“Please tell me you aren’t telling my child you plan on leaving him, Dax.” My mother’s voice rang out from the doorway. “Because I know that’s not what I just heard. It can’t be.”
“You aren’t saying goodbye, Science Model,” another voice growled from behind her. And that would be my dad. He stepped into the lab and the look on his face told me he wasn’t happy. Not with me or with Dax.
I glanced over my shoulder to take another look at Poe. I let out a breath. I was no longer a child. Well I was, but after the things I had seen in my short lifetime, I knew a lot more than the people who loved me wanted me to.
“Aria, Reaper, I’m sorr-”
I tugged on Dax’s arm, drawing his gaze back to me. “It’s okay, Dax. I understand.” I twisted my head to find my parents. “Don’t be upset at Dax. He doesn’t have what you did mom. You hadme. You had your bond with me to keep you from trying to follow dad when he went offline. Without me, I think you would have wanted to follow him too. Dad is yourcyborg.” I pointed to Poe. “And that is Dax’s female. He should be with her if he wants to be. We will be okay.” I gave Dax one more tight hug then let go. “Just tell us goodbye first, okay?”
He swallowed hard then nodded. I moved closer to my parents and let them pull me into their arms.
“No one is saying goodbye,” a weak voice croaked. I twisted out of my parents hold to discover Poe’s eyes were wide open.
Dax whipped around to see what I was seeing. “Oh my god, Poe!” He became nothing but a blur of green as he raced to her side, gathering her up and into his arms. His frame rocked back and forth. “You came back to me. You came back!” Tears slid down his cheeks but on his face was...a smile.
For the first time in a month, my best friend was smiling. Excitement bubbled inside my wires. She heard me after all. “I knew it.” I crossed my arms over my chest, pride filling my circuits. “I knew she would hear me. Sometimes all you need is a little help from your friends.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
*Poe*
Had I died? Becausethat’s how I felt. Like death warmed over with a side of ‘how long has it been since I’ve had a shower’ tossed in. I couldn’t understand why Dax was holding me so tight. Then his words kicked into my foggy brain.
I raised a shaky hand, cupping his cheek. My grip was so weak it started to slip but he caught it and placed his hand over mine. I stared up into his face. Had he gotten paler? Everything was so confusing. I blinked back tears. “Dax, you said I came back. Where did I go?” I asked in a voice barely sounding like my own, coming out rough and just above a whisper.
Warm wet drops landed in my hair, Dax’s tears a confirmation something had gone terribly wrong.
“To a place I couldn’t follow,” he answered, his hold on me tightening, then his face broke into a smile. “But it doesn’t matter now because I have you back.”
A thousand questions bounced around my brain, but I struggled to focus. I dropped my head against his chest, the steady beat of his heart soothing me.The beat. The beat was his heartbeat.Oh god, I remembered.
I attempted to lift my head from his chest, the muscles in my neck protesting the request, so instead I managed to tip my head back to look up at him. Shaky fingers sought for the edges of his lab coat, but the fabric slipped through them.
I let out a groan.God. I couldn’t even hold on to his freaking lab coat.
Dax looked down at me, his face contorted into a mask of concern. “Are you hurting?”
I shook my head so slightly only a cyborg would have noticed it, and it took nearly all my strength to do it.
“Good. If anything starts to hurt, you need to tell me.”
I wasn’t worried about pain. I needed to tell him. My insides were screaming that it was important. “The darkness, ”I whispered hoarsely.
His forehead creased. “Darkness? What darkness?” His eyes darted to take a quick glance up to the lights. “Reaper, would you increase the lights, please?” Dax asked.