Page 47 of Heart's Keeper

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It took a few days once back on Tryth to find the surgeons needed for Xerus' operation. The vrisha were not known for their medical skills like the gyda. They were such a versatile race that the need for a doctor was very uncommon and usually unnecessary. But a few of the dirra had talent in not just technology but in vrishan medicine. And the very best resided in a haven east of their own, ruled by Queen Mavika.

The surgeons looked over the tests and diagnosis the gyda had made as she and Xerus waited on what could be done. Xerus continued to take the medicine given to him, but it was running out quickly, and they needed to make a decision soon. On the fourth day of waiting, they took Xerus through their own set of examinations to determine what sort of procedure would work best.

The morning Xerus went through more testing, Lana sat in an open waiting room connected to a small balcony that looked out into a circular garden below. She stared down at the spiky plants and the druumils fluttering around them, trying to keep herself from pacing. It had been a couple of hours since he had gone into the secretive rooms of the vrisha hospital, or “the healing grounds” as they called them, and the longer he was inside the more she started to worry.

What if they can't help him after all?she thought.What if he won't be able to be himself without the medicine?

The thoughts were poison on her brain that she couldn't drown out. Her eyes turned for the door, and she rose, starting for them. She was determined to get answers without waiting a moment longer when the door to the other end of the room opened, and a small vrisha with pinkish-red skin walked out.

"Queen Lana." He bowed. From the slow sway of his tail and the bend of his head, she could see his expression was solemn.

Lana stopped before him. "Can you heal him?" she asked.

The vrisha surgeon looked up at her sharply. "It is possible." Lana had begun to relax when he continued, "However, there may be complications."

Lana frowned. "What kind of complications?"

"The growth creating his sickness is close to the nerves and vessels of his brain that are connected to memory, impulse and sight. There is also a chance of damage to the brain causing his body to fail."

"He could die?" Lana choked out.

The vrisha bowed his head. "It is a small chance. It is more likely he may have one of the other complications. He may lose some of his memory, be prone to more angry fits, or perhaps even lose some of his sight. It is uncertain which, or whether any might happen, but you should know it is possible."

Lana almost went to sit down, but she realized she was no longer near her seat by the balcony. "Oh," she said in a hiss of breath.

"He knows of these risks and is willing to still go through with the surgery, but he wants your decision first."

Lana looked beyond him to the door, imagining she saw Xerus standing there waiting. She thought it over once, twice, then glanced back at the surgeon.

"If he is willing...then I am with him," Lana said.

The vrisha bowed. "We can operate on him now. It may take some time but, if successful, shouldn't take more than a few hours."

Lana was hesitant. "Can I see him first?"

"If you wish."

Lana followed the vrisha surgeon back through the door and down a narrow hallway. They passed by several rooms until they came to one at the end. Inside, Xerus lay on his side atop a low table, surrounded by various vrisha-made tools and machines. Lana went over to him, crouching down to face him. She took his hand in hers.

"They said they can operate on you today but..." Lana could barely say the words.

"I know." He squeezed her hand. "I wish it could be easier." Slowly, he sat up to face her, and Lana buried herself against him. He stroked her hair gently. "But I will come out all the better in the end."

Lana nearly bit her tongue to keep herself from saying "what if." She released herself from him to fix her gaze with his. She took his face in her hands and kissed his brow.

"I will be right here. Just a room away. I'll be waiting," she said.

He took her hands and drew them to his mouth before placing them against his heart. "And I will come back to you. I swear it."

Lana smiled though she was afraid. She kissed him on the corner of his mouth, then looked to the surgeons who watched patiently close by. They bowed, and the small pinkish one led her back to the waiting room.

Lana remained there by the balcony, looking out over the garden as they went to work. The air smelled sweet from the blooming of the oorinda flowers down below. The day was hot, as were all on Tryth, but Lana hardly noticed. She let her mind wander as the hours ticked by. She thought of station eleven and those they left behind. Then she thought about her father and her time on Earth. She thought of Lazris, even, and everything she and Xerus had gone through and wondered if he would remember any of it after the surgery. And, as awful as it made her feel, she wondered if it would be a good thing for him to forget if it meant forgetting all the pain and terror, only to sacrifice everything they shared.

She knew no matter how much he might forget, he would always be hers. She laughed a little at the idea of him waking up to find her as his queen and the confusion it would bring, but she knew in her heart, even then he would stay.

Tears came with the laughter, and she let them fall. She didn't know how long she sat there staring off in the distance, crying or laughing all to herself, but she saw the light fading and the sun disappearing over the wall of the haven and knew the day was almost gone.

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