Quills: the Rise of the Northern Matriarch-Chapter 61: Fear 4

"Can you step back so I can work on her?" Janel said, his adrenaline was pumping. Cerez stepped back from the bed as Janel started the scan. Cerez had never been this scared before. His legs felt like they were affixed to the ground as he pulled himself away from her with a great effort. He watched as Janel scrutinized the results. He held his breath waiting.

"She will be alright." Janel said as he deftly worked. It looked like she would be concussed when she woke up. Janel rinsed her scalp and found the wound. He retrieved Stemgel and flooded the wound with it. He pinched the wound together with one hand. He then knitted the flesh together using an improved tool. He wiped the area clean. Now that he was finished, and spared her a fraction of the discomfort that she would experience while she healed. Janel gave her a mild stimulant. He heard Nora gasp as she regained consciousness. Nora started to groan in pain as she roused. Her head felt like it had been stepped on. She heard Janel. She ran her hands to her abdomen in a panic.

"My daughters," Nora said frantically. Her hands moved over her abdomen. "Janel. My daughters. Are they alright?" she cried. Janel made a gentle shushing sound.

"They are fine Nora, be concerned about yourself." Janel said in a low volume. "This is a more detailed scanner. I have to check your brain for impact injuries as it can hit the inside of your skull. It is very bright. It will be very unpleasant. I am sorry." Janel said in a calm, quiet voice. Nora's eyes could not stand the bright lights of the room. A bright light would be too much for her. Nora groaned. She nodded. Janel used the tool, the light beamed and pulsed. She felt bile rise up to her throat and she began to retch. Kadir grabbed a tray quickly. He held it under her mouth.

"Here you go, it is alright to spit it up Nora." Kadir said quietly, mimicking Janel's tone and volume. He had a concussion once. Nora vomited up her stomach's contents into the tray. Janel pulled her hair away from her face and wiped her face. Kadir frowned.

"It's okay Nora," Janel softly said. "Towels and a gown please." Janel said in a low voice. Liem went into the hallway quickly to grab the items. When the towels and gown were passed through, Kadir began to gently clean her up and change her clothes. Cerez looked on paralyzed with anxiety and Liem paced nervously. Kadir heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the healed head wound. Kadir waited for Janel to finish his analysis of the scan and back away before he cleaned the blood off of her hair and flesh. He noticed the previous scars from her old life under the bright clinic lights. This was the second time she collapsed. He was angry underneath his concerned facade. Liem was less level-headed than he was about Nora. This was going to end with a fight. He was not going to be the one to lose his composure. He did not want to be made to sleep apart from her like the last time she caught them lying to her. He heard Janel sigh with frustration. The drama was about to begin. Janel could feel it, he knew that there was more behind this other than a slip and fall. He had access to her health information. Would that show surprise or anxiety like the last time?

"It is all my fault. They will be cursed like me!" Nora started to bawl. "Why did you not tell me, Liem? Why? Is that all it is between us? I thought I could trust you." Nora started to dazedly panic, her head pounding. The pain blocker on the Interface was not helpful for head injuries.

"Nora, I have got to work quickly. I am going to give you something for the pain. It is safe." Janel said as he injected her with a painkiller and sedative. Nora felt herself relax and her anxiety ebb. She stopped crying. The world started to seem overly tranquil.

"They could not control themselves, could they? Now they are dead. Will my babies have to live their lives inside like I do?" Nora asked in a semi-sedated tone. Janel looked at Liem with a confused gaze. Liem looked back nervously, feeling helpless. He should have told her from the beginning.

"Stop blaming yourself. I was afraid you would see it like that. It is not a curse. It is an evolutionary advantage that puts you ahead of other females. It is not your fault that two males victimized you." Liem softly said. " I was able to control myself and others have been able to maintain control until you consented. I promise we will keep you and them safe. It is something that we can only start to work on when we become independent and leave Allari," Liem said.

"It hurts so much being misled constantly by people who claim to love me. Are you going to do this to them?" Nora grimaced at the loud sound of her own voice shouting, it pissed her off. Kadir looked at Liem's reddening face and ears. His hand that was consoling Nora slowly moved their way to her ears as he saw his friend tense up and his shoulder and arm. Kadir felt the hair on his arm stand up. Liem swung his fist at Cerez quickly, knocking him to the ground. "Stop. It was not his fault." Nora shouted and whimpered.

"You were thoughtless. We should have talked about it first, considering what happened last time," Liem yelled.

"I thought we were all going to start being honest with each other. Look's like it is only what Liem think is right in the moment." Cerez shouted back, blood running down his face. Cerez got to his feet again.

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"Enough. Now is not the time." Kadir quietly hissed at the pair, seething.

"Do not act innocent Kadir, you are just as guilty as we are." Cerez spat. Nora trembled with pain, her face distorted. Kadir gestured to them, pointing at her shaking. Seething, he stared the pair down and gave them both an intimidating look.

"We will sort this out tonight, outside!" Liem said.

"Stop, don't you dare," Nora said with a whimper. "We, when will it be us? I am having your children, and you kept me in the dark. Why didn't we talk about this last time? Why did it have to wait until I was in danger again?" Nora weakly questioned. Cerez licked the blood from the corner of his mouth and mended the tissue with the tools on the tray, he wriggled his sore jaw.

"I am sorry." Cerez said in a low voice, as he finished up. He walked up and rubbed her calf tenderly.

"There are two responses that we have found so far. The first is intense sexual attraction. The second is an overwhelming urge to protect and please you. Men that are born from an artificial womb, like the Bitas, Gimmel and Daleth, are very susceptible to it. We do not know why yet." Cerez explained. "For example, Janel is an example of what we call a Nurturer. The other type is called a seeker. Which are among Leilanna's spouses and Allurai's spouse group. Dorien is a seeker. He is an example of a seeker that has no ill intentions. Most men react in the way he does." Cerez explained. Even though Liem and Kadir seemed to be staring daggers at him as he spoke, he explained. Cerez had brought Janel into the situation unknowingly. He was astounded, he started to question and affirm his impressions and feelings in his head.

"Alphem, like Kadir, Liem and myself are affected by it to a much lesser degree." Cerez said and gave her a troubled smile. "That is why we are very careful about where you go and who visits our household." Cerez finished. Nora looked at her good friend Janel. He did not seem attracted to her. Was their relationship unconsciously scored by his compulsion to protect her? A look of worry and sadness made her face droop. Her eyes moistened. As if reading her mind.

"I liked you before, I felt like I needed to protect you, Nora. You treat me with respect, and you are thankful and mindful. You are my friend, regardless of biology," Janel said. The look on her face stirred him deeper than it should, he thought. As long as he was mindful of it, it should be alright.