Rheia turned and buried her face into her mate's chest. Colton looked at her. "That's our daughter's age."
Aiden walked over and plucked Meryn from Kendrick. "Probably not the best place for an empath to be," he said before walking toward the tunnel, Ryuu following close behind.
Kendrick winced. "I was too shocked by the casket. I didn't think of Meryn."
Anne patted his arm. "If she was truly in distress, Ryuu would have gotten her out of here," she assured her mate.
Rheia turned to her. "I'd like to follow them and make sure Meryn is okay before meeting with you and the other attending doctor."
Ellie nodded. "I agree."
Solemnly, they made their way to the tunnel. Half the warriors helped escort the new group down to Level One; the other half carried the cases of medical supplies to the hospital. Ellie walked beside her mate and, not for the first time since arriving, she felt like the shadows were closing in on her. She wondered if she would ever get used to living underground.
*****
When Ellie had first seen the large dining room table, she couldn't imagine so many people sitting around it that there would be no empty seats; now, it didn't seem that impossible. It took them a few minutes, but introductions were finally over. Ryuu had a pot of tea brewing, which smelled faintly of chamomile. If it was Blessed Chamomile, then it was exactly what they needed. She just wondered where Ryuu had gotten ahold of some.
Everyone was seated except for Rheia, who stood beside Meryn's chair, taking her blood pressure and checking her over. "That's it. Bed rest for you missy!" she ordered.
Meryn's face scrunched up. "No way! I'll be good I promise! I can't sleep anyway, and it will just hurt my back to lay down for so long."
Rheia's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean you can't sleep?"
Meryn shrugged. "I don't know why."
"You've been drinking coffee haven't you?" Rheia fumed.
Ryuu stepped forward. "We've had to add it back in. She was getting too lethargic without it."
Aiden paled. "She's not sick, is she?"
Everyone turned to stare at Meryn. "I'm not sick," she refuted.
Rheia turned to Ellie. "What are some of the other symptoms?"
"Low grade fever, achiness, temper tantrums..." she trailed off then stared at Meryn. Was she sick?
"Fuck you all. I do not throw temper tantrums!" Meryn bellowed.
"Yes, that really cements your argument," Kendrick drawled.
Colton tilted his head. "She's kinda always grouchy, but it's one of the things I like about her."
Meryn smiled at Colton. "That's why you're my favorite."
"Hey!" Aiden protested.
Colton gave his commander a shit eating grin. "I can't help it if the women love me."
Adriel sighed and gave Aiden a sympathetic look. "You do know how I feel."
Aiden nodded, his eyes taking on a wild look, and he turned to Colton. "Who did you leave in charge at home?"
"Sascha."
"What?"
"After I had fun torturing the guys while you were gone, he'll have it made," Colton waved off Aiden's concern.