“Marisa should be here,” she said. “For Kir,I mean. He’s very close to her.”
Sebastian picked up his screen again. “I’llcall her now.”
Marisa arrived at the same time as DrOsborne, a matronly medical professional who had clearly spent moretime with unconscious patients than conscious ones. Sebastian ledthe small party into the Time Lock as though he’d been crossing thethreshold for years.
Dr Osborne held both hands up to theshimmering curtain. She might have raised an eyebrow, Varya wasn’tsure—she couldn’t see from her position tailing behind her—but shedefinitely paused and cocked her head to one side before she strodethrough.
Varya and Marisa crowded the doorway,Sebastian folded himself down onto Kir’s small desk chair. They allwatched with bated breath while the doctor set up her equipment andchecked Kir over.
“It’s best if he stays here in stasis untilafter the serum is administered,” explained Dr Osborne, her back toher audience. “In case he goes into anaphylactic shock. It’ll giveme more time to resuscitate if needed.”
Varya squeezed the hand Marisa offered untilMarisa protested.
“Hey,” she muttered. “Blood supply. Bones.Both important components of my hand, let’s not damage them,yeah?”
Kir was still blessedly sedated when DrOsborne slid the needle into a tiny vein on the back of his hand.Varya watched him closely. Did his hand twitch, or was that justher blinking? Did he seem paler than he had a moment ago, or wasthat just the light?
“Now, we wait,” said the doctor, perchingherself on the end of his bed.
After twenty minutes with no sound exceptfor Kir’s soft snoring, Dr Osborne checked his pulse for whatseemed like the thousandth time. She nodded.
“He seems stable. You can try removing himfrom stasis if you like. I’ll stand by outside with the resus kit,just in case.”
Sebastian moved towards the bed, but Varyawas already there. She pulled back the covers, hooked her handsunder her little boy’s arms and gently lifted him up, holding himclosely to her chest. His sleepy head flopped against her shoulderand she wrapped his legs around her hips, hugging him to her.Without a word, she moved out of the bedroom, down the hallway andstraight through the portal. She paused on the other side for amoment, her entire body rigid as she waited for the worst tohappen. But Kir’s small body remained soft, warm, and still againsther, his chest rising and falling in sync with hers.
“Bring him in here,” Dr Osborne called fromthe living room.
Varya followed her voice and sat on thecouch opposite the one her mother had lain on so recently. Thedoctor indicated the cushions next to Varya with a sweep of herhand and pointed to Kir. Varya shook her head and wrapped her armsaround him protectively. Dr Osborne shrugged and disappeared intothe kitchen, returning with a kitchen chair which she deposited infront of Kir and Varya.
“We’ll check his vitals every five minutesfor thirty minutes. If his body is going to reject the Time Chip,we’ll know by then.”
Varya blocked out everyone and everything inthe room and focused on Kir’s heartbeat, feeling it pulse throughhis chest. She wasn’t relying on five-minute checks. She notedevery pulse and every breath her son took for the next thirtyminutes.
Sebastian sat next to her, his arm drapedprotectively around her, watching.
It was well after midnight by the time thedoctor pronounced Kir stable and left the apartment, assuringSebastian of her continuing silence both over the identity of herpatient and the nature of his affliction.
Marisa made her exit at the same time,promising to come back in the morning.
Varya stayed where she was, continuing tomark Kir’s heartbeat, his now-sweaty head resting against hershoulder. Her eyes became heavy and dropped closed. Sebastiancloaked mother and son in a blanket and dimmed the lights. Varyadozed fitfully until the dawn light started to creep in through theunshuttered window. She felt the weight shift from her chest andopened her eyes.
“Mummy?” croaked Kir, staring at the windowin wonder. “It’s darker outside. There’s no sunshine.”
The corners of her mouth pushed wide even astears spilled from her eyes.
“Yes, sweetheart. It’s dawn outside, thesun’s only just coming up. Daddy fixed you. You’re all betternow.”
Kir looked around, taking in his changedsurroundings.
“Where’s Nanna?”
Varya tried to speak but choked on her tearsinstead.
Kir looked at the window again, craning hisneck to try to see up and out, into the world. He turned back, hisgaze settled on his mother, his nose less than an inch fromhers.
“Can we get a puppy dog, Mum?” he whispered.“A moving puppy dog?”
Varya laughed and hiccupped, wiping at hereyes. “Sure, why not. Let’s get a puppy dog.”
Chapter fifty-two
Marisa
Marisa arrived at the apartment late in theafternoon, bearing the ingredients for burgers. She stood outsidethe door, her hand poised to knock, and smiled. She leaned her earcloser to the door and listened to the happy sound of Kir whoopingup and down the hallway; Varya calling after him, a light warningtone in her voice. She straightened, pressed the doorbell, andwaited.
Varya opened the door wide. “Hey,” shegrinned.
“Hey,” said Marisa, grinning right back. Shestepped across the threshold and pushed the door shut behind her.“How’re you holding up?”
Varya rubbed her neck, just below herearlobe, and winced. “Happy. Sad. Tired.”
Marisa laughed. “Bundle of energy, isn’the?”
“Marisaaaaa!” shouted Kir, jogging into theroom with his arms stretched wide, narrowly missing walls andfurniture. “I’m coming in to land!” He flopped himself down on thefloor and rolled onto his back, so he lay over the top of both ofher feet.
“Pilot, I’ve seen better landings from aflight of stairs. Now, move off the runway. I’ve got burgers tocook.” She shook her food-laden bags over his head in mock disgust.Kir giggled in delight and rolled off. Varya sank down onto thecouch as Marisa went to put the groceries away. When she came back,she stood, leaning against the wall, watching Kir roll around andaround the floor.
“Has he slept at all today?”
“Not since he woke up this morning,” saidVarya, rubbing her eyes.
“Have you slept at all today?”
Varya shook her head and chuckled softly.“No. We’ve been out most of the morning, watching the moving peopleand the moving cars and the moving buses.”
“And the moving puppy dogs!” said Kir,mid-roll. He came to
