| Chapter 78 Brian struggled against his restraints, "Untie me J," he demanded. A.J. sighed, "Bri, he's fine. There's nothing you can do." "I can be there for him," Brian replied, still tugging, "Please Alex." "Brian, listen, he's asleep. Has been since it happened. The queen, Ana and Marie have been with him all night. In fact they kicked us out, so don't worry. He's in good hands," A.J. explained. Brian stopped pulling at his ties and leaned back in the bed, "You're sure?" A.J. nodded, then smiled, "You should have seen Marie at work. Even the doc said if she hadn't done what she did, it might have been worse. You got some woman there Rok." Brian grinned with pride, "Yeah I do." A.J. sat down, making himself at home, "So, you two work things out yet?" Brian nodded. "Really? When?" the younger man asked, intrigued. "Last night," he answered. A.J. raised an eyebrow, "And? What happened?" Brian laughed, "That's between us J." A.J. grinned profusely, "You got some didn't you?" Brian nearly choked, "Alexander James! God man, everything you think of involves sex." He shrugged, a knowing look in his eyes, "So tell me I'm wrong." "J, I'm tied to the bed," Brian pointed out. "So? Just makes for some interesting making up," he laughed. Brian laughed, blushing slightly. This did not go unnoticed. "Damn man you two are freaky," A.J. said, laughing hysterically. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Anthony sat on the edge of the bed staring at Nick. He had slept through all the commotion the night before, and was shocked to hear what had happened. The queen had assured him that Nick would be fine, but he was still worried. Everything was happening so fast. It just seemed that each day after the attack got worse, and he was afraid to see what was coming next. He looked up to Nick so much, he didn't want anything to happen to him. Ana sat across from him in a chair next to the bed. She gave him a reassuring smile, "Once he wakes up, he should be fine Anthony." "I know, but ......" the young man started, then stopped, looking back down at his cousin. "But you're still worried," she offered. He nodded. "I'll let you in on a little secret," Ana said, "So am I." Anthony smiled at her, then looked back at Nick as he stirred. Kevin had just walked in the door, and Ana looked over as she made her way to the bed, "Kevin, go get Marie." "Why? What's wrong?" he asked, fear suddenly taking a firm grip. "He's waking up," she answered, calming him. Kevin nodded and headed out of the room. Nick stirred again. He could hear voices, but they sounded far away. He tried to open his eyes, but found he couldn't, or if they were open, everything was dark. His heart started pounding, and he realized he didn't know where he was, or who was with him. He felt someone take his hand, and he recoiled back, knowing it was a man's hand that had touched him. He tried to call out, but found he couldn't do that either. What the hell was wrong with him? Someone else touched his face, and finally the voices sounded clear. It was Ana! Nick instantly calmed down. "Shhh, that's it, just relax," she soothed, "You're safe." Nick tired to reach out to her, but when he did, a shooting pain ran through his arm. "No, don't move," she said, "You're arm is injured." He turned his head in her general direction, Why can't I see?, he thought. "Because your eyes are bandaged," she answered, "The man that attacked you blew Vacelia dust in your face. It can cause damage to your eyes if not treated in time." Why can't I talk?, he thought. "The dust also affects your lungs. You're on a ventilator," she answered. Anthony squeezed Nick's other hand, and he jumped. "It's me Nick," the young man said. Nick squeezed back, as Marie entered the room and walked over. "Afternoon Nick, I guess you're wondering what happened huh?" she said. Nick tried to smile, but found it difficult with the tubes, so he nodded. "Well first off, why don't we take you off the ventilator. Then you can talk," she said, preparing to take him off the machine. Nick could hear her moving around, and could feel where she was in the room. He felt Ana move and Maire take her place. "Alright, I'm going to unhook the tube first. I want to see that you're breathing alright before I pull it, so just breathe through your mouth, OK?" she said. Again he nodded. Maire reached over and unhooked the tube from the machine, "Alright Nick." At first Nick took short shallow breaths. He wasn't sure how his lungs would react, and didn't want to end up coughing with the tube in. After a few moments he was breathing normally. "You're doing great. Give me just a sec and we'll pull the tube. You might feel some pulling on your skin, that's just me pulling the tape away," Marie explained. Nick waited, and sure enough he felt the tape that held the tubes in place being pulled off. Marie tried to take it slow, not wanting to yank the stubble off his face along with the tape. "OK, now when I tell you, I want you to cough," she instructed. Nick waited, somehow glad he couldn't see this. "Alright, cough," she said. As Nick coughed, she quickly pulled the tube from his throat. As he coughed, he could hear Anthony make a disgusted sound and could only imagine what the boys face looked like. He smiled, reaching in the boys general direction, "Hey, you're not getting soft on me are you?" he asked, his voice scratchy. "No, just um a little grossed out. I could never be a doctor," the young man admitted. "How are you feeling?" Ana asked, back at his side. "OK, except that I can't see shit. When is this coming off?" he asked. "Probably tomorrow. We need to give the solution time to work," Marie answered, disposing of the used equipment. "Who else is here?" Nick asked, sensing another person in the room. Kevin stepped up, "It's me kiddo." Nick smiled, "I thought I told you not to call me that." Kevin chuckled, "Old habits die hard. You really alright?" If Nick could have rolled his eyes, he would have, "Yes Kev, I'm fine. My arm hurts some, but I'm OK." Nick pushed himself up in the bed, sitting up. "Whoa, where are you going?" Maire asked. "I have work to do," Nick said, trying to get up. He felt several pairs of hands push him back, "Not today you don't," Kevin said. Nick sighed, "Kev, just because I'm hurt doesn't mean that my work stops." "I know that Nick, but you need to rest," the older man said. "Kevin is right," Mason said, walking into the room, "The council can take over today." Nick shook his head, "I'm fine, just let me work from here if you want me to rest so much. I'll stay in bed, but bring my work to me." Mason stared at him for a moment. He admired Nick for his perseverance, but wondered if it was the right thing to do. "Please Mason. I can't let them think they won," Nick said. Mason sighed, "Alright, we'll move up here," he conceded, then left the room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nick reached for his drink, and Anthony carefully guided his hand to the cup. The council had gathered around his bed, going over the days agenda. "We have heard nothing from the fleet," Joseph said. Nick sighed, shaking his head, "They have to have a base, a hiding place, somewhere. Have they investigated all the places that could hide such a thing?" "Yes my king, they've come up with nothing," Nathaniel answered. Nick chewed on his lip, thinking. "What about outside the system?" Anthony asked, "Have they searched there?" Nick looked up in his direction, "That's a good idea. I know we monitor everything inside the system, but what about out of it?" "We have some satellites beyond the system boundaries, but not many. We don't see that far past the first few planets," Mason admitted. Nick reached up and tugged on his bandages, Anthony gently reaching over and pulling his hand back. "Marie said not to bother it," he reminded him. Nick smiled, "Sorry, I forgot. It itches ... anyway, can we launch some remote probes or something? Get a look inside the next system without having to send our people there?" The council glanced at one another, ashamed they hadn't thought of it first. "Yes, your highness, that can be done," Joseph said. Nick nodded, "Good, I want it done immediately. They could be hiding just outside the system, ready to strike again and we just can't see them." The room grew quiet, and Nick realized what he'd just said. He smiled, "Listen guys, I'm fine. This comes off tomorrow, no harm done." The men nodded, even though Nick couldn't see them do it. He was relying on his senses, and could feel their movements. "Now with that settled, let's discuss what we ......" he started, but was interrupted by the beeping of his console. Anthony reached over and pressed a button on the night stand, "Yes?" "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Ambassador James wishes to speak with the king," a tech said. Nick already had the blankets pulled back and was getting out of bed, "I'll take it," he said, as Joseph took his hand and lead him to his desk. Nick flipped the button, "Hello Tunk." Tunk stared at him for a moment, "Your highness, what happened? Are you alright?" Nick smiled, "I'm fine, this is just temporary. How is the reconstruction going?" "It's a slow start but we are getting there. Listen, the reason I'm calling, is that I've heard some things you need to know," he replied. Nick leaned forward in his chair, "Like what?" "That several of the planets are unhappy at how you are handling this. They don't think you are doing enough to find the perpetrators. They've banded together, and are forming a united army," he explained. Nick felt the familiar cold chill run down his back, "I see. Is it safe to assume that this united army isn't going to look for the attackers?" Tunk lowered his head, "Yes, it's safe to assume that. They are angry, and they want justice. If they can't get the people that did this, they're coming after Celeste." Nick ran his hand through his hair and sighed. He could hear the mumbling behind him. "Please tell me that Kholath isn't part of this army," Nick asked. "Not yet, but I don't know how much longer I can keep it that way. I'm sorry Nick, I didn't want it to come to this," Tunk said. Nick nodded, "I know my friend, neither did I. Thank you for telling me, and if I can do anything to help you, please let me know." "I will, and I'll do everything I can to keep Kholath out of this," Tunk replied. "Alright, talk to you soon," Nick said. Tunk nodded, then the screen went blank. Nick turned around in his chair, "Launch the probes, then gather the fleet. Alert the generals of what's happening, and issue a statement to the people to prepare themselves. I will not start this war, but if it comes, we're gonna be ready for it." Chapter 79 |