Chapter 24

Garrus
April 23rd, 2191

I woke up to the sounds of retching coming from the bathroom. Worried, I pulled myself out of bed and investigated, seeing Amelia hugging the toilet bowl. Her whole body was shaking, and some yellow-green liquid came out of her mouth when she spat into the water.

"Are you okay?" She numbly shook her head before turning back to the toilet and violently heaving, morphing into a cough as nothing came from her stomach

She wiped her mouth, struggling to catch her breath for a moment before wheezing out, "Water, …and some bread…."

I nodded, bounding out of the room to get what she requested. As I headed up the stairs, I heard another retch.

-0-

Fifteen minutes later, Amelia sat on the edge of our bed, slowly nibbling away at a third piece of bread.

"Feeling any better?"

"A little…," She looked even more pale than usual, almost ghostly.

"What happened? That was because of…," I trailed off, looking from her to my lap and back. I hated to think that I had caused this.

"I hope not," She gave me a weak smile, "That would ruin a lot of fun. No, I think I just caught a bug on Earth."

"Do you want me to stay home today?" I ran my fingers through her hair, trying to comfort her.

She smiled, shaking her head, "No, I'll be fine." She paused, covering her mouth with a fist and coughing violently, ending with a pained grimace. "I promise." By the sound of her voice, she didn't even convince herself.

"At least let me call Dr. Laela…." She flopped down with a groan. Ignoring her, I felt her forehead, "Ame, you're burning up. I'm calling the doctor."

"Fine…," She finally conceded, her eyes softer, "Thank you."

I tucked her into the bed, kissing her forehead, "You never have to thank me."

-0-

I watched out the window of my car, letting my eyes become unfocused as the familiar buildings of the Cipritine skyline passed at a blinding speed. I hated leaving. My protective instincts were firing, screaming, and telling me to go back and protect my mate, but she was right. There wasn't anything I could do other than call the doctor and wait. Ignoring it made my plates itch.

I sighed, trying to focus on a report when my omnitool buzzed. "Dad?" I answered the call, my older mirror image appearing on the aerogel screen above my arm.

"Garrus, I'm taking Gaius and Octavia back to your house. They woke up coughing and vomiting, and I didn't know what to do. I tried calling Amelia, but she didn't answer."

The itch ramped in intensity tenfold, but I tempered the urge to tell my driver to take me home, knowing it would only annoy Amelia rather than actually helping. "I silenced her omnitool before I left. She woke up with the same symptoms. Take them home, Dr. Laela should be there soon. She'll know how to help."

"Will do."

"And dad… Can you stay with them? I want to be there, but Ame would just be angry that I'm not at work."

Dad's mandibles flashed out in a momentary smirk before settling on an understanding smile, "I'll stay. Don't worry, Garrus, they'll be fine."

Amelia

I woke up in a daze, my head pounding, almost as if my brain was trying to escape my skull. Light streamed through the window above the bed, making me squint and my headache much worse.

In the corner of the room by the door, I noticed three turians huddled and murmuring, though they were blurry. I groaned in pain as my headache got worse. I tried to speak, but my voice came out cracked and garbled, making me feel like I had swallowed broken glass.

One of the turians heard me and walked over, placing a comforting hand on my forehead. "Amelia? It's Dr. Laela. How are you feeling?"

I would've said something sarcastic if my throat didn't hurt so badly. As it was, I shook my head slightly, groaning at the pain of my stiff neck resisting the movements.

"Don't move, Amelia. I have to get a swab in your nose for a test." Laela said, using the hand already on my forehead to hold me still, pushing the plastic stick with a cotton end into my nose. It felt awful, pushing up against the top of my nostril, almost as if the doctor was trying to scrap some brain for a sample. It had been a long time since I had been this sick, and I decided that I'd take being shot any day.

Sentia

"You wanted to see me, Sir?" I asked, entering the office with Garrus's hand motion and sitting opposite him.

"I want you to tell me something, and I ask this as a friend, not as your boss." At my nod, he continued, "Is there any other job you'd rather have than this?"

"Did I do something wrong, Sir?"

He shook his head, "No, not at all—the opposite, actually. You've been integral, and I couldn't have done this well if not for you. But, I want to know if there is any other job you'd rather have than this? And no politic answers, please. The truth."

I thought about it for a minute, my eyes darting around the room, my heart thrumming nervously in my chest. "No…. Maybe before, but for the last few years, no." Pleased with my answer, a small smile formed on my face, the question's weight sliding cleanly off.

He nodded back, "Good. As you know, when a Primarch resigns, the successor is decided by the Council of Duarchs. When I step down, I can pass on a name for them to consider, and it's not a guarantee, but historically, the former Primarch's suggestion is selected."

I nodded, my hands clamped onto the datapad I was holding. "You're stepping down?"

"Not yet, but I will soon. Amelia and I are going to have more kids, and once they're born, I will be. When that happens, in about a year or so, with your permission, I will give the Council your name."

The last sentence hit me like a skycar, "Me?" I asked, my voice incredulous. "I… I don't know what to say…."

"Talk to Solana about it; sleep on it; your decision doesn't have a deadline," Garrus answered simply. "Truthfully," He added, standing up and gathering his things, "I couldn't name a better replacement."