Page 41 of Stalker
“Are you in pain? Do you need some meds?” Neely asked, stroking his cheek tenderly.
“No, it’s not that bad now, but when that blade went into me through my armor, I knew I was in trouble. This horrific pain ripped through my gut like an explosion inside me.” Stalker took a shuddery breath, remembering. “Never felt that magnitude of pain in all those years at war, and I got shot, stabbed, and blown up so many times....”
“Four hundred eighty-seven times.”
“I’m impressed that you remember.”
“I remember because it hurt my heart to know you had been badly injured so many times.”
“I’d do it all again if I knew you’d be waiting for me at the end.”
“Oh, Stalker, I love you that much, too.” She leaned over and kissed his lips lightly.
Stalker stopped her before she pulled away and drew her back for a more thorough kiss.
“Now, that’s more like it,” he whispered as he ended the kiss and sighed. “I’ve never felt this weak before. I need to eat. Those nanites devoured all my reserves to repair me.”
“Whatever you want, sweetheart.” Neely stroked his forehead.
“I think just some of that chocolate protein pudding. My gut still feels a little sore.”
“Okay, that sounds pretty good. I forgot to eat today, and now that we’re talking food, I am hungry too.”
As she left the room, Stalker sat up slowly and put his feet on the floor while he calculated if he had the strength to make it to the bathroom. Taking a couple breaths and letting them out, he pushed himself to stand. The pain in his abdomen increased as gravity pulled on his internal organs. He pressed his hand to the faint mark on his belly and slowly walked ten feet to the bathroom.
He almost made it back to the bed before Neely returned with two bowls of pudding and glasses of cold tea.
“You should have told me you needed to get up. I would have helped you,” she admonished.
He gave her a determined look.
“Mm Hm. Of course, you wanted to do it yourself.”
She waited while he propped his pillow against the headboard and seated himself back on the bed. Neely set the tray on his lap and took her pudding and tea off, leaving Stalker with the tray.
Stalker ate silently, savoring the sweet, creamy chocolate disguising the rejuvenating ingredients. He’d eaten a lot of it during the war, and it was comfort food that made him feel better after being injured yet again. Almost as soon as he finished, he began to feel sleepy again.
He handed his tray to Neely, and she set it on the bedside table as Stalker slid down, pulling his pillow into place. He drifted to sleep almost immediately, lying on top of the covers.
Neely continued eating, watching the rise and fall of Stalker’s chest. He breathed easily with no abnormal sounds. His face was in peaceful repose. Tears pricked her eyes as the horror of Colton’s attack replayed in her mind, and she realized how nearly she’d lost him.
She blinked away her tears and chastised herself for dwelling on what might have been. Stalker was alive and healing. Their life together would continue, and she was grateful.
Neely had slept too much during the day to sleep more when the sun had barely set. Covering Stalker with a light sheet, she left him alone in the bedroom to sleep.
She took her com-tablet to the living room and sat on the couch to call her mother. It had been a while, and she just needed someone to talk to.
“Hi, Mom. Are you too busy to talk?”
“Not for you, sweetie. How’s life with your handsome cyborg?”
“Mostly great. Not so great today.” Neely went on to relate the events of that morning. “A few seconds later, and I would have lost him.”
“But he’s going to be, okay?”
“Yes, he’s sleeping now.”
“What if Price comes back? Are you safe?”
