A/N: Wow! Thank you! I'm blown away by the response to my Zane/Theron romance stories! I first started writing them solely for myself, unsure if anyone else would be interested in reading them but the response has been amazing! I'm so honored.
Taking Down the Fortress- Chapter 5
Theron's POV
"Theron?"
A hand touched my shoulder and gently shook me, trying to wake me up. Cracking an eye open I saw a foggy figure standing over me.
"Theron?" the figure tried again.
"What?" I groggily said, as I tried to sit up in the chair I'd fallen asleep in.
Resting my elbows on my knees, I scrubbed the sleep from my eyes and face with my hands. Sitting back in the chair, I opened my eyes and looked around the room again. Koth was stretched out on the couch across from me in the little sitting room.
Sitting down in the seat next to me, Doctor Jeffre said, "It's late or early depending on how you look at it."
"Late," I said, "It's been a long day and night, definitely late."
"I'd be inclined to agree with you," he said, sitting back in the chair and rubbing his temples.
Bracing myself for an answer I may not like, I took a deep breath and slowly released it, before asking, "How is he Doc?"
Taking a deep breath and blowing it out, the doctor hesitated for a long second. My lungs heart thudded to a stop in my chest and my lungs seized up. The ringing in my ears was so loud I almost didn't hear Jayd order me, "Breathe Theron! Slow and easy."
Gods! I couldn't lose him! Not again! It would kill me too.
Unable to follow his direction, my eyesight started to darken at the edges.
"Listen to me!" he ordered me, "Follow me, in and out, slow and easy."
Watching the Doc, I took a small breath and another. Slowly the band of tension constricting my breathing began to ease. "Thanks," I whispered. Not taking my eyes off him, "Zane?'
"In recovery," he said, quickly to reassure me.
"Thank the Maker," I whispered, running my hands through my hair and feeling some of my tension drain away. I hadn't lost him!
After giving me a moment, the doctor started his report. "We reduced his shoulder, pieced his collarbone back together, and reattached the muscles in his shoulder. It will take some time but it will heal."
"Alright," I hedged, waiting for him to continue.
Tapping the screen, Jayd continued, "We set and pinned his broken ribs, two actually and patched his lung." Frowning at the words on the screen he said, "I will be having a discussion with the doctors that treated him after he was run through."
I had a feeling the word "discussion" was actually very kind for what the doctor was planning. 'Rip a new one,' may actually be a better term. He seemed quite upset at the previous physicians.
"I had to repair both lungs," he said.
'Damn it!' I cursed to myself.
"The damage that had been left behind wasn't life threatening but it was dangerous,' he said, "Unfortunately, he has some scarring, and will be prone to lung issues in the future.
Anger getting the better of me, I stood abruptly and started pacing across the room. Not saying a word, Jayd let me pace the room, working off some of my fury. After a minute, I stopped and asked, "How will this affect his day to day life?"
"Just minor things," Jayd said calmly, "He'll be prone to infections, so he'll need to exercise some caution."
"Understandable," I said, relaxing a bit.
"Also, Zane will be more likely to develop another pneumothorax in the future."
"Words just got to big Doc."
"A collapsed lung," he answered with a small smile, "With another chest injury, Zane is likely to develop a collapsed lung."
"Damn!" I cursed, running my hands through my hair.
While I preferred that my lover was never injured again, I knew it was a pipe dream. Even if I got him to take better care of himself and convinced him to take fewer unneeded risks, he would still be in the line of fire. It was the nature of his job, plus it was just Zane's nature. He'd always put himself at risk for others I loved him and hated him for it, all at the same time.
Worse it pissed me off, that Zane put himself out there for everyone, sacrificed himself over and over again, so other people were safe, but when he was hurt and needed help, corners were cut and people couldn't be bothered to ensure he got proper care. Instead they pieced him back together for their own devices and sent him back into the fight. Damn them!
"In their defense," Koth's sleepy voice from the couch said, "He's lucky to be alive at all."
The words were like a knife to my heart and I tripped, nearly falling to the floor. Catching myself, I stumbled to my chair and heavily sat down. Gods! At this rate we'd never grow old together. In fact, I'd be lucky if we, if he survived this war.
"Fuck," I growled, running my hands through my hair.
Sitting up on the couch, the Zakulan continued, "In all honesty, he should have been dead on that cold deck. I don't know how he got up; let alone how he fought his way back to the Gravestone. No one survives being run through but he did." Remembering, he added, "We made it back to the ship and he passed out on the bridge. There was so much blood," shaking his head, "it was everywhere. I just," he stuttered to a stop. "He should have died. No one loses that much blood and lives."
"But Zane did," I said.
"Yeah he did," Koth agreed, a gleam in his eyes, like the pilot knew something he wasn't sharing but I didn't push him. Sighing he finished, "My point is…while the doctors could have done a better job, they were more concerned with just keeping him alive at all but they managed it."
"Thank the gods." Sagging against the back of the chair, I buried my face in my hands, overwhelmed. It killed me to know how close I'd come to losing him and hearing it firsthand made it so real.
The silence in the room was broken by Jayd's tapping something into his pad. "Moving on," he said, changing the subject, "Zane suffered a severe blow to the head, two in fact."
"The Exarch tossed him across the platform, picked him up and threw him against a wall," Koth told the doctor.
"And he didn't get out of the way?" Jayd asked.
Shaking my head, I said, "His saving people thing got in the way." He and I were going to have a talk about his lack of self-preservation. I knew his job, his life comes with unprecedented danger but he needed to stop putting himself in needless danger. So much depended on him…the Alliance needed him…Shane needed him…I needed him!
"Zane stood there and took the blows to protect the young soldier with us. If he'd moved the kid would have been killed," Koth explained.
"A noble gesture and he lived through it this time," Jayd said, "But he needs to be more cautious in the future."
"Agreed," I said, "Prognosis?" trying to get us back on track.
"Guarded," the doctor immediately answered, "We'll be monitoring the swelling and pressure in his skull closely while he's in the kolto tank. If it stays down, then it shouldn't be an issue but I'll admit I'm concerned. A double blow like that is incredibly dangerous."
"How long will he be in the tank?" I asked.
"A couple of days," the doctor said, shutting off the pad.
"When can I see him?" I asked.
Standing the doctor said, "We can head back now. They should have him in the kolto by now."
Getting up, I asked Koth, "Care to join us?" to be polite.
"Nah," he said, stretching, "I think I'll head back to my quarters, get cleaned up and hit the rack. I think I'm due a few more hours of shut eye."
Joining Jayd nearby, I looked back at Koth and said, "Thanks for staying."
"No problem," he said, heading the other direction. "I'll check back on him later," he rounded a corner and out of sight.
Joining Jayd, we headed for the doorway, keying in a code, it opened for him and we headed down a corridor. Walking down the short hall, we passed a few closed doors, finally stopping at the last one on the left. Before opening it he asked, "Ready for this?"
"Yes," I said, taking a steadying breath.
He gave me a doubtful look but opened the door anyway. My eyes were immediately drawn to the large kolto tank in the center of the room and the figure inside it. Zane was unconscious, floating in the green viscous liquid almost peacefully. The only thing covering him was a loose pair of boxer briefs and his breathing was being assisted by a mask covering his face.
"Damn Zane," I whispered, when I noticed the new injuries and incisions. He'd have a few new scars for the collection, unfortunately.
With Zane's shoulder put back together, it did look better but the skin from his shoulder to hip was badly swollen and a mottled black and blue. Two long cuts, one across the top of the joint and the other along his collarbone also marred the area. Incisions were made to repair his ribs and a chest tube was inserted into the right side, draining fluid from his struggling lung. Lines were connected to numerous points on Zane's body, running to the beeping monitors on the outside. A ring of leads were connected to his head, like a halo, closely watching the pressure inside his skull.
"It goes without saying I'll do all I can for him," Jayd said, gripping my shoulder comfortingly.
"I know," I whispered, eyes still locked on Zane.
"You should go get some food and rest. I'll take care of him."
"No.
"Yes," he tried to insist, "You need to take care of yourself, if you're going to take care of him."
"No," I said again, as I turned to look at Jayd, "I'm not leaving here."
Shaking his head, he said, "You're as stubborn as your father."
Though he'd meant it as an insult, I took the comparison as a compliment. "Thank you," I replied, "I'll tell him you said so."
I had been hit hard by Zane's supposed death and tried to numb the pain with alcohol, copious amounts of the stuff. It didn't help but that didn't stop me from trying to relieve my pain. One night I went too far, drank too much and poisoned myself, passing out on the floor of my apartment. If Jace hadn't found me I'd have died there, alone.
Luckily he came to check on me that evening, he found me face down on the living room floor and rushing me to the medical center. Jayd had been the doctor to treat me upon arrival. Doctor Jeffre had tried to get my father to go home rest but failed miserably. My father had stayed by my side until I was released from the hospital. Without Jace, I know I wouldn't have survived.
Knowing a losing battle when he saw it, the doctor said, "I'll have them bring a cot and blankets for you. Are you hungry?"
Before I could answer the question he continued, "It doesn't matter, I'm your doctor and I'm telling you'll eat something. Can't have you getting sick too."
"Thanks Jayd," I said, pulling a chair around so I could sit down and watch Zane.
Nodding, he checked over a few readouts, before heading towards the door. "I'll have a nurse bring you some food." Looking back at me, he ordered, "And you'll eat it!"
"Yes sir."
"Good," he said, leaving the room.
Finally alone with Zane, I carefully looked him over again, frowning at the damage. We were going to have a long, long talk. He couldn't put himself at risk like that. Too much was at stake. Not just our future but the future of the Alliance and the galaxy.
"Gods, I love you," I whispered to him, "You knucklehead." Leaning back in the uncomfortable chair, I crossed my arms and legs and made myself as comfortable as possible, readying for a long wait…
TBC
A/N: Reviews, as always, are used to feed the muse and are greatly appreciated.