Page 57 of Truthful Deceptions

Tolreum

Fear for my delicate human made it hard for me to hear what Healer Grifforum was saying as we made our way swiftly down a network of corridors. Sloane sobbing behind us didn't help.

“...so there is no reason to worry, Human Opal,” he said, also purring. “We will make the pain go away.”

Doors, faces, and signs all passed in a blur until we were finally passing through double-sized doors into the medical facility.

“Jastura, take Human Sloane into section three,” Healer Grifforum said as he guided Opal’s bed into an area labeled four. There was supposed to be a wall between the sections, but it had been removed.

“Tisorum, run all basic diagnostics on Human Sloane,” Healer Grifforum said. “Dominus, do the same on Human Opal. Puresea, bring the pain medication for Opal.”

As the other healers rushed around to do Grifforum’s orders, he looked at me. “We need to assess Human Opal’s leg. Can you remove her pants? We can keep her shirt on and add a blanket for modesty.”

“Opal, the healer needs me to take off your pants,” I warned her. “I’ll be as gentle as I can.”

“Cut them off,” she whispered. “Don’t make me move my leg.”

I sounded a rumble of agreement, and as Healer Grifforum accepted some medication vials from Puresea I unsheathed one of my claws and carefully ran it down the outside seam of the pants on her left side. Then I repeated the process on the right side. I cut a few more places and was able to remove everything easily except for the spots where Opal’s weight was resting.

The important part was that her injured leg was completely exposed. I couldn’t believe how bad it looked. Her foot, ankle, and much of her lower leg were swollen, but even worse was the color; blotchy purple and red. That area also radiated intense heat. None of those were good signs.

Now I understood why Opal was prepared to lose the leg. It was probably good that she’d slept the entire way here. She had to be in so much pain!

“Human Opal, I want to give you two vials to drink,” Healer Grifforum said. “That means I need you to open your mouth.”

Opal parted her lips but didn’t open her eyes. Healer Grifforum poured one vial in, waited for her to swallow and part her lips again, then he poured the other vial in.

“One of these medications will make you sleepy,” he said. “Don’t fight it.”

“Tolly stays,” she whispered, holding up her hand. I grabbed her hand with both of mine and she sighed with relief. “Don’t leave.”

“Never,” I promised.

“You’re Tolly?” Healer Grifforum asked. “I thought your name was Tolreum?”

“My proper name is Tolreum,” I explained. “But humans like to give nicknames as a sign of affection.”

Healer Grifforum sounded a rumble of agreement. “Yes, I remember reading about that now. It seems Human Opal has formed an emotional attachment to you. That’s excellent.”

“Yes,” I agreed, thankful he didn’t know the full extent of it.

Within a submark, Opal succumbed to the medication. Her breathing evened out and her hand went lax in my grip. I didn’t let go. I held Opal’s hand through the process as the healers scanned, assessed, and discussed.

At one point they were forced to infuse her foot with nanos and run a constant scan to shut the nanos down the moment they were satisfied with the results. Over the course of several marks they did this twice, along with giving her more medication.

“You should sit,” Dominus said, pressing a stool to the back of my legs. “This process will probably go on for most of this rotation.”

“You have my gratitude,” I murmured, sitting down.

Grifforum and several of the other healers were standing at a countertop, working on programming the next set of nanos. They were all so confident that I wasn’t worried Opal would lose the leg. Even better, the swelling was going down, although the skin still looked red and irritated.

“What’s it like?” Dominus asked.

I looked up at him and sounded a questioning rumble.

“What’s it like to have a human?” he elaborated. “They are fascinating creatures, but I’m curious if they're as wonderful to own as everyone thinks.”

“When given freely, human affection is unparalleled,” I murmured without thinking.