“… So then, Vaila starts pointing and trying not to yell. Ruzi takes a stab at it, loses his balance, and falls into the lake,” Thailyn recounted the events to Pisha the next day while healing her. She laughed. “Did you catch anything?” “Not after that. Vaila and Sinta had caught a few before that. Sinta said they’d have some for dinner. Andy had given her a recipe that involved lemon juice.” “I feel like I’m missing so much.” “You missed ten years of his life. I missed twenty-six of Ann’s and Drepal’s. Shades, if I’d been there, Drepal wouldn’t be how she is.” “You didn’t have a choice any more than I did.” She put a reassuring hand on his arm. “I know. And I see them now and will for many years to come. They’re both half-dragons and should have a lifespan of a few thousand years. And Ruzi is half elf and should live a couple of hundred. We may even extend it, let him live the years of a full-blooded elf.” “If that’s what he wants.” “Pisha, it’s okay. I know it hurts. He’ll be okay and so will you. Jo agreed to work with you both to adjust to being together.” She nodded. “Everything will be okay,” he assured her. He put a hand on hers. It was tempting to take her into his arms. That surprised him. He was usually more professional than that. Pisha nodded again. “How much longer will the healing take?” She asked. “A few days. Most of the damage is to your right side. It looks like you were slammed into a wall. I’ve got your hip left, and then the brain. I’m not confident about healing the hip. Most of the brakes, I’ve just re-broken and healed them properly. Your hip was broken in too many places. I’ll probably re-break the worst spots and heal those and then force the bone to re-grow in others. It will never be the same. I’m hoping to get it so you can walk without pain or too much difficulty.” “What about riding?” Thailyn shook his head. “Unless you said side saddle or do like Prince Bacna does. He sits on 1 foot and lets his bad leg just hang. He can only do it for a short time otherwise his foot falls asleep and I have no idea how he doesn’t fall off, but I don’t ride.” “You don’t?” “Nope.” “Not at all?” “I fly. Horses don’t like dragons.” “Well if you wouldn’t eat them.” She smiled. “But they taste good,” he insisted. He didn’t mention his allergy to them. “What about my brain injury? Will it affect how I think?” “It doesn’t appear to. It would affect you in here too. And your memory seems good. You probably won’t remember your time here much. Most people don’t.” She frowned. “I won’t recognize you?” “Not likely.” “And I’ll forget Ruzi’s visit?” “Probably. He knows this. He said he wouldn’t be upset if he has to tell you things again. I don’t know how it will affect you physically. But I think you’ll be fine. “I should go get some rest. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.” “I’ll see you then.” *** Thailyn braced himself. It was time to break Pisha’s hip. It was going to hurt her. She’d feel it in there and he’d feel it out here. He’d set Ann on an errand so she wouldn’t see. He was bonding with Pisha. He hadn’t realized it was happening. He hadn’t realized he was falling in love with her. It was unprofessional. He didn’t want the others to know. He didn’t believe she would remember him, much less love him when she woke. It wasn’t real love she felt anyhow, just an attachment to the first real person she’d seen in ten years. Gritting his teeth, Thailyn broke the hip and then quickly blocked the pain. It was risky giving either of them green bough. Blocking the bond like it would, could not only damage this bond, which might not be bad since he wouldn’t pursue her, but it could also damage his chance of ever bonding again, assuming he found a woman to pursue. He went inside her mind to see how she was doing. She was sitting on a couch that hadn’t been there before. She smiled that beautiful smile again. “One nice thing about living in your own mind, you can create anything you need.” “How are you doing?” He sat with her. “My hips suddenly hurt. The pain went away, but I don’t have control of my leg.” “I’m sorry about that. I broke your hip so I can set it properly. I temporarily deadened the nerves so you wouldn’t continue to be in pain. I’ll release it once the break is healed.” She nodded. “How is Ruzi?” “He’s excited to see you again. We’re trying to figure out where you can stay. Originally, Sinta wanted you to stay with them. But until her citizenship is final, the elders won’t let her. Ruzi wants you to come to stay with us. There’s plenty of room and the place was owned by an older couple so there are modifications to make it easy to get around. “But we understand that you might be uncomfortable staying with someone you just met. Ann offered the use of a couple of her guestrooms for you and Ruzi.” The idea of Ruzi moving out saddened him. He loved the boy as much as he loved Ann. But Pisha was his blood. He wouldn’t keep the boy from her. “Ruzi is your son too. I can see how much you care for him and he cares for you. I can’t take him away from you,” Pisha insisted. “You’re his birth mother, his real family. I just adopted him.” “I thought dragons didn’t see a difference. If you don’t mind the company, I’ll stay with you. That way neither of us has to give up our son. “We may have just met, but we’ve gotten to know each other some, and I’ve known other dragons too. I know I can trust you.” “Are you sure?” Thailyn asked. “You probably won’t remember me when you wake up.” She smiled. “I don’t see how I can forget you.” “I’ll have Ruzi make sure the downstairs bedroom is clean.” “Will you be okay with the company?” “Company? I’m a dragon. You’re family. You’re my son’s mother after all.” “Would that make me your wife?” She asked teasingly. It was all Thailyn could do not to purr at the thought. “Maybe we should stick with family,” he said instead. She nodded, still smiling. “That’s probably best. You won’t mind extra family around?” “The house is big. It needs more people. The only reason I bought it was that it was all that was available and I needed to get out of the palace.” “You’re sure?” “Pisha, if I had a problem with you being there, I would’ve offered.” There would be a slight problem. With her living with them, it would take the bond longer to fade naturally. But it was a small problem and her needing a place to stay was a bigger one. “Ann’s trying to get my attention. I should go.”