should have killed you, and if I hadn’t brought you here, they would have.” The thought still made him nauseous. “For all intents and purposes, you don’t exist in that world, anymore. So, no, prya , I’m so sorry, but you can’t go back.”
Even if she could, he didn’t know if he could let her.
“I’m, uh, I’m still pretty tired.” Easing away from him, she leaned back against the incline of the mattress and pulled the blankets up to chin. “Maybe I’ll wake up and this will all have been a dream.”
“Okay.” Knowing nothing he could say would comfort her, Vane stood and bent over the railing to place a soft kiss on her forehead. “Rest. Things will be better tomorrow.”
Her eyes flew open, and she grabbed his wrist. “Where are you going?”
Confused, Vane placed his hand on top of hers and studied the lines of her face. “I thought you wanted to be alone.” As inept as he could sometimes be at reading certain social cues, the abrupt dismissal had been kind of hard to miss.
“I don’t know what I want. I feel like I don’t even know who I am right now.” Pulling her hand back under the blanket, she stared up at him through heavy-lidded eyes. “I just know I don’t feel so scared when you’re here.”
Vane pulled the ugly recliner closer to the side of her bed and resumed his seat. “Sleep now.”
“You’ll stay?” The words came out slow and slurred as her eyelids drooped lower.
Vane dared someone to try to make him leave. “Rest. I’m not going anywhere.”
* * * *
The next three days proved to be a test in patience. When she wasn’t being poked, prodded, and tested, Charli dozed. Her appetite hadn’t returned yet, but she had managed to choke down a bit of plain rice. Still, she felt better for the most part, and she was tired of being cooped up in her room.
The doctors hadn’t cleared her to leave the hospital yet, but by day three they did allow her out of bed. As promised, Vane had convinced the staff to let him stay past visiting hours. So every evening, he came and walked the empty hallways with her, and then he sat by her bed and read to her until she fell asleep.
Well, she thought it might be evening. The sun hadn’t made an appearance since she’d arrived, which made it difficult to gauge the time. Xavian had brought her a watch with a holographic projection face and about a million different functions. Charli appreciated the gesture, but she had yet to learn how to operate it, not even to tell her the time.
Vane had explained that they measured hours and minutes on Nekron much the same way humans did on Earth. However, the Nekros had shorter years and only one day and one night during that time. Almost two hundred days—or moon cycles, as they called it—of darkness was just too depressing to contemplate.
“Good morning, Charli.” Doctor Zhorn Breccan stood in the open doorway and grinned at her.
Charli still couldn’t get over how huge everyone seemed compared to her. While her five-foot-eight frame had been fairly average back on Earth, everyone she’d met in the hospital towered over her, even the women.
“Good morning,” she responded pleasantly. For the most part, she liked the doctor. She’d like him even more if he’d discharge her. “Have you come to pardon me?”
The doctor’s broad shoulders shook when he chuckled at her, and the deep rumble of his laughter had Charli smiling as well. Brushing his mop of shaggy brown hair out of his eyes, he pulled what appeared to be a sheet of clear glass from the pocket of his sparkling white lab coat and flicked his finger over the surface.
“You’re color looks good today, and the nurses say you were able to eat a little for breakfast. How are you feeling?”
“Bored.” Tucking her legs under her, Charli sat up cross-legged on the bed and rested her hands on her knees. “When can I get out of here?”
“I’d like to run another round of tests to be on the safe side, but if everything
Even if she could, he didn’t know if he could let her.
“I’m, uh, I’m still pretty tired.” Easing away from him, she leaned back against the incline of the mattress and pulled the blankets up to chin. “Maybe I’ll wake up and this will all have been a dream.”
“Okay.” Knowing nothing he could say would comfort her, Vane stood and bent over the railing to place a soft kiss on her forehead. “Rest. Things will be better tomorrow.”
Her eyes flew open, and she grabbed his wrist. “Where are you going?”
Confused, Vane placed his hand on top of hers and studied the lines of her face. “I thought you wanted to be alone.” As inept as he could sometimes be at reading certain social cues, the abrupt dismissal had been kind of hard to miss.
“I don’t know what I want. I feel like I don’t even know who I am right now.” Pulling her hand back under the blanket, she stared up at him through heavy-lidded eyes. “I just know I don’t feel so scared when you’re here.”
Vane pulled the ugly recliner closer to the side of her bed and resumed his seat. “Sleep now.”
“You’ll stay?” The words came out slow and slurred as her eyelids drooped lower.
Vane dared someone to try to make him leave. “Rest. I’m not going anywhere.”
* * * *
The next three days proved to be a test in patience. When she wasn’t being poked, prodded, and tested, Charli dozed. Her appetite hadn’t returned yet, but she had managed to choke down a bit of plain rice. Still, she felt better for the most part, and she was tired of being cooped up in her room.
The doctors hadn’t cleared her to leave the hospital yet, but by day three they did allow her out of bed. As promised, Vane had convinced the staff to let him stay past visiting hours. So every evening, he came and walked the empty hallways with her, and then he sat by her bed and read to her until she fell asleep.
Well, she thought it might be evening. The sun hadn’t made an appearance since she’d arrived, which made it difficult to gauge the time. Xavian had brought her a watch with a holographic projection face and about a million different functions. Charli appreciated the gesture, but she had yet to learn how to operate it, not even to tell her the time.
Vane had explained that they measured hours and minutes on Nekron much the same way humans did on Earth. However, the Nekros had shorter years and only one day and one night during that time. Almost two hundred days—or moon cycles, as they called it—of darkness was just too depressing to contemplate.
“Good morning, Charli.” Doctor Zhorn Breccan stood in the open doorway and grinned at her.
Charli still couldn’t get over how huge everyone seemed compared to her. While her five-foot-eight frame had been fairly average back on Earth, everyone she’d met in the hospital towered over her, even the women.
“Good morning,” she responded pleasantly. For the most part, she liked the doctor. She’d like him even more if he’d discharge her. “Have you come to pardon me?”
The doctor’s broad shoulders shook when he chuckled at her, and the deep rumble of his laughter had Charli smiling as well. Brushing his mop of shaggy brown hair out of his eyes, he pulled what appeared to be a sheet of clear glass from the pocket of his sparkling white lab coat and flicked his finger over the surface.
“You’re color looks good today, and the nurses say you were able to eat a little for breakfast. How are you feeling?”
“Bored.” Tucking her legs under her, Charli sat up cross-legged on the bed and rested her hands on her knees. “When can I get out of here?”
“I’d like to run another round of tests to be on the safe side, but if everything
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