Chapter Three
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RUNE DID HIS BEST NOT to pace as he waited for Palmer in front of the library.
He didn’t want Palmer to realize that he was nervous, even though he was.
He was going to spend a lot of time with Palmer.
That didn’t mean anything, but it wasn’t going to help Rune remember that there was nothing going on between the two of them and nothing probably ever would happen.
So maybe he had a crush on the human doctor.
How could he not? He’d never talked to Palmer before the meeting, but he’d seen him around.
In fact, one could say that he’d been watching him from afar.
He knew that Palmer was beautiful, of course, but he’d also seen him when he was with his brother, Taylor.
Initially, Rune had wondered why the two of them were always together, but someone had told him that they were brothers, and the relationship reminded him of everything he hadn’t had when he was growing up.
He was doing his best to fix that, but it was slow going, even with the siblings he got along with.
Palmer was also caring. Rune had heard from a few dragons he’d helped that he really didn’t seem to care that they weren’t human.
He did what he could for them, and he never hesitated to admit when he didn’t know something and to call a healer who could help.
He was willing to learn, and when it came to humans, he definitely knew what he was doing.
Rune liked that Palmer was competent and didn’t hesitate to show that. Knowledge was sexy.
“Good morning,” Palmer said, startling Rune. He’d been so busy waxing poetic about Palmer in his mind that he hadn’t even realized the man was approaching him.
Rune plastered a smile on his face. He tried to look nonchalant, but he was pretty sure that the nervousness was coming through. “Good morning. I hope you slept well?”
Palmer blinked but nodded. “I did.”
“I had dinner with my brother yesterday. He kept me up way too late,” Rune offered. He didn’t think that Palmer actually wanted to hear that, but he wasn’t sure how else to reach out.
To his surprise, Palmer smiled. “Brothers, right?”
Rune nodded. “Your brother lives here, too.”
“He does. I love him, but he can be infuriating sometimes.”
“I’m sure he thinks the same of you.”
Palmer laughed, the sound echoing in the hallway. “Oh, definitely.” He paused and glanced at the doors. “Shall we go in?”
Right. They were here to work, not to have a nice chat, as much as Rune wished they could continue talking about their private lives so he could get to know Palmer better.
He gestured at the door. “After you.”
Palmer seemed familiar with the place when he opened the door and slipped in. From what Rune knew, it wasn’t a surprise. Palmer was here to learn, and he was clearly eager to do so.
“I know that the medical books are on the left,” he said, gesturing in that direction. “I’ve been learning about dragon pregnancies.”
“I’ve heard that you’ve been treating Curran,” Rune told him.
“I am. Everything’s been going well, but I have a few questions.”
“Well, I can help you find a book about that because I don’t know much about medicine or pregnancy.”
Palmer looked Rune up and down. “Have you ever been pregnant?” His eyes widened. “I apologize for that question. You don’t have to answer, of course.”
“I’m not offended, and no, I haven’t been. I don’t have children.”
Palmer nodded. “I see.”
Did he? Because Rune had no idea what was going on. “I’m sure you’ve heard about my father and his rules before he died. He never forced me to have children because I was his son, but I know that eventually, I would have had to find a partner and give him grandchildren.”
“And you didn’t want that?”
“I do want children one day. I just want to have them with a partner that I love, not with someone who’s been forced on me because my father believed they were the best person. Usually, it was some of his friends’ children, which meant that I wanted nothing to do with it.”
“That’s understandable. I just had a few questions about pregnancy, but you clearly can’t answer them.”
“I can’t, but I can help you research. It would probably be easier to ask a healer, but I know they’re all quite busy.”
“They are, but I also need a base of knowledge before I can work with them. I want to know what I’m doing so I won’t hurt anyone.”
They reached the library section that housed the medical texts. Palmer looked around intently, but it took Rune a moment to find the books he was looking for. “There. The pregnancy textbooks seem to be on that shelf.”
Palmer grinned before reaching for one. Rune watched him, wondering what Killian had been thinking by putting them together. Palmer didn’t need Rune to be hanging around while he read. In fact, he didn’t need Rune at all.
Rune cleared his throat. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you with your pregnancy questions, but if you ever want to know anything else, feel free to ask me. I’ll always be happy to answer your questions.”
“I don’t want to be pushy or invasive.”
“Well, I have many questions about humans and their anatomy, so maybe you could answer those while I answer your questions about dragons? I feel it would be a good way to make this work.” Rune looked around at the books.
“But I’m happy you’re going to read these.
My father believed that this knowledge needed to be kept within the clan.
He didn’t even want other dragon clans to benefit from it.
He wanted our clan to be the most powerful and the strongest, but he went about it all wrong. ”
“Considering he forced pregnancies on clan members, I’d agree with that,” Palmer said. “I think that the clan can be the strongest and the most powerful without all of that. It’s what Killian is building it to be.”
“He is. He’s doing an incredible job.”
That was clearly the right thing to say because Palmer relaxed. “I agree. Killian is a good king.”
“And I’m happy to work for him.”
“We both are.”
* * * *
PALMER MADE HIS WAY back to the infirmary after spending the morning in the library with Rune.
His mind was still on the books he’d been reading and the detailed information about dragon pregnancy that he’d managed to absorb.
It had been helpful, even if Rune hadn’t been able to answer his questions directly.
The dragon had been nice. Nicer than Palmer had expected, actually.
He’d been genuine in his offer to answer questions, and Palmer appreciated that more than he wanted to admit.
He was reviewing his mental notes when he noticed someone hovering near the entrance to the infirmary. A young dragon, sky blue, and looking hesitant.
“Can I help you?” Palmer asked, keeping his voice gentle. The dragon looked nervous, and Palmer didn’t want to make it worse.
“Are you Palmer?” the dragon asked.
“I am. And you are?”
“Twig. I’m Killian and Rune’s brother.” The dragon shifted on his feet, looking around the infirmary as if checking to see who else was there. “I heard you were working with Rune now.”
Palmer nodded slowly, wondering where this was going. “Killian assigned us to work together, yes. Is there something I can help you with?”
Twig hesitated, then stepped closer. “Maybe? I don’t know. It’s probably nothing.”
“Why don’t you come sit down and tell me about it?” Palmer gestured to one of the examination beds. “Even if it’s nothing, it’s better to check.” Especially considering who Twig was.
Twig followed him and sat down, though he still looked uncertain. “I just, well, I’ve been feeling off lately. Tired, mostly. And a bit nauseous, though I haven’t actually gotten sick. My muscles ache, too, like I’ve been exercising, but I haven’t.”
Palmer grabbed his notepad and started writing. “How long have you been feeling this way?”
“A few days? Maybe four or five?” Twig rubbed at his arm absently. “It’s not terrible. I thought maybe I was just tired because I’ve been staying up late reading, but even when I sleep more, I still feel really tired. I thought it’d pass, but yeah. It hasn’t yet.”
“Any fever?” Palmer asked, moving closer to check Twig’s temperature with the back of his hand. It was an old-fashioned method, but it worked well enough for a preliminary check.
“I don’t think so.”
Palmer made another note. “And does the nausea happen at specific times of the day, or is it constant?”
“It comes and goes. Usually in the morning, but sometimes in the afternoon, too.” Twig paused, then added, “Rune mentioned you were really good at what you do. That you actually care about helping dragons, not just humans.”
Palmer felt warmth spread through his chest at the compliment, even if it had come secondhand.
“I do my best. I’m here to help everyone, regardless of species.
” He set down his notepad and looked at Twig carefully.
“The symptoms you’re describing could be a lot of things.
Fatigue, nausea, and muscle aches are pretty common and usually not serious, but I want to do some research to make sure I’m not missing anything specific to dragons. ”
“So it’s nothing bad?” Twig asked, a hint of relief in his voice.
“I don’t think so, but I’m not going to dismiss your symptoms either. I want you to rest as much as you can. Drink plenty of water, and I’m going to give you some willow bark extract for the muscle aches. It should help with the pain without upsetting your stomach further.”
Twig nodded. “Okay. I can do that.”
“If your symptoms get worse or if you develop a fever, come back immediately. Don’t wait.
” Palmer wrote down the instructions on a piece of paper and handed it to Twig.
“And even if they don’t get worse, I’d like you to come back in three days so I can check on you again. I’d also like to do a pregnancy test.”