The beeping sounds of a scanner acted as background music for her reply. “Have no fear, Mahoney. Those bastards took my husband and my king from me already. I will not let them take my son, too,” she assured her, her words full of steel. “When I count to three, I need you to take your hands away. Octavari is here and will contain the bleeding with a skin sealant. On my count: one, two, three!”
Mahoney pulled her hands back as if they were on fire while the medi-tech swooped in to apply the sealant. “We need to roll him over and do the back, too. He was stabbed clean through,” she warned them.
His mother and the tech complied quickly, turning him over to seal the entrance wound. “We have him from here, Mahoney. We have hover beds ready to transport the most seriously wounded to the medical ward. Sit tight and one of the techs will be with you shortly to dress your wounds.”
“No!” she shouted, her hand seeking blindly until it grasped Mikael’s . “I am not leaving him. I’m fine. Have them tend to the others first.”
The bed began to move and Mahoney jogged alongside it, tripping and stumbling the whole way as she encountered downed bodies. “My doma, you are injured and bleeding. You will do him no good if you collapse from your wounds,” she replied, her voice full of concern and warmth.
Mahoney’s lips thinned with resolve. “Only after Mikael has been stabilized. I can wait. He cannot.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Mahoney sat in a chair next to Mikael’s bedside and impatiently allowed a medi-tech to provide corrective treatment for her blinded eyes, lacerated arm, and three broken ribs. It had been two long, gut-wrenching hours since they had arrived in the medical ward. The place had transformed yet again. It was crammed full with medi-beds running scans on injured warriors while the less seriously injured had been taken on hover beds to the training room for treatment. Of the 25 warriors on board The Ax’Sandre, five of them were dead, eleven more were in critical condition, and the remaining ones suffered only minor injuries or non-life threatening ones.
She waited with bated breath for the treatment to be complete on her eyes and blinked rapidly when her sight was restored. She politely waved the tech away so she could get her first look at Mikael. When his sword wound had been stabilized, his mother had cut his jumpsuit away from his body to leave only his form-fitting long shorts. His beautiful, muscled body was a mass of purple bruises, jagged cuts, whip-thin slices, and multiple swelling knots. In the center of his torso was the worst wound of all. The puncture wound was at least five inches across and gaped open on the surface by an inch. It was covered in a thin, transparent film that prevented further blood loss.
“Oh, Mikael,” she breathed, tears running down her face. Reaching out her palm, she cradled his face in her palm and ran her thumb gently over his cheek. “Please, please, please,” she chanted softly, begging God, the stars, and anyone else who may be listening.
A light, motherly arm circled her waist and pulled her into side hug. “I had to put him stasis in order to stabilize him, my doma,” Ax’Sandre explained. “His wounds are too extensive and he has lost too much of his life’s blood for our handheld devices to be able to correct. Our only hope is that we arrive on T’Kala in time to get him to the hospital where they are equipped to handle cases such as these.”
Mahoney threw her arms around the older woman’s neck and cried tears of guilt, sorrow, and heartbreak. “We-we had a nasty fight right before the attack,” she sobbed, confessing her sins. “I s-said some really ugly things and then I hit him. I broke his heart, Ax’Sandre, but when I went back to make it right, the alarms went off.”
Mikael’s mother shushed her and ran her hand down her long, silky hair. “Calm yourself, doma. You are not to blame for his injuries. Had the situation been reversed, you would not have hesitated to do the same. Such is the way with lifemates. This will not be your last argument. You will fight, and make up, and fight some more. My own husband was much like Mikael. He was stubborn and arrogant. There were many times that I threw heavy household goods at his head in a fit of anger, but we always came back together and worked our way through it. And so will you and Mikael,” she assured her.
Mahoney pulled away and rubbed her face wearily. “Thank you for your kindness, Ax’Sandre. I feel like I don’t deserve it.”
“You are too hard on yourself, Mahoney. If it were not for you and your quick thinking, we would be in much worse shape and many more of our warriors would be returning to the stars too soon. I am grateful to you, as are the rest of the crew,” she replied kindly. “And you must no longer call me by my name. To you, I will only be mina. Now, I want you to go to Mikael’s quarters and take a nice, hot shower and get into some clean clothes. Some food would not be remiss, either.”
Her refusal was immediate. “No, I can’t leave him. Please don’t make me go.”
Her gaze turned into a familiar stubborn scowl. “He is perfectly safe for now and I will page you should anything change. These are orders from the chief medical officer, and I expect you to comply, Katsuko Mahoney.”
The ghost of a smile floated across her face. Reluctantly, she replied, “As you wish, mina.”
Mahoney rushed through her shower and grabbed a quick, replicated bite to eat that she crammed into her mouth as she speed-walked back down the hall. She stopped in the training room first and greeted each warrior and updated them about the commander’s condition. She was pleased to come across Lieutenant Andreus and she gave him an impromptu hug when she saw that he was well on his way to being mended and had already assumed command of the ship from his bed.
Out of the ten training bots that had been dispatched to battle, only four remained. They were at rest against the training wall and awaiting new orders now that the immediate medical crisis had passed. Someone had replicated a black marker and written “Mahoney’s Army” on their white plastic chests. She was pretty sure she recognized Jessica’s handwriting.
Jessica herself was a tireless whirlwind of energy as she fetched supplies, delivered food and drinks, and bandaged warriors that were awaiting their turn with the corrective devices. She was smeared with dried blood, her hair was pulled back in a sloppy bun, and sweat ran down her face in rivulets, but she had never looked more beautiful. There was an inner joy and serenity that exuded from her every pore and her sunny smile brought comfort to her patients.
Mahoney made her way back to the medical ward and resumed her vigil by Mikael’s side. She couldn’t quit touching his face, tracing his eyebrows, running her thumb across his lips, and combing her fingertips through his messy beard. How had she been so blind and so foolish? Every inch of him was precious to her.
“Mikael,” she whispered into his ear. “Mikael, you have to come back to me. I can’t lose you now that I’ve realized how much you mean to me. You have been better to me than I deserve. No one has ever loved me like you have, and I have never loved anyone the way I do you. Please hold on. I need you with me.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Doma, it is time to wake,” Ax’Sandre told her gently while patting her back. “We have reached T’Kala and are ready to disembark.”
Mahoney came out of her fitful sleep with a start and jumped to her feet. There was frenzied movement all around her as the medi-techs and crew hustled around her to prepare the injured warriors for transport. She checked Mikael and was relieved to see his chest still rose and fell evenly.
“I’m going with him,” she stated. “When will the medical transportation be here?”
Mikael’s mother looked weary and anxious, but she still spared a smile for her son’s intended lifemate. “They are already boarding as we speak and will be here in moments. I will speak with the emergency response crew and let them know who you are and to allow you to remain by his side as long as you are able. Jessica and I will join you as soon as the last injured warrior has been taken to the hospital.”
Mahoney hugged her fiercely and thanked her for her kindness as the doors swished open t
o allow a team of T’Kalan men and women dressed in royal blue lab coats to rush inside. Things moved quickly at that point as entire medi-beds were released from their moorings and programmed to hover. Mahoney jogged after Mikael’s bed as the emergency crew shouted orders and raced for the waiting transport. Each vehicle was large enough to fit six medi-beds and they wasted no time in loading each one while the warriors that could walk were loaded into another one. Mahoney held on to a handgrip mounted on the wall of the transport while her other hand held on to Mikael’s.
The emergency medical crew ignored her presence while they worked feverishly on each of the wounded men, but that was fine by her. She wanted them totally focused on Mikael and would not thank them for diverting their attention to her at such a time. Her knees buckled when the transport suddenly lifted from the ground toward the sky and began to fly at a fast clip. She didn’t hear the deafening sound of rotor blades like a helicopter, but only a slight hum as they zipped toward their destination.
It took only five minutes for the transport to arrive at its destination, and she was again on the move as they steered the commander’s bed out of the transport and raced him toward the open doors of the hospital. She spared no time to take in her surroundings, or goggle at the host of different T’Kalan people that were busily going about their tasks. All of her focus was on Mikael who seemed to be losing color by the second. His tawny, shimmering skin was getting paler and his lips were turning blue.
An alarm signaled on the medi-bed and the emergency crew flew into action. “We have a leak on the skin sealant and the patient is losing blood rapidly!” one of them shouted. “We need to get him to the intensive care medi-bed now!” another one yelled.
“What?” she cried. “What’s happening?” she demanded, as she was pushed to the side and they began to run with his bed.
She tried to follow them, but the door panel closed in front of her and blocked her entrance. She pounded on the door and screamed, “Let me in! I have to go with him!”
“You are Katsuko Mahoney?” a feminine voice asked her, interrupting her tirade.
She turned to face the woman and did a double-take. Not only was the female a human, but she was obviously a much older woman with long, flowing pale blonde hair streaked with gray and skin the color of porcelain. She was ethereally lovely, even with the fine lines and wrinkles at the corners of her fading sky blue eyes, and her lips were shell pink and pinched in worry. Her body was lean and healthy, and she was dressed in faded blue jeans and a soft lilac sweater.
“Yes, that’s my name. Do you work here? Can you tell me what’s happening to Mikael?” she demanded, her ever-present tears welling in her eyes.
The woman shook her head sadly, placed her arm around Mahoney’s waist, and gently steered her toward a waiting room. “No, my dear. I am Mikael’s mormor,” she answered, rolling her r’s deep in her mouth, “But he calls me by the T’Kalan name of gamma.”
The light bulb went off over her head and she exclaimed, “You’re his grandmother! He’s told me so much about you and your pannekakers.”
Her weathered cheeks stretched into a smile and she nodded. “Yes, I am his grandmother. My name is Marte,” she introduced herself as they took a seat on a comfortable couch. “My doma contacted me from the ship and told me what has happened and I got here as quickly as I could. Mikael is in good hands here and they will come and find us when they have news.”
Mahoney’s hands shook with nerves, hunger, and the crash of adrenaline, but she was soothed by the comforting touch of another human as Marte grabbed her hand and held it between her own. “Do not fear, Katsuko. Mikael was born waving his fists at the stars. He will not give up this fight so easily, especially now that he has found his lifemate.”
Marte was skilled at keeping Mahoney distracted and occupied with questions about her parentage, youth, and current events on Earth. Mahoney told her about her martial arts training, working as a stunt double, and how she and Jessica had been captured by Mikael and his men. Marte laughed when Mahoney described her first day in the training room with the warriors and declared she would have loved to have seen their faces when a smaller woman trounced them so easily.
Her laughter died immediately when a youngish T’Kalan female with long, black hair pulled back in a braid entered the room. The two women stood anxiously, awaiting news about their loved one.
“My name is Dr. Y’lana Bak’Nar and I have an update on Commander R’Varsel,” she announced, taking a moment to tap a few times on a touchscreen device.
The two women held hands nervously while Mahoney demanded, “Is he okay? What’s happening?”
The woman gave a small, professional smile, but her eyebrows were lowered in concern. “The commander has lost a lot of his life’s blood and infection had begun to fester in the wound. However, we are confident that we have stabilized him. We will keep him in stasis while the intensive care corrective treatment works to restore his blood loss, heal the infection, and close his wound. His prognosis is good, but it will take several days before he is allowed to wake.”
Mahoney sagged, all the fight leaving her body, but Marte’s surprisingly strong arms propped her up to keep her from collapse. “When can I see him?” she pleaded.
“Once the infection has been eliminated, his medi-bed will be moved to a private room and he will be allowed no more than two visitors at a time. We estimate the corrective treatment to be completed on the infection by tomorrow morning,” she explained. “If you have any further questions, please see a medi-tech at the desk. If you will excuse me, I have many more families who are awaiting news about their warriors.” They nodded in understanding as the harried doctor left in search of more anxious and worried families.
Marte rubbed comforting circles on her shoulder and said, “Come, my dear. We will go to the house of my doma and rest. She lives here in the capitol and only a short distance from this hospital. If there is any change in his condition, they will notify us immediately and we can be back in just minutes.”
Mahoney almost argued, but her body was weary and her heart heavy. She would need all her strength in the days to come as Mikael healed. “What about my friend, Jessica? She was brought here for the king, but I can’t let her go to his home with strange people by herself. I need to stay close to her.”
“She is currently under the protection of Ax’Sandre, and I am sure that the king will understand the extenuating circumstances and will allow your friend to remain with her for the present. Plus, he will have his hands full with the investigation and will not have the time to attend to his guest for many days,” Marte assured her.
Mahoney sighed in relief and followed Marte out of the waiting room. They stopped at the information desk to ensure that the staff had their contact information and left instructions to be notified immediately of any change in his condition. As they left hospital behind, Mahoney got her first real glimpse of the T’Kalan planet. The capitol city of T’Kala, named P’Hartha, was full of tall buildings and structures that were not too different from some of the ones on her home world. The differences, however, were stark. Instead of pollution, graffiti, homeless beggars, and noisy chaos, there were plentiful trees and shrubbery lining the buildings, vehicles that landed from the sky to pick up passengers before taking off again, and friendly greetings from strangers that smiled and stepped politely to the side to allow them to pass.
“It’s so clean here,” Mahoney said, amazement coloring her voice. She stared up at the sky that was a crystalline blue with two weaker suns that trailed each other closely as they illuminated the planet below them. Strange-looking birds swooped down to land on trees with bickering cries as small mammals that resembled koalas hung off of branches while placidly chewing on leaves.
“Yes, the T’Kalan people have great pride in their environment and strive to keep it clean and natural. Their architects are tasked with building around the landscape instead of the other way around and they have mastered the art of usin
g solar energy to power the planet,” Marte explained as they strolled along toward their destination.
Mahoney craned her neck, trying to take in all the sights at once. “Where are your homeless people and panhandlers?”
“T’Kala does not have homeless, Katsuko. Their society is one of progressive socialism. Everyone works together for the greater good of the whole. Thanks to advancements in medicine, there are very few people who suffer from debilitating illnesses or chronic disease, so everyone is expected to work in some way according to their abilities. The T’Kalan government ensures that everyone has a safe home, clothing, and enough food to feed their families, but each adult citizen must fulfill a certain amount of community service if they do not have a vocation or career. Those citizens that do not comply with this program are sent to work camps for a period of time until they have proved themselves to be productive again,” Mikael’s grandmother explained.
Mahoney was impressed. “That’s…ingenious, actually,” she agreed, though she was positive it would never work on Earth. But on a much smaller planet like this one, it appeared to be the perfect solution.
They arrived at a tall structure that reminded Mahoney of an apartment building. There were twelve stories and Marte explained that there was one dwelling per level and that Ax’Sandre resided on the fourth floor. They ascended to her home in a lift and entered the apartment. The space was open and airy and full of light thanks to the wall-sized window panels that allowed the sunshine to spill inside. Marte explained that they were specialized solar panels that allowed the occupants to see outside, but no one could see inside the apartment from the outside. The décor was bright, colorful, and full of comfy furniture that invited weary bodies to curl up and rest, which Mahoney gratefully took advantage of.
Fighting Chance Page 13