by Maia Starr
“That’s what I do, nonbiased,” she snipped back and scribbled something down on her electronic pad.
“But…” I drew my brows together and looked between the doctor and her associate before smirking, ever so slightly. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have saved me?”
“What?” Dr. Smith said, looking up in surprise. “No, of course I would have.”
“You seemed to be implying there would be a reason you wouldn’t have saved me, should your work not have prevented you from being unbiased.”
The blonde nurse laughed and seemed to be enjoying herself, looking toward the doctor for some sort of rebuttal.
“I took a Hippocratic Oath to—” the raven-haired woman began, but I interrupted.
“Is there something you want to say to me?” I asked, noting the suspicion in the eyes. If she was implying I needed to concoct some sort of story then obviously she played into the belief that the crash had something to do with the Parduss, which was something I couldn’t have her believing.
“Something you want to ask me?” I followed up, needling her.
“What?” she scoffed incredulously. “And be like one of them?” She gestured to the hallway, the men who were trying to get in the room, was all I could assume. “I’m just here to read you your vitals and keep you informed, but if you’d rather Nurse Maddie keep you up to date, then by all means.”
“I’m uh…” Maddie piped up, twiddling her fingers nervously. “I’m not really qualified.”
“Here you go,” the doctor said, shoving the chart in her friend’s hands. “I give you my full permission.”
“You don’t like me,” I said, almost amused.
“That’s not really my—” the doctor began.
“You don’t know me, but you don’t like me,” I smirked.
The doctor looked at me, fixing a curl behind her ear. My eyes trailed across her body, fixating on her jutting curves and then back up to her eyes. She was done talking, that much was clear. But if I had any hopes of hiding my true identity, something told me I was going to have to get her on my side.
Without another word, the doctor spun on her heel and left the room.
Maddie looked at me, awkwardly, and took a big inhale. “Uh, sorry about that,” she said with a half-smile.
“What’s wrong with her?” I asked, suddenly feeling a sting of pain in my chest that caused me to lurch forward.
Maddie gestured her hands toward the source of my pain but hesitated as I waved her off. “Oh it’s…” she shrugged. “Brooklyn—I mean, Dr. Smith! She’s just overworked,” she said, correcting herself quickly. “Now, let me see here,” she looked down at my chart, swiping her finger horizontally along the screen. “Says you suffered a cracked rib. They had to reset your shoulder, and you had some severe burns across your chest, but other than that it seems like you’re good to go.”
“That explains the pain,” I said, gingerly grazing a finger along my chest.
“But, the good news is, I brought you your first meal of the day!”
That was good news. I was starving.
I propped myself up in the bed and looked over to the small tray Maddie fetched from across the room. She uncovered a bowl to reveal a wiggling, strange, square substance that looked like cubes.
My brow cocked up without thinking, and I received the tray from her.
“I see,” I said, looking down at the possible lifeform. I shifted the tray and watched it jiggle some more. It looked like the globular runoff from the deep cave dwellers my people would devour back on Cadir.
“Does not like Jell-O,” Maddie said, making a mental note to herself.
“So, this…Brooklyn. She’s been overworked?”
The blonde nodded and gave a half-hearted shrug. “Well, that and…you know.”
I blinked, setting the tray down. “What?”
“The crash site?” she offered, as though that should answer everything. “You know!”
“No,” I said tersely. “What of it?”
“Oh, well, we have a bunch of reporters here like you saw earlier. And uh,” she laughed, “they’re all wondering if you an alien. So, I think Dr. Smith is just a little annoyed with all the fussing.”
I searched my knowledge of the human vocabulary but couldn’t really recall what fussing meant. Still, I nodded. I couldn’t keep doing things that made me look out of place.
“So, we’re just going to have to keep you here a couple of days,” she continued. “Make sure your burns aren’t getting infected.”
“Alright,” I said. “Thanks.”
“If you don’t need anything else…” she began, trailing off as she tucked my file under her arm.
“No, I’m fine.”
“Okay, then, if you need a nurse just hit this button,” she gestured. “Otherwise, someone will be in to check on you again tonight and change your bandages.”
I nodded, and the nurse left the room, the silence overtaking the space once more, save for the humming of the machines around me and the footsteps out in the hall.
With a brief once-over, I examined my human form, wishing I had something reflective to catch a glimpse of myself. I’d never seen what I looked like in this body. I’d only shifted to full human form a handful of times. Once, to escape the Earth.
The battle here was tougher than we expected. Back on Cadir, when warriors fought they used sheer strength. Muscle and fire. Here on Earth…they used guns and lasers, giant weapons of mass destruction.
I was one of the lucky ones who was able to escape the wrath of the human war. I was also one of the only ones foolish enough to come back after all these years.
For now, anyway.
It had been so long since I had seen a female that I became instantly enamored with this…doctor. Her curves, the irritation in her tone, her ability to heal my body. Her presence hit me like a rush of adrenaline through my limbs.
She was absolutely intoxicating, and she couldn’t even stand me.
I chuckled to myself.
She should at least get to know me before she came to her already correct opinion of me.
If I was going to get out of this situation alive, no human army involvement, then I would need to soften the doctor to me. Especially if she could prevent the authorities from talking to me.
This would mean I would have to find a way to endear her to me, and I was positive I knew just how to do it, but it wouldn't be easy.
Chapter Three
Brooklyn
My head was spinning. I pinched the bridge of my nose and headed to the doctors’ lounge. I was officially off duty and retired to ‘on call’ for the night.
It had been two days since I’d operated on the crash victim and I was still feeling uneasy about it.
I’d never walked out on a patient mid-sentence before, but today was a day of firsts, apparently. I didn’t know what it was about it that bothered me so much, but I couldn’t stand to be in the same room with him any longer.
I stretched out on one of the couches in the lounge, hoping to get a little more sleep before heading home, but my temporary peace was interrupted when Maddie took a step into the darkened room.
She craned her neck into the private lounge and waited for me to wave her in. I did, and she made her way to the couch, kicking her feet against the carpet as she sat.
“You’re not being very nice to the new guy,” she said slowly, stretching back against the sofa.
“What?” I scoffed, sitting up. “Earlier? Well, guess I’m not a very nice person.”
“Brooklyn!” she laughed, scolding me with a light smack to the arm. “He’s all freaked out, and you’re being a—”
I stared her down, unimpressed. “A what?”
“You’re not being very professional,” she chided. “That’s all I was going to say.”
I inhaled sharply, and the shrugged. She was right, but I couldn’t help myself.
“He’s cute though, right?” she commented, and I immediately f
lushed red.
Yeah. He was attractive. In fact, once he was all cleaned up, I assumed he would be quite sexy. He had a mop of dark, shaggy hair and pale blue eyes. He was…mysterious. Though I couldn’t decide if he was really mysterious or if I had just projected that onto him.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m going to try and remain professional and not comment on that.”
Maddie smirked at that, raising and quickly lowering a skinny, over-plucked brow. “So, what’s your problem with him? He seems nice enough.”
I shrugged, not wanting to talk about him.
“I thought you said you didn’t believe in all that stuff, anyway?” she asked, obviously referring to the ‘alien paranoia’ that had been ravaging the news.
“I didn’t say I didn’t believe in it; I said I didn’t want to talk about it,” I reasoned, wringing my hands together. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to head back to sleep for a few hours, okay?”
“Is it the reporters?” Maddie suggested.
I shook my head. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”
“Well, what is it then?” she demanded. “I’ve never seen you so curd with a patient before.”
I burst into laughter then, deliriously tired and amused. I wiped the tears from my eyes for laughing so hard and then shook my head.
“Maddie!” I protested. “It’s curt, not curd!”
Maddie joined my laugher and shrugged. “Well, whatever!”
“And I know,” I admitted slowly. “I shouldn’t have walked out. But I guess when I…Oh, forget it.”
“No, tell me. What is it?”
I shrugged again, brushing my thick bangs out of my eyes. “I didn't expect him to be in such good shape. There were three women on the ship, the reports said; two were dead on the scene and one was brought in only to die within the hour of her wounds. When I saw him, it was like…nothing? Like a popped shoulder and some burns.”
“So? He got lucky.”
I narrowed my brows at the girl and shook my head. “Or.”
“Or?” she repeated, starting to annoy me. “He’s not even scaled! What are you so worried about?”
“Oh stop it, Maddie! He’s not a Parduss; I know that! But just because he’s human doesn’t mean he’s innocent. Or…I don’t know. Maybe it’s just the reporters outside. They’re just throwing me off, making me anxious.”
“We’ll get rid of them,” Maddie said, setting a hand on my shoulder.
I snorted. “And the cops.”
“I assume they’ll be gone eventually,” she reassured me. Then she paused for a long time, and it made me feel anxious all over again. “Is it…the girls? From the spaceship? They’re making you think about your sister?”
A sickly stinging ran from my spine to my stomach as the words left her mouth. I felt betrayed by her just hearing them hit the air.
Maddie knew. She was the only one I worked with who knew what happened to my family. We'd become close in the last couple years. Hell, we even lived together for a while. And this was the downside of confiding in people. They knew your secrets. There was no hiding your emotions or brushing something off without being called out.
“Maddie, please! I don't want to talk about it!”
An awkward silence boiled between us, and I felt my face go hot with emotion. I stared down at my hands, avoiding Maddie’s eyes. I didn’t want to look up and see the uncomfortable, hurt gaze.
Maddie made her way to the door and set her hand on the frame. “I still think you should go try and make nice,” she said with a pout.
“Fine,” I said.
More silence filled the room and then I stood up, walking toward her.
“Maddie, I’m sorry. I’m not running on a whole lot of sleep,” I reasoned, showing my palms to her.
“It’s fine,” she said, letting it go just like I knew she would. Maddie was way too nice sometimes.
“I didn’t mean to snap at you,” I repeated.
“I know. It’s fine.” Maddie cocked her head to the side. “Now go make nice.”
I sighed and followed her out. I made my way down the halls and into the recovery ward, using my fingerprints to give me clearance. If there were ever special circumstance patients, like politicians or celebrities, they were put in a ward that required clearance.
Apparently, the new guy was under such special clearance. As I approached his room, my stomach began to lilt. I felt a rush of butterflies, but I couldn’t figure out why.
I grabbed some bandages off of a nearby nurse’s cart and made my way through his door. Room 101.
The man’s eyes found mine immediately when I stepped into the room. He was already sitting up like he’d been waiting for me.
“Hello again,” I said nervously, trying not to look at him too hard. “How are you feeling?”
“Better now,” he said hoarsely and looked me over.
I inhaled and walked near to his bedside, rolling the bandages out on the rolling cart next to me. “The nurses say you aren’t eating.”
The man looked over at the green Jell-O and seemed flustered by its presence.
“They keep bringing me that,” he said, shifting in his seat. “That,” he gestured, “is not food.”
I laughed and sat on the bed. Something I never did. “I guess that’s true.” I paused. “So, you talked to the detectives?”
“Yeah,” he said, rolling his hurt arm. “But, I don’t remember much.”
“Must have been enough to send them packing,” I said. “Here, let me change your bandages.”
He looked at my hands and then registered what I was about to do, pushing his blankets down to reveal his cut, muscular chest. I began to gingerly remove the bloody bandages and looked down at his wounds.
“So, what’s your name?”
“Korus,” he said evenly, and I met his eyes.
I nodded and studied his chest. Strangely, his burns were nearly healed already. “Wow, I guess your…uh, burns weren’t as bad as I thought they were. You seem to be healing nicely.”
“That’s good news.”
My fingers grazed the practically fresh, unencumbered skin and I could feel my touch lingering just a second too long. I quickened my pace, bandaging him up as fast as possible.
I looked at him, and he smiled, making me feel even more off-balance. “So,” I continued formally, grabbing my tablet off the rolling rack. “Korus…” I said slowly, looking at him expectantly for a surname. “What’s your surname?” I finally asked with a laugh.
He met my eyes, smirking ever so slightly, and then said, “Jackson.”
“Korus Jackson,” I said, unbelieving. “And, how old are you? Where are you from and do you have any allergies?”
“How old are you?” he said and I wasn’t sure if he was mocking me.
I rolled my eyes but decided to play along. I leaned forward slightly and rested my chin in my hand. “Guess.”
“I think you’re…one hundred and seven.”
I busted out in a laugh, and he looked surprised. I rubbed my fingers across the bags under my eyes and said, “Wow. I must be really sleep deprived.” I paused. “I’m twenty-nine.”
“I’m thirty-three,” he said.
“And…where are you from?”
“Is this really necessary?” he asked with a scoff, putting his hand on mine to remove it from my tablet.
I pulled my hand away, still smiling. “I know, I know,” I reasoned. “There’s a lot of media attention surrounding you and the crash and everything right now but,” I shrugged, “we have to ask. Don’t worry; we don’t leak to the press.”
Korus nodded and brushed a strand of black hair out of his wide eyes. He seemed to think about his answer before saying, “Colorado,” though it couldn’t have been more obvious it was a lie.
I set the pad down on my thighs and said. “Uh huh. Gotcha.”
“Hey,” he said slowly, trying to grab my hand once more. “Why should I be the one answering all the questions? You haven’
t told me anything about yourself.”
“Uh?” I snorted. “Because I’m the one who patched you up and I’m the one asking.”
“Well, guess what?” he said. “Now I’m asking.”
I crossed my arms, unimpressed, and he continued. “I’ll give you one for one. Deal?”
I shrugged. “Fine. Deal.”
“Where are you from?” he asked with a smug smile.
“New York,” I said. “City girl, through and through. You?”
“Colorado,” he affirmed, sticking to his lie. “Love the mountains. Fresh air.” He made an over-exaggerated whiff of air and continued. “How long have you been a doctor?”
“Not long,” I smirked. “Why? You unhappy with my work?”
“Hardly.”
“What do you do for a living?” I followed up, and he seemed to think about it, thinning his eyes in calculation.
“I’m a flight coordinator at Udera Spaceport,” he admitted.
My heart sank. That was the same spaceport where the ship had crashed. I nodded slowly and said, “Ah. So, that’s why you were there?”
“Right. I just started so…it’s been quite the first week for me.”
“I imagine.” I raised my brows. “Are you settled in the city yet?”
He shook his head and shrugged, brushing a hand up his thick arm. “No. In fact, I’m still looking for somewhere to live. I’ve just been sleeping at work.”
“Fancy,” I smiled.
“That’s me. Can’t keep the women off of me.”
His comment made me laugh, and I quickly covered my mouth. “I have a friend who’s renting, if you’re interested.”
He nodded slowly. “Can you show me?”
“No!” I said. “But I can give you his number. Or, there’s a shelter down the road I can get you a number for. But I warn you, they got busted with rats last month so I think that caliber of company you’ll find there is…less than desirable. Unless you like furry rodents.”
Korus closed his eyes, shaking his head playfully as he announced, “Love ‘em!”
“Either way, you shouldn’t go back to sleeping at work,” I said with a breath. “That place will be crawling with reporters so…”