Ayann woke, slowly. She had a pounding headache. The room was dark, but what she could see was a picture of chaos. Things were strewn about everywhere. Debris lay in heaps on the floor. David! she thought suddenly, Where is David?
Ayann prayed that he was all right. Ayann leapt up, or tried to. White-hot pain lanced up her leg. She fell back to the floor, and knocked into several fallen beams on the way down.
The unexpected noise startled David, who had been torn from Ayann's arms. He was lying on the floor about a meter from where Ayann was. Ayann heard his cries, and managed to drag herself across the floor to him. She picked him up, and checked him over. Miraculously, apart from a few bruises, he seemed to be unscathed.
"Help!" Ayann called out. There was no answer. She sat there like that, holding David, for hours. Every once and awhile she would call for help, but there was never an answer. She fell asleep, only to be awakened by David's cries a few hours later.
Ayann knew the small child was hungry. But she couldn't move, much less get to the other side of the quarters where the food was kept. Besides, there were several broken bulkheads blocking the way. Ayann tried to comfort him. Then she noticed a small pipe inside the wall closest to where she sat. Her father had been Worker caste, and Ayann had learned enough from him to be able to tell that this pipe would hold water. She dragged David and herself to the wall, and tried to tap the pipe. She managed to get a few drops out, and found that the water was still good. She redoubled her efforts to open the pipe a little more. When there was a small trickle coming out of the pipe, she managed to catch some in her hands and give it to David. She kept that up for a long time. She lost track of how long she had been giving him the water. Finally, he was satiated. Ayann took the opportunity then to put her mouth to the junction of the pipe and suck on it hard. She was rewarded with cool, sweet water. She drank until she had her fill, and then closed the pipe as best she could. Then she lay down with David to sleep again. Hopefully, she prayed, someone will find us, little one.
Delenn awoke slowly. She blinked her eyes open, but all she could make out were fuzzy shadows. Her eyes had been damaged by the intense heat and light of the Starfire Wheel. Her skin felt hot, and she was sore all over. She could barely expend the effort to call for her love. "John?" she called out in a raspy voice. He had to be close by. He wouldn't leave her.
"He's not here Delenn." Suddenly, Lennier appeared at her side, holding her hand in his. "How are you feeling?" he asked.
Delenn found that her throat was raw. She motioned that she wanted water, and Lennier hurriedly filled a cup for her, and helped her drink it in small sips.
"Slowly, Delenn, slowly," he admonished her.
Delenn nodded. "David?" she asked. She still had trouble talking. She was slowly remembering the events of the past few days. She wanted her son. Surely he would have been brought to her by now?
"Delenn, for some reason, the planetary communication satellite has been damaged. We can only communicate with targets on planet right now. The Whitestar is probably in orbit, but we can't reach it until the satellite's been fixed." Lennier neglected to mention that the damage was speculated to have been caused by a brash group of warriors behind the firing control of a war cruiser. Yedor had reportedly sustained a bombardment from orbit in the same attack.
Delenn tried to follow Lennier's explanation, but her brain felt like it had been wrapped in cotton and dipped in syrup. She couldn't make sense of anything Lennier had said. "David?" she asked again. It was all she could think of to say.
Lennier sighed. He realized that all she wanted was an assurance that her son was all right. And she wouldn't rest until she got it.
"He's fine, Delenn. Rest now."
Delenn nodded, content with the knowledge that her son was safe, and fell back into the black comfort of sleep.