She had checked the wounded soldier again, and found his condition unchanged, though his pain had increased. There was nothing for her to prescribe for him other than Advil and Tylenol, which had been found in the kitchen first aid kit. She’d given him more than the maximum doses of both, but of course they were too weak to really put down the pain. The poor man would just have to suffer until he could be delivered to a real medical facility. She ran a hand through her dark hair, and hoped that would be soon. Her father barely looked up as she slid across the bench facing him. She reached across the table the put her hand over his, but he didn’t react to the contact. “Dad?” Safire sighed lightly, that perpetual indicator of impatience she’d grown accustomed to while growing up. “What is it, Regina.” His voice was flat, expressionless, like it always was when he was stressed. The light pouring in through the big windows overlooking Lexington Avenue illuminated his hair, surrounding his head with a nimbus of gray and white.
