Chapter 49

Cheers and enjoy.

Torian had thought that the month in the tank was hard. But nothing was harder than relearning how to use the half of his body that had been regrown. His hard earned reflexes? Gone. His physique? Also gone to osik. He was soft, weak and feeble and even eating without help proved too challenging.

His humiliation was utterly complete.

Raidre sighed. "Oh come on! If you don't eat you won't get better!"

Torian sighed, even talking was hard because half of his face still needed to relearn how to be. Torian had no outlet and too much to clamped down. His face contorted and he used all he had to flick the bowl Raidre was holding. The rice porridge got everywhere.

Raidre looked at the mess, and blinked a couple of times.

"Gosh, you're a terrible patient, Mr. Caderra."

Torian did not look at her. Raidre knew he felt he couldn't. She grabbed his face in bother her hands and force him to he face her. His eyes remained closed, lips pouting, face frowning. Raidre held back her laughter at the scene. His body shook with his anger and his inability to let it out the way he knew how.

"Tor, I know it's not your thing, but since you can't fight away your anger, how about talking about it?"

Torian tried to pull away, but Raidre was far stronger. She held him and he finally opened his eyes. They were red from feelings he knew not how to express. He breathed heavy breaths, frustration etched in every line. Her hands released their pressure and she ran her hands down his cheeks and neck. Torian did not move aside for his arms falling limp in his lap. Raidre continued to caress his cheeks and neck and shoulders down to his hands. She got closer with every stroke and then finally her brow connected with his and she could feel Torain shaking from holding his feelings in check.

"I know it's different in every clan. My uncle always cried though. Said that it was a Mandalorian thing. That they fought hard, so they were allowed to feel hard too."

Torian shook, Raidre kept stroking. He said nothing, but she felt him relax a little bit with every stroke from his cheeks to his hands. She kissed his forehead.

"Alright, scoot over."

Torian did his best to move a little, and now that he was relaxed, he let Raidre help him. She sat next to him on his bed, threw off his dirty cover. Torian's legs were scrawny and atrophied, the cold made the hair stand on ends. Raidre grabbed his hand, intertwined her fingers and pointed at his legs.

"Look at you."

Torian's gaze moved farther away from himself. Raidre smiled.

"I don't want to force you, but I need to make a point."

Torian snarled and looked at his legs. Raidre sighed. "Okay, so look at you. What do you see?"

"De-de…" Torian began to stutter.

His mouth was loose, the right side was weak and difficult to move. Mako said the nerves hadn't finished their formation yet. He tried again, and again, it took him a solid 60 seconds before he got his word out, but Raidre never pressed him or tried to say the word for him. Instead she waited, silent, looking at him and her free hand stroked the top of his hand that she held.

"Defeat." Torian finally said.

Raidre snorted. "Wow, aren't you a broken record."

Torian tried to tear away his hand. Raidre held it back. "Okay, okay, I am sorry, that was a shabuir move and insensitive to boot. But come on! For a guy who saves lives and always gets the job done, you sure go hard on yourself whenever you get a setback."

"This is n-n-n-n-n-" Torian snarled and let his free hand flail once. His chest heaved. "NOT a s-s-setback!"

Raidre continued stroking the hand she held. "Alright, that's fair, this more like seven setbacks in a row. But what are you going to do about it?"

Torian sat there, not looking at Raidre. Raidre stopped stroking Torian's hand and without any force turned his chin back to her. "Hmm?"

Torian sighed and looked away. Raidre let her head fall on his shoulder. She hugged him close and cuddled into his chest. Torian looked back at her and tried to hug her back.

Raidre took a deep breath and pulled up. Their faces were inches away and Torian was frozen by her eyes.

"You. Are. Not. Weak." she began. "You're neither defeated, nor broken."

Torian blinked. "I don't know much, but I know we like to fix things. Mako fixed you up. Now it's my turn to help you get strong again."

Torian swallowed. Raidre touched her right hand to his cheek. "You're going to walk again, and talk again, and fight again. " she laughed. "Krif, everyone knows, you're gonna save me again."

Torian managed to chuckle at that. Raidre's smile was blinding. "You need some time to feel sorry for yourself, you go on, you take it. But I need you back, and we got a ways to go."

Torian nodded. "O-o-o-ok."

Raidre nodded. "I'm gonna go get you another cover and more porridge."