Page 7 of Keeping Sarah

“Ode says it’s best to keep him comatose for now,” she said in a quiet voice. “Until we are sure the bulk of the pain has passed.”

“Makes sense. I’m—"

“Where is Sarah?” Deacon mumbled.

My heart leapt in my throat. Grateful and relieved that he was somewhat cognizant, I kissed his forehead on the small patch of skin that was still tan. “She’s…she’s with Rex."

Deacon struggled to sit up. “We have to—"

I pressed a hand to his chest, holding him down. “Hang on there a minute. You can’t move around right now.”

He blinked up at me in confusion. “What? Why?”

“Is he awake?” Ode blurted from Mock’s side of the curtain.

“Yeah, I—"

The partition skittered on its hang bar in a high pitched jerk. “You fucker!” Ode shouted happily.

Still groggy, Deacon’s eyelashes fluttered. “Huh?”

“Ode, not right now,” Wave said in a stern tone. “He’s not there yet.”

Ode calmed down and checked his vitals. As she examined him, he seemed dazed. Disoriented. But when he looked up and saw me, he smiled, and I knew he would be alright.

Ode explained Deacon’s limits to him, and he appeared to understand. Then, he closed his eyes and mumbled, “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” I responded.

He opened his eyes again and looked up at me, his expression filled with angst. “I…I can’t go with you to save Sarah. I want to, but my body—”

“I’ll save her for us, Deacon,” I said, and now that I knew he was going to be okay, I was anxious to do exactly that. “I’ve got this.”

He gave as much of a smile as he could. “Thank you.”

“Thank me by doing whatever Ode and Wave tell you to do, okay?” I gently squeezed his shoulder before giving him a wicked grin. “You have to be in tip-top shape for when I return with Sarah. You know she’s going to want to fuck your brains out when she sees you again, so you need to get better fast, okay?”

He huffed out a laugh, then winced. “I’ll do what I can.”

I looked to Ode and Wave. “Take care of my guy, okay?” My voice choked in my throat.

They nodded as I left the infirmary. When I stepped out ofAllegiant, I pointed to Tiger. “We’re going to get Sarah back.”

“I’m coming with you,” Treg said.

The gelatinous Gorrk surprised me. “Are you sure? Ode—"

“My girl is fine here,” he said of Ode. “Sovereign, on the other hand, needs her engineer. She’s been acting up, we both know it. I’m coming with you.”

I nodded my thanks and appreciation, and exhaled a deep breath at the difficult task I knew lay ahead. “Alright then, a team of three—"

“A team of six.”

I turned to face the voice behind me. Fan, Bell, and Maverick stood there, bandaged from their wounds in the battle, but ready to go. “Guys, I appreciate it, but you’ve all been injured and—"

“And,” Fan interrupted, “if we don’t help save the woman who made sure our injuries weren’t worse, then what kind of men are we?”

Bell nodded. “You need the help. We need the distraction.”

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