Page 52 of Dark Voyage Matters of the Mind

"So, is she out of the woods or not?" he asked.

"As I said, I think she will recover, but I can't guarantee it. Frankie might have other underlying issues that she will have to address later, and they might interfere with her recovery."

"Well, it is what it is, right?" Kian darted a look at Aru. "It's a waiting game. What is certain is that Frankie won't be dancing at Amanda's wedding tonight, and I bet she will be upset about it when she wakes up."

His attempt at lightening the mood worked, with the doctor and Aru smiling.

"Can we see Frankie?" Aru asked.

"Dagor is with her, but I guess you can come in for a few minutes to offer your support. The guy looks like he was hit by a freight train. I would have offered him some anti-anxiety medication, but I don't know if it would work on a god." She looked at Aru.

"I can't give you an answer because I've never tried any. I know that people back home use all sorts of recreational drugs to entertain themselves and alleviate boredom, but I've never tried them, and neither have my teammates." He smiled. "It's not about the three of us being goodie-two-shoes, like humans like to say. It's that those drugs are very expensive, and none of us come from rich families."

Bridget chuckled. "It's similar here, but people still find ways to finance their bad habits."

Kian grimaced. "That's what feeds the cartels and other monsters around the world. They get rich by ruining people's lives or just snuffing them out to spread terror so no one dares to oppose them."

Aru put a hand on his shoulder. "There is no point in getting upset about things that you can't change. You are already doing everything you can to save as many victims as possible."

"That's rich coming from you—a member of the resistance. Would you have joined if your attitude was like that?"

Aru smiled, but there was no mirth in it. "I joined to do everything I can to change things for the better, and I'm doing my best. I try not to get upset about the slow pace, and I accept that things will probably get worse before they get better. It's not easy, but it's better than spending my life in a state of rage."

"Mizaru, Kikazaru, and Iwazaru," Bridget said. "These are the Japanese names for the three wise monkeys: see not, hear not, and speak not. The monkeys advise us not to dwell on evil thoughts because they are corrosive to our minds and bodies. In the West, the monkeys symbolize a lack of moral responsibility by people who refuse to acknowledge wrongdoing, look the other way, or feign ignorance, but that's not the original meaning of the proverb."

Kian shrugged. "I wish I could compartmentalize like that, and I applaud those who can, but I can't, especially not when I'm about to receive a group of traumatized women who have seen their families murdered in front of their eyes and then were violated by the monsters who did it."

Dagor

As the doctor opened the door, Dagor was surprised to see Kian and Aru standing behind her.

"They would like to come in," Bridget said. "Is it okay?"

"If it's okay with you, it's okay with me."

She smiled. "Usually, I'm not so accommodating, but Frankie is not the only one who needs help."

He cast a worried glance at Kian. "Did anyone else get hurt?"

"Bridget meant you." Kian pushed a rolling stool into the room and sat down on it. "She's concerned about you."

Except for worrying for Frankie, Dagor was perfectly fine. Why would the doctor be concerned about him?

Aru walked in, holding another stool. "It must have been difficult for you. Negal told me that you shielded the girl with your body and were hit multiple times."

Dagor waved a hand in dismissal. "I've already forgotten about it. My body expelled the bullets and healed almost immediately."

"I'll leave you guys to talk in private." The doctor closed the door.

Aru put a hand on his shoulder. "It must have been terrifying to see the woman you care for bleeding and not knowing if she would make it."

Dagor wouldn't have admitted the fear voluntarily, but he wasn't about to deny it either. "It was difficult, and I'm still worried." He looked at Frankie's pale face. "She should have woken up by now."

"Maybe Bridget put a sedative in the IV," Kian said. "It might be better for Frankie to sleep for a few hours."

The doctor had admitted that the next twenty-four hours were critical, and Dagor had reconsidered using his blood to help Frankie recover, but the ramifications were not just a faster healing, and he didn't want to induce her transition without getting her consent first. He wanted to ask Aru and Kian to tell him more about it, but he wasn't sure that it was safe to do so in the clinic.

Kian was adamant about keeping the information about the healing properties of a god's blood a secret.