Page 58 of Phoenix's Fire

"I do," I promised, even as I scurried to obey. "What are you doing with her?"

"I'm taking her to see the doctor. She'spregnant!"

"We were just there," I tried to explain.

"Ayla?!" Meri begged before pushing at the tan Dragon woman. "No, let me go!"

"Lessa, you're scaring her," I insisted. "She doesn't trust Dragons yet!"

"Well, she's already upset, and in her condition..." She stormed into the waiting room. "I need a doctor!"

"Ayla!" Meri screamed, starting to panic now.

"It's okay!" I told her. "She's a friend, Meri. Lessa's one of Zasen's friends."

"Me hap," Lessa tried, mangling the attempt at English. "Shh... Ahs oh-key."

"She's helping you," I translated as I followed helplessly after her. "That's Lessa, and she's helping. We're going to make this okay."

"This way, this way, this way," the man said as he shoved open the door and held it for Lessa to walk through. In her arms, Meri looked so very small.

And I felt so very helpless.

Eighteen

Ayla

Lessa was rushing into the closest room the man could find, but the yelling had alerted Jeera. Somehow, she'd ended up in the back again, but the moment she saw Meri in Lessa's arms, Jeera began calling out for help. Lessa had barely eased Meri down onto the bed before Naomi, Brielle, and Jeera were rushing in to check on her.

"What happened?" Naomi demanded in Vestrian.

"I don't know," Lessa said. "I just saw the Mole vomiting into your bushes."

"I told her," I tried to explain, speaking in Vestrian like everyone else, but that wasn't helping Meri.

"What's going on?" she begged.

"It's okay. It's okay," Jeera said in English as she pulled Lessa away and moved to Meri's side. "I heard you were sick."

"Ayla said..." Her eyes jumped over to me.

"Said what?" Brielle demanded in Vestrian as she rummaged through the cabinet for medication.

The languages were making me confused. I understood it all, but couldn't remember which words I was supposed to use, so I went with what came out of my mouth. Surprisingly, it was Vestrian.

"I told her what she'd been eating. She was so worried about all the women in the waiting room, and how you'd been naming the meals, and what would happen if she died, so I just said it - and I didn't mean to!"

"Are you fucking stupid?" Lessa snapped, turning to glare at me.

"No!" Jeera snarled, shoving a finger in Lessa's face. "Don't you dare talk to her that way."

Lessa just pushed Jeera's hand away. "That girl is fucking pregnant, andthisone is trying to stress her out? She's not in shape to take that!"

"No, I..."

"Ayla!" Meri screamed, sounding terrified.

Naomi slammed one of the cabinet doors shut. "Enough!"