Ashes Remain (A Man Named Terran #2)

Attorneys Against the Odds

~~~~

December 17th, 2027

7:30am

General Hospital - Suite 247

~~~~

He gathered his things as quickly as he could. He'd underestimated how long it would take him with his wounds, but at least he didn't also have to worry about being quiet. Athena, artificially deaf following emergency brain surgery, wouldn't wake even if he knocked his entire setup over. She'd received another dose of anesthetics at about one that morning. He hoped that with painkillers starting to build in her system, she'd been in anything less than agony today.

He told her to go. She should be at the office, unharmed. But no, she refused to leave him, and very nearly met Clay.

He was the one closer to the blast, but she'd been the one rushed into emergency surgery. He came back around in the ambulance, she had to be resuscitated in the OR.

Something in him called against it, but he found himself wandering towards the curtain separating their beds and pulled it aside.

Of course he'd been expecting her to be there, he just didn't expect her crystal blue eyes to shimmer back up at him, or for his whole body to soften so suddenly on seeing her. He waved a small wave, then bent beside her. She was in great, obvious pain, but so was he. That would not deter him however, nor would it deter her. She snatched his hand up to lip read, and they were in a conversation.

"How are you feeling, Pollo?"

"Could be a lot better, honestly," No need adding another lie to the many he'd told her lately. "But at least I don't have stitches running through the back of my head."

"Good on you. Could you give a girl a hand up?"

"Thena, you had brain surgery! You're supposed to be down!"

"This was a draining procedure. Last time was much worse. Besides, you're going somewhere. I'm going with you."

"No, Athena. You are going to stay here and rest. If you start bleeding again under those stitches, which the doctor said is definitely possible, we might lose you."

Despite his words, she pushed herself up and out of bed, disconnecting the IV from her catheter. "If you're going to be self-destructive, I'm coming with you."

Of course she knew how to remove an IV. Probably learned it while working on her doctorate, even though she was a Ph.D and not an MD. "Fine. But if something happens to you, you're done. Remember, you're deaf."

"Same to you, Apollo, and I know."

~~~~

December 17th

9:22am

District Court - Defendant Lobby Number Five

~~~~

Hmm... Nope! Not feeling nervous at all! She had to keep this internal monologue going. Everything around her was so still and quiet, it threatened to eat her alive if her voice didn't echo inside her head. Normally, the monologue refused to shut up, but she feared just how quickly she'd fall apart should it finally run out of words. It's amazing what a girl can get used to! Even a tense atmosphere like this is no biggie!