finally stopped, but then there were foreign hands on him, human hands, and it was unbearable. Matt cried out, trying to avoid being touched, and he could hear agitated voices around him. The pain and the confusion were overwhelming, and he felt himself drifting away.
***
When he came to again, he was in the hospital, being wheeled into a bright white room.
"Male, in his thirties, unconscious, multiple fractures to ribs, clavicle, and cheek. BP low, showing signs of shock."
"Pietr?"
Matt tried to sit up, and cried out when the pain tore through him. He gasped, trying to force enough air into his lungs, but they didn't work properly. The tube in his nose didn't help at all.
"Don't try to move. Lie still, Matt." There was a woman pressing him down. It hurt, and the contact was too close, humans all around him.
He fought harder, desperate to get to his mate.
"You're making it worse! I only need to touch him while you examine him."
Pietr's voice was somewhere outside the room, and Matt reached out for him. It made his head hurt even worse, and he heard Pietr cursing out loud. Then Pietr was at his side, holding his hand, and Matt clung to the contact.
There were loud voices all around him, and he groaned.
Shh, please? He couldn't find the right words, couldn't get past the fog in his brain.
"I'm his doctor. Please let me through." The voice was familiar, and then he felt Robbie's careful hands on him.
"He needs you to be quiet!" Robbie's voice carried through the room, and finally, the noise let up. "He's to be treated like a Himiko; he's got special needs."
Someone in the background said something, and Robbie answered, sounding irritated.
"He's recently undergone brain surgery, and he still suffers some aftereffects from it."
The effect of a Himiko lying was dizzying. What Matt heard with his mind and with his ears didn't match, and it made his head spin. He got a clear feeling why it was difficult for a Himiko to lie to another Himiko.
Matt felt Robbie carefully ease his way into Matt's mind, so cautiously.
"Oh, your head hurts, doesn't it?" There was compassion in Robbie's voice. "Can you open your eyes, Matt?"
Matt hadn't realized that he had closed them again. He opened them, groaning when the glaring light made the pain flare.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, but I have to see something. This is the best way." There was more light, and Matt squeezed his eyes shut again. Robbie let him.
"Help him like this while I examine him." Matt felt Robbie show Pietr how to wrap himself around Matt's sore mind, soothing some of the pain and confusion.
Then Robbie did a strange thing, almost like he was going inside Matt's body. Matt started, trying to get away both mentally and physically, but Pietr was there right away.
It's okay, baby. Robbie's helping you. Healing you.
The place in Matt's side where the pain had been excruciating suddenly got warm, then very hot, and it felt as if something inside his body was moving on its own accord. The feeling was strange, and he tried to fight it. However, Pietr kept him from struggling, and slowly, the pain faded. He could suddenly get real breaths into his lungs, and the air felt so good.
"That will help him a bit." Robbie's voice sounded weak, and Matt opened his eyes.
"There you are." Robbie swayed a bit, his eyes looking unfocused for a moment, but he smiled when Matt looked at him. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. That was your worst injury. Just try not to use your mind too much, okay?"
Matt was going to nod, but his eyes fell shut again. Robbie patted his arm, and Matt could hear the Himiko talking to the nurses and doctors around him. The sounds got blurry, though, his ability to focus on any one sentence gone. It was enough to almost make him panic.
I have you. Don't worry. Pietr wrapped himself closely around Matt's mind, gently protecting him from the sounds and sights of the room and easing him.
"His pulse is slowing down." The woman was too close to him, and he
***
When he came to again, he was in the hospital, being wheeled into a bright white room.
"Male, in his thirties, unconscious, multiple fractures to ribs, clavicle, and cheek. BP low, showing signs of shock."
"Pietr?"
Matt tried to sit up, and cried out when the pain tore through him. He gasped, trying to force enough air into his lungs, but they didn't work properly. The tube in his nose didn't help at all.
"Don't try to move. Lie still, Matt." There was a woman pressing him down. It hurt, and the contact was too close, humans all around him.
He fought harder, desperate to get to his mate.
"You're making it worse! I only need to touch him while you examine him."
Pietr's voice was somewhere outside the room, and Matt reached out for him. It made his head hurt even worse, and he heard Pietr cursing out loud. Then Pietr was at his side, holding his hand, and Matt clung to the contact.
There were loud voices all around him, and he groaned.
Shh, please? He couldn't find the right words, couldn't get past the fog in his brain.
"I'm his doctor. Please let me through." The voice was familiar, and then he felt Robbie's careful hands on him.
"He needs you to be quiet!" Robbie's voice carried through the room, and finally, the noise let up. "He's to be treated like a Himiko; he's got special needs."
Someone in the background said something, and Robbie answered, sounding irritated.
"He's recently undergone brain surgery, and he still suffers some aftereffects from it."
The effect of a Himiko lying was dizzying. What Matt heard with his mind and with his ears didn't match, and it made his head spin. He got a clear feeling why it was difficult for a Himiko to lie to another Himiko.
Matt felt Robbie carefully ease his way into Matt's mind, so cautiously.
"Oh, your head hurts, doesn't it?" There was compassion in Robbie's voice. "Can you open your eyes, Matt?"
Matt hadn't realized that he had closed them again. He opened them, groaning when the glaring light made the pain flare.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, but I have to see something. This is the best way." There was more light, and Matt squeezed his eyes shut again. Robbie let him.
"Help him like this while I examine him." Matt felt Robbie show Pietr how to wrap himself around Matt's sore mind, soothing some of the pain and confusion.
Then Robbie did a strange thing, almost like he was going inside Matt's body. Matt started, trying to get away both mentally and physically, but Pietr was there right away.
It's okay, baby. Robbie's helping you. Healing you.
The place in Matt's side where the pain had been excruciating suddenly got warm, then very hot, and it felt as if something inside his body was moving on its own accord. The feeling was strange, and he tried to fight it. However, Pietr kept him from struggling, and slowly, the pain faded. He could suddenly get real breaths into his lungs, and the air felt so good.
"That will help him a bit." Robbie's voice sounded weak, and Matt opened his eyes.
"There you are." Robbie swayed a bit, his eyes looking unfocused for a moment, but he smiled when Matt looked at him. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. That was your worst injury. Just try not to use your mind too much, okay?"
Matt was going to nod, but his eyes fell shut again. Robbie patted his arm, and Matt could hear the Himiko talking to the nurses and doctors around him. The sounds got blurry, though, his ability to focus on any one sentence gone. It was enough to almost make him panic.
I have you. Don't worry. Pietr wrapped himself closely around Matt's mind, gently protecting him from the sounds and sights of the room and easing him.
"His pulse is slowing down." The woman was too close to him, and he
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