Palmer got to his feet.“Really.But I need to go back to the infirmary.I want to make sure that Yorga and Ash got there all right and that they’ve started the treatment.”He hesitated.“But I’ll see you soon?”
That didn’t sound like he was going to ask Killian to keep Rune away from him.That was good.“Of course,” Rune promised with a smile.“I’ll come back tomorrow to check on Twig.”
“It’ll take a little while for the new meds to start working, but he should be fine.”
In the end, that was all that mattered.Even if Rune never got to work with Palmer again, as long as Twig was okay, he’d take it.He just needed Twig to be all right.
And Palmer would make sure that he was.
* * * *
BY THE TIME PALMERgot to the infirmary, Yorga and Ash had both arrived.He went to work immediately, ordering their treatment and making sure everything was as it should.He and Kessa had talked about this at length, so he knew what to do and what to expect.Unfortunately, he’d have to wait at least a full night to see the first improvements, which wouldn’t help his nervousness.
He didn’t go home.He wouldn’t have been able to sleep, anyway, so it wasn’t worth it.He spent the night in the infirmary, checking in on his patients and thinking about Rune.
What had happened in Rune’s room?Why had he hugged Palmer?
Palmer had enjoyed it, and he’d wanted more of it, but he’d needed to come back to work.Now that they knew what was going on and everyone would hopefully be okay, though, would something change between him and Rune?Had the hug only been comfort or a celebration, or was there more to it?
Palmer really couldn’t afford to enter a relationship with the king’s half-brother, but something told him that wouldn’t stop it from happening.He and Rune worked well together, and Palmer couldn’t deny that he was interested in the dragon.Rune was sweet and always tried to make himself helpful.He’d been working with Palmer and keeping watch over him while Palmer was busy with his books.He hadn’t been offended that Killian had chosen him of all people to play babysitter.He’d done so eagerly, clearly wanting to help, and he had.Palmer couldn’t tell whether or not he’d have thought about the poisoning if Rune hadn’t been working with him, but he was sure things would have been much worse for him.Rune had supported him for the past few weeks, and Palmer was grateful for that.
Besides, it had only been a hug.It wasn’t like Rune had declared his undying love for Palmer or anything like that.Maybe he really had just been trying to comfort Palmer.Maybe Palmer was reading too much into it.
Maybe Palmer should go home and get some sleep.
Instead of doing that, he got up from the chair behind his desk and went to check in on his patients again.They were all sleeping, and he didn’t want to bother them, so he didn’t do a full checkup.He did enough to be sure that Twig’s fever had broken, though.He still looked pale, but he was resting more peacefully, which hopefully meant the treatment was working.Palmer would find out in the morning.He absolutely did not want to bother Twig now, and there was no reason for him to.
He went back to his office and leaned over his desk.He couldn’t go home, not without being sure that everyone would be okay, but he could take a nap on his desk.It wouldn’t be the first time, and he suspected it wouldn’t be the last, either.
*
SOMETHING STARTLEDPalmer awake.He was out of his chair before he could think about it, already moving toward the door.“The patients?”he asked.
Rune stood at the entrance of Palmer’s office, holding something.“They’re fine,” he said.“Twig’s still asleep.”
“What about Yorga and Ash?”
“Ash still looked out of it when I walked past him, but Yorga is awake and eating something.”
Palmer blinked hard, trying to get the sleep out of his eyes.“She’s eating?”
“Without throwing up.I’d say they’re getting better.”
“I need to check on them.”
Rune raised a hand.“Or maybe you could check on them later, once you’ve had time to eat.”
“I need to make sure they’re okay.”
“Like I said, Yorga looks like she’s fine, and Ash and Twig are still sleeping.There’s no need to rush, and even if they wake up before you’re done eating, there are plenty of nurses out there.They’re not alone.”
Palmer sucked in a breath.His neck hurt because of the way he’d slept on his desk, and his mouth tasted like something had crawled into it and died.His stomach growled at the smell of whatever was in the bag Rune was holding, and there was nothing he wanted more than to give in and sit down to have breakfast.“I’ve already done enough damage,” he murmured.“I have to make sure the treatment is working.”
Rune’s gaze softened.“You will, but waiting a half hour isn’t going to change anything.Besides, do you really want to wake up Twig and Ash?You’d be the first to say that they need rest to heal.”
Palmer flopped back into his chair.“They do.”
Rune gave a nod, clearly satisfied that Palmer was giving in.Palmer didn’t blame him.He was right.Palmer needed to give the dragons time to heal and rest, and fretting over them wasn’t going to help.
