18 Thilar
The surgery was a success. I did not doubt it would be, but Penny was so afraid that it would not turn out well.
I could not leave her side in that condition, and so I stayed until the procedure was finished.
Once she was safely in her room again, sleeping off the numbing agents that had been pumped into her blood, I left her to get my mind clear.
Yuros was waiting.
I found him standing at the end of the hall, watching as I left Penny’s temporary quarters. There was no readable expression on his face, but I knew what he was thinking nonetheless. I inclined my head with respect.
“The human seems to need a lot of attention.”
“She is contending with previous injuries,” I said. “What happened on Mekah has agitated them.”
“How is she, then?” Yuros asked.
“I believe her new implant will serve her well.”
“She had a lot to say earlier, mostly in your defense.”
“I did not tell her to say those things.”
“I know. I am not blind. She’s quite appreciative of whatever you did for her on Mekah.
I suspect it was more than just helping her escape.
It was wise to protect her. Humans will ultimately grow their presence in galactic matters, and it would be beneficial for us to be in their good graces.
For now.” Yuros turned his head slightly, taking a deep breath as if scenting the air. “I assume you have something to add?”
When he said that, Sunhai made herself known from around the corner, brows raised.
“I am quite stealthy,” she said. “How—”
“Quite stealthy, but you have a strong scent. We showed you where the bathing quarters are, did we not?”
She pursed her lips, pulling a small nutrient bar out of her pant pocket to casually nibble on it. Yuros cleared his throat and turned toward me again, locking his hands casually behind his back.
“It will take a little time to get where we’re going. It’s clear the human is a bit higher maintenance than we are used to. I had thought about putting her in Sunhai’s care, but—”
“But Thilar knows best,” she said quickly, her mouth full of food.
She was not the type to want the responsibility of taking care of someone.
“Yes,” Yuros continued. “I am aware. You’ve spent the most time with her, it would appear. And you can communicate with her where most cannot.”
“And he has that wrist thing,” Sunhai added. “Or he did. He studied it to learn her language. He knows more than any of us do.”
I wanted to tell her to calm down. No one was going to have to care for Penny.
Not like that. She wasn’t a pet that needed feeding and watering.
She was smart enough to navigate those needs on her own.
What she needed was someone to look out for her while she adapted to yet another jarring and new situation.
“She does seem comfortable with you, as contradictory as it may be. And understanding humans better is going to be something we’ll all need to do now that they are migrating outward.
” He let out an exasperated breath. “She will be in your charge while we travel. Strictly for the purpose of making this transition as seamless as possible and to further study her while she’s with us. ”
“Of course,” I said.
Behind Yuros, Sunhai was smiling as if she’d just done something mischievous. She wiped the expression off her face as soon as he turned to leave, stepping to the side to give him room to walk away. Once he was gone, she raised her brows toward me.
“You’re welcome.”
“What do you mean?”
“Yuros was getting ready to tell you to stay clear of Penny.” She tapped a finger to her temple. “I put the idea in his head that she needed a babysitter and played dumb. Truthfully, I could watch her, but I think you would like to stay by her side for the duration of this journey. Am I right?”
“To make sure she’s alright.”
“Sure,” she chuckled. “I’m going to explore.”
She sauntered away, running her hand along the wall.
“Do not go anywhere that will get you in trouble,” I said after her.
Once I was alone in that hallway with my own thoughts, I found myself turning back around to look at Penny’s door. We’d placed her in a small storage chamber with a heating orb. It wasn’t exactly a suitable living area, but she was not going to be with us for long. It would have to do.
I stared at her door for some time before making my way toward it again. I lifted my hand toward the control panel to open it and let it hover, hesitating to go back inside. She was resting. My presence would be inappropriate. Unneeded.
But I wanted to be there when she woke up.
So, I remained outside.
I had been appointed guard duty on many occasions for various clients.
Many days outside of a client’s quarters, unfed and unrested, was not new to me.
Turning, I faced the hall, waiting for her to wake and hoping that when she did, she would be well rested and healed.
When she came out, I would be there waiting.
Not even a full rotation later, I heard Penny stirring within her quarters.
I listened to the way she began to squirm in her bed a little, her breath growing more strained.
It was very faint and inconsistent. I almost went inside, wondering if she needed help, until I heard her stand and begin pacing the room.
Her steps were slow and uneven as if she was getting her bearings.
It took time for her to finally head toward the entrance. It hissed open and I saw her step out beside me, her hair pulled into a sloppy knot on top of her head. Her head snapped upward to meet my eyes with a startled gasp.
“Thilar,” she said, surprised to see me.
The initial shock quickly faded, giving way to a tranquility I’d never seen in her before. Relief… because she saw me. I didn’t know why, but that filled me with pride.
“Were you standing here the whole time?”
“Yes. I did not want you to wake alone. You’ve found yourself in another unfamiliar place. I am sure you will need adjusting.”
“You could have come in, you know.”
I swallowed, my hands flexing subtly behind my back at the disappointed tone in those words.
“We are not on Mekah anymore, Penny,” I said softly. “We have the luxury of separate quarters and our own beds and you no longer have need of my body heat.”
She flinched like the words had visibly flown past her vision and then she nodded, pressing her lips together.
“Right. I just meant you didn’t have to stand here. How long have I been sleeping?”
“Not long. How are you feeling?”
She moved her body about, rolling her shoulders and sliding her hands along her thighs a few times.
“Good as new. Thank you.”
The tenderness in her voice was unlike her usual tone.
She was swallowing emotions she didn’t want to show, but I knew how much that implant meant.
I’d never seen her break apart like that, even when she first arrived on Mekah Prime, those emotions were different.
I did not fancy seeing her like that again, full of fear and panic over such a small object rather than a herd of stampeding nozun.
“Your breathing and behavior picked up only moments ago,” I said. “Were you under some kind of stress?”
She shifted on her feet as if uncomfortable. “I take it monrians don’t have bad dreams?”
“It is not a useful—”
“Let me guess. They engineered it out of you.”
Her tone turned bitter and I instantly knew what she was feeling.
“We do not often linger on moments that would jeopardize our performance,” I said carefully, taking a moment to study her demeanor. “You are thinking of Mekah? Or your experiences on Earth?”
“Both,” she shrugged. “And I’ll admit, the idea of post-traumatic stress being engineered out of me sounds great.”
That incessant protective need festered in me all of a sudden even though Penny was in no danger there. I wanted to take her hand and press her against my side—bring her with me everywhere I went. It was outrageously uncharacteristic of me.
Perhaps it was not wise for Yuros to appoint me to Penny’s wellbeing. Yes, I knew more about her than others, but I was compromised. Even Penny’s scent as she stood there beside me was burrowing deep, sending small but noticeable threads of heat through my skin.
What was wrong with me? She’d only just woken from a dangerous ordeal and we’d both only just escaped imprisonment. I should have been analyzing my time on Mekah to improve the outcome of future confrontations. I should have been purging habits from that place and reconditioning my body and mind.
“I must depart for a while to eat and bathe,” I said. “I will fetch Sunhai. She knows very well where the mess hall is and how to get food on this ship. You should eat. Your body needs the nourishment.”
Penny blinked again as if I’d startled her, but I needed to clear my head a bit before I could objectively care for her the way Yuros intended.
As I was walking away, Sunhai was waltzing down the hall looking drowsy and bored.
“Take Penny to get some food,” I ordered her.
“She is supposed to be your—”
“I will return later.”
She sighed like a child trying to get out of her training session, but I did not have time for her complaints. She did not have to take care of Penny for long. She only needed to show her where to get a meal and perhaps a bath. She could at least do that.