Page 20 of Guiding Reason
“Well, Conduit Solara is scheduled to be seen by Physician Kanela later today.” He checked Col’s meds. The infusion wasjust about finished. “I can remove the line for you, Conduit. That should be more comfortable.”
“He wants to leave,” Vin said.
Col smiled at the physician. “I really do. And you’ve met Guardian Vin. You can imagine his bedside manner and how he’ll force me to rest all day long. I’d just rather not do it at the clinic.”
Hyran cleared his throat. “Col, you could wait just a little while longer, have a proper meal, maybe? I can get you—I can get the protector to get you whatever you’d like.”
Mostly what Hyran hoped for was more time alone with Col, more time without Team Three being in the room, without the Guardians Col was so close to interrupting that tenuous connection they had.
On top of that, the way Vin had saidtake him back home with usindicated they weren’t talking about Hyran’s place, and why should they? It wasn’t home for Col, was even more unfamiliar than the housing they’d been given in the Tower.
Col put a hand on Hyran’s arm, a warming touch. “I’d much rather have breakfast with everyone. You have to join us, of course, meet everyone properly. You’ve already spoken to the butler bot. It loves food displays no one asked for, and I can only imagine what it would do if you asked it nicely.”
Vin glared. To be fair, the Guardian’s face seemed to have a permanent glare as the default, but Hyran still couldn’t help but see it as a kind of attack.For once in my life, I’m grateful his type of powers can’t touch me.
Col squeezed Hyran’s arm and went on, “Hyran. I’d be more comfortable back at the Champions’ Tower. Please.”
Which of course was both the best and the worst thing his Conduit could have said. On a certain level, Hyran could tell, on another, it didn’t matter. All he wanted was to please Col, makehim smile, make him seek the physical nearness Hyran was already craving.
Hyran looked at the physician. “Can you give him a final scan and schedule a follow-up he can come in for later? He’s already far from home, and making sure he’s comfortable can only improve his healing, right? I’ll make sure he won’t be alone in case his condition worsens.”
The physician looked at Col’s file again. “Will he be at the Champions’ Tower?”
“Yes,” Hyran said. Perhaps it was his imagination, but Vin’s glare seemed to be less intense.
“Ah. You can get him here quickly if he does show signs of getting worse—lethargy, aphasia, dizziness or anything that indicates an altered mental state, Guardian Hyran? It says you’re a kinetomancer. I assume you’re familiar with symptoms after a concussion.”
“Yes, I can, and yes I am.”
“Well, I can give him a scan, but I can only sign off on his release if it’s mostly clear. Conduit Solara, you came in hours after you sustained your injury, and we always want to be very thorough with something as severe as a head injury. I know it’s inconvenient, but it’s necessary.”
“Just get him to the scan,” Vin said, and the physician jumped.
Hyran felt for the man. Guardian Vin had a way of fading into the background until he was right behind you and whispering in your ear.
“Walking out of the clinic like this is getting to be a bad habit,” Col said in the elevator.
He picked at his hair. The physician had removed the bandage, had covered the scabbed-over wound just behind the hairline onthe right side of his head with fast drying wound gel that clearly still bothered the Conduit.
“At least it’s just one of us in pajamas today,” Taros said.
“At least the bots are less annoying than the first time around,” Vin said.
Hyran had no idea what that was about.
Col’s scans had shown nothing worrying, though the physician had been clear about him having to take medication for the next ten days for swelling and inflammation and just general tissue recovery.
Col had barely been willing to wait for a nurse bot to bring them all of that before he’d demanded shoes. With clinic slippers about a size too big, he was now on his way to the exit, allowing Hyran to put a hand on the small of his back as they exited the elevator, if nothing else. A nurse bot was hovering ahead of them, one set of robotic eyes fixed on Vin for some reason.
“Do you need to go to your place, Hyran?” Taros asked.
“Huh?”
“Well, we can go ahead with Col if you need to stop by your place.”
Col groaned. “You know he won’t do that, Tar-Tar.”
The purple-haired Guardian shrugged. “Had to offer.”
