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I watched them leave the cave before I knelt beside Julia. Her face was paler than normal, and her brow was creased in pain, but she was still conscious. There was blood soaking through her shirt even as she pressed against the wound in her abdomen.
“Andy! Help me get her inside!”
Immediately, the android put the gun aside and swiftly helped me carry Julia onto the ship. She bit down on her lip and grunted in pain but said nothing. Sweat broke out across her forehead as we maneuvered her into the lab. We set her down gently on the table, and she moaned in pain.
“Julia? Stay with me.” Her eyes were closed, and they fluttered open at my voice. Fear hit me suddenly. She was badly injured. This could be potentially life-threatening, and the idea that she could die terrified me.
The fear spurred me into action. “Andy, I’m going to need clean water, bandages, and antiseptic.” I tried to peer at Julia’s wound. Her hand was still clamped against it and the shirt was in the way. Gently but swiftly, I peeled off her shirt, trying not to aggravate her injuries more. She made a noise, and her eyes remained closed.
“Say something, Julia. I need you to stay with me.”
Her eyes blinked open again and met mine. She looked coherent, though still in pain. “I’m with you.”
Satisfied she wasn’t about to pass out, I turned my attention back to her body. Blood had seeped across her stomach and onto both forearms. Her free hand was lying against the table and her fingers twitched, drawing my attention. My eyes snagged on the inside of her elbow, and I blinked in surprise.
Scars marred the skin there. They were faint, obviously old, but they were still visible. A quick check of her other elbow showed the same thing. They were track marks, though if I was less familiar with them, I might not have recognized them. I had seen the same kind of marks enough times to know exactly what they were. She was a drug addict.
Recovering drug addict, most likely.
It suddenly made sense why she didn’t want pain medicine. Obviously. If I was a recovering addict, I wouldn’t want to chance using anything that could possibly push me into a relapse.
I wondered what had happened to drive her towards drugs. My guess was it probably had something to do with her being in the foster care system. Maybe something bad had happened and that was her way of dealing with it. Maybe someone else had gotten her hooked. There were a thousand possibilities, and I didn’t have time to speculate.
Those thoughts flew through my head in a handful of seconds. This wasn’t the time to think about her past or her scars. I needed to focus on her wound. I wasn’t about to let her die.
Refocused, I pulled her hand away from the knife wound. It oozed blood slowly, not like an artery had been hit. That was good. Andy appeared at my elbow, and I motioned to him. “Assess.”
Andy might have been designed for scientific purposes, but he had still been programmed with medical training, like all androids, just in case something like this ever happened. He immediately bent forward to scan the wound.
“How bad is it?” Julia’s breathing was harsh, but I could feel the strength and determination behind her words. She was a fighter.
Andy cocked his head to the side before straightening again. “The wound is shallow. The bleeding is slowing; however, any movement will aggravate it. There are no signs that an artery or organ has been punctured. You will require stitches.”
Relief coursed through my veins. I took the bowl of water he held and set it down on the table beside her before fetching a clean rag. I dunked the rag in the water. “You’re going to be okay, Julia. Take it easy and relax. I’m going to clean this up. Focus on breathing.”
She obeyed, sucking in air and releasing it. Her eyes still held an edge of panic. “Stitches?”
I swallowed and glanced at Andy. “You should prepare for that.”
“Yes.” Andy began rifling through the medical bag, pulling out supplies.
Julia’s eyes widened even further. “Can’t you do it?” She whispered to me.
She was uncomfortable with Andy, I knew that, but he was the far better choice. “I’m not a medic, Julia. Andy has first aid and emergency medicine programming. He will do a much better job than I would. I promise.”
Her eyes closed and her shoulders tensed. “Great.”
You won’t be able to give her pain meds for this, Ethan. This is going to hurt.
“I’m ready.” Andy stood beside me, gloves on, with his tools beside him.
Julia’s eyes popped back open. “Kill me now.”
Andy’s head tipped to the side. “That is not allowed in my programming.”
I couldn’t hold back a snicker. “She wasn’t serious, Andy.” I set aside the rag and bowl, having cleaned up the area as much as I could. I moved aside so Andy could reach her wound. Julia fisted her hand into my shirt and pulled me back towards her.
“Don’t leave.”
