Dawnwind 1: Last Man Standing Read Online Free PDF

was sliding away from John, down a long, black corridor.
    * * * * *
      John woke to the murmur of soft voices, the scent of rain and the feel of someone holding his hand.   Opening his eyes, he found himself lying in a comfortable bed.   Turning his head, he saw he was in one of the medical wards of Ted Dov Primary Hospital.   He recognized the yellow walls and dark blue floors from earlier visits.   There were privacy curtains set up around his bed, and sitting in a chair next to it, holding his hand, was Iseta.
    “Hello.”
    Startled, Iseta blinked and half-rose from her chair.   A smooth, pale prayerstone flew from her hand, to rattle against the floor.
    “John!   You’re awake!”  
    “Shouldn’t I be?” he asked, mildly.
    Iseta clutched his hand.   “You’ve been unconscious for four days!”
    He blinked in surprise.   “Four days?”   He sat up and regretted it.   The room swum around him.     He fell back and swallowed.   “Whoa.”
    Iseta touched his face.   “Are you all right?”
    “Fine.   Just tried to get up too fast.”
    “Let me get the medic.”
    Reluctantly, Iseta released his hand.   Turning, she pulled back a privacy curtain.   John caught a glimpse of other beds, saw a Burjan in one and an ancient Archivist in another.   Iseta waved frantically at someone out of sight, then turned back to John and reclaimed his hand in both of hers.
    “Aunt Olu has been beside herself with worry!   She just left to get some rest.   Oh, she’ll be furious when she finds out she wasn’t here for your awakening!”
    A young man in a blue medical tunic appeared.   He had long, bright yellow hair and a warm smile.   “Ah! Awake at last, Mr. Epcott.   How do you feel?”
    Even as he asked the question, the medic pulled on a medical handscanner and began to run it over John’s torso.
    “Woozy.”
    “Woozy?”
    “A little dizzy,” clarified John.   “And my mouth is dry.”
    “It looks like you’re a little dehydrated.” Turning to Iseta, the medic smiled. “Miss Teneso, would you mind fetching a bottle of water?   There’s a dispenser just down the hall.”
    Iseta nodded and rushed off.   The young medic watched her go with a smile, and then turned back to John.   “I must say, Mr. Epcott, you had us all very worried.”
    “What happened?   The last thing I remember is a medic, injecting me with something.”
    “A full dose of tranquilizers.   By the time they brought you to us, you were comatose.”
    “I did try to tell them I wasn’t Junian,” said John.   “But she took one look at my hair and. . . .”   He had raised his hand to touch his hair and gasped as he felt smooth bandages wrapped around his skull.   “What . . .?”
    “It’s all right.   You were attracting a bit of attention on the ward, so we did a little camouflaging.   Miss Teneso’s aunt said you would be okay with it.”
    John chuckled, dropped his hand.   “It’s fine.   The bandages just caught me off guard.”
    The medic nodded and continued his scans.   Iseta returned with a bottle of cold water. Slowly, she and the medic helped John sit up.   Iseta opened the bottle and helped John hold it as he sipped the contents. His fingers felt leaden.
    “Medic Imisu has been so wonderful, John,” gushed Iseta, casting shy glances at the man.
    “Just doing my duty, miss,” said Imisu.  
    John noted, though, that the tips of Imisu’s fingers went rosy.   “I’m surprised they didn’t haul old Sufo down here,” he said.   “He got pulled in the last time something happened to me.”
    Medic Imisu grinned.   “If he wasn’t offworld, he probably would be, Mr. Epcott.”
    John arched his eyebrows.   “Sufo’s gone?   Where to?”
    “A hospital ship, heading to the Colonies.”
    “I had no idea,” said John.   “How long will he be gone?”
    “A year,” said Imisu.   He smiled at John.   “But don’t worry.   He left us very detailed files on you.”
    “I