Page 83 of Dark Witch Resurrection

"That's perfectly all right." Julian offered him both of his hands. "Let's do this together."

When he was up, the toilet whooshed behind him, startling him.

He looked over his shoulder, watching as the water spiraled inside and a blue light flashed.

"The light sanitizes the bowl," Julian explained. "I've never thought to ask Jade how things like that worked back on Anumati." He guided Ell-rom into the shower stall and helped him sit on a small stool. "It's funny how you never think about things like that until you meet someone who can't remember anything."

The medic removed the garment that covered Ell-rom and tossed it into a bin that stood in a corner. "I've got a pair of loose pants for you and a matching shirt. You will feel so much better in them."

"Thank you." Ell-rom was trying to maintain some dignity by sitting up and not allowing himself to slide down to the floor.

He was so frail, so vulnerable.

As Julian washed Ell-rom with brisk but gentle movements, the medic kept talking in his soothing, conversational tone.

"Do you want me to cut your hair?" he asked after washing it with some fragrant lotion and then rinsing it. "You have those clumps of long hair and a fuzz of new growth, and it doesn't look good. Cutting everything short will look better."

"I trust your judgment." He chuckled weakly. "I haven't looked at myself yet." "You are about to in a few moments." Julian turned the water off, rubbed a soft towel over Ell-rom, and then helped him into a robe made from the same soft fabric as the towel.

Leaving him sitting on the stool in the shower, Julian stepped out and returned with a paper cup and a brush with some white paste on it.

"This is a toothbrush. As the name implies, it's for cleaning your teeth. Don't swallow the paste. After I'm done brushing your teeth, you will rinse it out with water from the cup." He handed it to him.

"I can brush my teeth by myself," Ell-rom said.

Julian looked doubtful, but he gave him the brush. "Go ahead."

It was a challenge, his hands shaking and his grip weak as he tried to maneuver the small brush over his teeth and gums. In the end, Julian had to help him, guiding his hand and steadying his arm until the task was done.

"Okay." The medic grinned at him. "Looking good. Let's get rid of those clumps before I lead you to the mirror."

He must have looked bad if the medic felt the need to fix his hair before letting him see his reflection.

Julian returned with a pair of scissors. "I'm not a barber, so don't expect anything fancy, but I will do my best."

By the time Julian was done and helped Ell-rom up, exhaustion was dragging him down, and as he stood in front of the mirror, he didn't recognize the face staring back at him.

Gaunt and pale, with sunken cheeks and hollow eyes, the male in the mirror looked like a ghost. Ell-rom lifted a hand to his face, tracing the sharp angles of his cheekbones and the sparse tufts of new hair on his scalp.

"I don't know who I am," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I don't recognize myself."

Julian's hand was warm and solid on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around Ell-rom's middle, holding him from falling. "You still have a long journey back to yourself, but you can make it only one step at a time."

As Julian helped him into the fresh clothing he'd brought and then back into bed, Ell-rom clung to those words like a lifeline.

One step at a time.

61

ALENA

The first contraction came out of the blue and hit Alena with the force of a freight train, a searing, twisting pain that radiated from her back and left her breathless. She gasped, one hand flying to her belly with the other groping for Orion's arm.

"It's happening," she managed, her voice tight with strain. "The baby's coming."

With a strangled sound, Orion tore the virtual reality headset off his head and dropped it on the couch. His face drained of color as he stared at her with wide, panicked eyes. "What do we do now? I forgot what I need to do."

They'd been preparing for weeks, and he'd had everything memorized, but panic had a way of erasing sense. Her mate, the fearless warrior, was reduced to a stammering mess at the prospect of impending fatherhood.