by KD Jones
“The infamous Dr. Morris. Medic JadEN has been going on and on about your abilities. He didn’t say anything about how beautiful you were.” He took her hand and lifted it to his lips and placed a kiss gently on her knuckles. He didn’t let go right away.
Kat’s traitorous body reacted to the contact. She was aroused. Both men sniffed the air around her. JadEN growled. Oh fuck. She pulled her hand away quickly and stepped away from both men. Come on lift, get me the hell out of here.
Finally! What seemed like an eternity for Kat was maybe only a matter of minutes. She practically leapt from the lift the moment the doors opened. She walked briskly towards the Medic Wing. JadEN was acting like a jealous boyfriend and Prime Medic SydEL was acting like some kind of ladies’ man, all smooth-moves Rico Suave. She didn’t need this kind of distraction right now. All she wanted to do was her job.
She entered the Medic room where Cassie had been taken. She immediately took her medical scope and scanned Cassie’s stomach. Things were all stable for now, but they needed to do something soon. The second baby was much smaller and obviously undernourished.
“Why is the second baby undernourished? The nanos should have fixed that.”
JadEN had his digital tablet with him and was entering something into it. “The nanos were programmed for one young, not two. I did not detect the second heartbeat. It is my fault.” He shook his head in shame.
“No, JadEN, neither of us saw the second baby. We had checked her several times. The baby was much smaller and she was hiding behind the first baby,” Kat touched his hand reassuringly. “What can we do about the nanos?”
“We can implant a new set of nanos or reprogram the set already implanted. My suggestion would be to reprogram the set she has. Nanos have a short shelf life and are expelled from the body once the subject is completely healthy or once they have completed what they are specifically programmed to do. She will give birth in a couple of months. These nanos should be good until then. Once she has the young ones, the current nanos will be expelled from her body automatically. We will then need to implant new nanos then to help repair internal damages.”
“How do you reprogram the current nanos?”
JadEN picked up his digital tablet and brought it closer to show her. He pulled up Cassie’s vitals and entered specific codes that linked him to the nanos. He reprogrammed them to direct nourishment to both babies.
“Remarkable,” Kat whispered in awe. If only they had this technology back on Earth. The lives they could have saved.
“Ahem.” Prime Medic SydEL cleared his throat to get their attention.
Both JadEN and Kat turned to look at him. They had been caught up in their discussion, lost in their own world. They had completely forgotten that he was standing at the door of the Medic room the entire time.
“May I be of assistance?” he asked.
JadEN glanced at Kat for her opinion. “She has a friend, a Captain Jaxon Malone. It would be a comfort to her when she wakes if her friend was here.”
SydEL had been watching the interaction between Medic JadEN and the female medic. It was easy to tell that they had a connection to one another. It was possible that JadEN mated the female. But why would the female react to him with arousal if she was already mated with JadEN? He did not detect any scent markings. He nodded his head, “I will request that her friend be brought here immediately.” He turned to leave the Medic room. He clearly needed to put some distance between himself and the female. She was too dangerous for his peace of mind.
Chapter 5
Cassie and the babies were doing much better now that the Nanos had been reprogrammed. Prime Leader RendEL had come by to visit and made the decision to move Cassie to the 8th floor. He also made sure that Cassie had roommates to stay with her.
Kat offered to move in with Cassie so that she could keep a close watch on her condition. She liked Cassie. She didn’t think living with her would be a hardship at all, especially given the extravagant accommodations. The 8th floor was normally reserved for the Prime family. Everything was large and spacious. Prime Leader RendEL had also arranged for Cassie’s friend, Captain Jaxon Malone, to join them in the suite.
She had begged JadEN to request a meeting with the Prime Medic to discuss her clearance. The first two meeting requests were denied., but they finally met after the third request. She suspected that Cassie had said something to Prime Leader RendEL about it. She was just grateful that she finally got to meet with Prime Medic SydEL and JadEN.
Prime Medic SydEL came to the Medic Wing for the meeting. “It is good to see you, Medic JadEN, Dr. Morris.”
“It is good to see you, Prime Medic,” JadEN responded, placing himself in between the Prime Medic and Kat when they sat down.
“Thank you for meeting with us, Prime Medic,” Kat said nervously. Here stood the man that had complete control over the future of her medical career, but all she could really think about was how sexy he was.
“I understand that you would like full medical clearance?” SydEL asked while looking at the beautiful female. Her scent had hit him hard the moment he entered the medic wing. He had hoped to avoid meeting with her; she was a distraction he didn’t need.
“Yes. I have been assisting the other medics since boarding the transport ship. I feel that I am ready to do more.” Kat was grateful her voice was steady.
“Do you support this request, Medic JadEN?” Syd asked the other male, not taking his eyes off of the female.
“Yes. Kat . . . I mean Dr. Morris has proven herself capable in my eyes.” JadEN smiled at Kat and she returned his smile.
The private communication between Medic JadEN and Kat did not go unnoticed by Syd. “All our medics go through years of training and competency assessments. We have standards we have to uphold.”
“I will undergo any training and assessment necessary if it will help me get the medical clearance I need. Is there an advanced course that I can take that will get me there quicker?” Kat leaned forward with interest.
SydEL touched his finger to his chin while he thought about Kat’s request. “Perhaps we can do a series of advance coursework.”
“Yes, anything!” Kat was so excited. She ignored JadEN’s frown.
“I will send material for you to review for tomorrow. Then I will come by your suite that evening and test your knowledge of the material,” Syd offered, a calculating gleam in his eyes.
“Kat is assisting me in the Medic Wing every evening this week.” JadEN did not like the Prime Medic’s obvious attempt to be alone with Kat.
Kat looked at JadEN with confusion and frustration. This was the first time she had heard anything about her assisting him in the evenings. And why was he suddenly acting so possessive?
“I would not want to keep you from your assisting,” Syd said to Kat snidely.
“Please, please. I will do anything.” Kat had never begged for anything in her entire life. But this was too important to her.
JadEN sighed. “Perhaps the Prime Medic could come here tomorrow evening to give you the assessment.”
Syd smiled at Kat’s hopeful look. “Agreed.”
It wasn’t just one assessment. It grew into one assessment every single night that week. Each night SydEL came to the Medic Wing and would take Kat to an office in the back, alone. He would quiz her on the material that she had reviewed for that evening. At the end of each session, Syd would give her another assignment. How many more assignments and assessments would she have to go through?
She didn’t mind the reading, and she loved learning more about the Katierans. It was the private time with the Prime Medic that had her feeling . . . edgy and excited, all at the same time. It wasn’t that she minded spending time with him. In fact, it was how much she liked spending time with him that bothered her.
The more time she spent with him, the more she grew to admire him. JadEN wasn’t lying when he had said that the Prime Medic was one of the finest minds on Katiera. She was beginning to even like h
im.
“You are doing very well, Kat. I am impressed with how you retain so much.” He said her nickname with a deep, sexy voice.
Kat felt her body tingle from being so close to him. She tried to move away, but there was nowhere else she could go in the small office. “Thanks. I’ve always been able to remember things I see or read.” Kat noticed Syd take a sniff of the air near her. Her heartbeat sped up when he emitted a small growl.
“Would you like to share the Evening Meal with me?” He licked his lips, causing her to lick hers in response. The man was too sexy for his own good. She needed to keep her distance. Not only was JadEN on the other side of the door, but she was trying to convince SydEL that she was qualified to perform as a medic.
“No, thank you. I am sharing the Evening Meal with Cassie and Jaxon.”
“Perhaps another time.”
“Perhaps.”
It went on and on like that for days, getting an assignment and then reviewing it with SydEL. She found herself watching for him to walk through the door of the Medic Wing and then felt herself light up instantly when he did. She reprimanded herself for reacting to the Prime that way. She should be taking time to recover from her fling with JadEN. She was both disappointed and relieved when SydEL had told her their sessions would have to be put on hold because something else needed his full attention.
She thanked God for her new friends. They provided her with some much-needed relief from the male ego posturing she dealt with in the Medic Wing. Living with Cassie and Jaxon was great. For the first time in her life she had real friends, something she never had growing up. She had been a child prodigy, after all. From an early age she had been directed, instructed, and moved from one higher level of education to the next. She was never allowed to go on play dates or even to trick-or-treat on Halloween. She was never allowed to just be a child. Her parents preferred that she not have any friends her own age. The only time she ever felt like she had a childhood at all was when she visited her Grandma Morris.
Staying in the suite with Cassie and Jaxon allowed her to live out those moments she never got to have. They stayed up late at night talking about ex-boyfriends. They had movie nights. And there were some other interesting moments, like the time she answered a knock on her bedroom door to find Prime Leader RendEL in the buff.
Kat had just gotten out of the shower when she heard a pounding on her bedroom door. She grabbed her robe and put it on. “What?” she asked as she opened the door.
She was speechless. No words could do justice to the sight before her. On the other side of her door was none other than Prime Leader RendEL . . . in the buff. It was every lonely girl’s fantasy. It would have been hers, too, if she didn’t already have a recurring fantasy about another Katieran. “Can I help you, Prime Leader?” She tried to keep her eyes above waist level, she really did.
“Can we have sex?” he asked briskly.
“What?” Kat felt very uncomfortable. She was relieved when a half-naked Cassie came out of her bedroom with a blanket wrapped around her body.
“He means, can we have sex, he and I.” Cassie explained as she wrapped the blanket around both her and RendEL.
That would stay fresh in her mind for a long time. It was great while it lasted.
Cassie and Prime Leader RendEL were clearly starting to get closer emotionally as well. It surprised Kat. She knew that the man was attracted to her friend, she just hadn’t known it was so serious. But things were progressing. Little by little, more and more, Cassie spent time with RendEL in his suite. Eventually, they moved all her things there since they were practically living together anyway.
The day Cassie told them that she would be having a mating ceremony was a bittersweet day. Kat was truly happy for her friend, grateful that Cassie had found someone to love and love her back. She would never be alone again. Kat just wished that she could find someone special like that.
She had been doing her best to put distance between her and JadEN, but she kept second guessing herself. She could be with this man. It would be so easy. They were sexually compatible. Were they ever. But he didn’t take her breath away. Only one man did that to her.
Kat found herself all alone this evening. She hated being alone now. She decided to head down for the Evening Meal. She got on the blue lift and hit the button for the 1st floor. The doors began to close but were suddenly stopped by a large male hand. The doors slowly opened to reveal Prime Medic SydEL standing on the other side. He got onto the lift. The doors closed, locking her inside the tight enclosure with that exasperating man.
“Prime Medic SydEL, good evening.”
“Dr. Morris. It is good to see you. Are you heading to Evening Meal?” he asked, taking a step closer to her.
Kat purposely took a retreating step back. “Yes.”
He stepped closer. “Are you sharing the Meal with Medic JadEN?”
She took another step back, only to be stopped by the wall of the lift. “No. He’s busy in the Medic Wing this evening.” In truth, she had been refusing the JadEN all week whenever he offered to take her to Evening Meal. She had to hold firm regarding their relationship going no further romantically. What surprised her most was that she no longer felt the same connection with JadEN that she had felt while on the transport ship. She still cared deeply for him, but she wanted him to move on and find a woman that could give him her whole heart. Kat knew deep down that she was not that woman.
She wasn’t sure when it happened, but she had begun to view JadEN as a friend only. Her secret fantasies had then taken a disturbing turn. She started picturing herself kissing the Prime Medic. Taking his clothes off of his perfect body. Licking him from his neck down to his toes. And now that fantasy was standing not more than two feet from her.
SydEL smiled down at the female with a calculating gleam in his eyes. “I would be honored if you would join me.”
Crap. How was she supposed to get out of this? She couldn’t, not if she wanted to stay on his good side. “Um . . . okay.”
When they reached the Meal Room, they picked out the food they wanted and made their way to a table. She followed Prime Medic SydEL. She hoped they would sit with a group of people out in the open. Unfortunately, he picked a more secluded table, away from prying eyes. She felt very anxious.
They sat down and started to eat. Kat was having pasta and a salad. Everything was so fresh and healthy here. She loved it. For a little while they ate in complete silence. She was just starting to relax when he asked her a very intimate question.
“How long have you been sharing sex with Medic JadEN?”
“What—” Kat choked a little on a sip of her Katieran Juice, similar to Earth’s wine, though a little stronger.
“You and Medic JadEN. How long has this been going on?” he asked again, more forcefully.
What should she say? Should she tell him it was none of his business? She had a feeling that he would not let it go. She opted for honesty. “We were together while on board the transport ship. We have not been together since arriving on Katiera. We are just good friends now.”
“He has not mated you.”
“No. He has asked many times. But . . .”
“He has love for you.”
Kat gasped. “I don’t know if that is true or not. I care for him deeply as a friend.”
“He has postponed his assignment on board the transport ships in order to remain here and mate you.”
“I had no idea he did that! I don’t want him to put his career on hold for me.” Kat was shocked. She knew that he was supposed to head back to Earth. She didn’t know that he had postponed this because of her. Why hadn’t JadEN said anything to her about it? Why was the Prime Medic telling her this?
“I am telling you this because I wish to share sex with you, but I do not want to get in between a possible mating.” He looked into her beautiful light brown eyes.
Kat was speechless. What could she say? Her body was screaming yes. But her mind was saying no. “I . .
.” It was too soon. She needed more time. She changed the subject.
“Prime Medic, when will I be cleared to do more in the Medic Wing?”
Syd was disappointed that the female was ignoring his desire for a sexual encounter. She was all he could think about since first meeting her. He had made up the advanced course work just to be able to spend time with her. The female was intriguing and very desirable. It amazed him how intelligent she was. He wanted to know everything there was to know about her, inside and out.
“Even though you are doing very well with your advanced coursework, I am still reviewing your experience from Earth. A lot of the methods you use there are antiquated and obsolete here on Katiera.”
“We may not have had the advancements that you guys have, but many of our procedures are successful.” Kat was getting pissed off.
“Still, they are obsolete.” He kept on eating, clueless as to how angry he was making her.
Kat lost her appetite. She stood up and walked out of the Meal Room. She had just turned down the corridor when a strong hand grabbed her arm and pulled her to a halt.
“Where are you going?” SydEL asked.
“I will never be good enough, will I?” she asked him, fighting back the tears. This always happened. Men assumed because she was young and female she wasn’t as capable. They only placated her so she wouldn’t put up a fuss. What did she have to do to prove herself? She was fed up with it. She yanked her arm free and continued to the lift. She felt him watching her the whole time.
Kat made every effort to avoid SydEL over the next few days. If she saw him coming her way, she went in the opposite direction. It was childish, she knew that. But she just didn’t know how to resolve the anger she felt over his refusal to allow her to work as the doctor she had trained to be. The growing sexual attraction she felt for him was unwelcome. If she didn’t see him in the light of day, he haunted her every dream at night.
The mating ceremony for Cassie and Prime Leader RendEL was scheduled for today. JadEN wanted her to go with him, but she put her foot down about them not being a couple.