Page 41 of Forbidden

Turning around, Mikkarn watched as Kiril fell to his knees, his eyes wide, his skin pale and glistening with sweat. Blood oozed steadily from a wound to the right side of his chest. Mikkarn could hear a sickening sucking sound with each breath Kiril took.

Mara was at Kiril’s side in a flash. Pulling a small pair of bandage scissors from her pocket -- she had always insisted on carrying items she would normally have used if she were on Earth -- she cut away his shirt. Removing her lab coat, she wadded it into a ball and pressed it to Kiril’s chest. “Hold this.”

He activated the communication unit on the wall as he followed her instructions, cursing the need to remove his personal comm device when he’d entered the mainframe chamber that morning. They would have to wait precious seconds before help arrived.

Mara searched the room methodically until she found a sandwich wrapped in plastic. Carefully unwrapping it, she tossed the food aside and knelt beside Kiril. “Remove the dressing.”

Mikkarn did. Blood still oozed, but not in great amounts. The gurgling sound persisted.

Mara carefully placed the plastic over the small wound in Kiril’s chest. “Hold that by the edges.”

Again, Mikkarn did her bidding as she dug through those ever bulging pockets until she came out with a roll of tape. Tearing three long strips, she taped the plastic down at three edges.

“We need to get him to a healing tube,” Mikkarn stated as several Medical Command personnel entered the room.

“No, really?” Mara’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “I never would have guessed.”

“Are you always such a bitch in a crisis?”

“Only when people state the obvious.”

Kiril moaned and both bickering doctors turned their attention back to him. “If I make it through this, I’m putting you both over my knee.” Kiril’s voice was weak, but Mikkarn couldn’t help but smile.

Mara’s soft bark of laughter sounded suspiciously like the beginnings of a sob. “If IletMikkarn make it through this, I’ll help you spank him.”

Mikkarn grasped Mara’s arm firmly, a gesture meant to comfort. “Let’s get him on the stretcher.”

?* * *

“Faster! Move it!” Mara tried to hurry the three men who had responded to Mikkarn’s call for help into pushing Kiril’s stretcherfaster, but they refused to listen to her.

“This hospital is full of people, Doctor.” One of them, a big, burly man, spoke calmly. “Commander Kiril will be fine when we get him to the healing chamber.”

“Where’s Mikkarn?” She had lost him after they’d loaded Kiril and started off with him. HowdareMikkarn abandon her and Kiril!

“He’s calling ahead to make sure the healing tube is readied,” the same burly officer explained patiently. He pushed the stretcher at the impossibly slow pace, as though he had all the time in the world. He sounded like he was talking to a child, which only annoyed Mara more.

“Do you even understand the seriousness of his wounds? His lung has collapsed, possibly both lungs, if the bullet ricocheted inside him. He could very well die without immediate intervention.” Mara knew she wasn’t getting through to the man. She only hoped nothing delayed them from getting him to a damned healing tube.

Gritting her teeth, Mara decided her best course of action was to go ahead of the stretcher and clear the way. They were about halfway to their destination when a sudden surge of panic almost brought her to her knees.The damn tubes are full! Mikkarn’s intense emotion caught her up in the maelstrom and she screamed her rage, never questioning the certainty of what she now knew, or how she knew it.

“No! Fucking hell! Iknewsomething like this would happen!” Mara stopped the stretcher and shoved it in the opposite direction. Toward the ER.

“What in the Universe are you doing, Doctor?” Big and Burly asked. “I thought you were anxious to get Commander Kiril to the healing chamber?”

“It’s full and he can’t wait.”

“What do you mean it’s full? There’s always a place for the very sick and injured.” He redirected the stretcher, again heading them in the opposite direction.

“Would you listen to me? We’ve got to get him to the Emergency Room. It’s the only place that has the equipment I need!” Mara was becoming desperate. Where thefuckwas Mikkarn?

“This is not the time for you to play the hero, Doctor.” Big and Burly sounded impatient. “I’m sure you’ve learned much, but I will not let you endanger Commander Kiril with your barbaric medicine.”

Mara didn’t even bat an eye. She picked up the first object she saw -- a chair -- and swung it with all her might at the hulking guard. The other two guards immediately moved to subdue her but Mikkarn’s authoritative voice commanded them to stop. “You will bloody well do what she tells you to! More than half the tubes are down for upgrades and there is no place to put Kiril.”

“It’s about fucking time!” Mara snapped. “Help me!”

“You two --” Mikkarn indicated the remaining two guards, “-- see to him. Get him to the ER as quickly as you can.”

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