Waking brought waves of pain and dizziness, and Riley simply stared up for a long while. Above her, just a stretch of solid white broken only by harsh lights that made her squint. It took a few moments for her to remember what happened and where she was. She sighed heavily and finally peeled her gaze away from the ceiling. As she turned her head, she found herself face to face in an all too familiar way, with Sophie. “Hey.” Though the word was probably spoken normally, it slammed in Riley’s head as if it had been shouted and she winced. A headache pounded behind her temples like she’d smacked herself against a rock wall. “Sorry.” Sophie’s voice was softer this time, more manageable. “You gave us quite the scare. How are you feeling?”

“Like I was chewed up and spat back out,” Riley grumbled, bringing a hand up to shade her gaze from the harsh lighting in the office. “This feels familiar.”

“Yes, it does. Not a scene I’d hoped to reenact.”

“Me either,” Riley agreed. “How long am I trapped here this time?” She sagged into the cot. Last time was terrible and she had no desire to do it again.

“Not as long,” Sophie replied with a shake of her head. She reached out and tucked a lock of Riley’s hair back behind her ear. “A few days to let things start to heal, and then you can come upstairs. You should probably avoid swimming for a week to keep the stitches dry, and anything strenuous for two weeks after that, maybe more, but you won’t be immobile like last time.”

Riley nodded. A few days was not pleasant, she would rather be told she could get up and move immediately, but it was worlds better than a few weeks condemned to lie in one place. “Could be worse,” she relented.

The woman seated beside her rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You are going to be the death of me, Riley,” she groaned. “I hear you put up quite the fight.”

A faint grin twitched on Riley’s lips. She nodded down at her bandage wrapped abdomen. “It was a lucky blow. I would have won the fight in the end otherwise. I did not start it though,” she sighed. “I will admit to enjoying sparring, but a fight like that, where lives are at risk…there is nothing satisfying about that.”

“No, I don’t imagine that there is. I’m just glad that you’re safe now. How are you feeling? Would you like to sit up?”

“I was not sure I was allowed. You were very insistent on minimal movement last time.”

Sophie chuckled softly and it made Riley smile. She had found more of a mother figure in Sophie than she ever had with her own, and deeply enjoyed any time spent. Though she would never admit the depth of what it meant to her. “Last time, you had broken ribs, a shattered hip bone, and a gaping hole in your side. Now don’t get me wrong, you’re definitely badly injured, but so long as you avoid any rapid or strenuous actions, you’re okay to move. Just take it slow. Do you want a hand?”

“No. Let me try first,” Riley decided. She pressed her palms flat against the cot and slowly pushed herself upright on quaking arms. She grit her teeth against the jolts of pain that shot through her body. The sharp tang of blood coated her tongue as she bit her lip a little too hard. Sophie’s fingers were cool against her back as her hands slid up Riley’s spine, helping her upright. “Thank you,” she panted when she was finally situated.

Now that she was up, Riley got a better look at the damage. Her abdomen was wrapped in bandages. There was a faintly pinkish tinge to them and she winced. Each breath brought a tension in her side. A resistance of sorts, but she could not bring herself to touch the area.

“Are you okay?” Sophie inquired. Riley’s head jerked up to meet the woman’s gaze. Her kelp green eyes were wide, her eyebrows scrunched to mimic the concern in her voice.

Slowly, Riley nodded. She licked her lips. “Yes. It hurts, but not too badly. But it feels like it is pulling a little, whenever I breathe. I do not understand why.”

“It’s the stitches, kiddo. It’s probably going to feel like that for a bit while everything heals.”

“Stitches?” Riley echoed, a frown tugging at the corners of her lips. “What are those?”

“A special thread is used to tie the skin together, to keep a wound from bleeding while it begins to heal,” Sophie explained.

A shudder ran up Riley’s spine. Her eyes closed for a moment. A likeness rose in her mind. Sometimes her aunt would do something similar if an injury required it. She’d pinch the flesh and push an urchin spine through it to hold it as close together as possible. Riley had both witnessed and experienced it being done, and both times, Riley’s head had spun and her stomach had flipped like she had eaten bad fish.

Air whistled through her nose as she took a deep breath. She did not want to think about it. “I will have to thank Lewis. He has saved my life twice now.”

“You certainly keep us on our toes,” Sophie agreed. “But I won’t lie, it’s hard not to be proud of you.”

“Proud of me?” Riley quirked an eyebrow. “I was expecting a lecture about being more cautious and not getting into trouble.”

Sophie sighed softly and shook her head. “Doesn’t sound like you went looking for trouble at all, Riley, and you held your own against unfair odds. I’ve heard it was quite the fight. I don’t like the idea that you had to take part or that you were injured and in so much danger, but I’m still proud.”

Riley looked away to hide the fact that her throat was closing. Once again, Sophie was the root of a surge of emotion. A knot of both pleasant and unpleasant feelings that felt like it was trying to choke the life out of her. It had been a long time since anyone had told her they were proud. Her aunt had been the last, and it was years ago. “What happened to Torren? He is the Mer that helped finish the fight. I owe him my thanks as well.”

“He went back to the water for the night. Said he’d come back in the morning,” Sophie replied. “It’s still pretty late right now” It was then that Riley finally noticed the signs. There were no windows to know that it was dark outside, but Sophie’s voice had a hint of exhaustion to it and the lines beneath her eyes were beginning to darken.

Riley chewed at her lip. “You did not have to wait down here. Why did you not go to sleep?”

Sophie’s hand extended to tuck some of Riley’s hair behind her ear. Her hair wasn’t really in her face, but she’d come to recognize it as a gesture of affection with Sophie. The woman shook her head. “Did you really think I’d let you wake up alone in the dark? After the day you’ve had? I’m good right here.”

Riley quirked an eyebrow as she eyed the small chair Sophie was perched on. It looked far from a comfortable place to rest, especially in that sort of upright position. “I will be okay,” she protested.

“I know,” Sophie agreed, though she made no move to actually get up.

Riley sighed and rolled her eyes. “Sophie,” she groaned.

“Riley,” Sophie countered. “The more you complain about it, the longer you keep us both awake. Get some sleep, okay? You need the rest.”

“I think I am going to get a lot more of that than I need…again,” Riley groaned. She chose not to resist the recommendation, however. She was feeling very heavy, and her headache had subsided to a dull buzzing. She moved sluggishly, a starfish pace, as she lowered herself back down. Each movement tugged more at the stitches she had no wish to see. Her cheeks were warmed by time she managed to settle into a reclined position, curled on her good side. She hated feeling this helpless, yet again.

She was faced away from Sophie, which felt rude, but she could not lay on her other hip. The chair squealed a little as it shifted on the floor and Sophie’s shadow fell over her. Warmth settled over her form and she sighed softly. The blanket tangled in her fins, pulled at them, but she did not truly mind; there was a sense of security that came with the heat and weight of a blanket. It was one of the things she truly enjoyed about the world above the surface. Her lips split into a wide yawn and there was a strange experience of almost sinking into the bed. If Sophie said or did anything else, she failed to notice as she drifted deeper into the depths of slumber.

Snapping awake was a little like a jolt from an electric eel. All her senses and nerves jerked to attention all at once. Her eyes snapped open and she inhaled a little too deeply, making her wince. Whatever medication Lewis had given her last night was wearing off rather rapidly.

“Careful,” he cautioned. She attention flitted up to him.

She groaned. “Do not sneak up!”

Lewis chuckled and she scowled at him in response. “You’re usually awake before I have the door all the way open. I wasn’t trying to startle you.”

Riley sighed. It was really her own fault. She’d honed herself into her jumpy nature. Still, an excuse to harass Lewis was always enjoyable. “You had better have something to make up for it,” she grumbled.

“Breakfast?” Lewis offered.

That brought the grumping to an abrupt halt. “That sounds good,” she conceded.

That earned a grin. Lewis’s teeth always shone impressively against his darker complexion. It brought a small smile to her own lips. “I have to redress those bandages first. You stay still and silent while I do so; then we’ll talk food.”

Riley rolled her shoulder back to keep her arm well out of his way, then pointedly averted her gaze. It was not so much that she could not handle the sight of injury, but seeing her own flesh warped and forcibly held together with a foreign substance made her stomach tighten and flip. She listened to the snip of the scissors, felt the tugging as Lewis pulled bandages away from her skin. He dabbed a soaked cloth over the wound and, while it stung, her flesh drank the moisture. It felt good. She was fine to be out of the water, but the room felt exceptionally dry. “Could you leave that there for a moment?” she requested. “It feels good.”

“Let me get these bandages changed and then I’ll see about something larger than a medical rag, okay?”

“Mhm.”

A few moments later, a sopping towel was draped over her head and shoulders, and she felt oceans better. The pain was receding thanks to the medication Lewis gave her, the bandages reapplied snuggly, and while the cot was not exactly comfortable, she was content.

“Riley, are you okay?” The concern was thick in Sophie’s voice. Riley nodded her head and flicked her tailfins, but otherwise remained still. She was not ready to move yet.

“It’s dry in here,” Lewis said. “Between that and the meds, I think she’s just lethargic.”

“And hungry,” Riley added.

“Well, you’ll have to sit up and take the towel off your head to eat. Come on, nothing gourmet at the moment, but I have fish.”

Riley pushed herself up slowly, letting the towel slip off into her lap. Sophie’s hair was pulled up off her face and she was dressed in a long slip the color of the sky. Riley remember Sophie referring to it as a lounge dress. Her attire didn’t hold Riley’s attention long, however. There was a bag in Sophie’s hands. One with chunks of fish in it. There must have been an eager expression on her face, because Sophie shook her head, shoulders shaking slightly, and she passed off the bag. Riley’s fingers were stained within seconds as she tore the plastic seal open and reached for the first piece. It was raw and tender. She enjoyed exploring the cooked varieties Sophie often offered her but being raised in the waters made fish in its natural state the superior comfort food.

“You have an appetite,” Sophie observed. “Good. You didn’t last time; not for a few days.”

Riley swiped her tongue over her teeth, pausing in her meal long enough to dip her head at the woman. “Last time was worse,” she agreed. She scooped another cut of fish into her mouth, enjoying the way the tart, salty flesh oozed between her teeth. She fished around in the bag for another piece. Her stomach gurgled appreciatively as the meat slid easily down her throat. It had helped to rouse her from her stupor, though her scales still itched tediously. She longed for the cool embrace of the water. It was entering the human’s dry season, she knew. Where the air hung heavy in lungs, and the Mer stayed deeper to ward off the scald of heated waters. The sun could be cruel this time of the cycle. Sophie had only just sunk down onto her chair from earlier when a new sound grabbed Riley’s attention away. It was soft creaking noise, like the squeak the wheel of her wheelchair made. Riley’s eyes narrowed and she slowly lowered the bag of fish beside her. The scent on the other side of the door tingled in her nose. This was not someone she’d met before, but it also rang with slight familiarity, as if she’d happened across a stale form in the past.

“Riley? Everything alright?” Sophie asked. Her head turned, though Riley noted the wrinkled lines of confusion on her brow. The moment the door handle jiggled and began to turn, however, Sophie was up out of her chair and practically contorting her body in front of her. Riley rolled her eyes at the thought that Sophie was going to conceal her. It was a poor attempt regardless. The door swung open and Riley tensed. She was injured, but everyone who knew about her was already in the room. Lewis coughed softly, made his way around too.

The head that poked through the gap belonged to a girl. She looked about Riley’s age, with golden-brown skin, like moist sand on the seabed, and sun-stained brunette hair woven to hang over her shoulder. Hazel eyes were peaked with curiosity. Beside Riley, Sophie sagged with relief.