51-Her Brother's Keeper

  5/3/5/4353 M.A.C - Niwut- Morning

  "Is your arm tired? Let me feed you!"

  Doro's body was still somewhat stiff, but the last few days of bed rest and the healer's Abilities and prescribed remedies had worked wonders. Still, he sat up in his bed, a tray of food in over his lap, Sarima sitting at his side.

  "Is the soup too hot? Let me blow on it!"

  This was fun at first, but please let me feed myself now that I can!

  Doro did not voice his thoughts due to the realization he had come to a few days prior. Ever since the morning after the incident, Sarima had thrown herself body and soul into Doro's care. In the early days, when Doro spent more time asleep than awake, he would always wake up with a fresh wet towel on his forehead, and during the nights, a warm water pouch would find its way into his bed before the previous one had cooled.

  By the third day, most of the Abilities had run their course and the powerful medication he'd been taking was switched out for a weaker tea, letting Doro out of the mental haze he'd been trapped in. Still, his eyes remained wrapped until the following day.

  On the fourth day, Doro rejoiced upon being able to see the world in all of its glory once again, although what he first saw had caused him to grow concerned. As he'd opened his eyes, both of his parents awaited him with worried smiles, but that wasn't what had concerned him.

  Sarima stood between Suyum and Khetep, bags under her eyes and her complexion a shade paler than usual, a panicked expression on her face. Once Doro had calmed her by assuring her that he could see again, the muscles in her body lost all tension, and she crumpled on the floor.

  That was when Doro found out that she had not slept more than a couple of hours here and there since the incident; spending all of her time awake taking care of him.

  Now, on the seventh day, her frantic devotion had calmed down a little, but she still spent most of her waking hours tending to Doro's needs.

  I understand that she feels bad about it and that she needs something to keep her mind off her father's situation, but we need to funnel this focus to something other than me.

  Doro slowly pivoted in bed, making sure not to spill the food, and slowly stood up while keeping a hand on the bed for support.

  Ahhhh.....Damn, that still stings!

  Doro felt as if he'd done a full-body workout and ran a marathon the previous day. He didn't feel the sharp pain that the medication had helped cover up during the early days, but now a dull type of pain still lingered: A tightness in his muscles that made any large movement feel like he was getting pinched.

  "Oh, do you need the bedpan? hold up!"

  Doro put a hand up to stop Sarima.

  "Thank you, but nope, I'm good. Also, I can make it to the bathroom now, as long as I take small steps."

  "Then get back in bed, you aren't back to normal yet!"

  "At this point, I won't get better unless I stretch and try to move my body a little!"

  Sarima looked at Doro dubiously as she stood in front of him, blocking his path.

  "Alright, resist this, and I'll let you get up and walk on your own."

  Sarima poked Doro with one finger, in the center of his chest, and shifted the weight of his upper body backward. Doro tried to resist, but the pinch at the back of his thighs worsened and turned into small cramps as he fell back across the bed.

  "That's unfair, I wasn't ready!"

  "Exactly! Your body isn't ready, so just be a good boy and get back in bed!"

  Damn it! She's not budging! Gonna have to use the big guns!

  "Moooom! Sarima is bullying me!"

  Loud footsteps made their way to the door and Suyum rushed into the room.

  "Am I too late? Did I miss it? Can I join in?"

  Am I an idiot? I called the wrong parent...

  "She won't let me get out of bed and pushed me back down when I tried."

  "I only used one finger. If that was enough, he shouldn't be getting up!"

  Suyum smiled at the scene playing out in front of her and nodded.

  "She does have a point, at the end of her finger, that is. More seriously, just stay in bed one more day if it makes her happy, it don't cost you anythin'."

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  That's fair...but I'm getting so bored!

  "Can I at least get a couple of my metal balls to practice with?"

  Suyum and Sarima both glared at Doro, exasperation seeping out of them.

  "You just leveled up the day after the-"

  Suyum cut herself short after glancing at Sarima.

  "Um....Yeah... You just leveled up less than a decan ago, no need to be in such a rush. Poor Sarima is goin' to get a complex at this rate."

  "Then bring Dad over so I can give him and Sarima a lesson. I survived my injuries, but I'm going to die of boredom if I have to spend another day in bed without anything to do! Good thing Dad is more reasonable than you two and snuck me some of my raw materials behind your backs, so I wouldn't waste Energy and fall behind on production."

  Doro immediately realized his mistake as Suyum and Sarima shared a look and wordlessly turned toward the door.

  Uh-oh! Think I messed up a little there. Sorry, Dad, I'll make it up to you.

  As the pair left the room for what their stances would lead to believe was a war, Doro clapped both hands together and bowed his head.

  From what Mom told me, there doesn't seem to be any hope for her father...His body is working, but even after she dipped into her stash of drinking money to hire a high-level healer to consult, all they said was that he would probably never wake up, and that if he did, he would probably have severe debilitations and might not even be coherent because of how badly his brain was affected.

  Doro was taken out of his thoughts by a small creak coming from the door. Khetep tip-toed into the room and approached his son.

  "What did you do?! I went to the bathroom, and as I came out, I saw Suyum and Sarima storming into my workshop with their battle faces on."

  Doro looked out of the window as if something extremely interesting was happening on the other side.

  "Me? I can't recall, I'm still somewhat fuzzy. Are you sure you weren't the one who caused it?"

  "Yeah, yeah...Just tell me the truth. If that is what I look like when I'm lying, no wonder your mother always sees through it.

  "Dearest Father, I may have somewhat let it slip, without any malicious forethought, that you snuck me some raw materials to process in the last couple of days. My sincerest apologies."

  Khetep face displayed a mixture of panic and pain as he processed his son's words. Panic because he knew his wife, and she now had reinforcements, and pain at being once again thrown under the cart by his son.

  "Why did you have to go and do that!? I can appease your mother with a bit of romance and horizontal dancing, but I haven't figured out how to diffuse Sarima yet!"

  "Dad! What the hell!? I don't want to hear that! Please keep what you and Mum do inside your room to yourself."

  "Oh, come on. You were a grown man once; you know what it's like. Why are you acting so squeamish? Not to mention, it is bold of you to assume it only happens in our room. What is hell, by the way? "

  Khetep chuckled to himself as Doro's face morphed into "The Scream" at the thoughts his father had put into his mind.

  "Yeah, but you are my mom and dad, it's just nasty! Picturing it is a kind of hell itself. Please tell me that the kitchen..."

  "I could tell you that we didn't, whether or not it is the truth, but you did just betray me...Have fun with the uncertainty."

  Ew...That is one of Schrodinger's boxes I do not want to open. If that is how you want to play it...

  Doro grinned widely at his father, causing him to look uncertain, and then took a sharp breath. Doro opened his mouth and the color drained from his father's face.

  "Mom! Dad is Bullyi- mffff mff!"

  Khetep dove for his son's bed and shoved a cushion into his face, but he was a step too late to stop the first half of Doro's yell from sounding out. The frustration at his failure to save himself, and his son's continued betrayals, got to Khetep and made his blood boil.

  "Why you little-"

  The sound of the door being slammed open and banging against the wall made Khetep look toward the entrance. His wife and soon-to-be adopted daughter stared at him as if he were a cockroach who had just stepped onto a plate of their favorite food. Terror flooded Khetep's mind as he looked down at the cushion he was shoving into his son's face and the optics of it all. His wife might understand that he was just trying to muffle his son's voice, but to the recently overprotective Sarima, this would look like a brutal scene of domestic violence.

  Indeed, as Khetep removed the cushion and revealed a Doro that wasn't even close to breathless, Suyum's glare diminished significantly, But Sarima had a very different reaction.

  "Get off him!"

  Sarima charged through the few steps separating her and Khetep, a raised fist trailing behind her. Her clumsy attempt made her intention easy to read, and Khetep's arm was ready to defend the blow aimed at his stomach, but he underestimated her.

  Sarima and her brother Addat had clashing personalities, and growing up, she'd learned a few tricks to make up for the difference in their size and strength. A moment before her blow made contact with Khetep's arm, Sarima let her front leg's knee buckle under the weight she was placing on it, realigning her aim to a much more dangerous and currently unguarded location, with the added momentum of her forward fall.

  Khetep was too late to readjust, but he relaxed as he read her punch's trajectory; she had misjudged the distance and would drop too low. By the time she made it to him, her fist would miss its target and hit the air between his knees.

  "Sarima Punch!"

  Sarima, who was tilted forward at a precarious angle, forced her leg straight and launched herself forward, continuing her punching motion until her arm pointed straight up alongside her head.

  No way! Supergirl? Is that you? Or maybe She-Hulk; Sarima punch is pretty in line with Hulk smash, and her power seems fueled by her anger. Super She-Hulk then?

  As Doro sat back and enjoyed the scene as if he were watching a superhero movie, Sarima's Superman-style flying punch landed right on the target she had always been aiming at.

  "Ooooof!"

  Sarima fell to her knee as her blow landed and quickly dropped and rolled to the side, barely avoiding a headbutt from Khetep, who crouched and doubled over in pain while letting out all the air in his lungs.

  "Sa-ri-ma-?"

  Sarima looked back at her ally and froze. It seemed as if Suyum's ire at Khetep had been redirected to her. She looked at Doro questioningly.

  "Uh. Nice punch! Thanks! One thing you might want to keep in mind; Mom wants more kids."

  Doro pointed at his father, who was now rolling side to side on the floor, both hands cradling his baby makers, then at his mother. Sarima jumped to the other side of the bed and hid behind Doro.

  "What do I do?"

  Doro chuckled and pointed at the window.

  "Welcome to the family! I suggest you run."

  Sarima acted on Doro's suggestion and hopped out of the room through the window in one fluid movement by using the sill as a vaulting horse.

  She's more agile than I thought. Should I induct her into the way of the dodge?

  Suyum looked down at her husband and sighed before walking to the window and shouting.

  "If you broke him, As soon as you come of age, I'm findin' you a husband to marry-in so you can give me some grandkids!"

  Doro looked down at his father and then at the door.

  This war ends with one casualty, but it wasn't me! Couldn't have created such a fortuitous opportunity had I planned it. Now, onto my escape from this damn bed. This is going to suck!

  Doro could have made his way to the door without much pain had he taken his time, but at any moment his father might recover enough to look around, or his mother could turn her attention away from the window and back into the room. Doro gritted his teeth and stood up quickly, stepped over his father, and rushed out the door as quietly as he could, and as quickly as his pain tolerance allowed without causing him to cry out.

  I can finally go back to the workshop! Bed rest is for suckers!

  Doro thrust his fist up into the air to celebrate and cursed internally as his biceps seized up.

  Ah! Mhhhh... Stupid!