by Melody Adams
“I still think, he ...”
I stopped when the door opened and Speed came back with my coffee. Grateful, I accepted the much-needed fix of caffeine.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome”, Speed offered. “Anything new?”
I shook my head.
While I was drinking my coffee, Speed paced the room in circles. He and Trouble were here for a little over four hours and Speed got with every passing hour more and more restless.
“Who is going to take over from you?”, I asked after a while.
“Pain and Night”, Trouble answered.
“What type of person is Night?”, I asked. “I haven’t had really anything to do with him so far.”
“Night is a quiet guy”, Speed explained. “Not as quiet as Pain, but they still are much alike.”
I rolled my eyes and sighed.
“That sounds like some depressing evening here.”
Trouble laughed.
“Yeah, I don’t envy you”, he declared.
“Me neither!”, Speed agreed.
He’d started to do push-ups. I shook my head.
“What are you doing at nighttime’s, Speed”, I asked, laughing.
“Why?”, Speed asked without interrupting his workout. “Wanna keep me company, Doc?”
I snorted.
“No, I was just wondering if you sleep at all or if you run around all night.”
Trouble chuckled.
“Yeah, Speed. Tell us what you are doing when you don’t have a female in your bed.”
“Geez! Do you guys always have to make everything about sex?”, I asked, shaking my head.
“Sorry, Doc”, Trouble answered. “The hormones.”
A moan next to me startled me. I turned my head and looked down on Rage, who had turned his head to the side, while Speed, Trouble and me had been kidding around.
“He wakes up!”, Speed said and jumped to his feet to run to Rage’s side.
Trouble bent over Rage. I stared at Rage, spellbound. His lips started moving every so slightly. My heart started racing and my stomach was in knots. This was an important moment.
“I don’t know how he will react when he comes around”, I warned the two Breeds. “Be ready. You might have to restrain him.”
“We are ready”, Speed said. “No worries, Doc. We’re here.”
Rage moaned again and his facial muscles moved, the he turned his head and opened his eyes.
“Rage?”, I said, trying my best not to sound to shaky. “Can you hear me?”
He moaned again and I put my hand on his forehead. Thank God the fever had nearly vanished.
“His hands moved”, Speed reported.
“Rage? We are here”, Trouble said and carefully touched Rage’s shoulder.
Rage eyelids fluttered, then opened. His unsteady gaze took some time to focus on me. My heart drummed in my chest. How would he react to seeing me? I knew exactly which moment he finally recognized me. His eyes darkened, but I couldn’t see any anger in them like in the Clubhouse or in my bedroom.
“Can you understand me, Rage?”, I asked again.
He nodded weakly.
“You have been badly injured. We had to operate on you and put you to sleep. You have been three days without consciousness. Are you in pain?”
Again he nodded.
“I can give you something for the pain.”
He shook his head.
“It would make it easier for you.”
“Nnnoo”, he said hoarsely and I nodded my understanding.
“Okay, but I have to examine you now.”
He nodded.
“Would you prefer to lay on your stomach? It might lessen the pain.”
He shook his head.
I nodded and started to examine him. I checked his eyes, breathing and pulse. All seemed fine. He was reacting normal. I took his hand and squeezed his fingers slightly.
“Can you feel that?”
He nodded and I did the same with the other hand and both feet. He could feel everything. That was good. Better than I had expected. I didn’t seem necessary to have the Breeds watch over him anymore, but I wanted to make sure. Rages gaze returned to me.
“Iiit dooe...”, he begun to speak before he passed out again.
Trouble and Speed looked at me with worry.
“It’s okay”, I assured them. “At first the waking phases might be very short. He seems to be stable. I dare say, that he has made it. He’ll heal now.”
Rage
I was surprised to see her by my side. After all I had done I had expected other doctors or nurses to care for me. But every time I opened my eyes she was there. I knew there where others in the room. I heard Trouble and Speed’s voices. It took my some time to remember what had happened. A blue cat creature had attacked me. The Jinggs called the predatory cats Cranggs. I remembered the fight. The beast had done a number on me. It was a miracle that I was still alive. My back felt like a mess, and it probably was. I couldn’t tell how much time went by between my waking phases, but they got longer. I was laying here now with closed eyes for a while. I knew Jessie was here. Her sweet scent tickled my nose.
“Would you like a coffee?”, I heard Night’s voice.
“Yes please”, Jessie answered softly.
“You should go and get some sleep”, Night said, obviously worried. “You look tired. Pain and I can watch over him. We’ll let you know if anything happens.”
“No, I stay until Doctor Forster takes over.”
I could hear it in her voice how tired she was, and part of me wanted to tell her to go to bed, like Night had said. But another, selfish part of me wanted her to stay with me.
“I doubt that Rage knows how to appreciate your self-sacrifice”, Night growled.
I wanted to break that bastards nose. Who did he think he was?
“Maybe you’re right, Night, but I am staying anyway. He is my patient.”
‘So, I am only a bloody patient to you?’, I thought grimly.
“He is more to you than a patient”, Night said, making it sound like an accusation.
“Damn!”, said Jessie. “Is that really that obvious?”
“I doubt any human would notice”, Night answered. “We Breeds are more observant. I like you, so I need to warn you. Forget Rage. He is to fucked up and aggressive for a woman like you. Take a man like Happy. I know, that he likes you. He would be gentle with you.”
“Thanks for caring, Night, but my private life is nobody’s business”, Jessie replied.
“Of course. Sorry.”
I could hear it in his voice, that Night wasn’t happy about Jessie’s answer. I promised myself that I would have a word with Night about minding his own bloody business. Yeah, he might be right that I wasn’t good for her, but I also wanted nobody else to touch her. I would make sure that the males stayed away from her.
When I woke up the next time, Doctor Forster and one of the nurses were with me. Both were bending their heads over me.
“How are you feeling, lad?”, the doctor asked.
“Like crap”, I croaked. “Water?”
“Of course”, the nurse said and vanished out of my sight.
Short time later she came back with the drink.
“Can you sit up, if I help you?”, Doctor Forster asked.
“I’ll try.”
The doctor helped me into a sitting position and the nurse pushed a cushion behind my back. Then she put the glass to my lips and helped me drinking. The cold water was a blessing for my sore throat.
“Thanks”, I murmured weakly.
“We are happy you made it, lad”, the doctor said. “You looked pretty bad when you arrived here. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s a miracle that you live. You must be some tough boy.”
I gave him a pained smile.
“I do my best”, I said hoarsely.
“Now that you are through the worst, you will be out of here quickly. But – no more lone runs in the fo
rest. What ever where you thinking?”
The doctor shook his head when I shrugged.
“I’ll come by later again. Now I have to see to Diamond’s hand. She broke it. Seems to me as if you Breeds try to keep me and Doctor Colby busy.”
My heart beat harder at the mention of Jessie. I hoped that she would come back soon. The thought, that Happy might try to hit on her while I was laying here, drove me insane.
“Happy”, I said and the doctor frowned.
“What do you mean? Do you want me to call him?”
I nodded.
“I’ll see what I can do. Now, you have to excuse me. Diamond is waiting.”
“Doctor Forster left and the nurse sat down by my side. I didn’t want her there. This was Jessie’s place. I wanted her here with me.
Jessie
I only slept four hours after my shift. My sleep had been restless and I woke up thinking about Rage. It was now Doctor Forster’s shift and it would look a bit suspicious if I turned up at the medicine ward. Why was I feeling so anxious? Rage was on the way to recovery and there were no more complications to be expected. Since the end of my shift the Breeds weren’t monitoring him anymore. It had become unnecessary. To be honest, I had become quite used to be with him, watching him, even touching him now and then under the pretense of checking his temperature. At the medicine ward, during my shift, he had been MINE. Even with two Breeds always being present, it had been ME who was responsible for Rage.
Sighing, I got up and went into the bathroom for a shower. After that I got dressed and tidied my bed. My thoughts traveled back to the night, Rage broke into my house. His kiss had been anything but tender. More like the brutal kiss of a barbarian. Still, I yearned to feel his lips again pressed up against my own. Involuntarily I touched my lips. So many years I had been dreaming of kissing the man from the cage at DMI. Why was everything in reality so much more complicated than in my dreams?
I went into the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee. I wasn’t hungry, so I just took my coffee and went intro the living room to sit down on the couch. I sighed and switched on the TV. I liked to watch the news from Earth. It was still strange sometimes, to be on a different planet so far away from home. But I liked my life here. Still, it was nice to be up to date with what was going on back home. At the moment there seemed to be some unrest in South America again, and there had been another earthquake in Japan.
“We just received some breaking news. As it seems, rebels captured the daughter of President Jackson during her stay in Brazil”, the anchorman on TV said and got my attention. “Unconfirmed sources state that the captors belong to a terrorist group from notorious Major Death, the leader of the BRG. Pearl Jackson was in Brazil to volunteer for a local humanitarian organization. With her, two other helpers have been kidnapped. We don’t have any names yet, but the terrorist supposedly executed one hostage yesterday. President Jackson asks all of you to pray for the safe return of his daughter. We will keep you updated on this story.”
“O my god!”, I said, switching of the TV.
I’ve met Pearl briefly at an event three years after the Breeds were freed. We had only spoken a few words and she seemed to be a bit spoiled, still to hear of her kidnapping was a bit unsettling. The rebels were unpredictable. Sometimes their captives got set free unharmed, but more often they came never back or at least not alive.
It knocked at the door, and I got up to see who was visiting me. It was Julia.
“Hi, I hope I didn’t disturb you or something. I know you had night shift and ...”
“Come in, Julia. You didn’t disturb me. To be honest, I was quite bored. Do you want a coffee?”
“Sure. Thanks”, Julia said and entered my bungalow.
I closed the door behind her and followed her into the kitchen. All the houses for the human staff were cut the same, safe the quarters of the soldiers. They lived in dorms.
“Did you see what happened to the president’s daughter?”, I asked her.
“No! What happened?”
“She’s been kidnapped by rebels in Brazil.”
“O my God!”
“Yeah, that’s terrible, isn’t it?”
“Are there ransom demands?”, Julia asked.
“They didn’t they anything about demands on TV. I just watched it before you came. I met Pearl once at an event. We didn’t speak much, but that I sort of know her makes it even more difficult to swallow.”
“I can imagine. Oh boy, that’s so awful.”
I filled two cups with coffee and we sat down at the kitchen table.
“How is Rage doing?”
“He is recovering”, I answered. “He woke up a few times, but only short. His vitals are fine. He will still need a few days, before we can discharge him from the ward, but we don’t expect any more complications.”
“That’s good to hear”, said Julia relieved.
“Yeah, it did look bad for him, when he came in. I am glad he pulled through.”
“You like him”, Julia said.
I blushed and Julia laughed.
“No need for blushing, Jessie”, she said. “The Alien Breeds are good looking devils. I ... I also like somebody.”
I looked at her stunned.
“Who?”
“Pain”, she answered.
“Did he talk to you?”, I asked astonished, and Julia chuckled.
“Yeah, I know, he isn’t exactly chatty. But he has a good hand with animals. He showed me the bajakas that are living not far from here. Cute animals.”
„Bajakas?“
“They are similar to monkeys. You know, like the one, Pippi Longstocking has.”
I nodded, smiling.
“Just imagine it twice as big with longer, fluffy fur, then he have a bajaka.”
“Does Pain know that you like him?”
“I think so. There is definitely chemistry between us. But he is a bit reserved. That’s what makes it so exciting. There is a soldier who hits on me since we arrived and it really annoys me. Pain is so different.”
“Do you know his story?”
Julia shook her head.
I told her, what I had heard from Sturdy. Julia paled and tears filled her eyes.
“O. My. God!”, she whispered shocked. “I’ve wondered why he choose to name himself Pain. Now it all makes sense. If the people responsible for this shit would not already sit behind bars, I would love to give them some of their own medicine. Motherfuckers!”
“Please don’t tell Pain, that I told you. I don’t think he wants people to know. But I thought, that it would be good for you, to hear this.”
Julia nodded.
I had the feeling; somebody secretly made the way to the head quarters, where the medicine ward was, longer. Today it seemed to take ages to get there. I really wanted to see Rage, but I didn’t want to run and make it anymore obvious how I felt. But I walked as fast as I could and was relieved when the story building came into view. The building housed the administrational office for the colony, the communication center, laboratories and of course the medicine ward. Julia also had her office on the first floor.
I recalled our conversation and shook my head, smiling. Julia and Pain. A strange combination. Julia was so chatty and could talk the whole day. Pain was the exact opposite. But did they not say that opposites would attract each other? Maybe Julia needed somebody like Pain to calm her down a little.
“Hey, Jessie”, greeted Diamond, who just exited the building.
“Hi Diamond. How is your hand doing?”
The Alien Breed woman raised her bandaged arm and grinned.
“Damn useless at the moment. Can’t work with this bloody thing.”
Diamond was working in the gardens. I knew that she loved the job. It had to be hard on her, to be sentenced to inactivity.
“Can I help you somehow?”, I asked.
Diamond grinned.
“Can you work magic?”
I shook my head, laughing.
“No, sorry.”
“Then I fear that you can’t help me”, Diamond replied grinning. Then her expression suddenly went serious. “Rage is awake. If he acts in any way disrespectful, let me know. Even if I’m glad he didn’t meet his maker, it doesn’t mean that I have forgotten how he treated you.”
“I have forgiven what he did, Diamond and if you are my friend then you should forgive him too. Let it rest”, I said sharply. “Please”, I added and Diamond nodded.
“Okay”, she said, but she didn’t look pleased. “I will let you do your job now. See you later.”
“Yeah, see you”, I replied and looked after the disappearing Alien Breed woman. Sighing I turned round and entered the building.
My heart beat violently as I stood in front of Rages room. He was awake. That were good news, but it made it more difficult for me to face him. As long as he had been unconscious, I had felt brave. I could look at him, even touch him, without him knowing. He had been mine. Now that would change. Hesitantly I reached for the door handle. I heard Happy’s voice and paused.
“You have no claim on her, if you don’t make her your mate, Rage”, Happy said angrily. I had never thought the usually cheerful Alien Breed could get this angry.
“I am warning you, Happy”, Rage answered threatening. “You are my friend, but if you touch Jessie – then you are a dead man!”
“Will. You. Claim. Her? Make her your Mate?”, Happy asked just as threatening.
“You know that I can’t, Happy. We have discussed this. A human female would never withstand me. I would hurt her.”
“But with me she would be safe”, Happy said, “I am generation two. I had sex with human females before. It’s safe. I could make Jessie happy.”
An inhuman roar came through the door and I heard Happy cry out. I couldn’t stand here any longer. I opened the door. What I saw was horrible. Rage had Happy under him and beat him viciously. I screamed but Rage didn’t notice me. Again and again he hit Happy and I didn’t know what else to do, so I jumped onto Rage and tried to get him off Happy. He threw me to the floor and I collided with a chair. I cried out in pain. That seemed to wake Rage out of his fury. He left Happy and went to kneel by my side.