Page 80 of Lucie
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Hope
Iain didn’t turn around when they ran into the clinic. “They’re asleep again,” he calmly stated, wiping his hands on a rag. The placed had already been scrubbed. No trace of the roaches’ attack remained. Lucien caught the sound of men digging on the other side of the wall.
Dropping to his knees next toJohna, he pulled off a gloveand lightly touched her cheek. She was breathing regularly, and didn’t appear to be in any distress. More promising, her skin was no longer pasty white. He glanced over at where his father was lovingly brushingAtty’shair away from her face, then up at the physician. “What happened?”
“I was tending to your mother and debating whether or not I needed to intubate her again, when shejust opened her eyes and looked right at me. At first I thought she was still out of it, and it was a response to me touching her, when I realized she was actuallylookingat me.”
“Did she say anything?”Yulenasked.
“No. Nothing. But I saw clarity in her eyes. She knew it was me, and knew what I was doing. I can’t tell you whether or not she knew where she was or why,but I think she was aware of the fact that she’d been very ill.” Iain motioned towardJohna. “I went to check on her, and she showed signs of regaining consciousness. That’s when I ordered one of the soldiers working outside to notify you.”
“What’s your prognosis, Iain?” Lucien questioned.
This time, when the doctor heaved a loud sigh, they knew the answer before hetold them. “I don’t know. Thisbumfuzzlesme because I’ve never seen this kind of behavior, or heard of a survivor waking up just hours later. It’s normally several days later when they come to, and it’s at that time when we can determined if they’reDamaged…or not.”
“Would Liam or Dr. Fergus know?”Yuleninquired. “I’m not trying to second guess you, Iain.”
“I understand.They have decades more experience,” Iain commented. “To be honest, I’m curious to know if they’ve ever encountered this, or were aware of it, and simply didn’t tell me.”
“We’re at a crossroads, Dad. What’s our next plan of action?”
To his astonishment,Yulenthrew the question right back at him. “What would you suggest?”
Lucien already knew what he wantedto do. Whether or not his father agreed with him didn’t matter, anyway. The odds were Mattox would become the next true battle lord, either when his parents stepped down or were killed, with himself andMistellebecoming like Mattox’s seconds. Knowing how fiercelyYulenandAttylived and loved, he believed they would see their end together, fighting alongside each other. Ultimately giving theirlives for their beliefs, their family, and their compounds.
“I’d send a battalion ahead to scout out Green River, if for no other reason than to reassure myself that the place was another abandoned compound. Give myself a clear conscience. And because I’d be able to say I followed through with my promise to lend aid, in case there were survivors there. As for everyone else, I’dorder them to head back to AltaNovis. I think the whole point of this trip was an attempt by outside forces to destroy us, and was never meant to be a rescue mission in the first place.”
Yulenreached down to caress his wife’s face once more before pulling his glove back on. “Those are my thoughts exactly. Let’s go listen toTeeterson. Find out what he has to tell us. I’ll theninformGrimsythat he and his men have one more duty to perform.”
“Maybe you could send some ofTurenski’sarchers with them,” Lucien added.
Yulensmiled. “You’re beginning to scare me, Luc. I was thinking about doing exactly that, as well.” The battle lord cast one more loving glance at Atty. “You’re more like your mother than you’ll ever know, son. Iain, haveDestino’smen see what they can do to fashion together a couple of travois for your patients. We’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Not today?” the doctor wondered.
“No. Let’s give the Bloods a few hours’ head start beforeGrimsyand his men hit the road.”Yulenmanaged a wan smile. “I also need a few hours of rest. I can tell my mind’s becoming a bit foggy from lack ofsleep.”
Lucien gaveJohnaa final look, then stood and followed his father into the dining hall.
* * *
The wind was brisk on top of the wall. Lucien breathed deeply of the subtle smells of earth and rock. They were so different from the smells he was accustomed to. Back home, the rich scents came from the forest land that surrounded AltaNovis. From the mealsbeing cooked. From the wood smoke. Just thinking about it made him homesick.
He became aware of a presence walking up behind him. It stopped behind him but didn’t speak, and he smiled. “You’re supposed to be asleep.”
“Your mother is dreaming, and they’re entering my subconscious.”
He turned to give his father a curious look. “What kind of dreams? Or doI need to know?” he hastily added.
Yulenchuckled. “She’s hunting something. I can’t tell what, but it’s…fascinating.”
A thought struck him. “If she’s dreaming, could that be a sign that her mind’s intact?”
“I asked Iain that question. He said we can’t pin our hopes on it. It could be she’s reliving an event that happened in her past, which could meanshe’ll still have difficulty coping with the present. The Damaged are like that. They can’t distinguish reality from fantasy, or past from present.”
Lucien studied his father’s face. “But you don’t think she’sDamaged.” When his father didn’t answer, he pressed the issue. “Have you ever dreamt her dreams before?” He knew his parents had a unique connection, but this was the firsttime he’d heard of this happening.
