Page 41 of Fighting Gravity
“Well, can’t Sour Face do it?”
“Veron? She is not here.”
I really didn’t want her poking at me either. The woman hated me like I was some mangy stray cat that kept tearing up her outdoor plants every night. But the idea of letting Norm gawk at my naked form was different.
“The crew is in their sleep cycle,” he said. “That includes Veron.”
“Then who’s flying this thing?”
“Krel.”
“Krel?”
“The ship’s AI. It’s not very bright, but it can control a drift for a while.”
“Why aren’t you in your sleep cycle then?”
“Needed to look after you.”
I blinked at that statement. The guy wanted to kill me only days ago. He tortured me. Tried to use the information on my Buddy against my species. Traded me for a ship. Now he was tending my wounds?
I stared up at Norm for a while longer. He really didn’t see an issue with my naked body and he clearly didn’t understand why I did. I stilled myself, flexing my abdomen a little to find that it was still very sore. I wasn’t sure how long I was asleep, but maybe it really better if he checked on things.
“You making sure I’m strong enough for you to torture in your next round of questioning?” I groaned.
“I’m just making sure you’re healing.” His eyes darted to mine. “What happens after you’ve healed has not been decided.”
That answer didn’t exactly inspire confidence, but I wasn’t exactly in a position to run or fight.
Slowly, I relaxed and slid my hand up to rest on my chest, giving him a silent “ok.” Norm hesitated to move for a moment, watching me like he was waiting for me to change my mind. When I didn’t, he slowly took the edge of the blanket and lifted it, sliding it off my side. I was surprised to see him pause when my thigh became exposed and instead of just tossing the fabric off me, he laid it down so it still covered my crotch. Then he carefully maneuvered it off my stomach and ribs, keeping it over my breasts.
I kept watching him as he stared over me, his expression unreadable. When the tips of his fingers started to slide over my skin, goosebumps rippled all over me. Fuck me, I was sensitive. Maybe I was coming down from a fever. I shivered and bit my lip to keep from jerking away from the odd sensation.
“Why does your skin do this?” he asked, dragging his fingers more prominently across my stomach and around the tender wounds.
“It just does. When we’re cold or… uncomfortable.”
I shouldn’t have said anything. Norm took the opportunity to experiment, lifting his hand off me and gently caressing the tips of his nails across my bare thigh. I sucked in a shuddering breath when waves of sensations fluttered across my body.
“I am barely touching you,” Norm said in a near whisper.
I squirmed away from him. “That makes it worse.”
“Explain it to me.”
“No.”
I tried to sit up, causing a sharp pang to shoot through my stomach. Pressing a hand to the patches, I rolled to my side, feeling like I was getting the worst period cramps of my life. But you know what? It was bearable. I’d been through worse.
I clutched my stomach, swinging my legs over the tableside, and touched my toes to a slick, cold floor. When I slipped off the table, I ended up on my ass, the blanket barely hanging onto my body. I wrapped it around me, looking over the med bay for something to grab onto. There was another counter. Perfect. I reached up, using the ledge to pull myself to my feet, and found myself staring down at the alien version of a scalpel sitting across a white tray. I grabbed it and tucked it behind my forearm as I turned to face Norm.
He stood next to the exam table, staring at me like he was bored. Then his dark eyes narrowed and I watched his head cant slightly to one side.
“Why’d you jump on the noc’ran?” he asked.
“What the fuck is a noc’ran?”
“The reason you’re poked full of holes.”
