{Enki | Medical Bay}

Lynn and Pablo spent a little time here and there between patients looking in on Echo’s crib. Miy and Twenty-One were guarding her after staying behind when T.a.o. migrated the Tritans, Caedes, Bethany, and the rest to battle. Qas joined the war effort to act as a field medic.

It was quiet.

Damn, Lynn wanted to fight, but…

Bags puffed under Pablo’s red-lined eyes. Rivers of tears stained his cheeks, no matter how much he wiped them away. Those strong shoulders sagged with grief. He caught her looking and offered a pale imitation of his usual smile. Triss’ death weighed down on him like an anchor.

How could Lynn contribute to Pablo’s full plate by stacking additional concern for her safety?

Plus, well…

Look at that adorable baby Aegis-Lyrik.

Watching over Echo gave Lynn enough to think about for their future to distract her from the fear of missing out. Though she definitely planned to have a Cesarean delivery. No way was she about to push a baby out after the nightmare that was Triss’ labor.

“Are you cold?” Pablo asked, chafing her arms after Lynn apparently shuddered.

‘Yes, so please warm me up,’ but that wasn’t appropriate to say, so Lynn lied. “I’m fine.”

Pablo’s eyes ignited with a brown fire, letting her know they were on the same wavelength. He pressed the most wonderful lips to her ear and whispered, sending different shivers down her spine. “If I thought I’d be quick, you know I would, but I’d need you for too long. After Gait breaches the hull and we evacuate to wherever, I’ll spend a few weeks seeking solace in you. But until then, we should be ready for anything—”

In the center of the bay, a screen appeared and flickered until it displayed an impossible rock careening through space.

Miy pointed and asked, “Is that Gait?”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Twenty-One beamed. “There’s our King’s salvation.”

“May I see my daughter?”

Lynn and Pablo whirled to find Razor’s projection behind them. He looked so spiffy, which felt so alien tonally. She spared a glance at her husband, who nodded with consolation in his eyes.

“Of course.”

Razor flitted his image to Echo’s bedside. He reached out, stopped, dropped his hands through the bed, ineffectually.

Miy laughed, capturing Razor’s attention with a brow drawn high. She said, “You can’t possibly expect me to feel sympathy for you.” Her orange and black gliders flared and the matching streaked feathers rustled.

With a silken tone bizarrely contrary to his words, Razor said, “I will not lower myself to contend with a discarded instrument. I’ve lost too much, especially today, to lose my self-respect as well.”

“No matter how much you lose, it will never be enough to make up for the trauma you left behind.”

Pablo made to step between them, but Lynn squeezed his arm gently. “I’ll handle it.” She put herself in the middle and glared at both of them. Neither were good people, but they were trying to improve, supposedly. And perhaps it was a little late, but the Shadow would take them as allies. So Lynn would try her hand at diplomacy. “I don’t care about the fucked up history between the two of you, but I won’t have you disrespecting this medical unit under Pablo’s supervision. Look at him.”

Her husband shrank under the spotlight, but both Razor and Miy did as they were told.

Lynn continued with her point. “That man delivered Triss’ baby earlier with the utmost regard for his professionalism and compassion, and he’s only twenty-one years old and from pre-nacre Earth. The two of you…” She paused until they met her eyes. “Are millions—possibly billions of years old, in Razor’s case—and ‘higher beings’ at that. The least you can do is respect this medical space, even if you are incapable of respecting each other.”

A tense heartbeat passed where Razor and Miy stared at Lynn. Then Twenty-One chuckled, lending to Pablo beaming at her.

Miy sighed and muttered, “Yeah. Whatever.”

Razor smirked at Lynn, saying, “I like you, Chief Suarez—”

“Renee,” Lynn corrected. “I kept my family name.”

Twenty-One lost control and laughed from his gut while Razor’s smirk widened into a grin. “Yes, ma’am, Chief Renee.” He glanced over at Pablo. “You did well, Dr. Suarez.”

Finally, Pablo’s eyes sparked with life as he kept grinning at Lynn. “That’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

“Speaking of iceberg.” The wonder in Miy’s voice made them all turn and stare at the projection of Gait. “Look at that thing spin. I can’t believe Matt was clinging to it.”

Twenty-One asked, “Do you think it’ll hit?”

Lynn took Pablo’s hand. With an inherent confidence gained from being in the Shadow, she said, “Absolutely.”

Pablo squeezed, prompting her to glance at his face. He was staring at the screen, but not with wonder.

With concern.

Well, that was certainly a blow to Lynn’s morale.

Was Rayne not out of the woods yet?