Page 288 of Every Almost

"But Rey, she'll be okay. Once I know how deep this is, I'll work wonders."

Reyna actually laughed, wet and messy.

"But, Captain, you know as well as I do this girl is a fucking fighter. She’ll fight this and she's going to fight it hard. Your girl's not going to let this knock her down. I know it."

My girl.

Reyna nodded, even though she realized Kess couldn't see her.

"She's hurt,"Kess continued."But she's coming home."

THIRTY-SEVEN

IT’S MUTUAL

CHARLIE

The ceiling looked funny.That was the first thing Charlie noticed.

And she was lying down. That was the second.

Charlie lay there and worked on orienting herself, turning her thoughts over when somebody's hands tilted her head about four degrees.

"Don't move."

Kess.

"I wasn't going to," Charlie argued.

"You were absolutely going to. Your face told me."

Charlie's mouth tasted like a penny. The left side of her head hurt way more than it ever had a right to, and that same funny ceiling began to clear up into Med Bay. Her eyes moved and centered on Kess Pheras directly over her, using a scanner near the top of Charlie's head.

"Where's Reyna?"

Kess looked down at her.

"And hello to you, too, Earthling," Kess grumbled. "Yeah, you're welcome for taking care of your busted head, smart ass."

Charlie had the wherewithal to look back at Kess. "Sorry. Hello. Thank you for fixing my..." She stopped. "Wait, I'm hurt?"

"No, you're sitting in Med Bay for a nap," Kess said, turning back to the display over Charlie's bed as she moved Charlie's head three degrees the other direction. "Yes, you're hurt. Got knocked on the head pretty good. But thanks to the marvels of Coalition medicine, and your stubborn attitude, you'll be just fine. You're welcome." Kess looked down at her once more. "Again."

"Thank you," Charlie said, this time in earnest.

As she lay there, the memories came back. The Palus, the colonists, Feodar, the beam slipping.

Her datapad.Heroes.

"Where's Reyna?"

"Gods, woman," Kess said flatly. "Do you know what perseveration is?"

"No."

"It's a medical turn for when a head injury makes you say the same thing over and over." Kess didn't say anything further or look down again, so Charlie lay still and let her work.

"Reyna's still on the Bridge finishing the mission," Kess supplied soon after.