Talyn jerked back as another shock went through his arm from the short-circuiting panels. He saw an Andarion fighter he assumed was Nightdice moving in to protect him.
Or so he thought.
One moment, he was opening the channel to warn Syndrome about two Tavali headed for her. In the next, the Andarion fired on him and his entire ship exploded.
CHAPTER 6
Felicia flipped through the news, looking for a report on Talyn and any possible battle he might have been involved with. There was nothing. Only stories about civilians who'd gone missing, and women who'd been attacked.
She forced herself not to pick up her link. She'd texted Talyn so much that she was afraid to do so again. At this point, he could have her arrested for stalking.
The link buzzed.
"Talyn?" she asked without even verifying the number.
"It's Erix. Is this Felicia?"
"It is. Is everything okay?"
When he didn't answer right away, it made her heart skip a beat. "I'm at the hospital."
Her breath caught as tears filled her eyes. "Talyn?"
"He's in surgery. They called me when they couldn't reach his mother. I knew you'd want to know. I've sent a transport for you. It should be there any minute."
"I'm on my way." Hanging up, she started for the lift, then remembered she was in her nightgown. Frustrated, she ran to the bedroom and threw on her clothes as fast as she could.
She didn't know how long it took her to get to the hospital. It was somewhere between a heartbeat and forever.
As soon as she entered the waiting room, she saw Erix, seated and looking sick to his stomach. Terrified and shaking, she rushed over to him. "Have you heard anything?"
He shook his head.
"Do you know what happened?"
Erix sighed wearily as he took her hand in his. "Tavali attack."
Felicia scowled at the look on his face. "What aren't you telling me?"
"I overheard the medics talking. They think it might have been friendly fire that brought him down."
"What do you mean?"
Anger snapped harshly in his white eyes. "They said that it was one of our own who fired on Talyn's ship."
"Anatole?"
"I don't know. They didn't say."
Rage darkened her sight as she craved blood. "Is there any way to prove it?"
"If there's footage from the battle ... maybe."
But if it was Anatole, he'd make sure that footage was deleted. Bastard!
Never in her life had she wanted anyone's throat so badly.
Erix pulled her into a hug. "Why don't you sit down? I'll get us some coffee."
"Thank you."
As Felicia took her seat, a tall, gorgeous female who didn't appear much older than her came in wearing a commander's formal uniform. The commander swept her gaze around the occupants before she headed straight to the empty nurses' station. Impatiently, she pressed and held the buzzer.
The nurse glared at her as she came forward from a back room. "May I help you?"
"I'm Deputy Commander Batur. My son, Major Talyn Batur, was brought in and I need to know where he is and his condition. Immediately."
Felicia held her breath as she waited for the update.
The nurse pulled up something on her monitor. "He's still in surgery, Commander. That's all I have. Sorry."
The anguished expression on his mother's face brought tears to Felicia's own eyes. "What was his condition when he was brought in? My parents are Doctors Garaint and Nila Batur." The nurse's eyes widened at those prestigious names that literally everyone in the medical profession knew. "Please, tell me what you have about my son. I have to know."
The nurse read from her screen. "Critical One. He took several direct hits that exploded his ship, and was ejected into space. It appears he slammed into shrapnel or debris and was coding when they hauled him into a medpod."
"No!" His mother fell to her knees and sobbed.
Felicia was grateful she was sitting because she had the same reaction. It felt as if all the air had been violently sucked out of her lungs.
But as she saw his mother's agonized grief, she went to her and pulled her into her arms.
The commander wept against her shoulder and shook so hard that Felicia feared she'd pass out. Her own tears blinded her as she prayed with everything she had.
A shadow fell over them. She looked up to see Erix's pale face.
"What happened?" he asked.
Patting Galene's back, Felicia forced herself to stop crying long enough to answer. "Talyn's still in surgery, but he was coding when they brought him in."
Only then did his mother pull back to frown at her. "Who are you?"
"Felicia."
Her brow furrowed by confusion, she looked up at Erix. "Who is she?"
"Talyn's female."
She blinked as she scowled even more. "Since when?"
Erix arched a brow. "For weeks now, that I know. Didn't he tell you?"
Shaking her head, the commander raked a less-than-flattering stare over Felicia. At least that was what she assumed until Galene lovingly cupped her face in her hand. "You take care of my baby?"
"As best I can."
Galene pulled her in for a crushing embrace and kissed her cheek. "Thank you."
Completely confounded, Felicia wasn't sure what to think. With a ragged breath, Galene finally stood and allowed Erix to help her into a chair.
This wasn't the callous Andarion mother Felicia had expected. For one thing, the commander was really young. She couldn't be more than her mid-thirties, if that.
Since the commander refused to attend his matches, Felicia had assumed Galene would be uncaring and cold--something that wasn't unusual for their mothers. But as the hours went by, and his mother tearfully regaled her with hundreds of pictures, and story after story of Talyn's childhood antics, she learned exactly how much his mother loved and adored him.
Scarily so.
Galene even had copies of his elementary and primary school transcripts and grades on her link, as well as the stats for every fight he'd ever been in.
Most of all, Felicia learned that Talyn kept everything about himself bottled up. Felicia wasn't the only one he was reserved around. He really didn't talk about anything with anyone.
Not even his own mother.
In fact, he told Felicia more about himself than he did anyone else. And given how little that was, it was truly frightening.
When Felicia briefly mentioned med school to his mother, Galene had no idea that Talyn had ever applied. Never mind been turned down. Repeatedly. Felicia had barely caught herself before she outed something he must have kept from his mother for a reason.
Galene got up to pace again. Like her son, she was a fierce, intense beast. A force to be reckoned with. She checked the time and cursed.
"He'll be okay," Felicia reassured her.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because if he's not, I'm going on a killing spree, and I'm sure the gods don't want me to do that."
His mother snorted. "I'll help."
"Good. I need someone to reload." Felicia stifled a yawn. It would be daybreak soon. They'd already changed out surgeons, which was a good and bad thing. Good that Talyn was doing well enough in surgery that they were willing to keep going. Bad that it was taking so long.
Erix had fallen asleep about an hour ago and was curled up in a chair, snoring.
"I'll get us more coffee." Felicia had just stood up and stretched when the surgeon came through the doors.
He approached them with practiced stoicism. "Is one of you Felicia?"
"I am."
With a grim nod, he acknowledged her. "Major Batur was calling for you when they brought him in. The first surgeon wanted me to tell you that and to make sure you were on hand whenever he wakes."
"How is he?" his mother asked.
"We won't know for at least twenty-four hours. If he makes it through, it's a good sign. But there w
as a lot of swelling in his brain and he had a number of broken bones that we fused back together. He'll probably have a permanent limp from the surgery on his left leg. Several internal organs were damaged when the dampners gave out, and it's probably what injured his head."
Felicia took Galene's hand into hers as she listened intently.
"Can we see him?" Galene asked.
"He's in recovery right now. But as soon as we move him to a room, I'll have a nurse come get you."
"Thank you."
He inclined his head to them before he vanished through the OR doors again.
Yawning, Erix joined them. "Is he all right?"
"He's out of surgery and in recovery." Galene patted his arm. "Why don't you go on home?"
He nodded. "Call me if you need anything."
"I will." She turned to Felicia. "You should probably go on, too."
"I'm not leaving," she said adamantly. "Not as long as he's here."
Galene pulled her against her and held her close. She placed a kiss to Felicia's head. "Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me. Not where Talyn's concerned. It's my highest honor to care for him." Felicia smiled at her. "I'll go get our coffee. You want it plain again?"
She nodded.
"I'll be right back."
As Felicia entered the break room, she heard two of the nurses talking.
"I'm telling you, it's the Talyn Batur. The Iron Hammer himself. If we call the media, we can make a fortune on this."
Felicia saw red over another group of Vested Andarions scheming to make money from Talyn's pain. Before she could think twice, she beelined to their table. "If you call the media--" She glanced at the female's name tag. "--Dorea, or if anyone else in this hospital, for that matter, calls them, I'll personally drag you down the hallway by your cheap hair extensions, and beat you every step of the way."
She sneered at Felicia. "Who are you?"
Normally, Felicia would have backed down from that scathing glare and condescension.
But not this time. She was tired of the way everyone treated Talyn when he didn't deserve it. Tired of the way their culture worked. Were he Vested, they wouldn't have dared breathe a word of his name out loud.
"Talyn's bloodthirsty female who holds his privacy sacred ... your life? Not so much."
Her face went pale.
"Yeah, remember that. He is here to be treated and to heal, and not be disturbed by money-grubbing animals out to profit from the injuries he sustained while protecting his race from off-world pirates. He's a hero, not bonus pay for the likes of you."
Felicia returned to the pot to grab the commander's coffee. She cast one last threatening look at the females. "You better make sure no media shows, or I'll report you both. And before you ask, my father happens to be Satrapehs Saren ezul Terronova. I will have both your jobs and your putrid lives the minute you walk out the door." With that, she took the coffee back to the waiting room and handed a cup to Galene.
Her hands were shaking so badly from her anger that she was amazed she hadn't scalded herself. She'd never before made such a stand on anyone's behalf. And now she knew why. It was scary. They were a lot larger than her. But be damned if anyone was going to make a single credit off Talyn. The last thing he needed was a flock of vultures trying to interview him while he was fighting for his life.
While she didn't relish the thought of speaking to her father, she would make that call and bust the ass of every medical professional in this building. No one would harm Talyn. Not after everything he'd done for her, and asked for so little in return.
She forced her breathing to calm as she realized how much of Talyn was rubbing off on her.
"Are you all right?" Galene asked.
Felicia forced a smile. "Worried about Talyn." There was no need to upset his mother any worse. She had enough to deal with.
A tear slid down Galene's cheek. Brushing it away, she took a sip of coffee. "He's everything to me, Felicia. All I have in this universe. I couldn't live if something happened to my baby." She caught a sob. "Why didn't he go to med school like I wanted him to? Why?" She broke off into silent sobs again.
Felicia bit her lip to keep from speaking. She wanted to answer that question, but it wasn't her place. Talyn knew his mother much better than she did. If he'd kept the truth from her, he must have a really good reason.
She sat down beside her. "He'll be okay, Commander. I know it. He's too strong a fighter to go down. He won't do that to us."
Her lips trembling, she cupped Felicia's face in her hand. "You are precious. I can see why Talyn chose you."
"You only say that 'cause you haven't met me in the morning. I promise, I'm not nice. Rather ferocious."
Galene laughed. "Like a tiny mia."
Felicia smiled at the word for mouse. She flashed her fangs at his mother. "Mia with a vicious bite." At least she was finally discovering she had teeth.
Galene saluted her with the cup. "You'd have to be for my Talyn to love you."
Uncomfortable, Felicia glanced away. His mother didn't know she was a paid companion. Galene thought they were dating, and she didn't have the heart to tell her the truth. The last thing she wanted was for his mother to sneer at her like other Andarions did.
Especially given how much Felicia loved him.
She was just finishing her coffee when a nurse came to get them.
His mother took her hand before they followed the female to the private room where Talyn was hooked to monitors. At first, they scared her until she saw how strong his vitals were.
She tightened her hand on his mother's. "See! I told you he'd be all right. Look at that heart rate, and his oxygen and res levels."
"But his brain activity is low."
Felicia studied it. "He's still in a chemically induced coma. That's to be expected."
His mother frowned at her. "You're from a medical family?"
"I'm in med school. Second year."
A bright smile lit her beautiful face. "My mother is a leading cardiac specialist and my father's the royal physician who delivered the tizirani Jullien and Nykyrian. What's your primary focus?"
"It was pediatrics. But I'm now leaning toward sports medicine."
"Because of Talyn?"
Felicia nodded. "I've already passed my PT certs, and I know he'll have long-term concerns with what he does during his off-duty hours. I'd like to be able to help him later."
That seemed to please her.
Galene inclined her head to the small recliner in the corner. "Why don't you rest while I keep first watch?"
"You sure?"
She nodded. "I'm military and used to sleep dep. And you look like you're about to fall over."
Honestly? Felicia was. It'd been a long day, and with finals coming up, she hadn't been sleeping well. Yawning, she went to the chair.
Galene pulled a spare blanket from the medical supply cabinet and covered her with it.
"Thank you."
She patted Felicia's shoulder. "Good night, sweetling."
As Felicia closed her eyes, she saw Talyn's mother move to the bed to take his hand into hers. She pressed it against her lips to kiss his knuckles, then held it to her cheek as she whispered desperate prayers for his recovery.
I was so wrong about you. Now she understood why Talyn was devoted to his mother. Why he never spoke ill of her, and had given his hours for her promotion.
He was his mother's entire world.
Unlike Felicia's parents with her, Galene didn't see him as a burden or nuisance. He was her blessing and strength.
That was something Felicia not only understood, but related to. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she glanced back to his bruised face.
Don't leave us, Talyn.
They both needed him. All her life, she'd felt unwanted and alone. Subpar. But Talyn needed her as much as she needed him. For the first time, she felt like she had a place in this world. Someone who really cared about her. And yet in the back of her mind was the rea
lity that any time in her life things had gone well, they'd derailed. Horribly.
Please don't die.
As she gazed at the monitors, she knew, in spite of what she'd told Galene, that the odds weren't with the Hammer in this. His chances of survival were so small, she couldn't bear to think about it or she'd scream.
CHAPTER 7
Talyn slowly blinked his eyes open and groaned as pain split his head in half. Gods, it hurt. His breathing harsh and labored, he felt pressure on both his hands. Scowling, he looked up into Felicia's bright gaze.
Then his mother's.
Confused, he started to speak, only to feel the tube in his throat that kept him from it.
His mother buzzed for the doctor while Felicia tightened her grip on his hand.
"Hey, baby." She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed it.
He tightened his grip on her fingers.
"You had us both terrified," his mother lovingly chided. "Don't you ever get hurt again. I mean it!"
He really hadn't meant to get hurt this time. To be truthful, he couldn't remember what had happened. One minute, he'd been dogfighting. The next ...
Everything else was a blur in his memory. Even most of the day was missing. He really couldn't recall anything.
His mother and Felicia stepped back as the doctor and nurse came in to evaluate him.
"It's amazing," the doctor said at last. "He's still recovering, but his vitals are strong and he should be back to normal in a few weeks. He's definitely healing better than we'd hoped."
Gee, Doc, thanks for that happy prognosis. Nice to know he was still defying the odds that said he'd drop dead any second.
"If the two of you will give us the room, I'll remove his tube."
His mother left first. Felicia hesitated.
With a sweet little nose wrinkle, she smiled at him. "Don't bite the doctor."
He laughed, then choked.
The doctor, however, didn't appreciate her humor.
At first Talyn did fine as the tube slid out. Until it caught. Then he started throwing up immediately.
The nurse scrambled and barely caught it.
Shaking all over, Talyn leaned back as his stomach slowly settled down again.
"Breathe easy." The doctor retook his vitals. "You're doing fine."
Yeah, right. Talyn looked at the doctor as if the male was crazy. He didn't feel fine. He felt like total shit.
After a few minutes, the doctor let them in again. "Feed him ice chips. He's not ready to drink just yet, but he needs to stay hydrated."