Page 27 of Alien Mercenary's Wife
“Yeah? Those are the dickheads who took the Sentinel base, aren’t they?” She’d never understood why the government had agreed to an alliance with them, not after they’d been the aggressors. But who was she to argue? She was just a washed-up veteran, not the president.
Tal chuckled. “Yeah, dickheads are right. Why do you think I’m with this lot now?”
He activated another machine, its blue light washing over her leg in waves that she felt as much as saw. The sensation was warm, almost pleasant, like sunlight filtered through water. "Ialso treated Eris when she first came aboard. Similar implants, but her damage was nowhere near this extensive."
The warmth traveled up her leg, and she fought back the sigh of relief. The constant ache in her leg eased slightly for the first time in months. Behind the relief came hope. Perhaps these aliens reallycouldhelp her…
No, that was dangerous territory. She’d hoped before, and it always went bad.
She focused on T'Raal instead, using him as an anchor against stupid emotions she had no business feeling. He watched the examination intently, those unusual blue-green eyes tracking Tal's every movement. The gold flecks she'd noticed earlier caught the medical bay's lighting, and she found herself noticing things about him. The way he breathed so carefully, like he was controlling some internal response. The slight tension in his shoulders suggested he was ready to move if she needed him to.
Why did that thought send heat curling through her stomach?
"Captain?" Tal's voice brought her back to the present. "The scans show significant nerve damage. How long have you been experiencing symptoms?"
"Six months. Maybe longer." She watched the readouts on his scanner, alien symbols that meant nothing to her. Everything here looked way more sophisticated than anything human medicine had to offer. "The doctors say it's psychological. Combat stress manifesting as physical symptoms."
Tal snorted, a sound so dismissive it made her smile. "Human doctors are idiots."
He moved the scanner higher, focusing on her spine, and the warmth followed. "This isn't psychological. Your neural pathways are deteriorating. The interfaces are breaking down and taking your nervous system with them."
She sucked in a breath. Hearing it out loud hit harder than she'd expected. And hearing it from an alien doctor somehow made it more real than years and months of human specialists dismissing her symptoms. Her knuckles whitened as she clutched the edge of the bed.
"Can you fix it?"
Tal was quiet for a long moment, studying the scanner readouts with a focus that made her stomach clench. She'd seen that expression before on the faces of doctors who were trying to figure out how to deliver bad news gently.
"I don't know yet," he said finally, and the honesty in his voice was somehow worse than a comfortable lie would have been. "The damage is extensive. Much worse than Eris’s."
He set the scanner aside to look at her, and the loss of its warming presence left her feeling cold. "I'll need to run more comprehensive tests, compare your condition to what I know about healthy human neural architecture."
The silence stretched. T'Raal watched her from the corner, ready to step in if needed. Having backup should have felt good.
It didn't. It scared the shit out of her. When was the last time she'd let herself lean on anyone?
"What I can do right now," Tal continued, reaching for a small injector that gleamed silver under the lights, "is give you something for the pain. And there's a neural stimulator that might help with basic nerve function while I figure out the rest."
She eyed the injector like it might bite her. "What kind of stimulator?"
"External device. Encourages nerve impulse transmission, might give you better mobility." No bullshit medical speak. She appreciated that. "It's temporary, but it should help until I figure out our other options."
He didn't have all the answers. That should have pissed her off. Instead, she was grateful he wasn't feeding her some lineabout miracle cures. She'd had enough doctors who promised the moon and delivered jack shit.
"The pain medication... what are the side effects?"
"Drowsiness, possibly some nausea. Nothing that should mess with normal function." Tal held up the injector. Her reflection stared back from its polished surface, distorted and strange. "It's designed for multi-species use. Won't screw with your existing physiology."
Better than the human alternatives that had either done nothing or left her feeling like her head was stuffed with cotton. "And the stimulator?"
"Attaches to your spine, sends targeted electrical impulses to encourage nerve response. You'll feel some tingling, but it shouldn't hurt."
She glanced at T'Raal. His expression gave nothing away, but his stance said he'd back whatever call she made.
When was the last time someone had given her a choice about her own medical care?
"Will it interfere with... anything else? Other treatments?"
"No. Both are temporary fixes while we work on the bigger picture." Tal met her eyes directly. "I want to be clear, Captain. This isn't a cure. It's pain management and basic function support while I research your condition."
