Beneath the Courage

Consideration

(Just a note, this book is still fiction :P) 

Fri-

Waking up wasn't something that I thought would happen. I'd been ready to go, even though I'd planned on trying, my body had decided that it wasn't up to the task. Yet here I am. It was a shock, but I was proud to be able to open my eyes again and see Hice waiting impatiently beside me. 

He looked calm on the outside, but I knew him better. My head was in his lap, his left hand gently settled atop my head as if we had been in such a situation hundreds of times. My heart gave an odd thump at the idea, but then I pushed it away. Hice wasn't like this normally. I've probably stressed him out horribly being so ill. 

I did feel better. Not perfect, but the strange pressure in my head that's been causing me to feel so tired has eased up quite a lot. I almost felt like I could stay awake for more than a few minutes. 

Turning my attention to what Hice was looking at, I saw that the human's television was turned on and a news show was playing. They had put it on several times in my hospital room, but I was usually too tired to pay it any mind. 

Opening my mouth a small amount, I tried to speak, but my voice refused to work. No surprise. I'd been unwell for some time, so it didn't come as a shock, but I needed Hice to know that I was still with him. He looked so tired beneath his stoic expression. 

Thinking for a moment, I tested out my body. My fingers moved a small amount, but my hands and arms refused to do much. My feet were no better, though it was a relief that I had no pain from trying, just the feeling of exhaustion from far too much swimming. 

"Fri?" 

Blinking, I refocused my attention on Hice, but he was just starting to look down at me. Glancing around the room as best I could, I saw Oliver standing near a wall, a glass of water in his hand. Before I could figure out a way to respond, my body was roughly pulled into Hice's lap, my head dropping onto the armrest as he leaned down so that our noses were only an inch or so apart. 

Hello, Hice. 

I wanted to talk to him, but I just couldn't. Instead, I forced what I hoped looked like a smile, though I could tell that my lips weren't moving very much. 

"Fri?" He asked, the disbelief in his eyes making my heart hurt. 

"How many times have I told you not to jerk him around. He needs to stay as still as possible to rest." Oliver said as he limped over. His leg seemed to be bothering him quite a lot considering the way he was moving. 

Hice wasn't paying him any mind. His sole focus was on me, and I couldn't complain. I'd missed seeing him. He'd been around when I was in the hospital, but I never felt well enough to interact with him and could rarely stay awake. Now, with his rough hand hesitantly settling against my cheek, I couldn't help but feel lucky. 

"I'm sure you're too tired to reply right now or move much, but I'm glad to see you finally awake, Fri. Micah did quite a lot of research on you that we didn't know about, and well, he kept most of it to himself until recently. He'd done some things under the director's nose, and quite honestly, is saving your life in a round about way. He gave us access to the research files in his personal email before passing out again a few days ago." 

Looking up at him where he stopped beside where I was lying, I tried to give him some sort of gesture to continue. Of course, I couldn't move, but he seemed to understand. 

"He suggested we do a transfusion between you and him before that. He wasn't technically wrong saying that his cells, even with the disease that would be transmitted, could help if yours managed to mutate them. Your body did wipe out the small amount that was transferred and use his good cells to your advantage from what the small tests I was able to run on you two days showed, but we'd needed to do two more transfusions using Callem, and Mellac to boost your system more."