Having worked at the marine park for the last fifteen years, Lewis knew the halls of the science wing well, and it didn’t take him long following Jenny to know exactly where they were headed.

While he wasn’t surprised, it left a bitter note in his mouth that she paused outside his preferred operating room. He would often use his office if necessary, but this was where he preferred to do any of the surgeries that any rescues – or just common health problems of the park animals – required of him. It was where he had worked on Riley the first time around.

Jenny grinned at him and made an ‘after you’ gesture. Lewis sighed and strode through the door. The scene before him gave him pause. Dr. Auldon was standing at the counter sanitizing and organizing various surgical instruments, and Riley sat curled on the operating table. The girl’s tail was stretched at an odd angle behind her, and she looked to be in severe discomfort.

Ignoring the scientist, Lewis hurried to Riley’s side, his eyes already wandering over her prone form in search of injury.

Riley’s wide eyes fixated on him too. “Lewis? What are you doing here?” she queried with a touch of panic lacing her tone. She parted her jaws and a moment later, her eyes widened further, and she shook her head. “No…”

Lewis’ shoulders sagged and he shrugged regretfully. “I’m sorry, kiddo. Are you okay?”

Riley grimaced and drummed her nails against the metal of the surgical table. She nodded. “For now,” she agreed.

“What do you mean ‘for now’?” Lewis demanded.

Before Riley could answer, Dr. Auldon cleared his throat. Lewis spun around to face the older man, who was beckoning him over. Lewis didn’t reckon he would like whatever the scientist had to say, but he reluctantly made his way over regardless.

Dr. Auldon had put up several x-ray snapshots on the overhead rail and also handed him a folder with several pages of data. “You did an MRI?” Lewis inquired as he flipped through the pages.

“And took some x-rays to be thorough, yes,” Dr. Auldon replied. “I trust you can see the problem?”

Lewis frowned as he studied the images. They were all of Riley’s lower spine and hip structure. While the one side looked fine, the hip she had previously broken appeared to have gradually shifted out of place. It was not a noticeably massive amount, but it had to be causing some pain and some significant strain on her posture and the surrounding muscles and nerves. There also looked to be some damage to the bone itself.

Lewis twisted to look at Riley more closely. “Have you been having problems with your hip?”

Riley hesitated to answer, but the way she bowed her head and her cheeks coloured, Lewis had his answer. “Yes,” Riley finally admitted sheepishly. “But they have only really become problematic recently.”

“And you said nothing because…?” Lewis trailed off as he waited for her to supplement the reason.

Riley shrugged. “We have had a lot going on lately. At first, I thought it would just go away on its own, and when it did not, I was embarrassed. I did not wish to burden you and Sophie with anything more.”

Lewis sighed and shook his head. “Next time, tell me,” he urged. “I’d rather you tell me right away so I can fix it before it gets bad like this.” He gestured towards the hanging photos despite knowing Riley probably wouldn’t understand exactly what the pictures meant.

Riley nodded, though she seemed subdued.

“I’m not mad at you,” Lewis assured her. He turned to look at the scientist. “Did you call me here for details on her original surgery?”

Dr. Auldon shook his head. “Oh no, your original notes and data were quite thorough. An engaging read,” he mocked. “No, I brought you here because I could use a spare pair of hands. I assume you agree this needs to be corrected, and sooner rather than later to avoid further damage?”

“What do you intend to do?” Lewis asked with a frown as he stepped closer again.

Dr. Auldon pulled a red marker and circled Riley’s damaged hip. “I want to make an incision from above, and separate the bone from the cap. There is significant bone overgrowth here,” Dr. Auldon paused to draw an arrow on the page, “and here, that will need to be shaved back. That’s actually the biggest problem. The growths are scraping against the opposite bone and digging groves. The bone is chipping and catching, which is where the pain is coming from, and it seems her overcompensation and trying to wrench the bone free is what is displacing the joint. Once it’s been shaved and capped to limit further growth, I want to reposition the hip and cable it to keep it from shifting while it heals; we’ll use something that dissolves so that a retrieval incision won’t be necessary.”

“What does all of that mean?” Riley inquired.

“It means you’re going back in a brace belt,” Lewis clarified. He couldn’t help but chuckle at Riley’s exaggerated groan. It helped ease some of the tension constricting his heart.

Dr. Auldon grunted his agreement. “I suggest you wash up, Dr. Patter. The sooner we get started, the better.”

Lewis was tired, having not gotten anything close to proper rest the past several days, and wasn’t sure he was in the best condition to be performing delicate surgery, but he knew refusing would simply lock him out of the procedure and he wanted to at least be able to supervise that Riley was being treated properly.

With a resigned nod, he moved to prep for surgery, choosing for the moment to ignore Riley’s sputtering protests. She did need the surgery, and he doubted anything would sway the scientist into waiting.

Twenty minutes later, he found himself staring down at Riley’s limp form. Dr. Auldon had needed no prompting to administer an IV drip and sedate the Mer. He’d strapped her down so that she wouldn’t roll or shift during the operation and had pulled supplies over.

Lewis stood by patiently as the scientist made the first incision. He knew it needed to be done, but cutting into Riley felt wrong, especially with the Lemuria scientist heading the surgery.

Once the skin was pulled away, the severity of the damage to her joint was obvious. When bones broke, it wasn’t unusual for them to grow a calloused shell to strengthen the bone once it was healed. It looked like Riley’s bone just never stopped growing over, and as she moved, pieces chipped into sharp edges that ground against the inside of the joint cap, while also trying to grow over it. If it continued, Lewis suspected she would eventually no longer be able to move at all.

“It will have to be monitored,” Dr. Auldon observed. “This isn’t likely to be the only time the bone will need shaving.”

“Could we possibly coat it in something to discourage the growth?” Lewis mused.

Dr. Auldon shook his head as he pulled more of Riley’s skin back and pinned it out of the way. “No, the bone will always chip and wear at a fractional amount over the course of her life, and she’ll need to still be able to do that, otherwise we’re just wearing away the bone. Besides, there’s nothing effective that wouldn’t cause detrimental friction to their wide range of motility.”

Lewis nodded his understanding. It was a fair point that he hadn’t considered. Despite how much he hated the man beside him and was frightened for the Mer and the woman he loved, he could not deny that there was one base level of comfort doctors and scientists could almost always find in bouncing theories off one another. It was the single way in which he connected to the scientist and while he would never like or trust him, the clinical relationship helped calm a few of his nerves and steady his hands.

Which was a blessing as Dr. Auldon shoved a tiny bone saw into his hands. “Get to work,” the man commanded.

Lewis frowned, not just at being ordered around like an intern, but also as he wondered why the scientist – who seemed rather controlling – would relinquish such a crucial task. He decided not to question it for now and instead leaned over Riley’s prone, sedated form so he could peer into the incision.

Dr. Auldon had already dislocated the hip so they could work, and reset the joint cap into place with a thick, biodegradable cable.

Lewis grimaced as he examined how overgrown the bone shards were. He glanced at the table of tools beside him and picked up a deep-dish spoon with a long handle. He guided it into the gap in the flesh to rest under the bone. He had no intention of leaving the fragments within Riley to stab her and rot. That would be a wonderful way for her to face a severe infection.

Moving in slow steady motions to keep from taking too much, Lewis began to slowly chip off the overgrown pieces of bone. He was silent as he worked, and thankfully – while he could feel the scientist watching him – Dr. Auldon didn’t speak or hover too distractingly over his shoulder.

Once most of the more gnarly pieces had been broken off, Lewis tilted the circular blade to press the flat of it against the bone rather than the edge.

As he did this, Dr. Auldon coughed quietly to attract his attention. “What are you doing?”

Lewis kept his motion rubbing over the bone steady as he spoke. “The Mer have much rounder bone ends than we do. If I just chip everything away, there will be a bit of a flat edge to the bone that could hinder her movement. I’m just filling it down to a more rounded edge instead.”

Dr. Auldon hummed in response and the sound almost came off as impressed. “Carry on.”

Lewis rolled his eyes and then refocused on his task. While it had previously felt like a comfortable temporary truce over the clinical nature of their work, Lewis now felt the hairs on the back of his neck beginning to stand on end. Dr. Auldon’s unyielding gaze seemed drilled onto the back of his neck.

“Why do I feel like I’m being graded?” Lewis finally growled, voicing his annoyance. He paused his work for a moment to turn and glower at the other scientist, who was making him feel incredibly scrutinized. It was delicate work he was doing, true, but that didn’t justify treating him like a grad school intern being supervised through hands-on experience.

“Because you are,” Dr. Auldon responded simply.

Lewis’ frown deepened.

Dr. Auldon shook his head as though exasperated with a child. “Dr. Patter, you are by no means a finesse surgeon nor a scientist, but you have proven yourself capable of impressive improvisation and skill, particularly with dealing with the mermaids, about which very few people know anything at all. Your medical care is a little crude, but sufficient, and that makes you a potentially valuable asset. I do hope you’re aware of the unstable position you and Miss Brooks are in.”

“Yes,” Lewis replied warily. He had an uneasy feeling building in his gut at where the scientist was going, especially when it came to Sophie.

“I’ve already spoken to Miss Brooks about my intent on resolving the potential complications you both now pose. While it may make me sound like a cheesy villain in a film, you both know far too much to be allowed to continue your normal lives. The board of directors are eager to see you in your graves,” Dr. Auldon continued. He casually began rolling up his sleeves as he spoke. “But murder really is a nasty business and I have no real care for it; especially not when there are other possible resolutions to the problem.”

“Such as?” Lewis pressed. He wished the scientist would just make his point so that he could get back to work. He didn’t want to leave Riley on the anesthetic drip for too long.

“Now that we have access to an adult female Mer, I am petitioning to repeat the procedure we conducted with Katherine for Miss Brooks. She would be far greater an asset in a tank where affectionate bonds will allow us to use her to subdue several of the others.”

Lewis frowned as he processed the information. Sophie hadn’t mentioned it, though he supposed there hadn’t been much of a chance, but it still rubbed him the wrong way. He didn’t like the idea of another person he cared about having their free will stripped away and put through a gruesome procedure to change their species. Though, he supposed Sophie might not fully object to it if it meant she could stay with Katie, Luna, and Riley. She would probably give up anything to be there for them. But he also knew the process could just as easily kill her.

“Nothing’s been confirmed yet, of course, but it’s under review. I perhaps would have liked to consider the same option for you, Dr. Patter, as we are facing a distinctively unbalanced gender ratio in our recently acquired pod – and I would like to look into it in the future – but truthfully, we have not done enough testing for a viable male transformation and you’re a slightly more valuable subject than I would be comfortable starting with.”

“Well, gee, thanks,” Lewis drawled with a roll of his eyes. He decided the conversation was pointless and turned back to resume working on Riley’s hip.

Dr. Auldon cleared his throat loudly. “Dr. Patter,” he called with a disapproving tone lacing his voice. Lewis sighed and reluctantly turned back. “Such a procedure is an option for the future if testing goes well. In the meantime, I am considering adding you on as a member of my team.

Lewis raised an eyebrow and stared at the other scientist blankly. Staring at the deluded man, Lewis couldn’t help but scoff in response. “I’m sorry,” he began in a firm tone. “But after everything your people have done, what makes you think – even for a moment – that I would ever want to work for you?”

It was infuriating how nothing ever seemed to get a rise out of Dr. Auldon, who simply stared back silently with a thoughtful, if not mildly amused expression on his face. “Dr. Patter, I would consider choosing my next words very cautiously if I were you. Working as a part of my team is the only chance you have of living into next week. Of course, it would not be a position quite like you’re currently used to. We would not be able to allow you to punch in and out and collect your paycheck like an average employee; you are still far too much of a risk, and there are too many conflicts of interest. But you would be alive, and accommodated as comfortably as possible,” Dr. Auldon pitched as though it were an entirely generous offer. Lewis was fairly certain the man was insane if he truly thought that was a favourable choice.

“In addition, you would be allowed to interact with the mermaids outside of work hours. I imagine that would be a priority for you, yes? To be allowed to continue seeing your girlfriend and adoptive offspring? Regardless of how bizarre Miss Brooks’ attachment to these animals is, she is a valuable player in this game and so are you. I would be much more inclined to keep you both on the playing field. So yes, Dr. Patter, you are indeed being tested, and I do suggest you strive to pass it. Otherwise, as much as I would like to help, you will simply be another name to the list of people Miss Brooks will have to watch die. I’m sure it was very traumatizing to lose her parents the way she did and to bury her daughter at such a young age. I worry what the death of another loved one – a lover and long-time cherished friend – would do to her psyche.”

“You leave her alone,” Lewis growled.

Dr. Auldon shook his head. “I’m afraid it’s far too late for that, and my hands are tied. I am trying to spare you both, however, so a little gratitude and complacency would be appreciated.”

Lewis’ mind was racing. He did not want to work for this creep, but he knew the scientist was right that another loss would be too much for Sophie to handle. Still, it felt like a complete betrayal of the trust of everyone around him. He wanted an option that involved no one else getting hurt. “I won’t help you study them like lab rats,” he muttered.

“Oh, no, no,” Dr. Auldon clucked his tongue. “You misunderstand. You would not be part of the research team, Dr. Patter. No, what I need is a skilled veterinarian that is invested in the continued health and well-being of our assets. Their care has been lacking in the past and I believe putting someone in place who has some empathy towards these animals will be beneficial to our long-term goals. The only times you’ll see an operating table are in situations like this,” Dr. Auldon paused to nod at Riley. “Have you finished shaving the bone?”

Lewis glanced back to examine his work one final time before nodding. “It’s as smooth as it’s going to get. How do you plan to account for the damage to the inside of the joint cap?”

“With these,” Dr. Auldon replied. He walked over to the trolly of tools as held up a small round container full of small, green capsule beads. They looked moist and squishy. “We’ll line the inside of the joint to prevent further rubbing or scraping. It should keep her from favouring that hip due to friction discomfort as well.”

Lewis nodded as he mulled over the solution. It was viable, and perhaps even brilliant. The fluid-filled beads would be a soft, malleable cushion for the bone that wouldn’t get caught or lodged and disrupt movement like something with a firmer density or hard edges would.

“And if they rupture?” he inquired. “She’s a very active Mer and extensive movement might cause the beads to burst.

“They’re designed to compress and keep their shape regardless of motion. They will inevitably degrade over time, but it is not likely that all the beads will burst at once. Each contains a temporary green dye that will stain the bone and show up clearly on an x-ray. The saturation levels of the dye will tell us how many of them have broken. In the case that they need to be replaced, the incision would be a fraction of an inch and the procedure would take minutes. She wouldn’t even need to be sedated, just given a painkiller.”

Lewis nodded as he processed the information. It would work rather nicely. “She’d need an x-ray at least once every two months to keep an eye on it.”

“We’re prepared for that,” Dr. Auldon agreed.

Lewis sighed. After the long speech about Lemuria’s plans for all their fates, he had no interest in agreeing or being on the same page as the man, but he could not deny that Dr. Auldon’s idea was quite brilliant. It would reduce the pain and the risk of further chaffing, without displacing the bone from its socket. It was also probably the least invasive method with the smallest recovery time, which was better for the Mer who could barely sit still for five minutes, much less for days or weeks on end while a major surgery or reoccurring operation was performed.

He held his hand out for the container and the scientist handed it to him without complaint. Lewis could still feel the scientist’s gaze drilling into the nape of his neck, but he forced down his annoyance. Riley was more important.

He carefully pressed several of the beads – which were squishy to the touch and no bigger than half the fingernail of his smallest finger – into place. Once the joint was properly lined, he set the container aside – ignoring the strange green colouring that Riley’s hip now had – and pushed the bone back up into place. He sewed the stitches tightly together so that it would hold the skin better and be less likely to scar, given that more scar tissue was the last thing Riley needed to worry about, especially since it would make further incisions more difficult procedures.

Once he stepped back, Dr. Auldon was quick to take his place and look over his work. The stitches were neat, but still wrenching the skin into the relative place it was supposed to be, so Lewis moved away to one of the cupboards for a sticky pad to cover them with. While he knew that they would be putting her back in a heavy-duty brace belt to keep the bone alignment in place, he still felt obligated to ensure the thick black thread was not exposed since Riley was so squeamish about stitches in the first place.

“Your work is nearly impeccable,” Dr. Auldon hummed as Lewis walked back over and began pressing the pad to Riley’s side. The brace belt came next, and Lewis secured it a notch tighter than it was meant to be. It would not hurt her or restrict her breathing, but it would make sure that Riley did not squirm around and accidentally dislodge it.

Dr. Auldon disconnected the sedative drip but left the IV port in Riley’s hand. He then patted Lewis condescendingly on the back. “Good work,” he praised. “I’m impressed, and I’m sure she’ll be grateful for your actions once she wakes and finds herself in far less pain. Now I suppose we should get both of you back to your respective quarters for the night.”

Loathe as he was to leave Riley, Lewis knew it was an argument he would not win. Especially when he had another one to stir up. “Yes,” he agreed. “And on the way, we can discuss the feeding schedule for the rest of the Mer, because it’s not even adequate right now.”

He was expecting an argument, a refusal or at least a condescending remark, but to Lewis’ surprise, Dr. Auldon merely nodded in agreement and gestured at the door for him to lead the way.