Chapter Forty-Six
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EVERYONE KNEW SOMETHING was up when Amaros and Zoe had suddenly teleported away from the worksite. They waited in tense expectation for them to return. Qiana, Grace and Kochab were with them when they reappeared.
“What’s going on?” Vic asked, seeing how strained the cambions were. The knights were more stoic.
“Grace came up with an idea and she persuaded Qi and Koach to experiment on her,” Zoe said. “It was risky, but it worked.”
“Does anyone have any idea what she’s talking about?” Jaq joked.
“I came up with a plan of how we can fix Mon’s leg,” the teen said proudly.
“I got Koach to chop my hand off and Qi reattached it. It’s working perfectly and the scar will fade completely soon.
” She held her arm up and opened and closed her fist a few times to demonstrate that she didn’t have any lasting damage.
Monica looked depressed rather than hopeful. “That’s great and I appreciate the pain you must have gone through, but the doc can’t reattach something that no longer exists.”
“I’m pretty sure Grace thinks I can duplicate your leg,” Sin said, giving Grace a glower for not cluing her in. “She saw me recreate one of my favorite shoes after Cat accidentally incinerated it during training. I reversed it so it was a mirror image of my intact shoe.”
“It’ll totally work,” Grace said earnestly. “We can fix you so your leg will be whole again.”
Nazab was watching his female’s face and saw wild hope spring into her gorgeous eyes. “I’ll support whatever decision you make, female,” he said.
“Queeg?” Zoe said and everyone looked at the Mad Prophet. “Can you see a future where Mon has both of her legs?”
His strange eyes went distant, then he grinned. “Grace is right. The procedure will work,” he confirmed.
“How soon can we do this?” Monica asked. Her voice sounded hoarse to her own ears.
“Right now, if you want,” Qiana said. “Are you up for this, Sin?”
“I’m in,” the duplicator said, willing to do anything for one of her sisters.
“Let’s all head back to our base,” Amaros decided. No one would be able to concentrate until after the procedure was finished. They gathered together and he teleported them all to the great room.
Qiana and Kochab escorted Monica, Nazab and Sinai to the infirmary and closed both doors.
Qi removed the stained plastic sheet and changed it as Mon changed into a gown behind a screen.
When she was ready, she lay down on the bed.
“I’m going to sedate you,” the surgeon said.
“I’ll need you to remain perfectly still, but the anesthetic will wear off in a few minutes. ”
“Are you sure you want to be here for this, brother?” Koach asked.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Nazab replied grimly. He held his female’s hand as the doc and the duplicator went to work. “When you wake up, you’ll be whole again, my sweet,” he said, then leaned down to place a kiss on her smiling lips.
“I trust you,” Monica said to her new sisters, knowing deep in her gut that this would work. How could they possibly fail when the Mad Prophet himself had foreseen the outcome?
Qi injected her patient with a drug and it knocked her out. Sin replicated her right leg just below the knee, reversing it so it was a mirror image. “It’s a bit too long,” she said.
“Kochab will fix that,” Qiana said confidently. She drew a line just above the stump and another one on the duplicate limb. “Close your eyes, Nazab,” she said. “This will be over quickly.”
Naz trusted her word and shut his eyes. He heard Kochab’s sword descend and slice through flesh and bone twice. Then he sensed magic infusing his female.
“It’s done,” Qi said a few moments later.
Nazab opened his eyes and stared at Monica’s left leg in wonder. Apart from a red scar, it looked perfectly normal now. “You did it,” he said in stunned amazement. The blood and extra flesh that had been severed from her stumps were gone. The doc must have moved them out of his sight.
“My mate can heal anything,” Kochab said proudly. Sinai cleared her throat pointedly. “With Sin’s help this time, of course,” his brother added.
Everyone had heard the conversation, except for Queegly. Cheers and shouts of delight came from the great room. Vic picked Grace up and spun her around over her head, making the teen scream in glee. “Catch her, Cam!” Vic shouted, then threw the tiny female across the room.
Her mate reached up to snag Grace out of the air when she sailed towards him. “You’re amazing, Grace,” he said and planted a kiss on her cheek before putting her down.
“I know,” the kid boasted, then staggered over to a chair to sit down. Angel had scrambled beneath the chair when the noisy group had startled her. She leaped up onto the chair and curled up on Grace’s lap, purring loudly.
In the infirmary, Monica began to wake up from the anesthetic. She moved both legs, then her eyes popped open. “I can feel my feet,” she said. “Both of them,” she added in awe, eyes locking onto Nazab’s face.
“It worked, female,” he said. “You’re even more perfect now.”
Sitting up, Mon stared at her left leg in disbelief.
She wiggled her toes, then bent her knee.
She had full sensation in the new limb Sinai had created for her.
Looking at the two cambions who were responsible for this miracle, she burst into tears.
“How can I ever repay you two for this?” she sobbed.
“You don’t need to, sister,” Sinai said as she and Qiana moved closer to hug her.
“You should thank Grace for coming up with the idea,” the doc said wryly. “And my mate for his precise swordsmanship.”
“I’ve severed countless limbs during our past wars,” Kochab said with a shrug. “I’m glad I could use my skills to assist my mate with this operation.”
Monica swung her legs over the side of the bed and gingerly stood up. Naz held her arm as she adjusted to having two feet. She took a few faltering steps and Koach moved to her. She hugged him tightly with tears still pouring down her face.
“Where’s Grace?” Monica asked when she released her knight.
“I’m here!” the kid called out. “We’re all in the great room, waiting for you!”
“I only have one shoe that fits me,” Mon realized when she saw her white sneaker sitting on the floor behind the screen where she’d left it. “I’ve always thrown out the left shoes. Now I can keep both of them.” It was that simple realization that made this feel real to her.
“I’ll make you as many shoes as you want,” Sin said with misty eyes.
Nazab escorted his barefoot female to the door and she gained more confidence with each step.
By the time they reached the great room, her gait had smoothed out.
Monica strode into the room, heading directly for the youngest member of their family.
She came to a stop in front of Grace, who rose to her feet.
“I owe you more than I can ever repay you, Grace,” Mon said solemnly.
“You don’t owe me anything,” the kid said bashfully. “But it would be nice if you two could become bonded right now, so we can celebrate,” she added slyly. “Today seems like a good day to have an epic party.”
Monica would have done anything for the kid and she’d already decided to become bonded to her knight. “I’ll race you to our bedroom,” she said to Nazab, then she became a blur of speed. For the first time in her life, Monica didn’t just walk without the aid of a prosthesis. She ran.