Georgianna had been right to some extent. After waking up from the sedative, with his burns treated and having got some relief, Si was much calmer than he had been before. However, he was still muttering to himself when Beck came down to the Way to check on how things were going.
“You mind giving me a moment?” he asked, glancing around at the different faces in the small car.
They trooped from the car, all except Keiran moving a dozen steps or so away from the opening. Keiran stayed next to the metal shell, his expression twisted in curiosity. Jaid shifted her weight anxiously back and forth between her feet, and when the marshall appeared at the opening, she was the first to leap forward toward the car. She didn’t pause to speak to Beck as she pulled herself past him, vanishing inside.
“Anything?” Keiran asked.
Beck shook his head and jumped down.
“Nothing helpful,” he answered. “Maybe after a couple of days, once he’s settled, he’ll be more forthcoming.”
“So he stays here?”
Glancing into the car again, Beck nodded.
“I’ll station someone at the end of the Way. With the other end blocked, there won’t be anywhere for him to go.”
Georgianna clambered into the car whilst Beck ushered Keiran and Wrench a little further down the tunnel.
Si kept on muttering about Alec, asking where his friend was, and Georgianna could only continue with the lie, telling Si that Alec was out on orders from Beck, but he’d be back soon.
She felt awful about it. Si was her colleague’s husband, she didn’t want to lie to him any more than she would have her own friends. While she knew that it was better to tell the truth, the truth would only hurt him. Georgianna had asked Jaid about it, but she’d agreed: until Si was better, they wouldn’t tell him anything.
Georgianna had stitched the gash on Keiran’s arm before bandaging it again. It hadn’t been long before he and Wrench both had to get back on duty, leaving Jaid and Georgianna to watch over Si for the rest of the day. Georgianna knew she could have left, that Si would be more than safe in Jaid’s capable and loving hands, but she didn’t want to leave the woman alone, not when she knew there was a chance Jaid might need someone to talk to.
It was only when Lacie came down to the Way that Georgianna finally excused herself to head out. Lacie could keep Jaid company while the woman was unwilling to leave her husband, and Jaid would help Lacie if any emergencies came in.
Wandering through the Belsa territory, Georgianna made her way to the guard’s sight, coming up slowly to find Keiran sitting against the wall, his Tyllenich rifle resting across his lap. He glanced up, giving her a tired grin.
“How’s he doing?” he asked, shifting the rifle off to the side and patting the space next to him. Georgianna stepped over and pressed her back against the wall, sliding down to sit beside him.
“He’s…”
Georgianna sighed. Bringing her knees up towards her chest, she turned to look at him, resting her temple on her arms. Si had been agitated after the marshall had spoken to him, not to mention that Jaid had been rather indignant at being asked to leave.
“He’s still muttering, still thinks Alec will be down to see him any minute.”
“You didn’t tell him?”
“Couldn’t,” Georgianna explained. “The moment I even tried he got all freaked out, saying we’d sold him out. I had to change mid-sentence, telling him that Alec was on duty.”
YOU ARE READING
Dead and Buryd
Ciencia Ficción"You are an inmate, not a medic. You should get used to that." On the planet Os-Veruh, the native Veniche have endured a decade under the oppressive rule of a race of invaders, the Adveni. When Georgianna Lennox, a Veniche medic, discovers her child...
