Page 59 of Virtually Guarded

“We found you.” Xavier’s voice shook slightly. “We found you and brought you home. Doctor Gumendo’s been taking care of you. I’ve been here.” He bowed his head. “I wish I’d been with you then.”

The door opened, and Dr. Gumendo entered. “Ren. I’m happy to see you awake.”

“Hi.” I tried to sit up, but the bolt of pain through my head told me it wasn’t going to happen.

“Stay put.” He motioned to Xavier, who got up to stand at the foot of the bed. “How does your head feel?”

“Sore.” I reached up to touch it.

He caught my hand but quickly let go when I glared at him. “Best to leave it alone. I’m going to remove the bandage. I’ll put on another if needed. Meanwhile, tell me your name and where you are.”

The instructions didn’t make sense. He knew my name and where we were. As he gently helped me sit up and lean forward so he could start removing the bandage, though, I caught on. I had a head injury. He wanted to make sure my brain was still functional.

“Ren Torres,” I said. Self-named and so named, the Anax’s voice echoed in my mind, and even though I knew that was just a memory, it helped solidify things. “I’m in Winthrop, Massachusetts, at the home of Tobias Rogan, Anax of the United States. In my room.”

“Good.” Dr. Gumendo turned away, holding a wad of gauze. “I’ll have to check further, but that you can recall your name and location is a good sign. The wound is healed sufficiently, as well. No more bandage necessary. If you think you can stand, I’ll remove the catheter so you can use the bathroom.”

“Catheter?” That was the weirdness between my legs. “Gross.”

The doctor chuckled. “Yes, I see where you might think that. Do you feel able to stand? Or at least to sit if someone brings you to the toilet?”

“Yeah.” I didn’t know if I’d be able to or not, but I damn sure didn’t want a fucking tube between my legs.

Dr. Gumendo looked a little skeptical, but he nodded. “Xavier, bring me a basin from the bathroom, please.”

“Sure.” Frowning, Xavier went to the door. “Ren, I’ll be right back.”

I just nodded.

A few minutes later, the catheter was gone, along with the gauze. Dr. Gumendo left the room briefly, I assumed to dispose of those things. I didn’t want to ask.

I did need to take a piss, though. When the doctor came back, I said, “You said if I can get up, I can use the bathroom?”

“Steady.” Dr. Gumendo motioned to Xavier. “Help him, if you don’t mind.”

“Yeah, of course.” Xavier crouched so I could put my arm over his shoulders, then lifted me from the bed.

He didn’t let me walk to the bathroom. Being carried by him again felt nice. Soothing. Weird, especially when he lowered me onto the toilet and turned his back so I could do what I needed to do, but still nice.

When I was finished, Xavier carried me back to bed and carefully settled me on the pillows. Dr. Gumendo looked amused. “I suppose I hadn’t considered that you might not need to walk. Do you still feel all right, Ren?”

“Better.” I patted my belly. “I don’t feel like I’m floating anymore.”

Both of them laughed, and I managed a smile I didn’t really feel.

“He’s going to be okay?” Xavier asked after he stopped laughing.

“I believe so.” Dr. Gumendo smiled. “Ren, you may experience pain in your head for a time. If it worsens, I need to know. I wish I could give you medication, but your system would process it too quickly for it to have any benefit.”

“It’s not too bad.” That was a lie, and I hoped neither of them realized it. “I mean, I’ve had worse.”

“I’m not concerned with what you’ve had, but with what you have now.” The doctor folded his arms.

I sighed. He was just doing his job. Taking care of me, like a doctor was supposed to take care of his patients. “It hurts. Like, a five? On the pain scale thing.”

“That’s higher than I would like.” He motioned for me to lean forward again and studied the back of my head. “The surface wound is gone, but there may be damage below the surface. We’ll monitor it for the day. If it’s still at five or higher by supper, other treatment might be necessary.”

“Okay,” I said. It would be lower than five by supper. Even if I had to lie.