by Lynnea Lee
She didn’t remember what happened next, but her next memories were of her waking in the Defiant’s med bay with a splitting headache.
“Hello, Emma. You are finally awake.”
She squinted at the voice and found Grissom sitting in one of the med beds. He nursed a limp arm but looked whole otherwise.
“I don’t remember coming back on board.” She rubbed at her temple, trying to calm the pounding in her head.
“You passed out. It must have been the shock. It’s been a tough day.” Grissom gestured to the glass of light pink liquid on the table. “Sidas said to make sure you drank that when you woke up.”
Her mouth was cottony, and Emma reached for the glass, glad to have something to drink. She grimaced and held the glass in front of her face, scowling at the liquid. She had expected something refreshing and sweet. Instead, the drink was slightly bitter. She brought it to her mouth again, and this time, knowing what to expect, it wasn’t that bad. She chugged the remaining of the liquid down thirstily, trying to remember why she was here and what had happened.
Calix! She looked around and saw Cal in another med bed, beside Grissom. He lay motionless. Emma stood and walked towards him for a better look. They had shaved and wrapped his head in bandages. He was topless, and a hole on the side of his chest was slowly knitting back together with the help of advanced alien technology.
Vosken had said that they shot him in the back, which meant the blaster wound had gone right through. What were the chances of anyone surviving that?
Emma started to shake, and her knees suddenly felt too weak to hold her up. Her legs crumpled under her weight.
Here we go again.
“Sidas!” Grissom yelled.
The medic rushed in and lifted Emma off the floor. He settled her on one of the Tallean-sized leather chairs.
Emma looked up at Sidas, her body shaking so much that she couldn’t form words. She had gotten so attached to Cal that she didn’t want to think of a life without him.
“Cal is going to be okay. He’s through the worst of it now. It will take time for him to heal, and he will be weak for a while. But he will live.”
He will live! Emma forced herself to take a few slow breaths. “Thank you, Sidas.”
“You should go eat. You need your strength.”
She shook her head. She had no appetite. “I don’t think I can.”
“What about more nuri leaf tea? It is good for the body and the mind.”
She shook her head, and the room spun.
“I understand. Call if you need anything, I’m in the next room.”
Sidas left then, and Emma undid the mag-lock holding her heavy chair to the med bay floor and pushed it closer to Cal so she could sit by him. She must have passed out again because Ashe woke her with a soft nudge to her shoulder. Ashe gestured to a tray of food sitting on the side table.
“I thought you might be hungry.”
“Thanks, Ashe. But I don’t think I can eat.”
“It’s here if you want it.”
Ashe pulled up a chair and sat down next to Emma. They didn’t speak for a while. They just sat there, watching Cal.
“You love him.” Three simple words.
“Yes, I do.” Three more, simpler still.
Ashe leaned over and squeezed Emma in a big hug. “He’s going to make it. These Tallean guys are strong. However strong you think Calix is, he is stronger.” Ashe released her. “And he’s got a mate to come back to now.”
“But—”
Ashe interrupted her, a hand in the air. “I know what you are going to say. But forget the mating bond for now. You are his mate. The bond just hasn’t caught up yet.”
“You think so?”
“Yes. You’ll see.”
What is that amazing smell? Calix had never believed in the afterlife. That was for those in the Dominion who followed the Goddess. When Talleans who prayed to the Stars died, they got recycled into stardust. But Cal swore now that he was in heaven.
The wonderful scent surrounded him, telling him he was home. It was the first thing Cal noticed as he returned from the land of the dead. It pulled him from the peaceful slumber that felt as though it could last forever and lured him down the uphill path to wakefulness. He climbed, willing himself to charge through the heavy fog that kept his body still and lifeless.
Her voice came next.
“Please wake up, Cal,” she whispered. “I need to tell you how much I love you. Please.”
Her voice was so familiar. Who was this angel coming to claim him? Cal needed to know.
Emma. Emma was calling to him. She needed him. She loved him.
He forced his eyes open. The room was too bright, and his eyelids refused to obey. He tried to speak, but his mouth denied him words. All that came out was a hum.
“Cal? Was that you?”
He felt small fingers grip his arm. Emma’s touch gave him something to focus on as he pulled himself from the bog of unconsciousness. He tried to call her name.
“Em—”
“Cal? Calix!” The desperate fingers clutching his bicep tightened. “Wake up, Cal!”
His eyelids finally obeyed, flickering open. The most beautiful face in the world hovered above him. He wanted to touch it, but his fingers wouldn’t move.
She reached for his face instead. He leaned into her hands, savoring the feeling of finding home.
“My mate.” It came out just a whisper.
His mate’s face fell.
“No, it’s still just me.”
“Emma, my mate.”
The feeling in his arms and legs returned. Cal wiggled his fingers, testing them. Then he reached up and pulled Emma on top of him. She squeaked and tumbled over the rail of the med bed.
“You are hurt! I shouldn’t be on top of you. I’m hurting you more.”
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The med bed complained at the extra body in the unit.
Cal ignored the noise and held his mate close. He buried his face into her hair and inhaled. She was exquisite.
“Cal! I see you are back among the living.”
Cal released his mate to look for his friend. He’d recognized that voice anywhere.
“Sidas. You can’t get rid of me this easily.”
Sidas stood by the door. Behind him, Zeylum stepped into view.
“Ah, my pilot finally decides to wake up. What do I pay your lazy ass for?” Zeylum said it with a wide grin.
“Good to see you too, Zey.”
Then he noticed Grissom one med bed over, grinning back at them. Cal sobered. He was not the only one injured.
“The rest of the crew. How are they?”
“One of the Destroyer’s crew did not make it. All four med beds, on the Defiant and the Destroyer combined, are full. There are more injuries, but we treated them with portable medical devices.”
Cal scrubbed a hand down his face. A male had died under his leadership. This was why Cal was not cut out to lead.
“It wasn’t your fault, Cal. The Destroyer was not equipped to detect cloaking. And the crew was new and not used to working with each other. You did the best you could with what you had.”
Zeylum was right. But it didn’t make his failure to keep the crew safe any easier to bear.
Sidas approached the med bed and adjusted the settings.
“I heard it from the next room. Congratulations. May the stars look kindly on your mating.”
“You do not look surprised.”
“Arus had predicted as much. He was sure that once the artificial hormones left her body, you would experience the mating bond. I have learned to trust him in such things. The med bed helped promote healing, not just on your wounds, but to your olfactory system as well. According to the analysis, you should have close to full use back.”
Zeylum put a fist to his chest, pinky side out. “May the Stars look kindly on your mating.” Then, he turned to Emma, placing a hand on
her shoulder, he gave her a nod. “Once, I believed that I could choose to ignore my bond with Ashe and leave her on Reka 5 to start a new life. I was wrong. I thank the Stars every day that I found her. I’m happy you have found each other as well.”
“There is something else we should tell you, Cal,” Sidas said with a serious look on his face. “Emma’s natural scent returned the day before we arrived on Vosthea. We didn’t know you had inhaled some of the scent deadening compounds and could not smell anything. Once you revealed your accident with the olfactinull, it made a lot more sense, and we were sure you would recognize your mate the moment you woke.”
“I did.” If it weren’t for his accident with the sprayer, Cal would have recognized Emma as his mate much earlier.
“You gave us quite a scare. I think it’s best if the crew stick together on one ship and watch each other’s back from now on.”
“I agree. Thank you.” He tried to get up, but the medic pushed him back down into the medical unit.
“You still have time on the med bed, so unless you need the facilities, you are staying on the bed until you are recovered.” Sidas turned to Emma. “That chair is big in comparison to your body, but it will be more comfortable if we pushed a couch next to the bed so you can lie down next to him. It can’t be good for your back sleeping in that chair.”
Zeylum pushed a two-seater from Sidas’s office in for Emma, as Sidas cleared Grisly for normal duty. Unlike Cal, he had been wearing protective gear, and the shot with the blaster only tore up his exposed arm and cracked some ribs. He was also younger and had the miracle of youth on his side. The med bed made easy work of the injuries.
“Seems like I’m free to go. It must suck to be old!”
“Get out of here!”
Cal and Emma were left alone.
Cal struggled to sit up again, and just as Sidas had done, Emma pushed him back down onto the med bed.
“You heard the doctor. Unless you need the bathroom, you are staying down. I almost lost you. I need you to heal.”
Cal settled back down, happy to listen to his mate. “When I was waking, I heard a voice calling me. It told me to wake so it can tell me how much it loves me. I’m awake now. Tell me, and I’ll stay here until I’m healed.”
Emma smiled at him, and the entire room lit up.
“I love you, Cal! I was so scared. I realized that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. No matter where we are, as long as you are next to me, I think I’ll make it through.”
“I will always stand by your side.” Cal meant it. He belonged there.
Cal reached for her and pulled her in for a kiss. And this time, when the bed complained, he ignored it until his mate was thoroughly kissed and breathless.
Chapter 19
Emma woke to Ashe shaking her shoulders.
“Wake up, sleepyhead. You can’t sleep forever.”
Emma opened her eyes reluctantly and found Moira there as well.
“We came by earlier, but you were out like a light, so we let you sleep a few more hours. But you’ve been here for more than a full light cycle. Cal is going to be fine on his own for a while. You need to take care of yourself too.”
Moira handed her another glass of the mildly bitter, pink-colored drink, urging her to drink the whole glass.
Emma’s parched mouth and throat greeted the liquid with relief and enthusiasm. She hadn’t known she was so thirsty. Her stomach growled in complaint. She stretched, and her muscles protested. Every joint was stiff and sore.
“You are not doing yourself any favors by ignoring your own needs. You need to eat and wash.”
Wash. Ugh, she must smell disgusting.
“Come, we will take care of you, that’s what friends do.”
Friends. She never had those, not close ones anyway.
“There’s a big communal bath in the training area. We can all go clean up and gossip. Congratulations on being mated, by the way.”
“Thank you.”
Not sure she wanted to leave Cal, Emma hesitated. But Cal opened his eyes and told her to go enjoy her time with friends. So she gave him a hug and got up.
Moira and Ashe led her to the training area.
“I’m not sure how used to Tallean culture you are.” Ashe filled the water to the large tub. “Many places have public baths. And things like nudity and sex are not hidden at all. It took me a long time to feel comfortable with it, but Lettie and Mia took to it like fish to water. I think Mia and Arus’s first date was at a public bath.”
“I’ve gotten used to it.” Emma had been awkward about it at first. But she had since lost a lot of her shyness, especially when it came to being naked.
Emma dipped her toe into the swirling water and found it to be perfect. She slid in, her eyes closing at the blissful warmth surrounding her sore muscles. Steam rose around her face, and she sighed.
Ashe and Moira slipped into the water with happy sighs of their own.
“I’m glad Cal finally found his mate. He’s been looking for his mate since Sid and I got together a few galactic years ago.”
“I’m glad I’m his mate too.” Emma sunk down so that the bubbles piled up and popped around her face. “Before we got to Vosthea, Cal asked me to be his partner. A partnership of convenience didn’t sound very romantic to me, but I said yes anyway. He said it was like a mating by choice.”
“He cares about you very much. His nose may not have known you were his mate, but his heart and mind did.”
“For a while, I was afraid that staying with him would mean that I was robbing him of the chance to find his real mate. But I didn’t want to let him go. I felt so guilty.”
“You wouldn’t have been robbing him at all!” Moira exclaimed. “Mating bonds are strange things. Sometimes they form right away, as with Mia and Arus. Sometimes, it’s slow. There are many stories of couples who had stayed together for years in a partnership of convenience who woke up one morning to realize they were indeed mates. And sometimes, one side forms first, usually the male, and the other side forms week or even months later.”
“I’m happy it didn’t make us wait.”
“I’m so glad you’ve taken an interest in the food production lab. Calix gave it a try on his own before but lost interest. Unlike the greenroom, which takes care of itself once established, food production needs constant care and monitoring. Arus gave it a try too.”
“I saw his attempts.” Emma recalled the overgrown mess that she had found. “I really hope I can do better. I can’t guarantee anything. It could be a disaster!”
This reminded her, she hadn’t checked on the tepins once since returning to the ship. She had been so worried about Cal, she had forgotten about them. Luckily, the system automatically fed the livestock once a day, and there was a constant stream of running water for them.
Arus poked his head into the room. “I just finished making some Earth-style pizza if you females want some. I don’t think it will last long. Vore always eats more than his share.”
“Pizza?” Emma sat up, suddenly alert. “I haven’t had pizza in months!”
“Arus celebrates every successful mission by cooking. Let’s go, before it’s all gone.”
They climbed out of the tub, took their still warm clothes out of the decontaminator, and dressed. Emma only had basic sweatpants and comfy t-shirts; they were all she needed while on the Defiant. But Emma made a note to see about acquiring something sexy to wear for Cal. It would also go a long way to make her feel more feminine herself.
They got to the kitchen just in time to see the last of the pizza pies come out of the oven. It definitely looked like pizza, and the smell was reminiscent of the Earth-style comfort food, but it was a little off. Mia noticed her questioning look.
“We don’t have tomatoes for the sauce.” Mia took a big bite out of her slice. “But we found a good substitute.”
“Tomatoes should be easy to grow. If we could find some viable s
eeds, I can get a few plants growing in the lab.” The idea excited her. “Maybe I should take some food to Cal. He’ll need it to heal.”
Sidas, who just walked in, spoke, “You can do that later once he is healed enough to eat. He was asleep when I left the med bay. He will be ravenous later.”
Emma grabbed two big slices and put it aside on a plate for Cal. She’d bring it to him after. She grabbed a slice for herself and bit down. Despite not smelling exactly like pizza, it hit all the right pizza spots, and nostalgia hit her hard.
Damn it! Don’t cry, Emma. Don’t cry. Emma didn’t want to cry twice at Arus’s cooking; he would never let her touch his food again. That would be a shame. He was an exceptional cook.
Zeylum and Tanith came to join them. It seemed Arus’s cooking really brought the crew together.
“Any updates on whether the Dominion has called off the attack on Reka 5?” Sidas asked.
“Our attack on the Dominion troops stationed at Vosthea scattered their forces. We expected the Dominion to call off the attack, but a small group is heading to Reka 5 as we speak. The Dominion must not know that Reka 5 is not the small defenseless colony it used to be.”
“Wait. What?” Lettie asked. “They are planning on attacking Reka 5! How come this is the first I’ve heard of it? Are we going to help them? I have friends at Reka 5.”
“And my mom lives there. We have to help!” Mia exclaimed. She sent a panicked look to Arus. “What if she gets hurt?” Her voice went up an octave.
Before Mia could dissolve into hysteria, Zeylum informed them, “After arming all their citizens, Reka 5 is low on funds. But I’ve already worked out a deal with Ryek. We are heading there now. We will pick off shuttles as they land their troops.”
Mia and Lettie looked relieved.
Sidas’s comm beeped. He checked it and then looked at Emma. “Cal’s med bed just finished up.”
“I’ll go bring him his food.”
Cal pulled on a new set of clothes after getting clean; his now neatly arranged closet reminding him of Emma’s first day on the ship. He had woken up to the med bed signaling his healing complete. Or at least as complete as it could get him. Cal would have to rebuild his muscles and strength on his own.