~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pain. That was the first sensation he felt when he woke next. He tried to open his eyes, but found them swollen and aching. Managing to open one enough to see with, a bleached ceiling awash in sterile light swam into view above him. A hospital's ceiling, he realized with some relief. Not dead, then. He could not account for his strange dream, though the similarities to the myths of Orion's death probably meant the research he had been going over with Nadia had something to do with it. He pushed such thoughts aside as he felt something brush his arm. Nadia came into view above him; she looked exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Her eyes were swollen, too, though from crying instead of injury. She managed a shaky, hopeful smile as she saw him focus on her face.
"Thomas? Are you okay? Okay, well, that's a stupid question, but..."
He tried to smile, an odd and somewhat painful sensation with a swollen lip. "I've been better, but I'll live."
The relief on her face was enough to make him believe it, too. "Oh thank goodness... When Burgess showed up instead of you and Black, I was so afraid. For you, I mean, though I have to admit I wasn't feeling so brave at the time myself."
Thomas tried to widen his eyes, but the swelling kept them from doing much more than quiver. "How did you get away? Are you hurt? Did he-"
Nadia smiled as she put a finger over his lips. "Shh. I'm fine, don't get all worked up. You need to stop worrying about me for a while; you're the injured one here. Black turned up and ran Burgess off and with some luck we won't have to worry about him for a few weeks. I went back to the apartment as quickly as I could, but you weren't there. Burgess' thugs had wrecked the place, but I couldn't get myself to care about cleaning it up while you were missing, so I called everyone I could think of and just stared at the phone for hours. When the hospital called me back, I came right over."
He felt oddly relieved by this. It explained some of the dream, anyway. Nadia must have been here the whole time. A doctor stepped closer to his bed and Thomas started laughing softly. Light hair, a pale skin tone. Nadia giggled nervously at his sudden outburst.
"What? What's so funny?"
He shook his head. "Sorry. I was having these weird dreams while I was out; it was almost like I was experiencing one of Orion's deaths. It was confusing as all heck, but it's funny now. You were there, crying, and the doctor here was standing to the side just like that."
The doctor smiled patiently. "You did nearly wake a few times, it is possible what was going on around you could have influenced your dream."
Thomas suddenly remembered Burgess' role and started laughing harder; which was exceptionally painful, but not enough to suppress his humour. "An... and Burgess was the arrow, I swear, he came flying at me like he was shot out of a cannon!"
Nadia's nervousness broke and she started laughing, too, while the doctor looked at the pair in a manner that suggested he was questioning their sanity. As they finished, a few stray tears trickled down Nadia's face, but she wiped them away with her hand quickly.
"I'm glad you're alive, Thomas."
He blinked up at her and smiled. "I'm glad you're safe, too."
The doctor cleared his throat again. "If I may interject? I have other patients to see to, so I need to go over your injuries and treatment schedule. Your injuries are non-lethal and the bruises and scrapes will heal over the course of a few weeks. The more serious injuries have been stitched closed, so I want you to avoid strenuous activity until they heal. Once they do, the stitches will dissolve on their own, but do not under any circumstances attempt to remove them yourself. I have to admit you're quite lucky, these run-ins very often result in broken bones or worse. I do want to run a few tests to check for internal injury, but if these come up clean, you'll be free to go tomorrow. I do recommend taking it easy for a few days, at least, however."
Nadia beamed at the news and Thomas felt himself smiling as well. "Yes doctor. I'll do my best not to get beaten to a pulp twice in one week. After this first experience, I'll have to think long and hard before I try it again."
The man sighed at the injured man's levity. "Yes, well, that would be wise. If you'll excuse me."
Once he had left the room, Nadia cleared her throat softly. "Because of Burgess' intrusion... we're no better off than we were. The meeting with Black never happened, after all."
Thomas nodded. "Yeah... I figured as much, the one I met with being a fake and all. We have a few days to think on what to do next, anyway, since I'm not going to be much help like this. I'm sure we'll think of... Nadia? What is it?"
She wiped at her face, realizing he had seen the tears sneaking past her eyes, but they did not stop this time. She drew in a shaky breath. "I'm sorry. This is all because of my stupid story. It's all my fault. You're laying here in a hospital bed, bruised and stitched up, because of me. I'm so sorry, Thomas. I know there isn't anything I can do to make it up to you, but..."
He could barely believe what he was hearing. "Nadia. Stop, please. This isn't like you. Where's your confidence, your enthusiasm?"
"My recklessness, you mean." She hiccoughed between breaths, coming dangerously close to sobbing. "I didn't realize... I didn't want to realize how dangerous things were. I thought it would be so easy to find my big story, to make a big impression on the world. But it isn't and I can't just stroll through life expecting things to go my way just because I want them to. Just because I'm spoiled and feel entitled to success..."
Thomas' hand closed on her arm, startling her out of her self-recrimination. "So are you just going to give up? Is that how your story will read, Nadia? That you struck out and called it quits? That isn't what the Nadia I know would do. She's stubborn, sure, but that means she never gives up. She's reckless, but confident in herself, so she's able to trust in her own ability. And maybe that sauciness of hers could be because she's a little spoiled, but I think it's because she's honest and direct. Not a bad combination of traits, by any means."
Nadia felt her face flush and she found a small smile on her face. "You're not just saying that? You really don't blame me?"
He shook his head; stopping as the throbbing in his head made him think better of it. "I am not just saying it. What happened was not your fault and I am not angry at you for any of it. I will be, however, if you let misplaced guilt get the better of you and change who you are. Do we understand one another?"
The mock seriousness on his face forced her to laugh softly and the smile grew. "Yes, Mister Carmichael, I think we do." She turned as the doctor re-entered the room, wheeling a hospital gurney to transport Thomas to his tests. As the doctor was bent over, adjusting the bed's height, she leaned in and gave Thomas a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."
Thomas could do little more than nod mutely, but she could see he was stunned for only positive reasons. As he was wheeled, blushing, from the room, Nadia felt her feelings of doubt and anxiety blow through the door with him. She smiled contentedly to herself and got comfortable while she waited for him to return. Even the questions as to whether or not she was willing, or able, to continue her investigation seemed not to bother her just now and she was thankful indeed for that. She knew that the question would have to be answered before too long, but Thomas had to have time to heal and that provided a welcome buffer for the time being.
In Icarus' Shadow Page 14
