Page 13 of An Alien for the Future

I consider it for a moment, then shake my head even though she can’t see me. “Nah, I think I’ve got this. I’ll patch his foot and send him on his way. But maybe check in on me in a couple of hours?”

“Will do. And Donna? Try not to overthink this. Not all aliens are out to get you.”

Her words make me go silent. I know why she’s said it. Like me, she also woke up on another planet, surrounded by aliens who’d saved us from going into sure slavery. The ones that had taken us from Earth, the Tasqals, they were horrible beings. We were lucky the Restitution found us, kept us safe. Lucky New Horizons exists.

“Right,” I whisper. “Darling, I know you’re right. I just have an overactive imagination.” That and a past that’s taught me not to trust. “Thanks, Cath. I’ll talk to you later. Tell Varek hello for me.”

I end the call, feeling slightly better. At least someone knows about my unexpected guest.

Taking a deep breath, I head to the door. Time to face the music…or the alien, as it were.

“Alright, big guy,” I say as I step back onto the porch, but my next words die on my lips. He’s got his boot off and is peering down at a wound that makes my eyes bug out. “Oh, my gosh!”

I rush forward, first aid kit already opening as I grab a set of sterile gloves and tug them on, all thoughts of potential danger momentarily forgotten. The sight of the alien’s injury overrides my caution and the registered nurse in me wakes up and takes charge as if I hadn’t had a break from the ward.

“That looks…Oh God, that looks bad.” The word doesn’t do it justice. The wound is massive—a deep, jagged gash that’s gone through the center of his foot. Now that I can see it clearly without the boot, it looks even worse than I imagined. I suppose I expected that the shard actually missed his foot and only grazed the side of it or something. The low grunts of pain I heard him utter had been so…restrained, almost casual. I wouldn’t have been caught dead being that calm with a hole straight through myfoot!

I drop to my knees beside him, heart beating hard as I rifle through the first-aid kit.

“You’re awfully calm for a man with a hole in his foot.” I lift his foot in my hands, noting the sudden wince that seems to move like a wave through his entire being. “Oh honey, you should have said something.” All I get is a low groan, but I don’t look up. My focus is on the horrible wound. With one hand, I balance his foot on my knee as I use the other to pry open the first aid kit.

His foot is surprisingly similar to mine. Larger, of course. Wicked claws for nails, too. A bit thicker than a human’s. But it isn’t grotesque, at least.

“I’m gonna need some leverage with this. Gonna need both my hands.” My gaze shifts to my door. With a nod of resolution, I gently place his foot back down before I rise and head back inside. Two seconds later, I’m returning with an empty supply box, the surface hard and firm. I set it down. Gesturing to his foot, I help him lift it onto the box.

My brows twist. This really is very bad. “I can’t believe I made you hobble on this and you managed to bear the pain,” I murmur, more to myself than to him. The jagged metal of that trap really did a number on him.

Tovan’s yellow eyes meet mine. Unreadable. “Kari are…resilient,” he says.

I roll my eyes. “You’re probably right. Most folks would be hollerin’ like a banshee by now.”

“Ban…she?” He tilts his head.

“Something from Earth.” I wave my hand in dismissal. “A…a screeching spirit.” I take out a pack of gauze from the kit. “The kind that haunts graveyards and drives folks crazy with their wailing.” I mime a scream, contorting my face into a theatrical mask of terror. “Wooooooooo!”

His lips twitch, and for a moment, I think he’s going to make another joke. But then, his gaze turns serious, those yellow eyes boring into mine.

“Ah.” Is all he says. So much for my distraction efforts, so I focus on his wound instead.

His scales gradually diminish in size as they approach his foot, fading into dark purple skin that looks surprisingly soft. The gash runs right through the center, an angry red line against the purple. And it’s still bleeding.

Reaching for the antiseptic, I put a generous amount into a piece of gauze and pause, gaze shifting to his. “This is probably going to hurt. Maybe you should bite down on something?”

To my surprise, he lets out a rumbling chuckle that does something to the hairs all along my arms. “I assure you, female, I can handle a little sting. I once wrestled ten Hedgeruds with my claws alone.” Hedgeruds. He means those brutes that worked for the Tasqals that stole us from Earth. Nice to know they’re generally just scum.

“Mmhm. Well, this ain’t no wrestling match. You’ve got a hole in your foot the size of Mars.” I frown. “Hold steady.”

He grunts. “Are you scolding me, female?”

My brows dive and I meet his gaze, not backing down. “You’ve got that right. You’ve got a serious injury here, and playing tough isn’t going to help it heal any faster.” For a moment, it feels like I’m back in the hospital doing rounds. “So yeah, I’m scolding you. Got a problem with that?”

For a moment, this Tovan’s eyes flash with something—surprise, maybe even a hint of respect. It’s gone almost as quickly as it appeared, replaced by a look I can’t quite decipher. His posture shifts slightly, the set of his shoulders changing in a subtle way that makes me feel like he’s suddenly paying even more attention to me now than he was before.

“Apologies, female,” he says, his voice low and rumbling. “You are correct. This injury is not to be taken lightly.”

I nod, satisfied with his response, but there’s a new tension in the air, not necessarily unpleasant, but definitely palpable.

“Good,” I say, turning my attention back to his foot. “Now, let me finish cleaning this out. And no more tough guy act, alright? If it hurts, you tell me.”

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