Courage (24 page)

Aerigo pulled back the sheet. His eyes honed right in on Roxie’s breasts before he averted his gaze and draped the sheet back over her. She was still exposed from having her tank top and bra cut in half. Memories of undressing Sandra advance to all the times they had made love, how it felt to have their bodies rocking together, how their voices sounded in the throes of passion, their heavy breathing, how they couldn’t stop smiling after, if they’d had any energy left. And now here lay another young woman so amazingly similar to the wife he’d lost. He retrieved the smock from the foot of the gurney and draped it over the sheet. Strings in hand, he slipped his fingers behind her neck and tied them in a bow, then slipped his hands under the smock and pulled the sheet all the way off the gurney and set it in a heap on the other bed. The bubble pattern smock kept Rox decently covered, but his eyes wandered to her chest. He licked his lips and imagined himself kissing her in intimate places.

He silently scolded himself for forming such thoughts. It wasn’t fair to Rox. He needed to take better care of her, not think about bedding her. She was at the mercy of his care, especially now. He slipped his hands under Roxie’s smock at the shoulder, and felt around for the cut ends of her tank top. Changing her into a smock was just another aspect of his care. He had to keep burying his thoughts about how beautiful he found her, and how he wanted to do much more than hug. There was no time for such things, even if there was a chance that their feelings were mutual.

Aerigo found one bra strap, then the other, and slid them off her shoulders. He let go of her afflicted shoulder and slipped an arm under her shoulder blades, worked her left arm out of her clothes, and her head tilted back, presenting her neck. Aerigo pictured himself kissing her just below the ear, then scolded himself again for the third time in under a minute.

It had been 610 years, according to Druconica’s reckoning, since Sandra had died. Over the last six hundred years, seeking romance hadn’t ever been a priority. He’d gotten a delectable taste of romance long ago, lost it prematurely, then vowed to never do that to himself again. Yet, despite not being human, Aigis were wired to seek companionship just like humans. He’d sought out quality friends instead, and tried harder to revisit them before they died. He’d shut down the romantic part of himself since Sandra. Every little detail about Roxie seemed to be waking it back up. It couldn’t have picked a worse time.

Doing his best to ignore his arousal, which wasn’t working, he finished taking off Roxie’s bra and tank top as his mind replayed erotic memories, then he tossed the ruined clothes in the garbage. Next he tied the last two pairs of strings to Roxie’s smock. He had to pull her into a hug, but that was fine. Hugging had already been established as welcome contact, but right now he was trying to keep his hips respectably distant from her. He set her back on the gurney almost like a dancer leading his partner into a dip.
Gods, I wish she was awake right now
. Aerigo brought his face close to Roxie’s, his lips aligned above hers. “Rox?” He watched intently for the lightest twitch of her closed eyelids as he rubbed her thigh, hip and waist. They had time for a little something. He mentally counted to five.

Nothing.

Letting go of Rox and straightening up, Aerigo closed his eyes. “I apologize, Rox. I’m not thinking clearly.” Hands touching only the side of the gurney, he took a moment to calm himself with several deep breaths.

He gently worked off her boots and socks, which didn’t smell much better than his. More intimate memories flashed through his mind as he undid the button and zipper to her pants, causing his heart to race again. He took in a deep breath, then let out a resigned sigh through his nose. They both needed showers, Rox needed to get well, and they had a war to prevent before they could even begin to think of themselves. But, of course, one part of him had other priorities.

He took off the metal bands from around her thighs and slipped his hands under the small of her back and mumbled an apology as he was forced to feel her glutes in each hand so he could remove her pants. He pulled them off by the cuffs and rolled them up, heart still pounding, and what it felt like to gently grab her glutes lingering in his conscious thoughts. He fixed her smock so it was covering her to halfway down her thighs, instead of being bunched up above her hips, then draped the sheet back over her, tucking it under the sides of the padding so Rox wouldn’t get cold from the air conditioning. Once she looked all snug, he allowed himself a kiss to her forehead, then went for another bottle of water.

At this point, if for some crazy reason Rox needed CPR, he would probably shove every doctor aside and breathe life back into her himself.

Aerigo finished the second bottle and decided to leave the third for later. Maybe Rox would need it before he did. He hoped so, at least. He crossed to the ICU’s doorway and poked his head out into the hall. Arryk and Jenna stood leaning against the wall. Arryk was a bit hunched so his head wouldn’t be in the way of the lowest track of the internal delivery system. Both doctors straightened up and followed him back into the ICU.

“You look a little cleaner,” Arryk said lightly.

“You look healthier, too, by the way,” Jenna said. “And so does she. Both your energies are much more stable than when you first got here.”

Aerigo gave her a curious look.

“I’m a Sensor. I can see auras, which means I can see what ails you in the form of colors. It’s kind of like looking at a rainbow in humanoid shape.” She started collecting blood transfusion paraphernalia from drawers and cabinets, and organized the items on a stainless steel tray. “I can also see that energy pouring into you when you sleep. Even though you’ve gotten several hours of rest, you still have a long way to go.” She said it so casually that Aerigo almost forgot how dangerous his power was. Jenna guided her loaded tray over to Roxie’s gurney. “You caused a temporary blackout when you first started recharging.” She looked at him with awe and a hint of fear in her eyes. “That’s a lot of energy.”

Aerigo took an unconscious step back. “I didn’t hurt anyone, did I?” He was turning into a monster again. How many operations did he interrupt and life-supporting machines did he shut down?

“No one. It’s okay. Everyone’s okay. Please relax.”

Aerigo took a calming breath and the heat from his glowing eyes dissipated. He was still anything but relaxed.

Arryk slid over one of the cushiony chairs and set it by Roxie’s good arm, then touched something in the back of the chair, causing the legs to stretch, bringing the seat to waist height. “Have a seat, Aerigo.”

Aerigo complied. “I have to leave this place soon. There are things I need to do. After Rox wakes, I need to leave her behind, where she’ll be safe.” Memory of the jolt that had passed between him and Daio after explaining how an Aigis’ powers work flashed across his mind.

Jenna studied him a moment with her brows furrowed, then glanced past him and at Arryk. She looked back at Aerigo and her gaze grew distant as blue lines branched out from her eyes over where the veins in her face were. Her distant gaze passed over Rox. The Sensor’s gaze was like looking at someone passing judgement, unsettling him. His conscience had been weighing him down ever since the night Sandra had died. He threaded his hand in Roxie’s for comfort, and, to his surprise, the contact made him feel more at ease. Jenna looked at their entwined hands. “Don’t leave her. Take her wherever you go.” She blinked. Her gaze returned to normal and the blue lines dissolved.

Aerigo gazed at Roxie’s face in repose, then watched her chest rise and fall with each breath. “I can’t. It’s very dangerous where I’m going. I can’t keep her safe if she comes with me.”

Arryk came around to his side. “That’s understandable, but you don’t sound like you agree with your own decision.”

“I don’t.” Aerigo still hadn’t made up his mind on what to do, but maybe making a decision aloud would help him agree with what Daio had said. It made sense to keep Rox safe, but it also made sense to trust Baku and look to Rox for both strength and a solution. He’d made her look just like Sandra for a reason Aerigo hadn’t figured out yet. What had Maharaja said?

Jenna said, “Arryk, help me get the transfusion going, and then I need you to go find Donai and Skitt, and tell them no one’s allowed in ICU 140 until I page them. That goes for you, too. This is a Sensor thing. I don’t want anyone to disturb us.”

Arryk popped her a playful pout. “Okay.”

The two doctors meticulously washed up before setting to work. Aerigo got engrossed in watching Jenna drain Roxie’s blood. The doctor hadn’t needed his help puncturing her skin, which discouraged his hopes for Rox. He’d hoped she would be recovered enough to have regained her physical toughness.

“Whoops!” Arryk exclaimed. “Duh, I forgot. Hello, bucket!” The biohazard bucket lit up at the base, sprouted a pair of stubby wings, then took to the air and paused before Arryk’s chest. The Elf deposited his broken butterfly needle and thanked the bucket as he walked past it. It flew back to its spot on the counter and reverted back to inert as the acorn shaped robot presented him with a fresh needle. “Aerigo, I need your help.” With Aerigo’s help, he was able to draw a pint of blood from him.

Once the needle was removed from his arm, and a pregnant bag of his blood lay on the table, it hit him that his blood was about to go into Rox, that it was going to help her recover. He was literally giving a part of himself to her. His recharging process tried to kick start without his consent. He blocked it, but it felt like all the blood was rushing to his head and someone was crushing him. He warned the two doctors of what he was about to do, and to give him some space. He dropped his defenses and let the energy recommence pouring in. The hospital’s power flickered but stayed on. Aerigo heaved a sigh of relief, then rested his head in his folded arm on the table, a funnel of air swirling about him.

He’d never recharged while awake before. He’d never known he could. The loss of power had utterly drained him both times, along with the recent third, but this was the only time he’d been forced awake during recharging. To his relief, the process still felt good, instead of just mandatory. He also felt a strong desire to take Rox in his arms again, and just hold her throughout the whole transfusion. What would be wrong with that? He wouldn’t be in the way of anything.

Jenna glanced at Aerigo and popped a brief, knowing smile before removing two needles from Roxie’s arm, which now looked a bit undersized and bruised. Aerigo gave her good hand a gentle squeeze as Jenna taped gauze over Roxie’s two puncture sites.

Arryk hung Aerigo’s blood next to Roxie’s IV, then broke a second needle while trying to puncture her good arm. Aerigo felt himself grin. Briefly. His recharging process was pulling him towards sleep. He was using all his energy to keep his power in control, stay awake and watch over Rox, and to help the doctors. He gathered enough energy to help Arryk get a needle in Rox, then rested his chin in the crux of his free arm as he watched his blood drain into her.

Jenna respectfully sent Arryk away. As soon as they couldn’t discern his brisk footsteps among the din coming from the hallway, Jenna turned to Aerigo with a serious gaze, yet soft eyes. She tucked a loose strand of chestnut hair behind an ear.

“We know you’ve been here before,” she said, “long ago.”

At first the news shocked Aerigo, but then it made sense. Nostrum City was the part of Kismet he’d focused on when world-hopping. He’d pictured what he remembered of Nostrum Hospital’s hallways and rooms, hoping he’d end up really close to medical help. That made ending up in the same hospital from over six hundred years ago highly probable. But... “How did you find out?”

“There’s a journal on you and a collection of video files compiled from security cameras. I think it would be good to have you watch what I watched.”

Aerigo sat up straight. “No, thank you.” He didn’t want anything to do with any of his last stay. It was the second least proud moment of his life, the night of Sandra’s death being his first. He didn’t want to relive one second of it. He’d worked so hard to block it all from his memory. Six hundred years had done a good job of that, however the mere mention of his stay freshened memories like putting an old photograph in front of him. He let go of Roxie’s hand and sunk in his chair, full of shame.

“Okay,” Jenna said, sounding mildly disappointed. “Do you at least remember anything from the day a psychic named Orissona read you?”

The name drew a blank. He remembered what happened the first time his body began to recharge, the injuries and deaths he left in his wake, but the first thirty years of his stay never got committed to memory. Aerigo shook his head.

“Well, she had some interesting things to say about you. I’m not psychic by any means; I’m just a Sensor, but I can use logic and put pieces of a puzzle together. In addition, your aura is blazing information, both physical and emotional. Even though Arryk’s harmless, I sent him away to give you a little extra confidentiality.” She moved to the foot of Roxie’s gurney.

Aerigo felt himself slip into defensive mode. Talking about himself had been difficult his entire life. He hated it. He had more bad memories than good--at least that’s what it often felt like. He probably had many more good memories, but the bad ones always snuck into his conscious thoughts, smothering the good ones.

“Orissona mentioned both matters of your heart, along with an impending life-or-death situation. That life-or-death situation appears to be really close, hence you wanting to leave Rox in a position of safety. At the same time, your aura writhes with emotional turmoil, but then it wraps your heart chakra in a cozy pink every time you touch Rox or focus on her. Through your love for her, she’s feeding you stability and healing.”