Page 43 of The Alien's Major Dilemma

One of the guards came over and adjusted her restraints so her hands were in front of her. She reached up and took the sandwich that Doc offered and groaned when she bit into it.

"That good, huh?" he said with a laugh.

"You have no idea," she said. Two more bites and she closed her eyes in bliss while she chewed. She held up her hand for the water bottle and Doc opened it for her. With two long swallows, she'd nearly emptied it then leaned back and sighed.

"How's Cooper?" she asked, then took another bite. She could see the medic weighing how much information to give her and let him think about it while she chewed.

"Hurt," he finally said. "Not by us. And space sick."

"Who authorized the op?" she asked.

"You know we can't-"

"I know I'm technically under suspicion until we get back to base but I also know that there were two very different attitudes about what had happened to me and what I was going to be facing when I got back. I just want a better view of the terrain."

Doc sighed. "The Base Commander authorized a rescue mission before any other instructions were received. I have no knowledge if he received any other instructions before we left or what they would have been if he had."

Marissa nodded and released a sigh of relief. "I'm guessing this is an Orvax ship?"

"An experimental one, from what I understand, and that's just from talking to the pilot for a bit. I don't pretend to understand half of what's going on but I do know calls were made and strings were pulled to get you back."

"Any chance I can see Cooper soon?" she asked.

He gave her a sharp look and she wondered how much he'd been briefed about what had happened. "Do you want to see your kidnapper?"

"I'd like to see my mate," she told him.

"Shit," he muttered. "How bad is it?"

"How bad is what?" she asked.

"The bond, connection, whatever. I know there are complications for a human with an Orvax but nobody seems to know what Cooper is."

"Oh," she said, and thought about it. "I'm okay right now but I know that the longer we spend apart, the less that's going to be true. We were separated almost as soon as we were brought into the caves and they tried to break-"

Tears spilled onto her cheeks before she realized she was crying. A weight she hadn't realized had settled on her chest pressed harder and she gasped.

"Sooner rather than later," Doc said. "Got it. I'll see what I can do."

"I'm fine," Marissa protested.

"You're not," Doc said softly. "But we're going to do our best to make sure you are. Got it, Major?"

"Got it, Doc," she told him.

"So you have to tell me when you're in pain and what parts of it are related to your bond with Cooper. Because I know fuck-all about how it works and I'm not about to hurt you worse because I don't know something. Got it?"

Marissa nodded, curious about his intensity, but not willing to question it.

"Do you know how long it's going to take to get us back to base?" she asked.

"A few hours and then we can get you into a more secure facility," he said. "Think you can hold out until then?"

"I think so."

"Alright. You've got a guard on your door who can reach me if you let him know you're hurting or in pain."

"Check on Cooper, too?"

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