Kadance

23

"Kadance don't be angry with me." Tommy says waking up to Kadance's angry voice as she talks to Jayse. At Tommy's words Jayse and Kadance stop talking and come to his bedside.

Kadance smiles at him as she strokes his hair, "Hey there sleepyhead. I'm not angry at you, not much anyway. You scared me is all." Kadance says lightly caressing his face. "The bullet caused a lot more damage than Kelan told you to your ribs and she had to operate. That's caused me concern. It's everything else that's going on that has me angry." Tommy is confused since he doesn't know about any of the rest.

Jayse understands and starts explaining. "After you were knocked out we finally decrypted the information on the shifter's equipment. It's no wonder that they were trying to kill us, I'm just glad that they aren't as paranoid as you or the information would have been destroyed.

"Jayse," Tommy says tiredly he doesn't have the strength yet to listen to a lengthy explanation.

"Right, sorry Tommy. They're planning a full fledged attack at Camp with diversionary attacks on all the other colonized planets in this sector," Jayse finishes quickly.

"I take it we're on our way to Camp?" Tommy closes his eyes sickened by the report. His voice fades out.

"Yes, Tommy," Kadance says simply. She barely hears his mumbled good as he falls back asleep.

"He'll be able to resume light duties when he awakens. But no ghosting or sex for at least a week. Some of my repair work was damaged on our crazy ride out of danger." Kelan holds her hands up, "Peace, Jayse. I know you did your best and it was excellent maneuvering. I don't think anyone could have done better, most wouldn't even have made it out of there. It's the reason you had to do all that crazy maneuvering that makes me angry. It's the timing, had he been able to rest even another ten minutes there wouldn't have been the damage. It's nothing major but it's enough for him to take longer to heal."

"You did right Jayse," Tommy's slurred voice breaks in. "Rather be dead than keep us from protecting Camp." Tommy looks over to Kadance, "Life is always interesting around you Boss Lady. Three years of boredom, then you come into my life. Now it's fun again." He chuckles lightly but stops soon enough from the pain. "Haven't had so much fun since before Bandro."

Kadance sighs in exasperation, "Sigma died in Bandro. Just you and Jayse survived remember?"

"So what does that have to do with anything? Kadance, it's who I am, who we are. We're bred literally for the thrill of battle. The reason the redliners take your security jobs. Which the ones on Planex will be quite happy about now. It gives them back their lives, the fun." Tommy finishes in a much cleaner tone than when he started.

Kelan moves to his side, "You feel ready to sit up?"

"Oh yeah. But I'm feeling pretty weak," Tommy replies.

Kelan takes his legs and Jayse his torso, and carefully help him to sit up. "So how long have I been out?" Tommy gasps out after he's sitting up and able to catch his breath.

"About four hours. After we got on board I wanted you to rest so I put more sedative on you." Kelan says at his outraged look.

Tommy swallows the words he wants to say and instead replies, "That explains why I'm so out of it." And shakes his head, he hates medicine that messes with his abilities. Blinking his eyes to focus them he asks, "Did Amgle and Dest manage to retrieve all my toys before we left?"

Kadance rolls her eyes. "You were hurt and had emergency surgery could have been crippled or dead from our crazy ride out of there and you're worried about your toys?"

Jayse smiles and answers the question, "Most of them. A small group managed to get through as they went for the last one so I told them to leave it. They were thrown by the blast but other than Amgle's fractured ankle they are unharmed and safely brought your toys back with them."

"They were only thrown then they must have been pretty clear. How did Amgle get his ankle fractured?" Tommy says curious. The blast would have blasted them to pieces had they been anywhere near it when it went off.

"His foot got caught on something that didn't want to give way as he was sent flying. Dest somehow managed to capture the explosion on camera and is awe inspired by it."

Those words don't make Tommy happy, actually it does just the opposite, it angers him. But he hides his reaction but he's unable to hide the reaction to Kadance's words.

"When we get to Camp you'll teach a series of classes on explosives. Half our team has already signed up for it. So have my nephews and a few other members of the graduating class, about half I believe."

"I don't teach anymore." Tommy says with anger protesting her decision.

Kadance ignores his anger, "You will while we're there. They need instructions. We're going to be badly outnumbered and will need those traps of yours to help even the odds. You're the best and you'll do it. Besides you're too hurt to ghost for awhile. You'll be kept too busy with these classes to miss any of your fun." Her tone is frank and unyielding.

She continues, "When the fun begins, as you put it, you'll be able to ghost as much as you want. If you do this and prove to ME you're healthy enough."

Kadance takes a deep breath. Tommy and Jayse both watch her intently. "I know it's part of who you are, both of you. And as much as I hate it, it's part of you and what makes you, you. I love you, both of you." She caress both their faces.

"It's scary to me, that's all. But I'm not stupid you are two of the best. To keep you from helping would be stupid, more than stupid. Just don't forget that I need you both, okay?"

Tommy pulls her closer and leans his head against her forehead and Jayse joins them. "You're not going to lose us." They both promise her.

"I'll do most of my away help while Tommy is school bound, that way he can have you nearby if we're wrong about the time of the attack. Then we'll switch and I'll stay by you during the attack while he ghosts to wherever he needs to," Jayse says.

"I promise those things won't get so lucky again. I'll comeback whole okay?" Tommy says.

"Yeah, I've heard those words before Tommy. Don't make promises that you might not be able to keep. I'm trying real hard here guys, I am. I don't want to be all clingy." Kadance says with tears in her eyes.

"Hey, none of that." Tommy says wiping her eyes. "Tears kill us. Shifters, gunfire, whatever no problem. A woman crying we can't handle it." Kadance gives a little hiccup laugh as Tommy had meant her to do. "That's better. You're doing fine. You weren't brought up like us and it's hard for you and we understand that."

Jayse jumps in. "Truth to tell it's taken us down in our wild element quite a bit. You bring out our protective streak. We both want to see our babies."

Tommy's stomach rumbles breaking the moment.

"What does a guy have to do to get fed around here?" Tommy says plaintively as Kadance laughs.

Kelan tosses him his shirt, "Get dressed."

Tommy shakes his head. "This is weakened, I'll need a new one."

"So get one when we land. It'll do for now." Kadance says dryly. "So hurry up."