Page 79 of Warrior Revealed

“Don’t, Mom. It’s a long story and I don’t want to talk about it.” She shook her head. Despite cleaning up in the nearby washroom, there was no hiding the ding on her forehead or her puffy red eyes. “What have you been thinking?”

“Maybe now’s not a good time.” Carol frowned in concern.

“Just tell me. There won’t be a better time,” she sighed.

Her mother got up and wandered to the healing pod holding her father. She placed a hand on the glass and lovingly looked down at Brennan.

“Your father will probably fight me on this, but I’ve had a lot more time to consider everything,” Carol said thoughtfully. “And I need you to carefully listen to me, too.”

Her mother’s serious tone and expression were making her nervous.

“Okay,” she replied, hesitantly.

“April just made tenure at the university. We are so happy for her. And Bethany’s boys were about to start high school. Your dad was so excited to go to their basketball games. He bragged about that pair running the court, that the opposing teams would never know what hit them. We just got the kitchen remodeled and I was looking forward to Thanksgiving in the new dining room.” Carol smiled wistfully at Brennan.

Tears starting slipping down her cheeks as she listened to her mother.

“But things change.” Carol nodded in acceptance. “That’s one thing that’s for certain.”

“Yeah, they do,” she whispered.

“Life deals out the cards,” Carol continued. “Sometimes it’s a good hand.” Her mother smiled at her, implying she was one of those good hands. “And sometimes it’s not.” Carol glanced back at Brennan, panning his injuries. “But either way, we must play the hand we’re dealt.”

“I wish life were as easy as playing a game of poker, Momma.”

“Believe me, I know.” Carol sat beside her. A tear slipped down her mom’s cheek as she took her hand. “And some decisions tear out your heart.”

Nadzia looked up at the ceiling as she fought back fresh tears and a lump formed in her throat nearly choking her. Her mother’s comment hit too close to home.

“Sweetie, I can’t make this decision for you. Hell, I can’t even make this decision for your father,” Carol laughed morosely. “But when your father is healed, I won’t be going home.”

Stunned, her mouth hung open.

“I know. I wish I could’ve said goodbye to your older sisters. But that’s not how it turned out.”

“They’re not dead, Mom.” She frowned. This was totally unexpected.

“Honey, think about it. Don’t get me wrong, I support your father’s life’s work, but I’m not delusional. Even now you can bet the Department of Defense is going through our house and your apartment. No doubt they’re watching Bethany and April. Eventually they’ll give that up, when they’re satisfied your sisters don’t know anything. But what happens when we go back? Just think of what they’d do to your father.” Carol looked toward the pod, where Brennan was being healed by alien technology.

“They’d dissect him,” she mumbled.

It was hard to fathom her own people could be so cruel. But they’d already tried to kill her family. And the horror stories she’d heard from Maya, the doctor who worked for the government, screamed that these weren’t idle fears.

“Your older sisters and my grandbabies are safer this way. We’re safer this way. And I have two girls married to people here. I thought I’d never see Pro again. Let alone see her pregnant and happily married,” Carol sobbed and grinned.

“I still can’t believe it.” Nadzia smiled through the tears running down her cheeks.

“Baby girl, I know this is a lot to deal with, but please, please think long and hard about what I’ve said. I know being forced from our home and being split apart like this is devastating.”

“But this is the hand we were dealt.” She nodded and squeezed her mom’s hand.

Aculus

“Apologies,” he grumbled as he accidently stumbled into someone on the crowded walkway.

Laudo was as busy as he remembered the outpost being. Although most of those memories were hazy, since he’d been inebriated half the time. It looked like this visit was going to be just as fuzzy.

“Let’s check out this place,” Merus suggested. “I need to put some food on top of the vocatus sloshing around my gut.”

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