The Riddle (Alternate Dimensions Book 2) Page 6

  I knew we still had one more part of the escape yet, but I didn’t care. As I was carted into our ship and fussed over, I knew that we had won this little victory against all the odds.

  Bajol injected something into my arm, and my eyelids grew impossibly heavy. I wanted to say thank you, or ask how our new friend was, but I slipped back into unconsciousness before I could say a thing.

  Chapter Five: Bedrest

  I woke up expecting to be in terrible pain, but surprisingly, I felt relatively comfortable. Or at least as comfortable as one could be after being kicked ten ways from Sunday. My eyes fluttered open, but there seemed to be a several second delay between my brain issuing orders and my body responding to them.

  I heard a soft beeping go off from beside my bed, and the next thing I knew, Bajol was standing beside me. “You’re awake,” he stated, sounding relieved. “How are you feeling?”

  “Fine,” I murmured after thinking about it for several seconds longer than it should have taken. “But kinda weird, though.”

  “Weird? Can you describe further?”

  Could I? I didn’t know. That seemed difficult. I was starting to think that I just wanted to lie back and ride the waves that seemed to be gently tugging at my body. “Maybe like I’m swimming or moving through molasses.”

  “Ah, that would be the pain medication we have you on. It’s fairly powerful. Now, I need you to do me a favor, and try not to move around much.”

  “Oh, do you have some more…some more…um, tests?”

  “No, those are all done. It’s just, you broke your back, and although we repaired the shattered disc, it’s still somewhat new and could use the extra time to settle.”

  Now that surprised me into somewhat lucidity. “I broke my back?” I asked, sure I had misheard. “But I walked on it. I made it onto the ship. I remember.”

  “Yes. And while that was very impressive of you, it certainly wasn’t good for you. Thankfully, you’re all patched up with no permanent damage, but your body just needs time to recoup. I’ll start weening you off the pain medication soon, but I need you to tell me if we go too fast at all. Don’t try to be brave and tough it out if it hurts too much. The key point of the healing process is to make sure the injured areas do not become inflamed due to pain alerts from the brain. We want to keep you nice and even keel.”

  “Even keel. Got it.” I started to close my eyes, but then I remembered the reason why I was in this bed in the first place.

  “How is the krelach? Did she make it?”

  “I’m fine,” a soft, slurred voice came from beside me. My first instinct was to turn my head, but I recalled just in time that I shouldn’t be doing that and remained still. “They’re growing me some new teef. I can’t see, though.”

  “Zkkyy had severe damage to both of her orbital bones and a shattered jaw. Your repairs will be considerably more expansive.”

  “Repairth. Like I’m a sip. Thath funny. You’re funny.”

  “And you’re still heavily drugged.”

  “I figured as much. Pain receptors. Inflammatin. Blah, blah. Someone tried to kill me, ya know.”

  “Yes, we are acutely aware.”

  “Yeah, that’s because you saved me. Why did you save me? You seem like you know me, but I don’t tink I know any of you. Maybe? I dunno. Can’t concentrate.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Bajol soothed. “We will explain everything when you’re feeling better. For now, you are in safe hands, so just worry about making sure you get better.”

  “That seems an odd ting to worry about. Either I will get better or I won’t. What’s there to worry about?”

  “Of course, you’re right. I’m going to give you another dose of sedative now. Your rest is important.”

  “Do what you gotta do, fish face.”

  The sierr’s eyes widened at that, and I had a hard time not laughing giddily. It wasn’t that it was particularly funny, but laughing just seemed like a good idea. I liked laughing. Laughing made me feel good.

  But instead of mirth escaping my lips, it was an exaggerated yawn.

  “Why don’t you let yourself fall back asleep, too, Andi? When you wake up, we’ll see if you’re ready to sit up. I’m sure Janix and Viys’k will be eager to see you up and eating.”

  “Okay, whatever you say.” Like a good girl, I closed my eyes and let myself fall back again. I was vaguely aware that I should be more concerned at the injuries I had sustained, but I couldn’t be bothered.

  For the first time in ages, I felt all warm, fuzzy, and content. What I wouldn’t pay for this kind of euphoria on a day-to-day basis.

  It was only just before I fell into unconsciousness that I realized I was basically describing being an addict.

  Whoops.

  ***

  When I awoke, I was feeling much more in control of my own functions. There was a mild undertone of pain to everything, but it was better than the giddy fog that had been there before.

  I took my time coming back to the surface, though, letting my eyes water, my breathing regulate, and all the cobwebs clear out of my mind. I was half tempted to slide right back into the comfy blanket of sleep, but my bladder was being rather insistent that I get moving.

  I sensed someone at my side and looked over to see both Janix and Viys’k sprawled across each other on a silvery couch that had been pulled into the room. They were completely out and totally adorable. I don’t think I had seen them so relaxed since…well, ever. I was always the one to pass out first and wake up last.

  That now-familiar beep sounded again, and I waited for Bajol to answer the summons. He didn’t disappoint, and a few minutes later, the doctor walked in, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

  “Sorry,” I murmured, “is it early?”

  “Quite late, actually,” he said, checking over the impressive array of monitors around me.

  “That’s my fault,” a grating voice rasped from beside me. This time, I was able to actually turn my head to see the krelach we had rescued. She was hooked up to even more machines than I was, and looked worse for wear. “My heart decided it just wanted to rest for a few minutes.”

  “But we had a long conversation and managed to get it started again, didn’t we?”

  “I’m alive, so I’m guessing so. You’re gonna get me off these drugs soon, right? I don’t like them. I can’t think. And I’ve got so much to think about. You get that, right?”

  Bajol stroked her arm comfortingly. It was amazing how much nicer his bedside manor was when he wasn’t in the prison. I suppose it behooved him to maintain walls in a place full of people who were in for murder or worse, but it was nice to see this other side of him. “That, I do. Don’t worry. We’ll start the weaning process as soon as the inflammation in your abdomen goes down, all right? I promise.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that. I’m going crazy here, but I feel too doped up to quite understand how crazy.”

  “Now, for you,” the sierr said, turning his attention to me. “Do you think we’re ready to sit up?”

  For the briefest of moments, I was flashed back to a time where I had already gone through this. I remembered the doctors, the nurses, the concerned stares, and the very careful test to see if I could even get out of bed. It figured that I had wound up in an entirely different dimension just to end up in the same situation again.

  “Let’s give it a shot.”

  Bajol nodded and lowered the cushioned bumper at the side of the bed, and then held his hands out for me to grip. “Let’s start slow,” he advised. “First, just lift your arms and see how that feels. After that, we’ll see if we can pull you up. If at any point it’s too much, there’s nothing wrong with laying right back down.”

  “Gotcha,” I murmured, reaching up for his slender hands.

  It took much more effort than I thought it would, almost like I had weights attached to my limbs. My arms were shaking slightly, but I managed to grip his offered wrists.

  “Very good. Let’s just sta
nd here a moment, no rush. Don’t tell me you’re ready until you actually are. And if you’re not, that’s okay.”

  “I think I’m good.”

  “I would prefer a more definite answer.”

  I took a deep breath then let it out very slowly. “All right. I’m ready.”

  “Okay, here we go. Tighten your midsection, and I’ll pull you up. We’re a team here.” I did as he said, and pain lanced through my body, but it was nothing too overwhelming. It was almost embarrassing how long it took me to get upright, but once I was, the doctor hurried to stuff pillows behind me and simultaneously raise the top half of the bed, so I could recline slightly.

  “Couldn’t you just raise that then have me sit up?” I asked as I settled.

  “Of course, and that would have been the next step if you were not able to sit up on your own. But we needed to see how your new spine is doing, and it seems to be integrating just fine.”

  “Yeah, about that. A new spine seems like a big deal. How long have I been out exactly?”

  “Not long. I’m sure our medical standards are much different from your own. Just four days.”

  “Four days, and I already have a completely new spine?”

  “Not completely, just some replaced discs and one vertebra. And we grew it from your own cells so the integration is quite seamless. If you would like me to go into the details, I can, but I assumed the medical jargon would not be that entertaining for you.”

  “No, I’m good. I guess I just owe you twice now. This is the second time we’ve worked together in what, a week?”

  “I think so. And considering our current trajectory, I assume that it will not be the last.”

  “Ugh, don’t remind me.”

  “Oh, by the way, Viys’k said you would want this once you were awake.” He handed me the scientist’s data-pad. “If you don’t mind, I would like to get some food for myself. Once you’re able to walk and relieve yourself, you can go back to solid food as well. For now, you’re on the injection diet.”

  “Yummy,” I said, trying to rub my tummy sarcastically but giving up when it was too much energy.

  “That’s the spirit. I’ll be back soon. If you need anything, press the alert button on the monitor above your head.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  He left, and I busied myself with turning on the data-pad. It had been ages since I had last given it a solid look, and it was entirely different than I remembered it. Instead of squiggles and undecipherable text, I could make out over half of the words across the screen. I was confused at the sudden wealth of information for a moment, before putting together that I was somehow slowly learning to read whatever language is was this galaxy used as their writing system.

  I guessed that it made sense in a backhanded sort of way. The likelihood that everyone around me was speaking English was slim to none, and yet I conversed just fine. Something about the process that yanked me here must had had a built-in side effect where I would be able to understand the world around me.

  Oh god, thinking about being dropped here without knowing the language made my stomach churn. I didn’t even want to think of how difficult that would be.

  “I guess it’s all about being grateful for the little things,” I murmured to myself before narrowing my focus back to the folders. There were about a dozen, but my attention was torn between the one labeled ‘diary,’ and the one that looked eerily similar to ‘enemy.’ After a brief debate, I went with ‘enemy.’

  Sure enough, I was treated to a detailed description of the cloud that had been chasing me since I got here. I thumbed through the files, each one a different theory of what it was or what it could be comprised of. I noted the dates, and it was interesting to watch the scientist’s hypothesis shift and update according to her new experiences and discoveries. She certainly was smart, this half-kin that I hardly knew. I wonder what she would think of a dummy like me going through her life’s work like a half-understandable diary.

  I heard stirring to my side and glanced over to see Viys’k eyeing me, her whiskers still crumpled from sleep.

  “Comfortable?” I asked, half smiling.

  She peeled herself from Janix’s sprawled body, looking entirely displeased. “I think I drooled.”

  “Yeah, you were pretty out of it. I was almost jealous.”

  “You’re one to talk. You’re hopped up on enough drugs to be worth a few grams on the black market.”

  “Hey, I’m being weaned off.”

  “Yeah, that’s what they all say.”

  It was good to have my right-hand lady back, and I found myself grinning stupidly. “Sorry if I worried you guys.”

  “Nah, I wasn’t sweating it. You’re too stubborn to die that easily.”

  “Thanks, I guess.”

  “You’re welcome.” She stretched, her fur puffing out like a hamster before tottering over to my side. “Janix, however, was a wreck.”

  “What? No. No way.”

  “Yup. Irritable, impatient. Even more annoying than usual. I could be wrong, but I think he might have a thing for you.”

  “I doubt that. He’s just a flirter.”

  “Say what you want, but I think he’s had eyes for you since he first met you in the yard.”

  “He didn’t meet me in the yard, actually.”

  “Oh? I wasn’t aware of that. Dish.”

  I thought back to that moment when I was penned in with an alien, who could clearly rip me into itty bitty Andi pieces. “The guards tried to kill me. They put this mooreerie in my cell and closed the shield. I don’t even know how I survived as long as I did, to be honest. I hadn’t eaten that cloud thing yet, so I was still just a regular human. But before he could do anything to me, Janix literally burst through the wall and saved my skin.”

  “Ugh. It figures it would be something overly dramatic like that. If there’s anything that a mooreerie bounty hunter falls for more than a tall lady with thick thighs, it’s someone he’s gotta rescue from imminent danger.”

  “Excuse you, I am not a damsel in distress.”

  “Never said you were, that’s what makes it so impactful. Saving a capable, badass woman, who literally eats her enemies had to make him feel pretty damn heroic. I’m surprised his head still fits through doorways.”

  I looked over to the alien whose mouth was open wide as he snored lightly. Could he really have a thing for me? And how did that make me feel? I had been purposely single since high school. I didn’t have time for relationships, and they seemed exceptionally stressful at that. Sure, I had dated on and off, flirted, made out, but nothing long term.

  I shook my head. This was so far off from my goals here that I shouldn’t even been entertaining the idea either way. After all, I was trying to get some mysterious alien lady to send me home, where I would never see any of my motley crew again.

  That thought washed me in melancholy, so I tucked it away. “Nah, I think you’re wrong on this one.” I said instead before quickly changing the subject. “So, our beat up friend over there…do you know her?”

  “What? Because all us krelach must be related?”

  “Well, yeah, that was the point I was getting at.”

  “Watch it. If you weren’t stuck in a hospital bed, I’d pop you one for that.”

  “So, there is honor among thieves, then?”

  She rolled her eyes in exasperation and ruffled my hair. From there, we slipped into conversation about the rest of the escape I had missed. Eventually, Janix joined us, too, and then Bajol returned. As the day wore on and I grew weary, I realized that everything could have turned out a lot differently if I hadn’t run into people the way I had.

  I was very, very lucky. In a back-handed sort of way.

  I just had to hope my luck didn’t run out anytime soon.

  Chapter Six: Best Friends Forever

  “Hey! Hey you!”

  I turned from where I was sitting in my wheelchair. Or I supposed, I should call it a hover chair, as it did
n’t actually touch the ground at all, instead levitating in place with only the slightest of bounces to its motion.

  I was surprised to see my krelach companion fully awake and appearing lucid. She’d been touch and go through my entire recovery, and it had been a solid day since she had opened her eyes. Those bastards at the prison had really done a number on her.

  “Andi,” I supplied quietly, directing my chair to cross over to her. I was able to walk, but my balance was still very shaky, and Bajol had requested I not strut around without supervision, lest I hurt myself. “Are you okay? Do you need something?”

  “Did Jyra send you?”

  Okay, that was blunt. “Um, kinda? I mean, no, she didn’t tell us to come get you, but we saved you because we were hoping you would help us find her.”

  “Oh….” She sounded disappointed, but I didn’t take it personally. “I had hoped that she had escaped somehow. That she had found me.” The krelach turned to me again, her six eyes pensive. “But you look so familiar. I feel like I’ve seen you before.”

  “Well, I was there at the explosion.” I said. “I saw Jyra get carried off, but I was trapped under debris and couldn’t save her.”

  “The explosion, yes. I remember that. I was in my quarters.” She took a shuddering breath, her clawed fingers coming up to cover her face. “It was awful. We were supposed to present Jyra’s great invention to the investors in the morning, but the next thing I knew, everything was on fire and people were dying.” She looked at me once more, and pain was written all over her expression. “They accused me of having a part in it, but you have to believe I didn’t! I didn’t even get a trial. The next thing I knew I was being shipped off to some labor camp without due process. I didn’t even get my call!”