Page 78 of Protected By the Convicts
“If that happens, I’ll make a deal of some sort. I’ll offer to stay longer if he shortens her time. No different than covering someone’s quota.”
Hannah looked up at him, surprised. “You’d do that?”
“Yes.”
Vaughn would have cracked a smile. Ren thinking of someone else. . . The man had come a long way since they formed this unit. But Sersie was not himself tonight. Something was really bothering him.
“That’s really sweet, Ren,” she said, a smile on her face for the first time all night.
“I’d do the same, sha’vi, but you and I arrived together. We’ll leave together.”
Hannah reached past Vaughn to caress Ky’Li’s cheek.
“I want to know what Ren has against kids,” Sersie pressed. Pushing Ren, aggravating the man, or anyone, was so out of character for him.
“Not everyone has kids,” Ky’Li spoke up in defense of Ren. Another shocker. Vaughn never thought the topic of kids would be such a problem.
“You too, Ky’Li?” Sersie again. “You never planned to have kids?”
“I will not have children.”
“Can we talk about something else?” Hannah asked.
“Are you using, Sersie?” Vaughn asked before he could catch himself. Sersie’s behavior had been off for days. Hell, everyone had seemed off, stressed, all because they were waiting for Foley to show up and drag Ky’Li away. Hannah had been crying a lot, Ren had been avoiding the house, and Sersie had been working extra-long hours to finalize Salvation, supposedly. It wasn’t like Vaughn had been checking up on him, as maybe he should have been, before this—whatever this was—escalated to this point.
And Ky’Li. . . Oddly enough, he was acting like himself, not worried in the least. The one person who should be worried wasn’t. It was probably that soldier mentality, the idea that you knew you could die at any moment during war, but if you let it get to you, consume your every waking thought, then you’ve already lost, before ever engaging the enemy.
“Why the fuck would you say that, Vaughn?” Sersie shoved the bench back, with Ren still on it. Ren grabbed hold of the table to keep from landing on his ass.
Now everyone was standing. Sersie, Ren, and Ky’Li. Vaughn remained seated with Hannah.
Slowly, Vaughn rose and stepped away from the bench. “Your behavior is off. You’ve been exhibiting mood swings, going from overly happy to short-tempered. As your doctor, I can’t make you tell me anything you don’t want to volunteer. But you’re more than my patient now, Sersie. Everything you do affects this unit. All of us. I won’t have you compromising Hannah or anyone else’s safety.”
“Screw you!”
“Sersie!” Hannah said, heading toward him, until both Ky’Li and Ren blocked her, as well they should. At least until Vaughn knew for sure if Sersie was dangerous.
Vaughn headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Sersie called out.
“To the med-center. To get a blood monitor.”
“I’m not high!”
Vaughn shut the door. “Then what the fuck is going on with you?”
“They took Neville today. He was the best research assistant I had. And a friend. One of the few I had in the lab.”
“Took him where?”
“He’s being shipped out. He’s a level 5.”
Vaughn paused, not exactly sure what to say. It was a shock, and losing a friend on a prison planet where friends were rare was tragic and downright disheartening.
“It happens,” Vaughn said, trying to sound sympathetic, which he was, but he hadn’t been in Sersie’s position before. “Level 5s get shipped out when they cause too much trouble.”
Hannah visibly shook in Ren’s arms. “Can we talk about something else?” she asked.
