Page 51 of Healer
“Did you get it?”
The female held out her hand, a wad of black fabric cradled in her palm. I took the parcel, carefully unwrapping it to reveal the crystal. Gazing upon its deep purple hue, energy emanated from within hinting at the immense power contained within the small object.
“Here.”
I caught the leather pouched Siereita tossed my way, stunned to realize the weight of the bag felt the same. Not a single credit seemed to be missing.
“I don’t understand.” I frowned at both the crystal and my credit pouch. “How did you…?”
“Both of us put together didn’t have the credits to meet the asking price,” Siereita’s lips curved into a sultry smile. “Thankfully, the Targulani was willing to take something else in trade.”
“Something else...” I pondered, her meaning settling in my brain with the force of a punch. Ntavians were a species bred for pleasure. From my own youthful experience, I knew lying with one to be intensely pleasurable. An escapade most males inthe galaxy desired. Targulani were not most males. They were large, rather slimy, and not known for their gentleness.
“Siereita no. As much as I want to ease Aggie... I would never want you to….” The words stuck on my tongue.
Siereita dismissed my attempt at an apology with a wave of her hand.
“It was my decision,” she announced, her lips quirking, before adding, “And pleasure. Who knew Targulani packed so much heat... so to speak?”
I caught her hand, gripping it tightly with my own.
“For the rest of my life... I will never be able to repay your sacrifice.”
The cockiness left her expression, replaced by something part dreamy and part pragmatist. “I didn’t do it for you... or her either.”
“I don’t understand.”
Siereita’s features sharpened into a brilliant smile.
“One day, I want a male who will look at me the same way you look at the human. Perhaps helping you save her will be the gesture fate needs to make it happen.”
I squeezed her hand. “I pray to the goddess to send you a deserving male.”
A subtle shift in Siereita’s expression preceded her stepping away and pulling her hand from mine. The mask of neutrality on her face was common among her people. Still, I caught a glimmer of something else behind her cool exterior. A flicker of uncertainty, perhaps? Or maybe even curiosity. A rare moment of vulnerability for someone accustomed to hiding her feelings.
“I’ll let you go back and kill the merchant if the crystal doesn’t work,” she quipped, but her eyes held tenderness.
A small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as I opened the back panel of the Medi-unit. The crystal nestledinto the designated slot with a satisfying click, and a faint, almost ethereal hum filled the air, hinting at the immense power contained within. My fingers moved with practiced precision over the dials and buttons, adjusting the calibration. The machine responded slowly, as if cautiously testing its abilities.
“I can recalibrate the unit to relieve her pain, but it’s old... and slow,” I grumbled.
“I’ll bring you some more food,” Siereita glared at the untouched tray. A thin sheen of grease covered the top of the now cold stew.
I made to stop her, but she froze me with a glare that brooked no argument.
“Ack-ness isn’t the only one that needs to keep up their strength.” Siereita snorted, gathering up the tray and disappearing through the doorway.
A pleased grin tugged at the corners of my mouth, at Siereita’s playful mispronunciation of my mate’s name. I felt a glimmer of hope returning to my heart now that the Medi-unit was finally up and running. The steady beep and hum of the machine echoed through the room, wrapping me in a sense of reassurance.
Most Medi-units were designed primarily for tissue and bone repair but had the capability to be adjusted to block nerve pain. In older units such as this one, the calibration cycle took longer to complete, and the machine emitted a low-pitched whirr as it worked. According to the readouts, it would take several minutes for the Medi-unit to complete resetting.
A soft moan made me glance toward the bed, noticing the deep frown on Agnes’ face as she awoke.
“I’m sorry, my Aggie. I did not wish to wake you.” I sat the unit on the bedside table, settling in the chair by the bed. The faint uptick at the corners of her lips brought lightness to my heart... until the seizure started.
In my experience as a healer, I’d witnessed numerous seizures in battle-hardened warriors undergoing treatment for brain injuries. Their movements were often erratic and unpredictable, a sign of the trauma endured both physically and mentally. Agnes’ seizure seemed different. It was small in terms of range of motion but brutal in intensity. Her muscles clenched and convulsed, causing her body to contort in agony. The sound of her voice reverberating through the room in an agonized wail tore my already shattered heart to shreds.
Carefully, I ran my fingers through her hair, the only part unaffected by the seizure. Her spasming seemed to go on for an eternity, although realistically, I knew the paroxysm lasted no more than a minute.
