Page 90 of Havik: Warlord Brides
Chapter 24
Thalia
For the second time, she woke with a gasp. Blurry purple faces stood over her.
“I better not have been in there for three years.” Her voice rasped, followed by a cough that felt like shards of glass. Someone pressed an ice chip to her lips. She opened eagerly.
“My mate requires her spectacles,” a familiar voice said. The room came into focus when her glasses slid into place. “Better?”
Thalia nodded. “How long?”
“Twenty-eight days,” Havik said. He held her hand, carefully turning it over as if to inspect her. He ran a thumb over the fleshy part of her palm.
“So long. You said a week.”
“There were…complications.”
“Fuck. I have cancer.” Her mind leaped to a terrible outcome.
“No. You were placed in a regeneration tank to repair the radiation damage.”
“Move aside,” the doctor snapped, elbowing Havik.
“You,” Thalia said, recognizing the rude man, Doctor Kalen. “I want the nurse.”
“A common complaint. Now, I have an examination to complete and the faster you comply, the faster you can go home with your mate. How many fingers?” He held up three fingers.
“Three.”
Kalen worked through a list of questions, ascertaining that she was alert and oriented to her surroundings. Her motor skills seemed normal.
“My mind’s not as fuzzy this time,” she said. The brain fog had taken ages to disperse and had been her biggest worry.
“Not to cast aspersions on the previous stasis chamber, but—no, I will cast aspersions. It was a hunk of junk and you’re lucky to have survived it at all. This one,” he pointed to Havik, “placed you in Mahdfel tech, used the correct chemicals, and did not exceed the time limit.”
Thalia suspected her clear head had more to do with the shorter timeframe than the quality of the tech, but she wasn’t going to argue. The faster she complied, the faster she got to go home.
Go home.
She really liked the sound of that.
“You will notice physical differences in your body,” Kalen said. Thalia immediately looked down, like she could see anything through the blanket and bedsheets. He continued, “That is to be expected with using a regeneration tank. Your hair fell out but has regrown. Old scarring is healed.”
She held up a hand, noticing the old burn mark on her wrist gone. She heard about the Mahdfel regen tanks but only in secondhand accounts from Doc. A patient was intubated and submerged in a vat of super goo—that was the highly technical term, super goo—until they could be safely removed.
A hand to her head confirmed that her hair was shorter, about shoulder length. She pulled the ends up for inspection, finding her original dirty blonde.
That was disappointing. Her mom told stories about when her grandmother had chemo, her hair regrew red instead of blonde.
“Wait, why do I still need my glasses? Shouldn’t the super goo fix my eyes?” she asked.
Kalen sighed, as if deeply aggravated to have his time wasted. “Regeneration tanks are not meant for Terrans. Thesuper goois formulated specifically for Mahdfel physiology. It enhanced your body’s ability to repair itself. Deficient eyesight is not an injury or a disease.”
“Not true,” she said, struggling to sit up straight. Her chest ached, and the muscles in her back felt stiff. “I happen to be nearsighted, which is not a disease, but some diseases do impair vision.”
“Clearly, if you are well enough to argue, you are well enough to get out of my medical bay. Rest. No strenuous activity.” Kalen leveled a look at Havik, who nodded. “Return tomorrow. I will monitor your recovery.”
“Tomorrow,” Havik said.
