Page 31 of Kailirex

“He’s alright?” I gasped.

“He’s resting comfortably,” she said, taking us down a flight of steps. “Thanks to the Mylos, we have bio bed scanners which were able to assess his condition quickly. I can’t tell you anything more, HIPPA and all that, but I’m sure your mother will be happy to explain.” She opened a door on the landing, bringing us into a pristinely white corridor smelling of disinfectant. “We’ll just take the elevator down to the fifth floor where they’ve put him.”

“Wait - you knew to expect us?” Eric threw me a panicked look.

“Of course. The Fleet contacted us, letting us know your father was a Mylos by mating and asking for their own doctor to be primary and that you were on your way down.”

“Oh, shit. Mom knows.”

Ms. Monahan stopped in front of an elevator and pressed the button to request a trip down. “Your mother? Ah,” she said, taking a closer look at the bite marks on our necks. “Oh dear. She had no idea?”

We shook our heads numbly.

She fixed a bright smile on her face. “Well, I’m sure a double wedding will cheer her and your father up.”

I winced. “Once she gets over being mad we didn’t tell her we were applying to the programs.”

She licked her lips nervously, not knowing quite what to say about that. Luckily for her, the elevator arrived then, the doors opening with a faint ding.

“Here it is!” she said cheerily, looking relieved. She gestured for us to get on first, standing in front of us as if eager to not get any more involved in our mess. She pressed the button for the fifth floor and after a moment, the doors closed and the elevator gave a faint jerk as it began its descent.

“Feels kinda clunky after the one aboard ship.,” Eric commented.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “And unlike that one, it won’t go sideways to get us closer to where we want to go if it’s farther down a large hall.”

“You have elevators that move sideways?” Ms. Monahan asked, sounding surprised.

“We do,” Kai replied.

“So advanced,” she mused, then sighed. “Unfortunately, I don’t think that tech could be retrofitted into existing buildings.”

“It can’t,” Piloris informed her, “but I understand it’s going to be allowed in Mylos supervised new builds, primarily for the government as well as mixed use buildings over fifteen stories within the next six months.”

“Ah. I look forward to trying one sometime if they build one near me.” She gave a wry chuckle as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened with another ding. “I admit I’d go in just for the ride if it wasn’t an intrusion.” She strode out of the elevator, quickly leading us down another too bright, sharp smelling hallway. She stopped suddenly in front of a door. “Here you are. He’s in a private room so, except for staff, you won’t be disturbed.” She turned the handle, opening the door.

Our mother sat in a chair next to our father, who lay in a bed straight out of a science fiction film with a wireless monitor over his head keeping track of his vitals. Looking up at us, she stood, not letting go of Dad’s hand.

“Well, while it's a good thing for your father under the circumstances, don’t think you don’t have some explaining to do,” she said, her eyes flitting from our necks to our mates, and back again.

“Oh boy,” Eric said, in what just might be the understatement of the century.