You watched the doctors leave
with a bitter taste in your mouth, their lack of news didn't
surprise you but it was still disappointing. It had been part of your
routine for close to a week and their refusal to tell you a single
thing grated on your nerves. You could easily see their morning
visits in your mind by now. They would always start with empty
politeness and fake optimism, their eyes filled with cold pity. Their
voice would quaver when they read the tablet by your bed and they
would always claim they needed another test to confirm their
suspicions. Then they would leave, without touching you even once,
and they would promise to inform you of any changes.

           You were
well on your way to cursing the doctors' entire families,
when the whoosh of the door cut you off. You didn't even have to
look to know who had entered the room, the familiar warmth caressing
the back of your mind was enough. It was strange how fast you had
grown used to your newfound sense, to the brush of another mind with
your own and the shared memories that came with it, but by now, it
was hard for you to remember how you
lived without it.

           You were brought out of your
thoughts when the plastic chair complained with a creak and your new
companion took his usual place by your side. Your eyes fell upon the
tight gray shirt and ill fitting trousers covering his verdant skin,
a far cry from the loose robe they made you wear. A deep weight
settled on your stomach and you couldn't hold the gasp that left
your lips. Dark brown eyes met your own, their usual shyness and
kindness replaced by hesitation and a hurtful amount of gratitude.

           “Did they tell you
anything?" He asked with his gruff voice, a tinge of worry echoing
at the edges of your mind.

           “No, they didn't.
Apparently, a room full of doctors can't figure out whatever's
wrong with me after dozens of test. Perhaps we should start studying
medicine ourselves, maybe we'll be done by the time they make up
their minds."

           “Do you think it could be--"
You hand shot out from under the itchy covers and grabbed his with a
tight hold, sending a wave of anger through your bond.

           “No, I don't so. At least,
I like to think so. I very much liked walking and I'd enjoy to do
so again."

           The orc
cradled your hand, his huge mitts swallowing your own in a gentle
embrace. You felt a prick of electricity and saw flashes of places
you had never seen in person. A room as gray as your own but with a
larger bed and actual windows instead of the illusory ARO
ones. The orange rays of the sun in the morning as a nurse enters
with brisk steps. Sterile doctor's offices that screamed of
opulence and cold detachment. A large room with an oval table, filled
with shifty eyed lawyers and stacks of paper. Snippets of
conversations came along with those images, a chirpy voice announcing
your release from the hospital, a tired retelling of the wounds you
had suffered and the annoyed reply of a clearly overworked nurse.

           “They are letting me go
today." the orc stated with a slight tremble to his voice, his
brown eyes refusing to meet mine.

           “They are? But, I thought
you needed more surgeries, more time to heal." Your struggled to
keep your voice down, knowing the nurses would send your orc away if
they thought he was bothering you.

           Green
fingers caressed the scar that crossed his face, a faint echo of the
pain reaching you through your strange connection.
More images flashed
into your mind: a sludge of bluish liquid in a clear jar, scarlet
numbers blinking on a white screen, an old orcish couple looking at
you with worried frown on their faces.

           “I do, but, they can wait
for a better day." You could easily read between the lines, and you
couldn't keep yourself from tightly grasping his big hand.

           “It doesn't seem fair.
After that accident, shouldn't we catch a break." A conflicted
smile appeared on his face while an avalanche of emotions crashed
down upon your mind. You let out a grunt, the emotions threatening to
drown your mind. They were a tangled mess, so intermixed and
overlapping you couldn't tell where they began and where they
ended. The wave died down moments later, leaving you breathless and
exhausted, just like the orc that had shared them with you.

           “Life is hardly ever fair."
he said with an air of resignation, a weak smile curving his lips.

           “What will you do then?
Return home with your family?"

           “Mom and Dad offered to pay
for the trip back, and I have half a mind to take them on the offer."

           “But?" You gulped when
those honest brown eyes settled on you, the enormity of the orc
weighting on you for the first time today.

           “I can't abandon you. Not
when you have no answers, nor when you don't have anyone else by
your side."

           “My family--"

           “Won't
come, you know it." he stated like one may declare the sun raises
every morning. “You told me so yourself on our first day here. Too
far away, too costly"

           You cursed loudly, breaking
your gaze away from him. You felt him prod at your mind, reminding
you how useless it was to lie to him.

           “So, I have a proposal for
you. Will you listen to it?" he asked with a whine to his tone.

           Slowly, you looked back
towards the gentle orc, dread burning at the back of your throat.
“Yes."

           “I have to stay here for a
couple of months to sort out a few things, paperwork and the like.
And after that's done, I will have to leave." He enunciated every
word with supernatural calm that clashed with the shaking of his
hands.

           “So what's the proposal?"

           “I want you to come with me,
back to my town. It isn't full of luxury or fame, but it is much
closer to your home and I can take care of you there." he declared
with a firm voice, no trace of his usual shyness coming forth.

           “But, the doctors--"

           “Don't want to give you a
diagnosis until the lawyers settle, and that could take weeks if not
months."

           You gulped, the words ringing
in your ears. Doubt poked at your mind, memories of the side eyed
glances, the hushed whispers outside your door, the lack of visitors
at any time.

          
“How, how do you know?"
you asked with a trembling voice, your own feelings threatening to
overcome you.

          
“I overheard them talking on
my way here."

           His thumb rubbed the back of
your hand and showed you the truth. The hours spent hacking into the
hospital's systems, the reports that were conveniently lost or
deleted before they reached you. And the bribes and threats that were
sent to every one of your doctors. You bit your lip until the iron
taste of blood touched your tongue.

          
“And they'll let me out
if, if I ask them."

          
“They can't hold you back
if they refuse to attend you, that's the law. And I'd say they
have refused long enough."

          
“I don't think I have
enough to pay for all the tests."

          
“We'll figure that out,
together."

          
“You mean it?"

           The orc warmth forehead
touches your own, a sign of intimacy done to hide a greater purpose.
You felt a rush of information blast through your mind, as the orc's
very being melded with your own. For a few precious second you were
both the same person, and every feeling you two had was bare to the
other. The full extent of your situation became clearer, the gaps in
one's information filled by the other, and so the trap was brought
into light. You let out a gasp when the two of you parted,
determination burning in your hearts.

          
“We can do it." he said
with certainty, a fierce protectiveness dancing in his eyes.

           You gulped one last time, your
stomach burning with nerves, and tightened your hold of his meaty
hand. “Yes, we can do it."