Chapter 6
Six
Ayla
Itook Kanik's plate and set it on the foot of Zasen's bed before passing him the full glass of tea. While he drank his fill, I stacked the utensils on top, checked for any crumbs on the blankets, and cleaned up where I could.
"You know," Kanik said as he passed me the now-empty glass, "Zasen's bed is much too soft."
"It's nice."
He rocked his head to the side, proving he didn't quite agree. "It's not mine, and after a week on that hard hospital bed, and now a week on this one, I think my body will never forgive me."
"Or," I countered, "maybe you had shrapnel hit you in the abdomen, were dragged back by a dog, and bounced the whole way? Kanik, all of that is going to make your body hurt. I don't think it's the bed." And I set the glass and empty plate on the dresser where my clothes had once been stacked.
With a sigh, he scooted down a bit, getting comfortable against the mound of pillows we'd stacked behind him.
"Mostly, I just hate not being able to do anything but sit and rest." And he laughed once.
"A month ago, I would've thought it would be nice to finally do nothing.
Now?" His groan proved how annoyed he was.
"There's a difference between making your own decision and having it made for you." And I moved to sit beside him on the massive mattress. "But how are you feeling?"
"Like the stitches itch," he said. "My entire abdomen is weak, and I'm so ready to soak in a bath."
"A few more days," I soothed. "Naomi said I can take the sutures out on day fifteen."
"A week," he grumbled. "Ayla, that's one more week of washing with a cloth and bucket. Of having Zasen wash my hair!"
"Ask Rymar," I teased.
Kanik chuckled, pressing his hands to his wound a split-second later. "Oh, no hard laughing. But you have a point. Ry would be more help. Zasen may have learned medicine, but his bedside manner sucks."
"Rymar would be thrilled if you asked." I reached over for his hand. "And I can help too."
"I tend to be naked when bathing," he warned. "You know, because while I can't fill the tub, I can still use it to keep from making a mess."
I glanced away to hide the smile trying to take over my lips. "But Zasen says it's okay. And Rymar did it in front of me."
"Did what?"
"Was naked!" I hissed, trying to keep my voice down. "And I survived it too. I would probably blush, but I will help you if you need me to, Kanik!"
"Ayla, you saved my life. I think that's more than enough.
" And he squeezed my hand gently. "I also think Ry would like to be asked, so I'll try that.
It's mostly that I hate being injured. I want to get back to school.
I know the substitute is making a mess of my lesson plans, and I had only barely gotten to know my kids.
" He paused, pressing his lips together.
"And I don't get paid if I'm not there."
"But we have a house fund," I reminded him. "Kanik, I put all the bear money in there - " I stopped hard, realizing the problem with that. "But we had to use it for taxes, right?"
"Right," he said.
"Which is really how Holly got paid for."
"Taxes," he insisted. "They just happened to come out at the same time. I also happen to think those taxes were the best decision you ever made." And he winked.
I giggled. "Which means I'm right!"
"That's one thing you will never get any of us to talk about, Ayla, so give up. Holly is your dog, my hero, and the money isn't there."
"So Zasen and I will kill another bear," I told him.
"No." He shook his head to make the point. "Bears kill people, and we do not need three of us laid up with injuries. No, I just hate being broke. I hate that everyone is helping and I don't feel like I'm helping back. It makes me feel useless."
"But you're not," I promised. "Kanik, this is simply me repaying all you did for me.
You taught me Vestrian, and the three of you saved my life too.
See? It's all equal, so hate it if you want, but friends help, and I like being able to help you.
" I chewed on my lower lip, but couldn't keep from adding, "And I'm glad you're alive to need my help. "
"Yeah, me too," he said just as a bark rang out from above. He pointed at it. "I think your dog misses you."
"Rymar's playing with her," I explained.
"Mhm, while you wait on me." He took my hand and lifted it to his lips to kiss my fingers. "Thank you. Now make Zasen wash those, and go save your dog."
"What about you?"
He leaned enough to reach a book on the bedside table. "I'm going to read about ancient war weapons. You know, like grenades."
"Okay," I relented, pushing to my feet. "Zasen's out there. Yell if you need anything?"
"Promise," he said.
I gathered up the dishes again, and finally left. The door didn't get locked anymore. No one in here needed the privacy, and it was actually quite nice. Helping Kanik while he'd been home had changed things a bit, but in a way which proved these men hadn't treated me this way because I was a woman.
They were doing the same thing for Kanik. The exact same thing.
Carrying the dishes into the kitchen, I set them beside the sink where Zasen was washing what the rest of us had used for dinner. His bright blue tail flicked once, proving he knew I was there, but he didn't look over until he'd rinsed the glass in his hands.
"How's he doing?"
"He wants to be all better," I explained. "He's also going to read about grenades."
"So he won't be surprised by them again." Zasen nodded as if that made complete sense. "Hey, let Rymar know I'm going to crash on the couch again tonight?"
"Why?"
He pointed a wet finger toward the room Kanik was in. "Because he still needs help, and even the walk to the bathroom is more than he can do on his own right now. If I'm here, he has to accept the help, not ask for it."
"Should I sleep on the couch tomorrow?" I asked.
But he shook his head. "No, I've got it. Ayla, this is me trying to make up for the guilt of not going back out for him. You did. Rymar couldn't. I should've, and I know it."
"We didn't know he was alive."
"But you wouldn't let the Moles have his body," he countered. "I would've. I stopped fighting, so this is my way of righting that wrong. It helps him, it helps me, and in the end, we're both happier for it."
"Okay," I said just as Holly barked again. "I think I need to save her."
"Go," Zasen told me. "Oh, and get some sleep too, okay?"
"I will. Good night, Wyvern," I said as I left.
Behind me, his reply was soft. "Sleep well, Phoenix."
Something about that made me smile. It wasn't the words, not exactly. It was the way he said it, like there was a promise wrapped up in it I couldn't quite understand. And yet, hearing it felt safe. It felt nice. It felt... warm.
When I reached the second floor, I headed for the first room to the right. My fingers barely tapped on the door before my dog began barking excitedly. Behind all of that, I thought I heard something, but wasn't completely sure.
"Rymar?" I asked, cracking the door. "Holly, hush."
"Get it!" Rymar hissed to my dog. "Come in and close the door," he told me. Then, "Get it, Holly!"
I slipped in to find my dog skittering around the room after something round that bounced wildly. Finally, she grabbed it and hopped up on the bed to give it back to Rymar. The moment the ball fell from her mouth, she barked - right in his face.
"Whisper," I told her.
The loud barks shifted to soft ones with a lot of teeth clacking.
Rymar tossed the ball again. "I didn't know that one," he said. "And get up here so she doesn't run you over."
I hurried across the room and hopped up beside him. His back was to the wall, so I took the other side, up by the pillows. I'd barely gotten into place when Holly came back to return the ball again.
"Wait," Rymar said before rolling it across the bed, letting the ball bounce to the ground and then across the room. "Get it!"
She was off like a flash. Rymar chuckled, then scooted closer, leaving more empty space for my dog to land on when she returned. I found myself smiling as she tried to stop the ball with a foot, sending it out in another direction just to skid after it.
"How's Kanik?" he asked while she chased the ball around the room.
"Sick of being hurt, tired of feeling useless, and annoyed with the way Zasen washes his hair." I tapped his tail with my foot. "I told him to ask you to help."
"I will," he assured me, pausing when Holly came back. "Down," he ordered. "Time to relax, big girl. If you come here, I'll pet you."
Holly crawled closer, flopping over with the ball still in her mouth. Almost absentmindedly, Rymar reached over to pet her. His eyes were on me, though.
"I'm worried he's going to have trauma from this," he said. "Kanik isn't really a fighter. I mean, he's good at it, but that's not the same as being made for it."
"I don't know if anyone is made for it," I told him.
"You are." A little smile touched his lips, then vanished. "Ayla, people like you and Zasen were made to be defenders. You don't start it, but you do finish it. Kanik? He's happier with the simple things. His students, picking flowers, and all those things."
"But those are good things," I insisted.
He nodded. "They are. And I'm not saying one type is better than another. I'm just trying to make you understand that he may have nightmares. He'll definitely be scared of it happening again." He pulled in a breath. "And the Moles will come back."
"But he won't be healed by then!"
"No, he'll be with me," Rymar promised. "And I have a feeling we'll end up with Cerlik for the night."
"Who?"
"Cerlik," he said again, then ducked his head and chuckled. "Right. Um, so Jeera and Brielle named their son after Zasen's and Jeera's older brother. He was killed by Moles when Jeera was still in diapers, but she remembers him. Brielle thought it would be a good name for the baby."
"To name a Mole after a Dragon?" I asked.
"Oh, but Cerlik's a Dragon," he pointed out.
"That baby was born here, and his mothers are some of the strongest women I know.
They will make him into a proper gentleman, and I have a feeling our household will make sure he knows his heritage - and the horrors that go with it - when he's old enough to understand. "
"Does Meri know?" I asked.
Rymar rocked his head from side to side. "I'm not sure if she's heard the name. If not, she will soon. Lessa's been checking in for her."
"And Drozel is hosting her now," I said, proving I knew at least that much. "She's happy her friends got a baby, though. She said this feels like the right answer."
"Yeah," Rymar agreed. "I think it all turned out for the best. I was worried she'd hate Jeera and Brielle now, since their son made some bad memories for her."
I made a face and hummed. "I think it's more that she wanted her child to have a good life, and she was terrified she couldn't give him that. She keeps asking if he has Gideon's eyes, so I think she'll want to know him one day, but not yet."
"No, that makes sense," Rymar agreed. "But she and Kanik are on the same path right now.
Both are healing their bodies, and both are also going to need to heal their minds from the horrors they survived.
I just..." He paused to shove his blue tongue across his lips.
"Ayla, I hate that I can't help him more. "
"Me too."
And he shifted again, putting us shoulder to shoulder, even though we were on different walls. Only the corner separated us. "I thought I'd lost him, and I know he'll never love me back, but..."
"He'd just told me he liked me," I said to show I understood. "I thought I'd have time to figure it out, but then I didn't, and now..."
"Now?" he asked.
I glanced down, feeling a little smile growing. "Now I can, right?"
"Ayla, now you can do anything you want."
"So maybe you can help me figure out how to do this dating thing?"
He grinned. "Yep, I can definitely help with that. Let me guess, you have questions."
"Just one," I assured him. "I want to know how to do it."