Page 57 of Desperate Measures

Deram wore a straight face, but only for a moment. He and Charity burst into laughter. He must have noticed the tears streaming down her cheeks even as she let the instant of hilarity intrude on her pity party, but he had the good sense to refrain from commenting on them.

* * * *

Earth II

“I’m coming home.”

“Like hell you are,” Toni croaked to the vid image of her sister. She sat on the edge of her bed and fought not to waver or fall exhausted on its surface.

“Yes. You sound terrible. You don’t look so good either.”

“Your best buddy Bryant has nurses and a doctor checking on me several times a day. You’d get in the way and sick to boot. We have enough people passing around cooties on this planet, so stay the hell on the station.”

The virus had caught up to Toni. No doubt it had snagged her when she’d visited the clinic. Dark Death moved fast, and her trip through the sanitizer mere minutes after she’d been exposed to it hadn’t been quick enough to save her from its ravages.

She swallowed the cough threatening to break loose. If she started the violent hacking the virus brought while Stacy looked on, her sibling might attempt to come to the planet no matter the consequences.

Toni had spoken to Kuran ahead of contacting Stacy, before she’d forced herself to put on a nice outfit, comb her hair, and slap on makeup to hide the black circles under her eyes and other ravages the virus had visited on her in the past two days. She’d given Stacy’s Nobek sweetheart a good look at how sick she’d fallen…and she’d given him the full story of how bad it was likely to become. He’d vowed to keep the governor on Alpha and wished Toni his best. His grim countenance had told her he was fully aware wishes and hope were all she had left.

“I expect you to com twice a day to let me know how you’re doing,” Stacy insisted. “When you wake up and just before you go to bed.”

“What if I have a sleepover? You want to inspect my constant parade of guests? Want a full report on my hot and heavy hijinks?” She grinned. Prophets, merely moving her mouth hurt at this point. She needed the conversation to be done.

“Jerk,” Stacy sighed. “Just com, would you? I need to hear you’re okay.”

“All right. Don’t get your panties in a twist.” Toni hated lying in most cases, but she did so now. Stacy couldn’t come to Earth II, no matter what. She said what she most needed to, couched in a flippant tone so Stacy wouldn’t become suspicious. “Love you, mother hen.”

“Love you too.”

They clicked off in the nick of time. The cough that had been building tore loose, ripping from Toni’s chest in harsh, wet barks. She curled on the bed to avoid pitching to the floor as the world grayed toward black.

Little by little, the coughing eased. The sunlit hues of Toni’s surroundings returned. Thank the prophets she’d managed to speak to her mother the night prior. She done so as she’d realized the slide into severe illness was starting in earnest. Rosa was aware of everything…lying to her mom wasn’t an option. She’d agreed Stacy should remain in the dark for a little while in order to keep her on Alpha and safe.

Toni eyed the medical mask on her nightstand wearily. As she reached for it, her com buzzed for attention.

Please, no. I can’t pretend any more, Sis.

It wasn’t Stacy’s frequency, but it was a familiar one. Toni’s heart lifted. She forced herself up to sitting and answered, audio only.

“Hey. Is this the hottest Imdiko in the universe? How’s the holiday?”

“Toni?” Feru’s voice sounded uncertain. “Is that you?”

“Yeah, I bought and installed new vocal cords. I always dreamed of singing bass. Do you like it?”

“You’re sick. Is it the virus?”

“Yeah, I got a touch of it,” she admitted. “I hear Kalquor is starting to pull ahead of theirs.”

“They are. We were called back to the ship early, but it’s because of the orphan situation, not RNF-16. How bad are you?”

Bless the man, he sounded worried for her. What could have been.

“I’m miserable, but there are some who’d tell you I’m no bundle of fun even when I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. How’s the rest of the clan?”

She closed her eyes and listened to him talk for a couple of minutes, simply enjoying the sound of his voice and the memory of the night she’d shared with his clan. One night, but what a night it had been.

“I have to go,” she at last told him, feeling another cough revving up. “I’m overdue for an appointment, but it was wonderful to talk. Tell Imon and Wovir I said to take care out there.”

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