The Theron Residency (Brides of Theron Book 4)

by Anthony Lorino, Rebecca

  The couple walked out into the center courtyard. In the middle of the stone paved floors was a fountain. The fish were swimming without a care in the pond ducking in and out underneath the different types of floating vegetation. Their lovely rainbow scales reflected the light from the sun making them seem iridescent. Laura loved coming out here in between visiting patients and completing rounds. Ceran interrupted her trance. “Laura, could you describe what you saw in there?”

  “I saw pure evil and dishonesty surrounding that man. There is not a pure or good thought inside of him. I am convinced that Lars has no conscience.” She looked away from the pond and up at Ceran, “Actually, I am really grateful that Zane let me leave for the day. I don’t think that I could handle rounds after what I felt in Lars’ room,” she shook her head and returned her gaze to him. “I feel sick.” He looked at her with concern, “Not sick like you think. I feel sick in my soul. He is a foul man.” She shook out her shoulders letting the action take over her body as if she were ridding herself of his presence in her thoughts. After she had felt that he was no longer her subject of focus, she sat down on the ledge of the fountain and concentrated on the swimming fish. It was starting to calm her. She stuck her finger in the cool water and one of the closest fish swam closer to investigate, probably thinking it was dinner time. The light, delicate nibbling on her fingertip tickled and she slowly withdrew her hand so that she wouldn’t scare the fish. The fish returned to swimming, seeing nothing of interest anymore. The ripple of the water following the gliding of its fins as they swayed back and forth.

  After a while, Ceran interrupted her trance. “Let’s go to the market, get something to eat, and look around,” Ceran said as he pulled her up to standing. “We’ve both been working so much lately, we are due for some fun.”

  “Alright, will you wait here for me? I need to check on Emma before we go.” She went back into the double doors and made her way up to Emma’s room. Brylon was not with her at the moment. He must have got called out again. Emma was sleeping comfortably on the bed, her eyelids moving in deep sleep. Laura gently touched her forehead. She no longer burned like fire. Her skin was now a normal flesh tone, not red and feverish like it once was, but she was still a bit pale. Emma stirred at her touch.

  “Brylon?” Emma looked up at her dazedly.

  “No, it’s Laura. How are you feeling?”

  “I feel much better now. My leg is hurting though.”

  “You are recovering well. If you keep this up, you might be able to go home soon.”

  Laura pulled the syringe she had drawn for Lars out of her pocket. “I can help you with the pain,” she said. She went over to the table to get the antiseptic solution and a soft cloth. Wiping down the area around the wound, she inserted the needle and injected the medicine into the skin just adjacent to the cut. Already the angry red lines that marked the poisoning of her blood were retreating back towards the gash in her skin. Zane told her that the wound would have to drain before they used the ointment to knit the skin back together.

  “That feels better already,” Emma said sleepily as she closed her eyes and went back to sleep. She mumbled, “Thank you.” Her breathing was steady and rhythmic. Laura jotted down notes about what she had done and checked what medications Emma had been given while she was away. Laura put the chart aside and gently brushed the hair out of Emma’s face with her fingertips. “Sleep well Emma,” she said softly and left the room to talk to the nurse. She made it clear that any changes should be reported to her immediately. Ceran was waiting by the fountain just where she left him turning over a rock in his hand. He looked up when the doors opened and smiled at her making her heart skip a beat.

  “You ready to go?” he asked.

  She nodded and they walked out to the car. The hovercraft took off in the direction of the market and Laura left Lars and the thoughts of his evil nature behind her at the hospital and focused on having a good time with Ceran. She loved the market and it would do her a world of good to get away.

  Chapter 4

  Arden kissed his wife Claya on the cheek just as she called to see if Grace was ready for her to come visit. Claya had been spending much of her time at Zane’s house lately. She spent most days showing her son’s mate the ropes in the kitchen and around the house as well as give her aid in preparing the nursery for the babies. They both adored Grace. As soon as she left he made his way to the hospital. He wanted to accept that the story that his son had told him last night, that the man found in at the crash site was Zirlo. However, that huge rift his heart left by his best friend’s disappearance years ago would not allow him believe it until he saw this man with his own eyes.

  It was a beautiful morning and the sun was shining on his face as he stepped into the hovercraft and plugged in his coordinates. He had not been to the hospital in so long. He did not want to step on any of his children’s toes as they were running the show now. As he entered the building, he noticed the subtle changes in the building’s layout since he last visited a couple of years ago. The gardens were much improved and the colors on the walls were very soothing. The furniture in the lobby was comfortable and stylish and the place was looking great. It was a shining example of what the Theron warriors were capable of after having their cities reduced to rubble just ten short years ago. The design and buildings improvements were no doubt on account of his son Zane. He loved all three of his children, but he had a particular connection with Zane. Zane had the gifts that Arden himself possessed through birth.

  He smiled as he saw the familiar face of the desk clerk, “Hello Dr. Arden, what brings you here today? Are you looking for Dr. Zane or Dr. Timon?”

  “No, Sartha. I was wondering if maybe you could tell me what room the elder warrior from yesterday’s crash is in? After all, he was probably one of my patients, not so long ago.” He did not know how much the hospital staff had been told about the identity of their new patients. He knew that Lars’ identity was completely under wraps. He smiled sweetly at her, noticing the sweet perfume of the arrangement of beautiful pink and yellow flowers accented by the long yellow blades of grass on her desk.

  “He is in the critical care ward and listed in stable condition. He has not regained consciousness yet, but I am sure that the nurses in that ward are going to be thrilled to see you.” She wrote down the room number and handed it to him. “How is Dr. Claya? I miss her so much.”

  “She is wonderful. We are preparing for the birth of our twin grandbabies. She is at Zane’s house helping Grace with the nursery.” His life couldn’t be better at the moment as two of his three children were mated and his daughter was on her way home from her latest mission. Soon everyone in the family would be reunited. Despite all the reasons for joy, one thing remained a constant open wound in his heart.

  Arden had accepted the death of his best friend years ago and mourned his loss greatly. However, he never believed that Zirlo was indeed gone. As close as Arden was to Zirlo he felt he would have known when his best friend met the end of his life. His mate Yasa had told Arden shortly after the receipt of his ashes, she held the same suspicions. She believed deep down that the story of his death was a lie. She was certain that she would have known the exact moment Zirlo took his last breath and she never felt that he did. They both agreed that it would be easier for Zeb to move on with his life if he were to believe that his father had passed away. They decided together with Claya to recognize that his death was real for Zeb’s sake, knowing that if Zirlo were alive he would return as a great warrior that his reputation proved him to be. Not a day had passed in which Arden prayed to the Gods that Zirlo would return one day soon.

  It was strange that with the reports of the unidentified wounded warrior circulating, all he could think about was Zirlo. The barrage of thoughts couldn’t be a coincidence. The night got stranger when Zane had called him to report that the other warrior was in fact Zirlo. Zirlo had finally returned to Theron. Arden almost didn’t believe him and wouldn’t have if it weren’t fo
r all those weird premonitory thoughts that had been running rampant through his mind. He made his way to the transport elevator and spoke out the floor he wished to travel to. He did not tell Zane he was coming today and hoped that his son would not think him interfering. Zane was noticeably busier than usual and spending more time at the hospital lately. Grace had even mentioned it to Claya several times over the past couple of weeks.

  Arden did not know what would happen if Zirlo had come home. How would Yasa and all the other people that knew and loved him react to his return from the dead? As he neared the desk to the critical care ward, he paused just a moment. It was an ominous feeling that one got when they knew that a particular moment that their life and the lives of many others was going to change forever. Everything was going to be different once he decided to take that next step. Hesitantly, he approached the nurse’s station. “I am Dr. Arden and I want to see the elder crash victim.”

  The nurse looked away from his monitors and said, “The patient is still unconscious. I will need to get Dr. Zane’s permission for you to enter the room. You see, his identity is being withheld for security reasons.” Arden nodded and looked at the name tag pinned to his uniform and taking note of his name. He hated addressing people without using their full name. It did much to show his respect for the warrior he was talking with when he used it.

  The nurse was young and probably didn’t know who he was in relation to Zane. “Please Eagard, call my son Zane. I am sure that he will give me permission to visit with the patient.” Eagard picked up the receiver spoke quietly to Zane. “He said it would be alright for you to check in on the patient. He wanted me to tell you that he would be up to join you within the hour. He still has several other items of business to take care of.”

  “Thank you,” Arden said. He took his time getting to the room that the nurse pointed out. At the door, he picked up the electronic chart and scanned the notes made by his son and the other medical staff on duty. Arden nodded silently collecting his thoughts. When Edgard saw he was at the door, Arden heard the buzz of the lock disengage. He turned the knob and walked over to the side of the bed. As he looked down at the weather-beaten leathery face of the warrior on the bed, a flashback hit him hard.

  Zirlo and Arden spent most of their childhood together living in the same city sector and rooming together at the academy the entire time they studied there. They were as close as brothers, made a family by love and respect for each other. Faced with the possibility of long space missions away from home, Zirlo had Arden placed as medical director on his ship when he received orders to take his first command so that they would not be separated. There wasn’t a significant event in either one of their lives that weren’t shared between them. When Zirlo was taken, it was hard for Arden to accept. Being on the medical staff, Arden was generally stationed on the ship during a battle to be ready to accept and treat the wounded while Zirlo was out leading his troops to battle. When they told him that Zirlo would not return, he was fighting with all his might to gain access to one of the returning small spacecraft to go and find his friend. It took several warriors to hold him back as he screamed and cried out in frustration.

  Just then, a single tear trickled slowly out of the corner of his eye and made its way down his cheek. He vowed on the loading dock that day ten years ago that he would bring Zirlo home. He missed his friend and hated seeing Yasa broken hearted. It killed him to know that he still had his mate by his side, but she did not. However, it looked as if Zirlo made it home without his help, after all. Arden always credited his best friend and blood brother to be able to pull off the feats that others believed to be impossible. Zirlo was always the man he most admired and aspired to be like.

  He scanned the room around him. It was a private room with an adjustable bed. The colors of the room were neutral and calming like the rest of the hospital. It had all the standard equipment you would typically see on the walls and near the bed. The heart monitor was beeping with every heart beat and he could hear the drip of the IV bag hanging from a hook on the right side of the bed. A small sink with a tiny bit of counter space was in the corner just adjacent to the bathroom. A curtain could be drawn to give the patient privacy when the door to the room was open. Near the window was an overstuffed chair that could become a bed if required for a family member to stay with their sick loved one. A wadded up blanket lay across it. Zeb must have been sleeping in here.

  Arden focused his attention on the bed. This man looked terrible. It was apparent he had been working in the sun doing hard manual labor. His skin was thick and the color of tanned leather. He reached out to touch the arm of his friend and could feel the absence of the healthy layer of fat beneath his skin. This man was essentially a bag of bones. How he had survived this long, Arden did not know. He reached to touch the warrior’s face and gently spread one of his eyelids open with his thumb and index finger noticing the purple color and muted gold flecks. He let the warrior’s eyelid go and dropped to his knees beside the bed as he reached for the warrior’s hand. “What have they done to you my friend? How did you survive like this Zirlo?” he said with difficulty as the lump in his throat made it difficult to breathe or swallow. The tears were freely flowing now and he started to sob.

  As Arden cried, something unexpected happened. A single shaking hand freed itself from Arden’s grasp and came to rest on top of Arden’s head. Arden looked up blinded by the tears that cascaded from his eyes. Using the fabric of his long sleeves, he wiped at his eyes and blinked a couple of times to clear his vision. He looked at the face of his best friend and smiled, “I tried to go. I was going to get you when you didn’t return to the ship that day. I promised that one day I would bring you home to Yasa. It seems that as usual, you have beaten me to it. Yasa and I both knew that you were still alive, you know. We never gave up on you Zirlo. You see, Yasa and I knew it all this time.” He got to his feet taking Zirlo’s hand in his and asked, “Where the hell have you been?”

  Zirlo lifted his head off the pillow a bit and surveyed the room around him. He tried to speak but his mouth was dry and the only noise that passed his lips was a muffled croak. Arden, without asking, quickly walked over to the table at the end of the bed. He filled a glass of water from the pitcher on the table and took the cup to his friend. After adjusting the bed to help Zirlo sit up, Arden helped him to hold the glass of water to his lips. Zirlo gulped the contents of the glass down rapidly. Arden refilled the glass and brought him some more. He drank it down just as fast as the last one. “More water,” Zirlo said.

  Arden slowly shook his head and said, “No more my friend. You need to pace yourself. If I give you too much, too soon, you could be sick?” To eliminate the look of disappointment from his friend’s eyes, he started to speak of a time that they both knew well to distract them both from the present. It was the only way he knew to bring Zirlo comfort and reaffirm to himself that the man that sat before him was really Zirlo. “Remember the time that I first set eyes on Claya and you were crazy about her best friend, Yasa. You were secretly hoping that Claya and I would hit it off so that you might have a chance with Yasa. You weren’t as good with the girls as I was. I could sweep the ladies off their feet with just a few words and you would stumble on yours. It’s funny though, you never had a problem putting your words down on paper. You would write in your little book all the time and share it with nobody, except me at times. I told you something that day.”

  “I remember that day.” He swallowed hard and cleared his throat. “You told me to get my head out of my ass. You said that I should go make my move. I should open my heart to her and recite some of the poetry that I had written for her. You told me that I had been admiring her for far too long. All that time I spent watching her should make it impossible for me to not have anything to say.” It took him a bit longer to answer, but Arden was patient and did not rush him. Arden could see the smile on his friends face at the mention of Yasa. “How is Yasa? Is she still…with us? I want to see her Arden. Please
, tell me that she is alright. Every single day that I did not see her brought through the gates of the prison camp was a blessing for me. It made me believe she was safe and that Zeb was taking good care of her.”

  “Yasa is well. Let me call Zane. He will get Zeb and Yasa here as soon as possible. I believe you have some good news coming your way my friend.” He called Zane and told him to meet him immediately. About five minutes later, Zane arrived to see his father waiting outside the room. Arden pulled Zane just inside the room and said excitedly to his son, “It really is Zirlo! My Gods, he is alive and in that room. Where are Zeb and Yasa?” Zirlo chuckled at Arden’s realizations.

  Zane smiled at his father and said, “When he told us stories of our childhood at the wreckage I knew. I figured that you would need more proof and that you would be here bright and early in the morning. Really dad, I am surprised that you waited that long.” Zane smiled and turned to Zirlo. “Zeb is bringing Yasa in a little bit. I asked him not to tell her until this morning so that Zirlo could get some rest. He has been through a lot,” Zane reached for the medical chart in Arden’s hands, “I heard that he finally woke up when you arrived. How does he look?”

  “He looks like he has been through hell and back, but other than that he is alive. That will be the only thing that Yaza will care about.” He looked at Zane as he offered him the chart, “The traitor was the other warrior that was found with Zirlo at the crash site, huh?”

  “Yes, Laura has been looking after him. Zeb’s been in here with Zirlo all night. It was an emergency meeting with the council about what to do with Lars that forced him to leave his father’s bedside an hour ago. Can you keep Zirlo company until Yasa arrives? Zeb sent Brylon a little while ago to go get her. She should be here any minute.” He wrote down some notes and put the chart back on the hook on the door.