{"id":336,"date":"2013-03-17T00:00:41","date_gmt":"2013-03-17T04:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/?p=336"},"modified":"2013-03-16T20:10:03","modified_gmt":"2013-03-17T00:10:03","slug":"eleven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/?p=336","title":{"rendered":"Eleven"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Love.\u00a0 Love is what keeps us alive\u2014all of us, from the greatest to the smallest, from the strongest to the weakest.\u00a0 Without love, we are nothing and our worlds have no meaning.<\/h3>\n

— Ryland LeSarte<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

9 Decem, 5249 PD<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever you\u2019re cooking smells wonderful,\u201d Brendan mumbled as he slumped into a chair at the kitchen table.<\/p>\n

Lindsay smiled over her shoulder at him.\u00a0 \u201cJust some venison and veggies from the garden,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cI wasn\u2019t going to wake you for a little longer yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shrugged with one shoulder and winced at the twinge of pain in his neck.\u00a0 \u201cI wasn\u2019t really asleep.\u00a0 Just laying there.\u00a0 Starting to go a little stir-crazy, but I can\u2019t stand up for more than a few minutes without getting dizzy, still.\u201d<\/p>\n

She abandoned the stove and came to him, running her palms across his shoulders and down his spine.\u00a0 Brendan closed his eyes and exhaled quietly, the touch sending the best kind of shivers through him.\u00a0 He bowed his head slightly, wincing as stretching muscles put a little stress on the still-bandaged sutures along the back of his head and neck, then exhaled quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should tell Ezra when he comes over tonight,\u201d she said, kissing his ear lightly.\u00a0 \u201cMake sure that\u2019s normal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan opened his eyes and glanced at her.\u00a0 \u201cEzra\u2019s coming over?\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded.\u00a0 \u201cWith Alana.\u00a0 They\u2019ve been pretty reclusive since he started working on her arm and I figured that maybe they could use some time out of seclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n

He blinked blearily at her, processing what she\u2019d just said.\u00a0 I never actually thought Alana would go through with that.\u00a0 <\/i>\u201cSo she didn\u2019t change her mind?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe went through with it.\u00a0 He\u2019s done a lot of the work already, I guess, but they\u2019ve been sticking close to home.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t around when I caught up with him downtown.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan nodded slightly.\u00a0 \u201cGood,\u201d he murmured.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m\u2026happy that she did it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo am I,\u201d Lindsay admitted, squeezing him briefly.\u00a0 \u201cDo you want something hot to drink?\u00a0 I\u2019ve got the kettle on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flexing cold fingers, he nodded slightly a second time.\u00a0 \u201cPlease.\u00a0 And one of those giant pills Ezra left for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

She winced as she straightened and turned away.\u00a0 \u201cHeadache?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe beginnings of one, anyway,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cIf they\u2019re coming for dinner, the last thing I want is to be completely laid up for the visit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lindsay nodded.\u00a0 \u201cProbably not a good idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

They lapsed into silence as she made his tea and brought it over.\u00a0 She joined him at the table with a cup of her own and wrapped a hand around one of his, squeezing tightly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter?\u201d he asked, an uncomfortable flutter taking up residence in his stomach.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing, really,\u201d she said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cJust that things are starting to get interesting.\u00a0 I\u2026I know we talked about the Whispers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 It\u2019s been getting worse in the big wide everything, then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could say that.\u201d<\/p>\n

His fingers tightened around her hand.\u00a0 \u201cAre we in danger, Lin?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot yet,\u201d she murmured.\u00a0 \u201cProbably sooner rather than later, though.\u201d\u00a0 She stared down into her mug.\u00a0 \u201cUncle Adam\u2019s worried.\u00a0 He\u2019s pretty keen to get you back to training pilots, at the very least, even if he can\u2019t put you in the cockpit again yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fantastic.\u00a0 That means that everything\u2019s about to hit the fan.<\/i>\u00a0 Brendan massaged his forehead with his free hand, frowning.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s going to be at least a few more days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDays?\u201d<\/p>\n

If he\u2019s concerned enough to tell her, I don\u2019t think we can afford weeks.<\/i>\u00a0 \u201cI think it\u2019s got to be days,\u201d he said after a moment of silence.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll find a way to do it.\u00a0 I\u2019ll find a way to do it.\u00a0 If he needs me, then he needs me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her hand tightened painfully.\u00a0 \u201cBrendan\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked at her and she flinched, sighing quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know what you\u2019re going to tell me,\u201d she said softly.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re going to tell me that it\u2019s as much for me as it is for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a lie,\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know it\u2019s not.\u00a0 That doesn\u2019t make it easier to take.\u201d\u00a0 She sighed, her fingers tightening one more time before she stood up.\u00a0 \u201cI need to finish dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you need any\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHelp?\u201d\u00a0 She smiled and shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 Relax.\u00a0 The last thing I want you doing is puking all over our floor because you\u2019re too dizzy to keep your stomach under control.\u201d<\/p>\n

He managed a weak laugh and wrapped his hands around his mug, staring into its depths.\u00a0 \u201cSure.\u00a0 Guess you\u2019re right.\u00a0 I just don\u2019t like feeling useless.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not,\u201d Lindsay said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve got no idea how hard it was, being here without you.\u00a0 I was terrified I was going to lose you.\u201d<\/p>\n

He pushed himself up from the table and went to her, ignoring sudden double-vision and the way his stomach lurched.\u00a0 Both vanished as he put his arms around her.\u00a0 \u201cNever,\u201d he breathed as he buried his face in her hair.\u00a0 \u201cNever.\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2022<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cStop trying to move it, \u2018lana,\u201d Ezra growled, glaring at her as he fumbled with the sling\u2019s straps.\u00a0 \u201cEvery time you move, it pulls something out of alignment and I\u2019ve got to start over.\u00a0 Just makes this whole process longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

And more annoying.<\/i>\u00a0 \u201cIf you stopped hurting me, I\u2019d stop moving,\u201d Alana retorted, glaring right back at him.\u00a0 The concern and frustration in his eyes took her heart out of it, though, left her feeling vaguely guilty for snapping.<\/p>\n

I shouldn\u2019t take this out on him\u2014no matter how much it hurts.<\/i><\/p>\n

Ezra shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re a terrible patient.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI did try to warn you.\u201d\u00a0 She held still long enough this time for him to get the sling in place.\u00a0 They\u2019d underestimated how atrophied her bones and muscles would be when he\u2019d started working on her arm.\u00a0 Hairline fractures in her forearm and wrist bones had her in the sling and a cast now\u2014the former more to prevent further injury to her reconstructed limb and the latter to keep everything in alignment while it healed.<\/p>\n

It was clunky and awkward and she hated<\/i> it.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019ll help me be <\/i>normal.\u00a0 That\u2019s what I want.\u00a0 Not the old normal.\u00a0 Actual normal.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Live my life without constantly being reminded of my past kind of normal.<\/i><\/p>\n

Ezra kissed her neck and she sighed quietly, glancing at him.\u00a0 His brows knit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah we do,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cWe told her we were coming.\u00a0 She\u2019s rolling Brendan out of bed for it.\u00a0 You\u2019ve been looking forward to this all day and I\u2026\u201d she sighed again.\u00a0 \u201cI should be the one to tell them what the newsnets are saying before someone else does.\u201d<\/p>\n

He winced and slid his arms around her, holding on for a few moments and resting his chin against her white-blonde hair.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re right,\u201d he said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cBetter we tell them than someone else does.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just hope one of the Marshals hasn\u2019t said something yet,\u201d Alana murmured, closing her eyes and leaning again him for just one extra moment longer than she should have.\u00a0 Ezra\u2019s arms tightened and she exhaled softly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d rather deal with the fallout myself than make Lindsay deal with it alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ezra frowned.\u00a0 \u201cDo you really think it\u2019ll be that bad?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I have no doubt,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cNone whatsoever.\u00a0 Look at how you reacted.\u201d<\/p>\n

He winced again.\u00a0 \u201cRight.\u00a0 Well, then I guess it\u2019s best it\u2019s us, then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely,\u201d Alana said.\u00a0 She sucked in a breath, then got up.\u00a0 \u201cCome on.\u00a0 Shouldn\u2019t keep them waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably not,\u201d Ezra agreed.\u00a0 He put his arm around her waist and squeezed her against him.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll drive up.\u00a0 Easier than walking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Less time getting stared at on the street more like.<\/i>\u00a0 Alana nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u00a0 Let me get my jacket.\u201d<\/p>\n

He kissed her jaw.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll meet you outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

She watched him go and smiled weakly to herself.\u00a0 I don\u2019t deserve\u2026<\/i>\u00a0 She stopped the thought before it was fully formed.\u00a0 He\u2019d chosen her.\u00a0 She was the one he wanted.<\/p>\n

The one he<\/i> wanted.<\/p>\n

It was still taking a lot of getting used to.<\/p>\n

She snagged her jacket from the bedroom that had been his that was becoming theirs<\/i> and wrapped it around herself.\u00a0 It was less to protect her against the evening chill than to hide her arm.<\/p>\n

I was always self-conscious about it when it was a metal monstrosity.\u00a0 Now that that the cyberware\u2019s gone\u2026<\/i>\u00a0 She sighed and shook her head at herself.\u00a0 Maybe I\u2019m just self-conscious about everything and that was my excuse for being that way.\u00a0 Maybe.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018lana?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m coming.\u201d\u00a0 She glanced in the mirror and smiled at her own reflection for the first time in a long while.\u00a0 Despite everything, he\u2019d picked her.\u00a0 There had to be something that made her beautiful to him.<\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s time to just let it all go, right now, today.<\/i><\/p>\n

Forever.<\/i><\/p>\n

She tugged her jacket a little closer and walked out the door.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Love.\u00a0 Love is what keeps us alive\u2014all of us, from the greatest to the smallest, from the strongest to the weakest.\u00a0 Without love, we are nothing and our worlds have no meaning. — Ryland LeSarte 9 Decem, 5249 PD \u201cWhatever … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-two-ashes-to-ashes"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s25yjF-eleven","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=336"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":339,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336\/revisions\/339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}