Page 140 of Stars on Fire

They whisked him into a private med-scan room. Where more high-tech equipment was pulled closer around his bed. Galvanised by the presence of the Prime, a team of reconstructive specialists went to work 24/7 on their new patient.

Selene was permanently by his side. Sheba had accompanied her for the first day, but after seeing her sister’s exhaustion, Selene had ordered her sibling to be whisked away to the Prime’s Residence to get some much-needed rest.

Mirage, too, in her gyrfalcon form, was ever present by Kainan’s bed, silently watching from her new perch on the sill of the hospital window.

Ki’Remi had stayed on as Kainan’s physician, at his insistence and with Selene’s approval. He spent just as much time as Selene at the hospital.

As had Riv and Kage. They were soon joined by Zane and Xion, who’d flown in from Eden II the moment they’d heard about Kainan. The Riders stalked through the hospital’s waiting rooms, pacing its corridors, unable to relax.

Their presence had scared some Dunian patients and visitors, so hospital staff transferred the entire party into the nurses’ large breakout room adjacent to Kainan’s private hospital chamber, which had suited many of the nurses just fine.

Rina was still acting as Caretaker Prime, allowing Selene to focus on Kainan and Kainan alone.

Apart from short breaks to shower, check her messages and eat lightly, Selene’s energy was all about him.

She read to him, spoke to him, prayed for him. She made promises to the planet’s power. She begged Dunia for its benevolence. For healing. And for Kainan’s full recovery.

What she didn’t do was sleep. Kainan was still in a deep coma three days later, and she was exhausted.

It was mid-afternoon. Light rays filtered gently through the room’s blinds, falling in shards on the floor.

The room was mostly empty except for the bot nurse, who stood indifferently studying Kainan’s vitals.

She placed her head on the pillow above Kainan’s and slid a hand over his shoulder. She could hear him in her mind telling her she needed to sleep. She huffed with weary amusement at the memories of his past attempts to get her to rest.

She felt hot tears leak out of her eyes. They fell on the pillow.

One of them trickled downward until it fell against Kainan’s resting cheek.

He shuddered.

She reacted, sitting up straight.

Then one thick arm reached up and tried to pull the ventilator mask off his face. He thrashed wildly in the bed, and it rocked dangerously.

‘Kainan, relax,’ Selene cried out. She stood, trying to push down on his massive shoulders. This only enraged him further.

The bot’s red indicators flashed as it rolled up.

‘Code 3!’ it repeated mechanically.

In seconds, the room filled with medics rushing to aid the patient.

She felt a strong arm move her away and looked up at Ki’Remi’s commanding face. He nodded at her, and she sagged in relief as he took over.

Selene stepped back as Kainan’s ventilator mask retracted, and Ki’Remi and the medical team tried to control the firm, muscled Edenite.

She saw one of the burlier doctors bury a long needle in Kainan’s thigh. He flailed, but soon his body relaxed into smaller lashes of movement. His eyes, however, flew open and then around the room wildly. Then they met hers and instantly calmed.

‘Khamila’, he said rasped.

‘I’m here,’ she called out to him, placing one hand over her heart.

His eyes never left hers as more medics swarmed around him.

Then his gaze flicked up to Ki’Remi, and they spoke silently. Eventually, his eyes glazed over as the medicine took hold of him. They fluttered as if to close, but not until he dragged them back to Selene.

He drank her in. Then they shut slowly.

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