Julienne’s probing fingers made sudden contact with a hard object in Liam’s shoulder and she wanted to laugh out loud. Her heart nearly broke at seeing Liam in so much pain as he squirmed beneath her. Looking up at Augur’s pale, drawn face she smiled.
“Got it!” she said and he looked relieved.
She closed her fingertips around the bullet and pulled. Liam screamed and then lay very still. He had finally lost consciousness. But the bullet had come out.
Cleaning the wound and bandaging took only a couple of minutes and soon Liam lay in Augur’s bed. For a couple of minutes Julienne sat on the side of the bed, looking at Liam’s slack face. He looked awfully pale with the bloodloss, pain and exhaustion and Julienne knew the risk of infection was very real. But for the moment he was out of danger. Reaching out she softly stroked his cheek and smiled. How often had she not done this for her daughter when she had been ill as a child. Her heart ached for the child she touched now. His appearance might be that of a grown man, but Julienne never forgot that he was not quite a year old. Too many things had happened in that year, things Julienne wished she could have protected him from. Not that he would ever have allowed it. He had his pride and a duty to both humanity and the Taelons. She still regretted having to reprogram Siobhan Beckett´s CVI after Liam´s birth. She knew it was necessary for both his safety and that of the Resistance, but she did not have to like putting that distance between mother and son. It still baffled her that Liam had been able to work so closely with both his mother and father without ever hinting at the truth. Only when Siobhan lay dying had he shown her the truth. Her death had affected him more than he let on about, but Julienne had known him from the moment he was born and could read him like a book.
A soft cough behind her made her look around to see Augur in the doorway. He smiled at her.
“I have made us some coffee. Would you like some?” he asked and Julienne nodded. She suddenly felt how tired she was and the night was far from over.
“That sounds lovely. I hope the coffee is strong.”
“It is, as always. How is he doing?”
“He’s still unconscious. At least he’s not feeling any pain at the moment,” she answered as she got up and walked to the door, “I don’t expect him to wake up anytime soon.”
Following Augur into the living room her eyes drifted to the video screen on the wall. A news channel had been selected to keep track of all that happened in the world outside.
“What’s been happening?” she asked with a nod at the screen as she gratefully accepted the hot cup of coffee.
“Thousands have been arrested on suspicion of connections to the Resistance. Among them youngsters and old people. If the interrogations do not yield information they are either send back to Earth as not important enough to keep or they are placed in holdingcells on the Mothership to await further questioning,” stated Doors.
“Of our own people nothing has been heard,” said Augur, “Julia and her team are still being held captive as the ones responsible for the attack on Thompson. As to Lilli´s and Dr. Park’s situation I can only guess.”
“I had wished for some better news,” said Julienne a little wistfully and Doors smiled.
“We could all do with some good news right now. How’s Liam?”
“He’s okay for the moment, but I would still like to take him to DC General. He has lost an awful amount of blood and could use a transfusion.”
“What kind of blood does someone with his DNA need?”
“His own, if possible. Melissa has been taking his blood every time he comes in for testing. She has it stored in a save place for just this sort of circumstance; her fridge.”
That brought smiles to all their faces and for a moment the tension broke. Soon after that both Doors and Augur retired to bed, knowing that they would both be completely worn out if they not at least tried to get some sleep. Julienne chose to keep an eye on Liam though. As she pulled a chair up to his bed she noticed that his unconsciousness had become a deep sleep. His face no longer looked as ghastly pale as before. Some good news at last, but it did not stop her from worrying. Sighing she opened the book she had borrowed from Augur and began to read. Before long her head dipped forward as she slipped into a slumber.