The haze started to clear, and pain was what it cleared to.  His chest
filled with pain with every breath and a different pain when he
exhaled.  It made the act of breathing a chore, one that didn't seem
worth his while.  The familiar walls of the hospital surrounded him.  He
could remember coming in and out of it on the trip home, but no
details.  But the woman's face was burned into his memory.

	His mind pondered over the events.  They should have rushed her, if she
had been foolish enough to use the crossbow on him it would mean she
would have been weaponless and wounded.  He had noticed the sword wounds
he inflicted still hadn't healed.  The information she could have given
would have been worth the life.  <Is it so cheap?>

	He closed his eyes.  <Is everything so cheap now?  Everyone?>  He could
feel her, in the room.  His chest rivited with pain as his breath
quickened.  His knuckles went white holding the sheets.

	"You are dead."  His voice was just a whisper.  The presence vanished
from his mind and he slowly opened his eyes as the door opened.

	S'lomon looked up from some parchment he had on a pad.  'You sure you
don't want to just get a room here.  You do spend a lot of time here." 
He walked over and sat by the bed.

	"You can spare me the bed side manner.  I don't really want to be
here."  S'lomon poked his ribs making C'aranth wince.

	"You sure?"  He sat down and looked at his papers.  "Near as I can
tell, four on the left, two on the right.  You're lucky you didn't
puncture a lung or else I would be fixing you up for the funeral. 
Slight concussion, I would suspect it wasn't your first.  The scar
tissue on the back of your head would tell me that."  He finished
looking at the paper and looked at C'aranth's eyes.  "I left your arm
covered, I know you like it like that and I didn't want you making
another mess."  He wrote something on the paper and continued to examine
him.  "Everyone is a bit upset about the scale thing.  Not a good move."

	"Where is it?"

	"They left it on the mountain, the dragons wouldn't carry you with it. 
I suppose you will want it for your collection?"  he sat back in the
chair and wrote on his pad.  "Are they all dragon's you have killed?"

	"Yes."  He could hardly move but he managed to rise and lean aginst the
headboard.  

	"Doesn't it bother you?  I mean you were a rider once.  Doesn't it seem
wrong?"

	C'aranth pondered over the question slowly.  "I don't really know.  It
is just something I do.  I never have thought of it.  Something I have
to do."

	S'lomon set his pad down in his lap.  "Killing it was one thing, taking
the scale I think was too much.  Don't be surprised if you don't have
too many visitors."  He stood, "Well I need to see to a few other
things.  But I will be back in.  If you want something for the pain a
nurse will be in shortly.  I am afraid that I cannot get rid of all the
pain, and what your feeling now is about the best I can do."  He stepped
to the door.  "Anything before I leave?"

	"Is there a guard outside the door?"  He smiled slightly and it hurt
his head.

	"Not yet, do you want one?"  The doctor smiled.

	"No that is ok."