Page 13 of Kiss of Fury

“Uh…yeah.” Politeness urged her forward to shake his outstretched hand. Spindly and super tall, he towered over her. With his bulbous eyes peering at her from above, she felt like a human under a bug’s microscope. “Nice to meet you,” she managed.Now I know how Brody feels.

“I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve desperately needed a nurse. It’s been a one-man show.” Humor glinted in one eye. “I’m happy to share the spotlight.”

“I hope I can be of assistance. All my nursing experience involved humans. I’m not familiar with other species or alien technology and medicine,” she confessed.

“You will learn the tech. There are some similarities in anatomy and physiology and with disease processes and treatments. I’ll supervise and guide you with the others. And, of course, the infirmary has excellent diagnostic equipment.

“I’m most thrilled because of your experience with humans. That is something I lack. Until recently, there were no humans at Haven Ranch except for Maven, who is half Tracorian. But now we have several, and I had a recent case that puzzles me. I’m hoping you might have insight.”

“I’d be happy to help if I can.” She was flattered by his regard. He ranked above her in the pecking order.

“Is it common for humans to heal rapidly?” he asked.

“Depends on the individual human, and the particular kind of injury or condition,” she said.

“The human was gored by a horniger, suffering critical injury. Frankly, it should have been fatal. A lung, his liver, and one kidney were pierced by the animal’s antlers. In addition, he got thrown high into the air and fell from a significant height.”

“It’s a miracle he survived. But he recovered quickly, you say? How fast?”

“Within minutes—twenty perhaps.”

“Twenty minutes?” Her jaw dropped.

Dr. Twygg nodded. “I rushed him into the RSU—the robotic surgery unit—but his organs had already repaired themselves, and the internal bleeding had ceased.”

“That is not common. In fact, it’s…impossible. Are you sure he’s a full-blooded human, and not just humanoid?”

“Human is what he listed on his intake document, but it didn’t occur to me to run a DNA scan until afterward, and he refused to participate in further tests. That’s his right, of course, but I was most disappointed to not learn more about your species.”

She frowned, recalling the limited number of humans on site. Besides Brody, the only other males were Fury and Jason Steel.

Fury was obviously,perfectlyhuman. The man had no physical flaws. Tall, broad-shouldered, blond with baby-blue eyes and a cheeky dimpled grin, he resembled a celebrity heartthrob, the kind of leading actor who got the girl onscreen and off. Except, this time, he didn’t get the girl he wanted.

If the injuries were as serious as the doctor stated—and she had no reason to doubt his assessment—then the patient could not have been afull human. The patient had to be Jason Steel. Why would he disavow his alien heritage? No one would care. Everyone here was an alien to one another. Why keep it a secret?

On the other hand, everyone had something to hide. She’d kept the existence of her son under wraps. She wondered what skeletons Fury had in his closet.

“Are there nonhuman species that heal quickly like that?” she asked.

“None that I’ve encountered so far. I’m mystified as to why he’s not dead. Pleased, but mystified.”

“Was the patient Jason Steel?”Better not to assume.

“Yes, it was.”

I guessed right!Of course, she’d had a 50/50 chance. “I wish I could dazzle you with an explanation, but I don’t have one. It should have taken him weeks or even months to heal—and that’s with surgery. Serious internal injuries don’t self-heal like that. I would have expected him to bleed out without treatment.”

“Exactly what I thought. Your confirmation is very helpful. Thank you.” His insectile grin scared her a tad—he looked like he could bite her head off—but she knew he meant well.

The medical mystery Jason Steel posed made her realize she knew nothing aboutherfuture husband—not what brought him to Refuge or what he’d done for a living. She doubted he’d been a rancher on Earth. Focused on gaining his acceptance of Brody, she’d neglected to ask basic questions. While theirs wouldn’t be a real marriage, they would be cohabitating for a year. She should get to know the man she’d be sharing a bed with, even platonically—especially since her child was involved. What if she’d inadvertently married an axe murderer?I’ll talk to him tonight.

Thinking of Brody and Fury reminded her she needed time off. “Today is my first day, and I hate to ask for favors, but I must take my son to the mess for lunch. Starting tomorrow, he’ll eat a box lunch at school. Then, this afternoon, I need to leave a little early to get married.”

“I understand. You just arrived, and you must take care of business.”

“Thank you.”

The infirmary door opened, and two tentacled aliens slithered in, one of them leaving a trail of green slime. The other carried a severed, wiggling limb.

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