Bound by Love - Rest of Chapter 3
Gibor
flinched. “Of course. I… I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry, Hamza. Come, I’ll take
you to where Neo and Jolak are.”
Grateful,
Hamza let Gibor lead him away from that room full of death and heartache. Royal
guards fell in behind them as they moved through narrow walkways. No one spoke,
which relieved Hamza.
The
less he had to think, the better. Instead he focused on the drab walls. This
part of the palace wasn’t used often since it was mostly a bunker. Maybe that
was why it was so cold. There were no polished floors, pretty draperies, or
expensive knickknacks. If the royal family was here, then the cause was nothing
good. Kind of like now.
Gibor
stopped in front of a plain door with guards standing in front of it, hugged
Hamza and left, taking the ones who followed them back with him. Hamza nodded
to the males and opened the door.
The
lights in the ceiling were set to low in the open living area. Two simple
couches and a small entertainment center graced the room. He stepped inside,
and it closed with a swish. The floor was stained concrete with a rug to soften
sounds. There were no pictures in guiled frames. No windows to let in light.
Off to the side was a reduplicator for food and other needs, along with a tiny
table for dining. It was all very bare and so basic. And cold. So damn cold.
Neo,
sitting on the couch, unwound his legs from underneath him and stood. He didn’t
speak, just stood there… waiting. Hamza had never been so happy to see someone
as he was to see Neo. He crossed the room, his feet moving of their own accord,
and threw himself at Neo. Neo staggered but kept his feet. Wrapping his arms
around Hamza, he held on tightly. One hand crept up Hamza’s back and buried
itself under Hamza’s hair.
The
touch helped ground him, but the screams of pain, of denial, stayed locked deep
inside. How he wanted to cry, but there was nothing. Just… nothing, except the
black hatred growing within him.
“I
have you, love. It’s okay.” Neo rubbed his other hand up and down Hamza’s back.
But
it wasn’t okay. It would never be okay again. Hamza had lost his dabba,
and nothing could change that.
“I
was worried about you.” Hamza forced the words past his tight throat.
“I
was scared stupid about you,” Neo admitted. “When I heard the palace and the
planetary defense building were under attack, I damn near panicked. Hamza, I’m
so—”
“I…
I can’t talk about dabba yet, Neo. It doesn’t seem real, and I can’t
accept it, and gods above, how dad wailed broke me, and what the hell am I
going to do, and the palace took a major hit, and we must secure it, but so did
other cities, and so many people are hurt or dead, and, and, and we’re at war,
but we’ve been at peace since I’ve been alive, so how do I war against an enemy
when I have no experience whatsoever, and, and, by all that is holy, everything
is just so… so—”
“Hey,
hey, I need you to breathe.” Neo let go of Hamza and leaned back. “You’re about
to hyperventilate.”
“I….”
Hamza gasped. He started to shake. There simply wasn’t enough air in the room,
and the walls were closing in on him. And fuck, why was it so cold? “I…
it’s too much!”
“Oh-kay,
you’re going to sit down.” Neo pulled Hamza to the couch, pushed him down, and
knelt beside him. He clasped Hamza’s wrist. “Too fast,” he muttered. “Your skin
is like ice too. Damn.”
“Where
do I start?” Hamza jerked his hand free and leaped to his feet. Neo stood too.
“Love—”
“What
about our fleet? What about our fighters? And what about the starships? How
much damage occurred and had significant?” Hamza sweat dripped into his eyes.
How was that even possible when he was so fucking cold? He glared at Neo, who
was now standing by the small dining table, digging around in a black bag.
“The
Onfe are here too. How could I have forgotten them? Do I need to officially
greet them? How do I do that?” Hamza’s vison was going wonky again, but he
plowed on regardless. “Fuck, I need Ti.” He jumped when Neo grasped his arm.
“He’ll know what to do. He’ll tell me the protocol for—fuck! What… what did you
just…. What was that?”
“Sedative.”
Neo placed the hydrosedative-spray on the table. “You’re
on the verge of a panic attack and very possibly going into shock.”
“How
much of a sedative did you—well, shit.” Hamza swayed. Creeping fatigue washed
over him. He blinked owlishly at Neo.
“Time
to rest, love.” Neo ducked under Hamza’s arm, wrapped an arm around Hamza’s
waist, and braced him. He walked Hamza toward another door off the living area.
“Bedroom’s through here.”
“You
tranqued me.” Hamza accused. Holy shit was the room was spinning now.
“Sure
did.” Neo opened the door and led Hamza to a bed. He eased Hamza onto it. “Down
you go.”
Hamza
could barely keep his eyes opened. All he wanted to do was sleep. “Not… not….”
What was he saying? “Yeah. Cool.” He sank into the bedding and groaned.
Neo
pulled off Hamza’s boot then covered him with a blanket. “I know, but it was
better than the panic attack you were heading for.”
“Tah’Narians
don’t have…. Tah’Narians don’t… huh? What was I…?” Hamza slurred.
“Oh
bullshit. And as a doctor, that’s my medical opinion too.” Neo sat next to
Hamza.
“How’s
it get so dark?”
“It’s
dark because your eyes are close. Now, go to sleep, dammit.”
“S…
stay?”
“Absolutely.”
*
* * *
Hamza
lurched up in bed, his heart racing. Something… something was wrong. Horribly,
horribly wrong. The feeling nagged at him, refusing to be ignored, but he shied
away. Whatever lurked at the edge of his mind was not something he wanted to
think about. Off-kilter, he scanned the unfamiliar room. This was not his and
Neo’s bedroom. In fact, he was pretty sure he’d never seen this area before.
Where was he? Why was he here? And where was here?
That
nagging feeling turned into a tsunami of memories and images from the past
several…. Shit. Neo had knocked his ass out. How long had he been asleep? He
swung his feet—where the hell were his boots?—over the side of the bed and
stood. Oh, wait until he saw Neo again. He was going to….
The
door opened, and Neo leaned against the frame, arms crossed. “Okay, before you
start yelling, I did what I had to do. I’d do it again, just so you know. You
were close to losing control. Next, you’ve been asleep for three unit hours.
That’s all. I’ve kept an eye on your dad too. He’s still out, and probably will
be all night. What I injected him with was stronger than what I used on you.
Finally, if you’re going to yell, go ahead and get it our of your system
because everyone wants to see you. They’ve just been waiting for you to wake
up.”
Hamza
deflated. Yes, he was upset Neo tranqued him, but how could he argue when Neo
did it because he cared?
“No
yelling?” Neo asked, eyebrow raised.
“No.
But I reserve the right to do so later.”
Neo
grinned. “Sounds fair.” He came into the room and wrapped his arms around
Hamza. “I am sorry I sedated you without asking, but you were in shock and
teetering on the edge of a panic attack.”
“I
know.” Hamza allowed himself a moment to cuddle and enjoy the heat from Neo’s
body. “And I do feel… well, not really better, but more in control. I’m not so
cold either.”
“That’s
shock, love.”
“I
figured. So, thanks. Can I have something to drink? My mouth’s dry.”
“Already
fixed and sitting on the dining table. I put your boots over there,” Neo
pointed. “I also fixed you food. And before you say it, I know you’re not
hungry, but you need to eat. Doctor’s orders.”
Hamza
smirked. “You use that way too often when you want your way.”
“You
better believe it. Come on.” Neo took Hamza’s hand and lead him to the table.
They sat, and Hamza gulped the water. Knowing Neo watched, Hamza ate what he
could.
When
he finished, Hamza cleared his throat and mentally prepared himself for what
was coming. “Have you spoken to anyone since you knocked me out?”
“Keyno
commed me right after I got you in bed and said he was handling everything. He
asked me to let him know when you woke up. So, I know less than you, I
imagine.”
“How
did you know…. I mean, how did you know to come?”
“The
Royal Physician sent someone to get me from the hospital. We transported to the
palace, but a guard met me. He brought me.” Neo explained what the hospital was
dealing with when he got word. He then briefly described what he saw when he
arrived at the palace.
Hamza
nodded. He wasn’t ready to face those images. Not yet. Instead, he glanced at
the closed door across the room. “Is my dad in there?”
“He
is. Like I said, I’ve been checking on him. He’s asleep. Would you like to see
him though?”
“Yes.
I need to… to make sure he’s okay, you know?” How could he explain the
overwhelming urge to make sure his dad was alive, that he was still breathing?
That he was whole, even if Hamza had seen him just unit hours earlier.
Neo
stood and held out his hand. “I do.”
Together
they peeked in. Jolak was sleeping… well, not necessarily soundly, but he was
out.
“Thank
you,” Hamza said, closing the door. He rolled his neck, popping it. He followed
Neo back to the living area and sat. “Keyno said everyone was okay?”
“That’s
what I was told. There’s no reason to think he’d lie.”
“No,
he wouldn’t. I… gods, Neo. I don’t know where to start. There’s so much to do.”
What was it Keyno said? Small steps. Right.
“I
say we start by getting in touch with Keyno.”
The
use of ‘we’ didn’t escape Hamza’s notice, and he appreciated what Neo was
doing. It did help him not feel quite so along.
Hamza pressed his comm.
