How are you feeling today?” Eleri asked.
“Örim gave me some more painkillers.”
“Good.” Eleri took her hand and checked under the bandages. The painkillers were doing their job, but she still winced when Eleri revealed the deep, ugly wound. “Stitches look clean. No signs of infection.” Eleri sat back on her heels. “Any numbness or itching?”
“Just painful.”
“That’s normal. It’ll be a few days, and then the itching will probably start. The stitches are designed to dissolve on their own, so if you see green thread, it’s just the stitches falling out.”
“Any new care instructions?” Örim asked from the corner, where he was trying his best to look busy with his datapad.
“No, but if you don’t mind putting this in the cold box. It’s oral medication for Cassie to take once you run out of injectables.” Eleri handed him a bottle, which Örim took into the kitchen area. Alone for a brief moment, she turned to Cassie.
“I’m so sorry this is all happening, Cassie. I’m glad you’re still here. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
“I’m ok.”
“Ok. But if anything changes, I’m here.” Eleri placed a hand on her shoulder and then collected her supplies together just as Örim returned from the kitchen.
“Everything ok?”
“Everything’s fine. I’ll be back in two days to visit again. Let me know if anything changes.”
S’samph or K’kaen were obviously waiting for Eleri outside because Cassie heard the rumble of a levibike engine. As she sat in the center of her pillow nest, Cassie held her breath as Örim approached.
“I’ve called out of my teaching duties until everything is resolved. Is there anything you’d like to watch while you’re resting?” He held out his datapad to her, but Cassie rejected it. She didn’t want to watch anything or do anything. She just wanted to sleep and pretend none of this was happening.
“Alright, I’ll come sit with you then.” Örim joined her in the pillow nest, sitting close enough for her to feel the contours of his body against her. He scanned through holos on his datapad, reading more quickly than she realized was possible.
What are you reading about?she finally asked.
“Human scar tissue formation.”
Oh.It was the same tone Eleri had used to explain how damaged she was after her voicelock imploded. She drifted, slipping in and out of uneasy sleep. Eventually, Örim woke her again with a gentle press against her shoulders.
“It’s time to eat again, Cassie. Do you need to pee first?”
Reluctantly, she nodded. They repeated the same procedure. She peed. He stood at the doorway. She pretended he wasn’t there. He tried to offer her something else to eat and ended up feeding her another dry protein bar instead. Then they returned to her pillow nest where he continued researching and Cassie stared at the wall.
Örim turned on a lamp to illuminate the interior of their home just enough for Cassie to see as the dim light trickling in from outside faded. She started to flip through her datapad, staring at mostly nothing as some holos played in the background. It wasn’t until Örim tried to drag her up for another meal that the hollowness building inside of Cassie exploded outwards.
I will literally die if I have to eat another protein bar.
“You have to eat something.”
It feels like you’re punishing me. I just want to take a shower and go to bed.
His datapad went dark beside her. “Eating isn’t supposed to be a punishment. Can we revisit this after you have a shower?”
“Are you going to watch?”
“I’m not doing this because I want to.”
Then stop.
“I can’t.”
