You watched the doctors leave with a bitter taste in your mouth, their lack of news didn't surprise you but it was still disappointing. It had been part of your routine for close to a week and their refusal to tell you a single thing grated on your nerves. You could easily see their morning visits in your mind by now. They would always start with empty politeness and fake optimism, their eyes filled with cold pity. Their voice would quaver when they read the tablet by your bed and they would always claim they needed another test to confirm their suspicions. Then they would leave, without touching you even once, and they would promise to inform you of any changes.

           You were well on your way to cursing the doctors' entire families, when the whoosh of the door cut you off. You didn't even have to look to know who had entered the room, the familiar warmth caressing the back of your mind was enough. It was strange how fast you had grown used to your newfound sense, to the brush of another mind with your own and the shared memories that came with it, but by now, it was hard for you to remember how you lived without it.

           You were brought out of your thoughts when the plastic chair complained with a creak and your new companion took his usual place by your side. Your eyes fell upon the tight gray shirt and ill fitting trousers covering his verdant skin, a far cry from the loose robe they made you wear. A deep weight settled on your stomach and you couldn't hold the gasp that left your lips. Dark brown eyes met your own, their usual shyness and kindness replaced by hesitation and a hurtful amount of gratitude.

           “Did they tell you anything?" He asked with his gruff voice, a tinge of worry echoing at the edges of your mind.

           “No, they didn't. Apparently, a room full of doctors can't figure out whatever's wrong with me after dozens of test. Perhaps we should start studying medicine ourselves, maybe we'll be done by the time they make up their minds."

           “Do you think it could be--" You hand shot out from under the itchy covers and grabbed his with a tight hold, sending a wave of anger through your bond.

           “No, I don't so. At least, I like to think so. I very much liked walking and I'd enjoy to do so again."

           The orc cradled your hand, his huge mitts swallowing your own in a gentle embrace. You felt a prick of electricity and saw flashes of places you had never seen in person. A room as gray as your own but with a larger bed and actual windows instead of the illusory ARO ones. The orange rays of the sun in the morning as a nurse enters with brisk steps. Sterile doctor's offices that screamed of opulence and cold detachment. A large room with an oval table, filled with shifty eyed lawyers and stacks of paper. Snippets of conversations came along with those images, a chirpy voice announcing your release from the hospital, a tired retelling of the wounds you had suffered and the annoyed reply of a clearly overworked nurse.

           “They are letting me go today." the orc stated with a slight tremble to his voice, his brown eyes refusing to meet mine.

           “They are? But, I thought you needed more surgeries, more time to heal." Your struggled to keep your voice down, knowing the nurses would send your orc away if they thought he was bothering you.

           Green fingers caressed the scar that crossed his face, a faint echo of the pain reaching you through your strange connection. More images flashed into your mind: a sludge of bluish liquid in a clear jar, scarlet numbers blinking on a white screen, an old orcish couple looking at you with worried frown on their faces.

           “I do, but, they can wait for a better day." You could easily read between the lines, and you couldn't keep yourself from tightly grasping his big hand.

           “It doesn't seem fair. After that accident, shouldn't we catch a break." A conflicted smile appeared on his face while an avalanche of emotions crashed down upon your mind. You let out a grunt, the emotions threatening to drown your mind. They were a tangled mess, so intermixed and overlapping you couldn't tell where they began and where they ended. The wave died down moments later, leaving you breathless and exhausted, just like the orc that had shared them with you.

           “Life is hardly ever fair." he said with an air of resignation, a weak smile curving his lips.

           “What will you do then? Return home with your family?"

           “Mom and Dad offered to pay for the trip back, and I have half a mind to take them on the offer."

           “But?" You gulped when those honest brown eyes settled on you, the enormity of the orc weighting on you for the first time today.

           “I can't abandon you. Not when you have no answers, nor when you don't have anyone else by your side."

           “My family--"

           “Won't come, you know it." he stated like one may declare the sun raises every morning. “You told me so yourself on our first day here. Too far away, too costly"

           You cursed loudly, breaking your gaze away from him. You felt him prod at your mind, reminding you how useless it was to lie to him.

           “So, I have a proposal for you. Will you listen to it?" he asked with a whine to his tone.

           Slowly, you looked back towards the gentle orc, dread burning at the back of your throat. “Yes."

           “I have to stay here for a couple of months to sort out a few things, paperwork and the like. And after that's done, I will have to leave." He enunciated every word with supernatural calm that clashed with the shaking of his hands.

           “So what's the proposal?"

           “I want you to come with me, back to my town. It isn't full of luxury or fame, but it is much closer to your home and I can take care of you there." he declared with a firm voice, no trace of his usual shyness coming forth.

           “But, the doctors--"

           “Don't want to give you a diagnosis until the lawyers settle, and that could take weeks if not months."

           You gulped, the words ringing in your ears. Doubt poked at your mind, memories of the side eyed glances, the hushed whispers outside your door, the lack of visitors at any time.

           “How, how do you know?" you asked with a trembling voice, your own feelings threatening to overcome you.

           “I overheard them talking on my way here."

           His thumb rubbed the back of your hand and showed you the truth. The hours spent hacking into the hospital's systems, the reports that were conveniently lost or deleted before they reached you. And the bribes and threats that were sent to every one of your doctors. You bit your lip until the iron taste of blood touched your tongue.

           “And they'll let me out if, if I ask them."

           “They can't hold you back if they refuse to attend you, that's the law. And I'd say they have refused long enough."

           “I don't think I have enough to pay for all the tests."

           “We'll figure that out, together."

           “You mean it?"

           The orc warmth forehead touches your own, a sign of intimacy done to hide a greater purpose. You felt a rush of information blast through your mind, as the orc's very being melded with your own. For a few precious second you were both the same person, and every feeling you two had was bare to the other. The full extent of your situation became clearer, the gaps in one's information filled by the other, and so the trap was brought into light. You let out a gasp when the two of you parted, determination burning in your hearts.

           “We can do it." he said with certainty, a fierce protectiveness dancing in his eyes.

           You gulped one last time, your stomach burning with nerves, and tightened your hold of his meaty hand. “Yes, we can do it."