Last Holiday on Terra

23

Accompanied by the royal guard, we made our way toward sickbay. I knew first hand that there was two private medical bays and that they were both being utilized at the moment.

I peeked in on Allie just as a drape was rudely pulled across the doorway and I growled at the nurse just opposite me on the other side. Apparently it was just enough to catch the attention of the good doctor. He arrived and stood immediately to my left and pulled the drape aside. The nurse stepped up to move the drape again just as Julia slipped by.

"Excuse me, Nurse. We are with the Doctor."

The nurse turned her head for confirmation and he waved us in with a flick of his fingers as his eyes scanned the newest report and began reading backwards.

"There's no change thankfully, but—I cannot explain some of these readings—"

"So, is this good news, Doc," Julia asked. "Or bad news?"

I continued to stare at the nurse, awaiting the apology which I knew wasn't forthcoming.

You're setting yourself up, Ro. Quit it.

I glanced up at Julia and the look on her face made my heart feel like it was going to melt in my chest. She was gazing upon Allie's face. Clearly it wasn't her in my head...

"Rowan is here," she said quietly. "I really wish you'd wake up and do my light work for me, yanno? He's acting like a big giant goob right now."

I could hear my brother's laughter. Julia heard it too. She looked up and then looked around the small room. The voice in my head had not been Julia's, but it was definitely female.

And my brother's laughter...I heard that quite clearly and suddenly I felt like I was a teenager once again, when the much younger pair would play practical jokes on me almost daily. There were days that I didn't want to get out of bed because of those two and their shenanigans.

I finally moved past the nurse and remained at the foot of the bed.

"I don't think she's in there, Julie," I said.

Drogo looked away from his tablets and instruments to look up at me. "Your Grace—how—why—"

"Someone's in my head," I explained. I told them about Cee's laughter. "They used to play tricks on me when they were little." I breathed in deeply to help keep my composure.

Drogo nodded. "Oh yes! I remember now, your Grace. It was—amusing."

"Oh yeah. For everyone
who wasn't me."

"Ohhh stop it! Quit sulking!" She laughed. "Wasn't all that bad—"

"You weren't there, Julia," I replied sharply. Came out way harsher than I meant and of course, she took it all kinds of wrong; it was the not quite familiar look in her eyes...felt like something from a long-forgotten dream...or another lifetime ago...

She kissed the brow of her best friend then stood to glare at me for only half a second but it was long enough to get her point across. As she would say, she was not a happy camper. Point taken.

"At least you're still here. Excuse me, your Grace." She slid by me and left the medi-bay.

"What? What's that supposed to mean!"

I turned to follow her and Drogo cleared his throat and actually had the audacity to grab my arm. "Your Grace, if you please, I'll fetch her when I'm finished here. It will give her time to cool off a bit. For both of you. Why don't you return to your quarters and relax—or at least try to?"