Page 23 of Taken By the Convicts
Ivan tested his eyes again. His lids fluttered, but he’d learn more if he remained still and listened. At least long enough to understand why Crusher had attacked him.
“I don’t know what you’re saying,” the woman said with a definite sadness to her voice. “Please understand, no matter what Ivan did to me, I still need to treat him. I can’t let him die.”
Maybe if she’d had that attitude back on Markov 4, his men would be alive today.
Fingers carefully felt the pulse in his neck and then trailed over his jaw. “I think he may have already had a concussion when you attacked him.” Her fingers parted his hair at the back of his head. “There’s an older bump here, and he seemed off-balance at one point before you slammed him against the wall.”
“That would be from when he attacked Hawke to get to you,” Jayce said. “Crusher wasn’t in position yet with his sonic rifle.”
Melina’s nails dug into Ivan’s arm the second Jayce spoke. He scared her. Ivan understood that. There was a darkness in Jayce that scared Ivan at times too.
“Why are you here?” she asked, her voice holding steady, but Ivan could feel the slight shake of her hand against his arm.
“I’m checking on Ivan. When will you be done here? It’s been hours, and you still owe me.”
Ivan’s stomach knotted at the lifelessness of Jayce’s words. He didn’t see her as a woman, just another asset. Like The Company had seen Ivan and his men. Fuck that. Ivan wasn’t anything like The Company; he wasn’t going to let Jayce take her against her will.
Hell, he’d nearly done that himself. He’d used all his restraint not to fuck her even as he’d failed to push away from her. There was something about her that called to him, that made him want to fuck but not hurt her. Except he had planned to hurt her, to make her pay for all the pain and suffering she’d caused. He’d been caught between the echoes of his men’s cries for help and the desire surging through his body until she’d started rocking her hips against him. The memories of his men’s deaths had faded, probably because he wanted to forget them and feel something good for once. And that’s how she’d felt, her flesh against his. . . damn good.
Ivan suddenly yelled out as pain seized every nerve in his body, burning him from within. His eyes flashed open as his body began to thrash.
The woman plastered her body to his and pushed down against his upper chest. “Help me hold him down!” she ordered.
Hands the size of his head pushed him down by the shoulders. Reece stood over Ivan, but Ivan focused on the woman’s beautiful brown eyes as he gritted his teeth and rode the pain.
“I-I don’t know what this is, but I don’t think it’s a seizure.”
“Some doctor you are,” Jayce chastised even as he pinned Ivan’s legs to the bed. “I’m here, buddy. We’ll get you to the med-center, patch you up as soon as Hawke’s men move out of the area.
Fuck. Had they found the bunker, or were they simply searching?
More pain ripped through him.
“Give him the pain killers,” Jayce ordered.
“I’m not giving him any medicine when I don’t know what’s wrong with him. I don’t think this is related to a concussion or even a brain hemorrhage.”
“It isn’t. It’s nerve pain.”
“Nerve pain?” That sweet face of hers paled. She finally recognized Ivan’s condition. “No, it can’t be.”
A large hand cupped her cheek. She tilted her head back to look at Crusher. “I think I’ve seen this before,” she said to the giant of a man.
Jayce grabbed the field kit out of Crusher’s hands and pulled out a treatment patch. He coated the dozens of microscopic needles with a yellow-tinted substance.
“What are you doing?” the doctor asked as she tore the medicine from Jayce’s hand.
Ivan gripped her wrist, holding it steady until Jayce retrieved the medicine.
“That’s narkosine,” she protested.
“Afraid it will relieve his pain, Dr. Archer?” Jayce chided.
“I don’t want him in pain any more than you do.”
“Because you care about him?” Jayce said with a derisive laugh. “You’re the reason Crusher nearly killed him.”
“Crusher thought Ivan was attacking me. And that medicine’s not good for Ivan.”
