They were all silent for a moment, absorbing this news.
"How bad am I?" Eldon asked one last time. No one met his eyes again, not even Areth. "Damn it! Why won't anyone tell me?"
"Language, son," Lyden told him, though there was no heat in the rebuke.
"Fuck language, Dad!" he snapped and the heart rate monitor started to alarm as his chest hurt from his anger. He was sick of everyone ignoring this question. "This is my body, and I want to know how bad I was hurt. I'm sick of everybody ignoring me. It will be my decision whether or not to let Areth heal me. It will be me who has to give up my abilities, but I want to know the facts before I decide."
"You don't have to do this, son," his mom said. "You could still live a normal life. There would just have to be a few… changes."
"You're not answering my question, Mom. How. Bad. Am. I?" He stressed every word of the question.
