I don’t want to guard Tessi when I’m shredded and covered in blood, but she won’t stay with Carnas temporarily while I get myself put back together.
Mindorans mostly work with and serve whoever from the Federation is in our planetary system at any given time because our traditional packs refuse to believe the universe is at war. The Lunas think the falling stars are our fault. Until we have a force strong enough to defend ourselves and others, we have little say in matters of war. We can only be cogs in the machine and obey whoever is in our system at the time.
The only available doctor in the males’ wing is a human.Great.
“You can go,” I tell Tessi.
“Is that what you want?” she asks.
I chew my cheek as I sit on the bed the doctor motions to.
“Then I’m staying and helping.”
The doctor pulls up a cart with an array of medical supplies and motions to me. “We need everything off. You can do it, or I can cut it off.”
I unclip my chest armor, what’s left of it, and set it on the bed beside me. When I try to remove my dark long sleeved shirt, a flash of agonizing pain makes me shake my head.
The doctor grabs a set of scissors and cuts free my shirt. He peels it off in soaked pieces.
Tessi sits across from me, scanning the others in the room. An orange Ginarigon male has deep teeth marks in his side, likely from another one of his kind. No female sits with him. Beyond him, a Leosantian grimaces as an alien medic splints his left wing.
Things got rough out in the field.
“Saw you help save that other woman, the one the Helsvian caught.” Tessi turns around, sees the gashes in my body, andpales. Tears form in her eyes, then she squeezes them shut, and wipes them dry with her sleeve.
“Instinct.” I watch her closely. “Are you alright?”
“Compared to you.” She hugs herself and shakes her head. “Thank you for saving her, me, and for kicking that Thorian off of me. I’m not into their kind of alphas.”
My Shifter stirs in my chest. “But you like alphas?”
“Protective ones, like you. I’m going to guess you’re MTF.”
“Yes. How’d you know?”
“You covered me when the cannon went off. You fight like you’ve done it before. You’re not freaked out by the sight of your own blood or others’. And your armor is functional, not for cosplay.”
Tessi is observant and smart. “What’s cosplay?”
She explains it vaguely as the doctor begins flushing out my claw marks and bite punctures with saline solution. I fight the urge to grimace, wanting Tessi to believe I am strong enough to endure this mess and still keep her safe. Viridin may demand my protection of her. But I wantherto want me at her side.
“Ah. Well, yes, I’m MTF. So is Carnas. But the federation ultimately calls the shots. It’s the same with Azrim, my brother.”
The doctor motions to my pants. “You’re bleeding all over. Those too.”
I sigh, glance nervously at Tessi, then unbuckle my pants and lean over to pull them off. The room tips.
Tessi’s suddenly under my arm, pressed against my bleeding body, and holding me upright. I brace myself on the bed as the doctor guides me onto my back. “You’ve lost a lot of blood. I’m going to get an IV for you. Just take it easy. I’ll be right back.”
Tessi unties my boots, slips them off of my feet, then walks up to me. “I have cared for a soldier before. I will help you remove your pants if you permit it.”
Just the idea of her taking my pants off makes me think about things I shouldn’t, can’t now, thanks to Viriden’s orders. “I uh… Just ignoreit.”
“It?” She shimmies my pants over my hips with my help, and leaves me lying before her in just my underwear. But Tessi isn’t looking at me, notthere. She grabs the saline and begins flushing the claw marks in my legs like she’s done it before.
Heat flushes across my face. “I’m sorry that this is how you’re spending your night.”
“I was never here to party. Not my thing anyway.” Tessi grabs a set of tweezers and frees something from my shin, then continues flushing the gouges. “Besides, you’re like this because you protected me. This is where I should be.”
