The voice was different. It was not inside his head, and it was friendly. Daer called out to him. "Breathe, Blayze. Let us know you are in there." Daer returned several times. Why? Where had he come from?
Another voice. It must be the dream, the one he often had. Belle softly spoke, "Blayze, I need you to hang on. You can do this. You're strong. I saw you fight on the oil rig. You did it for me. Do it again. We need to go dancing. I bought you new boots. This time I won't run away. I regret that I ever did. Please, Blayze. I love you." It was such a nice dream, but he had to leave it.
The heart monitor screeched. The lines were flat. Dr. Davis shocked him. No response. Daer came from doing surgery on Condor and pounded his chest. He backed off so Dr. Davis could shock Blayze again.
"No, Nno, no, please no!" Belle screamed into his face. "Come back to me! Please," she begged, her tears falling on his cheeks.
One blip. Two. His heart started up anew. Belle laid her head on his chest and listened to each beat, while the doctor finished his job. The offending device landed with a clank on the table. The wound was closed. His head was bandaged. "Now we see if he can breathe on his own," the doctor stated. He removed the ventilator. The room was silent. Then, Blayze drew a breath. His heartbeat was regular. His vitals were good. The waiting game began.
Belle refused to leave, and neither physician dared argue. Condor's surgery was over. They worked on Promesus together. It went quick and without complication. Belle clung to Blayze.
"You need to eat," Daer came to tell her. She refused to leave.
"I'll stay. Go get some sleep," James said, hours later. No dice.
Morning came. Maxxus appeared. "I was going to use force to carry you out of here, but Josie scolded me. She says you should be allowed to remain as long as you wish. She would not leave if it was I. Instead, we are bringing in a bed. You will be able to lay at his side, possibly sleep for a few moments. May we move him?"
"Yes," she answered weakly. She tried to move out of the way. Her muscles were frozen from staying immobile for so long. Hands were there to balance her. She was shocked to discover they belonged to Condor and Promesus. She hadn't noticed they were awake and doing well.
Blayze was placed on the soft, clean bed. The monitors were removed. Only the IV remained. She curled against his side and placed a hand over his heart. They were left alone.
"We need to have a conversation, mister," she said sternly. "You've slept too long now. I need you to wake up and tell me everything that happened to you. How dare you disappear from my life just because I'm a foolish girl? I searched for you every day. I bothered your neighbor a lot. I even braved returning to the weredragon liaison building. You know how they didn't want me there. I have a confession to make. I broke into your apartment. Well, I guess it wasn't exactly breaking in since you left the door to the roof open. I had to find out where you were. I'm sorry we were too late to stop them from taking you again. They messed with your mind. I hope you remember me, us. Wake up when you're ready. I promise I'll be here." She finally drifted off.
Blayze had heard everyone speaking. He so badly wished to answer, especially Belle. He wanted to tell her he had not left her on purpose. He had not been given a choice. He was awake and yet he could not move or speak. Inside he was crying out, but no one heard. He needed to tell her of the danger. She must leave. His orders were to kill her, and he could not fight the implant. That much he remembered.
It felt so good to be near her. The hand on his chest gave him hope. Her soft voice did not bring forth the aggression or anger he expected. She smelled of vanilla, like always. Should it not make him crazy? She gave him permission to rest. He believed her promise and let himself slip into the dark.
Cold and wet: that was what he felt. Icy water dripped off his forehead and ran down his neck. He commanded his eyes to open. Surprisingly, they obeyed. Red hair: he focused on the red hair until Belle turned back. Her shocked gaze met his, and she gasped.
"Blayze, can you hear me? Blink if you can."
He complied.
"Can you speak? Just one word, even a sound would do," she said.
He was afraid to open his mouth and try. He could release the biologic and kill them both. He shook his head.
"Does it hurt? I mean your throat. Condor and Promesus say theirs don't. We took out their capsules at the same time as yours, so if your throat hurts, we need to know. There could be an infection."
It was gone? He was free of the contaminate? He croaked, "Safe?"
"Yes, you're safe. We rescued you and your cellmates. The device in your head is gone too. Do you know who I am?"
"Belle," he replied. "Where?"
"We're at my ranch. There's a lot to catch you up on. We weren't sure how much damage they did to your brain. We still aren't, though it's a good sign that you recognize me and can speak."
"Secrets for you,"
