Page 55

“I’ll be back before you know it.” Talyn tried to make light of the situation as he patted the wall like he would a friendly dog before walking to the docking ramp. He felt anything but light. The closer they’d gotten to his mom, the darker his thoughts had become.

“I can beg,” Booby said.

“You’re too much of a lady to do that.” Talyn looked over his shoulder. Booby’s concerns sat in his gut like a bad meal, churning away and making him tense. He knew the risks but was willing to take them.

He walked down the ramp and to the large white transport ship where a short line of visitors embarked. He joined the back of the line and watched as they were handed passes and had their details scanned.

This was the best hospital in the galaxy for treating Lillip mental instability. It wasn’t cheap to have his mom here, but it was worth every bit of his wages to make her comfortable.

Talyn rubbed his forehead. He had slept, but it had been fractured and full of nightmares interlaced with his mom screaming. He’d not woken refreshed and doubted he would again without Sinead next to him. He couldn’t think about her now. He needed to focus on his family.

He raised his wrist comm to his mouth. “Is everything okay, Booby?”

“All systems are operational.”

Talyn smiled. Booby sulked when she didn’t get her own way. “And you?”

“Do not have opinions you consider worth listening to.”

“Booby,” he whispered. “Don’t be like that. I need all the friends I can get.”

She was also smarting following their conversation about him being expunged. Talyn still wavered over such a drastic option, but since being away from Sinead, the dark thoughts and frantic feelings had seeped back. The more time he spent away from her, the darker and more unpleasant the inside of his mind became. Without Sinead, he wasn’t sure he’d survive much longer.

But Sinead didn’t want him. If Talyn had never met her, he wouldn’t know there was an alternative to what he lived with every day. He should never have come to Prodigy. If he’d gone against his sister’s wishes, he’d be managing okay. He was used to never staying in the same place for long and traveling farther from his family and loved ones. That was the only way he’d found of muting the panic that flooded through him every time his mom’s voice entered his head.

Talyn’s heart throbbed. If only he could convince Sinead that they should be together and could figure out something, but he’d not heard from her since she’d fled his bed. She must have made up her mind. She’d planned a life without him. So she should. Admitting he needed her was a weakness.

He accepted his pass and had his details scanned before entering the transport ship. As he settled in his seat, an incoming call pinged on his wrist comm. He opened it to see Laya’s face.

“Hi, are you already there? I’m getting on the transport now.”

“Oh, Talyn, I’m so sorry. I’m not going to make it.”

Talyn swallowed the panic flooding up his throat. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Nilia. She was ill all night. She seemed better this morning, so I packed everything and planned to bring her. She has a calming influence on Mom. I was getting on the ship when she was sick. The poor little thing won’t stop crying. I’ve brought her to get medical attention. I would have called earlier but was hoping she’d be well enough to travel. I can’t leave her. I can’t get there to visit with Mom.”

Talyn closed his eyes for a second. “The main thing is you look after Nilia. How’s she doing?”

“A little better. The doctor doesn’t seem worried. He says it might be a virus. But she’s so small and vulnerable. She’s had fluids and seems calmer. The doctor is keeping her under observation for the next twenty-four hours.”

“You must stay with her,” Talyn said. “Nilia has to be your priority. You’ve got to make sure she’s well.”

“What about the visit? You can’t do it on your own.”

Talyn glanced around the inside of the transport. “I’m here. I’m about to leave to go to the hospital.”

“It’s too risky. You haven’t seen Mom for a while.” Laya bit her lip. “She’s bad.”

“I have heard her, though. I know how sick she is. I shouldn’t have left it this long before coming back.”

“Postpone the visit. We can make the trip together next week.”

Talyn pressed his lips together. It would be easier with Laya here, but he couldn’t worry her, not now she had a sick baby to look after. “It’ll be okay. I’m stronger than I look.”

“Be careful. Mom’s still strong, even though her thoughts are scattered. Ask for a double dose of suppressant when you get there. I had to do that the last time I visited. It helped.”

Talyn nodded. The hospital provided medication to empaths visiting those with damaged minds. It was a temporary way of suppressing ability and took the edge off when meeting someone unable to control themselves.