Aid

Thana's shrill voice made Marea and I cringe dispite the distance. We both looked towards the doorway, not wanting to eavesdrop but unable to help it. "Thana, enough!" Geo boomed. I could hear Thana gasp, and from Marea's wide eyes I could tell she was also suprised by Geo's reaction.

"Excuse me?" Thana shouted angrily. I could only imagine the anger in her eyes as Geo began to shush her.

"Shh!" he hissed. "She might still be asleep..."

"I don't care if she is asleep!"

"...and Marea is here," he said firmly. "Let us at least discuss this in my office."

An intense silence filled the hallway, but after several seconds we could hear footsteps fading away followed by the sound of a door closing. Both Marea and I let out the breaths we had been holding as she turned to glare at me. I glanced away, trying to hide the tears welling in my eyes that I forbid to fall. She sharply inhaled before looking away in anger as we listened to the muffled argument happening just down the hallway.

After several minutes we finally heard the door open. Marea turned to look at the doorway and stood when she saw Thana standing there. "Councilwoman," she said as she nodded in respect.

Thana's eyes softened and she gave her a warm smile. "Not here, Marea," she said. Marea smiled and nodded again. It was the first time I had seen Geo's sister happy, but it was short lived when both women turned to look at me. While Marea's gaze still held anger, Thana's only held pity.

"What is going to happen to my brother?" Marea asked.

"Nothing," Geo said as he entered the room.

"For now," Thana said, shooting him a glare. "That is if we move quickly. We need a physcian to confirm that this is the best place to treat and isolate her. That should help our backing. What are your thoughts on Dr. Aelina of Novarca?"

"She is loyal, but some might see favortism since Geo and I are from Nova," Marea said as she tilted her head up in thought. "We would need to get an opinion from another physician, but it might easier to get someone to cooperate if we already have Dr. Aelina's."

Thana's eyes scanned my body, looking at the many sores breaking my skin. Without looking away she said, "good, then that is what we will do." When her eyes finally reached mine they held a sadness I didn't understand, but she didn't give me much time to ponder it before she turned back to Marea. "I will need you to gather those opinions along with the trial logs. The council had agreed that Flora would fall under his care due to her hibernation. I'm sure we can expand that to the rest of her health even if it is not directly related to the hiberantion."

"Well it is because of her hibernation that she doesn't have the immune system to fight a lof of our illnesses," Geo explained.

"Not now, Geo!" both women snapped.

"Save it for the council if you end up being called," Thana said tiredly. "Marea, will you be able to gather the necessary information?"

Marea nodded her head, her eyes showing her determination. Just as she was about to take a step to leave she hesitated and looked back at me. "It is going to take me some time," she admitted, "and I can't leave Geo to take care of her on his own." It was then that I realized just how tired Geo looked. I felt guilty for being such a burden, but my heart nearly stopped after what I heard next.

"Do not worry about that," Thana said. "I will be staying to help take care of her."

Marea was shocked but quickly recovered. I, on the other hand, looked from her to Geo with my wide eyes. He gave me a weak smile and a nod as if to say that this was happening and it would be ok, but I did not feel too convinced.

Marea cleared her throat to break the tension. "I'll be on my way then. Let me know if I need to come back here."

"Don't forget to go straight home and change your clothes to avoid cross contamination," Geo said with an authoritative older brother tone. Marea just rolled her eyes and nodded, but I caught her smiling just before she left.

With her gone the room once again fell into an awkward silence. No one knew what to say, but eventually my stomach decided to talk for me. It had been days since I last eaten, and with the fever down it looked like my appetite was coming back.

"That is a good sign," Geo said with a small laugh. "Hopefully that means you will be mostly recovered by next week. Do you feel like you are able to eat?"

"Yah," I croaked, "that would be nice."

"Let me give you a quick exam and then I will get you something to eat." Geo put on gloves and kneeled by my cot. "I'm going to need you to sit up for me."

I slowly made my way to a sitting position and hissed with pain as the sores on the backs of my thighs received more pressure. Geo went to help me and placed a hand on my back making me cry out in pain. Startled he retracted his hand. "I'm sorry," he whispered, but I only had the capacity to nod in response. When I was finally upright I closed my eyes and sighed in relief. "Are you ok?" Geo asked. I nodded again, and when I opened my eyes I could see Thana with her lips pressed into a worried line.

"I- I will get the food," Thana announced before quickly leaving the room.

I watched her leave and then shifted my focus to Geo. "Everything is going to be alright, Flora. I know it may feel a little odd with Thana being here, but it is for the best. It might be the only way to convince Arca that everything is still going according to plan," Geo said calmly, but I detected a slight bitterness in his voice. He gave me a soft smile to reassure me before starting the exam. "I need to examine the sores on your chest. We tried to stop you from scratching, but a couple of them got infected."

I looked down at my skin let out a deep sigh. Exposing my chest would have been embarrassment enough, but the condition of my skin made me feel it even more so. I untied the front of my patient gown and looked away so I woudn't see his reaction as I opened it. A blush crept up my skin, the heat of it causing my sores to itch terribly. It wasn't until I felt Geo's cool hand touch my skin that I turned to look at him. He had circles under his eyes, but he was focused on my condition as he examined one of the infected sores. It was oozing slightly and I could smell the infection, making me cringe inside.

"You should have left me at the infirmary," I whispered.

He froze and looked up at me. "Why would you say that?" he asked in a serious tone.

I looked away again, unable to look him in the eye. "The infirmary could take care of me. I am just a burden right now. I can see how tired you are and know that you are getting into trouble again because of me. The infirmary would be easier."

"Flora," Geo said while gently squeezing my hand, forcing me to look at him. "That is not going to happen." His eyes held a determined warmth that made my heart swell, but tears pricked my eyes.

"Why?" I whispered. "Why go through all this trouble? Why wake me and risk everything you have worked for?"

He looked into my eyes and smiled, "because I knew you would be worth it."

I couldn't help but return his smile as a comfortable calmness settled over us. Suddenly there was a knock on the door startling both of us. I quickly pulled my gown back together as Geo took a step back. Thana cleared her throat before entering the room with a tray in her hands.

"Here is the food," she said quietly as she looked from Geo to me.

"Thank you," I said nervously.

"Yes, thank you, Thana. I will take the dayshift so you can work on the council during work hours these next several days. I can work in the lab at night. Does that sound reasonable?" Geo asked.

Thana was quiet but eventually agreed. "I will be back tonight," she said as she gave us one last glance before leaving.

Geo sighed in relief before helping me lay back down. The exam had exhausted me, so Geo had to help feed me the bland gruel I have become familiar with. He left me alone to rest, but my mind was muddled with worry. I was nervous to spend time alone with Thana, especially after what had just happened, but my fatigue won in the end as I fell back asleep.