Mark had walked into many hospital rooms in his career to see patients but seeing Sara so small and hurt in sick bay tore at his heart. ::PaPera, are you still awake?::
::I can’t believe I’m here. It’s going to take time for me to adjust. I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready for intimacy again. You guys got a bad bet.::
::There is nothing wrong with you that can’t be fixed. You probably have PTSD and TaSyn is a psychologist and specializes in battered women and street kids. Right now we live in her gatehouse until we refurbish Castle Water. You’ll do fine.::
::Who is TaSyn?::Sara asked in confusion.
::She is the fem of the HighLords, the heads of the Council that governs Sarran.::
Mark picked up her hand. ::Such a beautiful hand on a beautiful fem. Once you trust us, you’ll be ready for intimacy again. We found you and know you are ours. We’re willing to wait for you to be ready for us.::
Sara attempted to sit up. She winced.