Page 26 of Rebels Rising

I shot her a thin-lipped but grateful smile, unsure if I should feel disappointed or relieved that I probably won’t be meeting Bromm’s parents today. I was curious, but I was also nervous. I wanted them to like me.

‘Thanks Eloria. You’re turning out to be a life saver.’

She preened at my praise. ‘I’m happy to help.’

‘Is now a good time for that chat with Cadmus, then?’ Addy asked, and I knew she was just being nosy for gossip. I was glad to see her behaving like her usual self, but I wasn’t too eager to allow her into private conversationswhile they were in progress. I’d happily debrief her afterwards, but I would rather have that conversation alone.

‘I’ll grab him for a chat now,’ I told her, but she cast me a confused look when I handed Baldr to her. She held him tight to keep him from flying away, and Xander snorted his amusement, apparently knowing what I was up to.

‘I’ll keep her away,’ he promised me.

‘Dave Junior, too, if you don’t mind,’ I asked. His face paled but he nodded anyway. Junior was happy enough getting pets from both Eloria and Adara so he I doubted he’d have anything to worry about. I cast a glance towards the oversized animal, noting the way he narrowed his eyes on Xander’s back.

Okay, he might need to exercise a little caution, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. I was sure he’d be fine.

I nodded my thanks then swiftly exited the room, taking care to avoid bumping my head on the doorframe as I dipped lower to get through.

???

The hallway outside the infirmary was even more crowded than when I’d left it, and I could hear Henrik rushing around inside, barking orders at Cadmus before I even entered the room. I couldn’t help a quick glance at Bromm as I floated inside and was pleased to see that he had gained a little bit more of his colouring back. I wondered when he’d be able to breath without assistance again, hating the sight of the intubation and the respirator sticking out of his mouth.

Henrik looked harried, and Cadmus was hastily performing the small assisting tasks our unofficial medic was rapidly throwing at him, but he seemed to be having fun if the smile etched onto his face was any indication.

Sensing Henrik’s rising distress as yet another individual entered the room and added their name to the ever-growing list, I decided it was time to take action. ‘Need any help?’

‘Yes!’ Henrik exclaimed, eager for the extra hands. ‘Please. Do you know any first aid?’

‘I know enough,’ I admitted. ‘I can clean and dress a wound, but I’ve never sewn anything in my entire life so I’m not much help there. I am, however, proficient in setting and bracing bones.’

‘Can you take vitals?’

‘Yes.’

‘Then can you head into the hallway with Cadmus and start crossing off names on the waiting list? Bumps and bruises can leave, but anything beyond your capabilities should stick around for me to see to.’

I gave him a two-fingered salute. ‘You got it, doc.’

Just as Cadmus handed me an armful of supplies, my body descended until I was back on the ground. The nanites must have finally listened to my desire to stop flying through my need to help.

He shot me a wide smile. ‘Good job.’

I grinned back, pleased with myself.

Together we exited the infirmary and headed straight for the front of the line. The first patient was a middle-aged mutt, his features too ambiguous to determine his lineage. He was resting with his head tilted back against the wall as he sat cross-legged on the floor, and his eyes were closed and slightly squinted as he clutched his arm, his pain evident.

‘Sir?’ I called out to him, gently placing my hand on his shoulder so he knew I was addressing him. His eyes peeked open slightly, and they were red rimmed with dark, puffy bags beneath them belying his exhaustion, both mental and physical.

‘I’m going to take your vitals,’ I informed him. ‘While I do that, why don’t you tell me about your injuries so I can determine how best to help you.’

He allowed me to fit a small machine around his forefinger, the tiny device accumulating information such as heartrate, blood pressure, and even pricking the skin to draw some blood to run a quick test for substances and blood sugar levels. It was truly a versatile little thing, and quite useful.

Cadmus moved onto the next patient in line while mine informed me that his wrist was damaged and he had a large gash on his shoulder. It turned out that he’d only sprained the wrist so I wrapped it, but after a closer look at the cut it was clear he needed stitches. I cleaned it the best I could and secured some gauze over the top but told him to stay put until Henrik could stitch himup. I wrote a note next to his name on the waiting list hanging from the door and moved onto the next.

On and on, Cadmus and I worked efficiently and effectively. Most only needed a bit of bandaging, very few needed anything more like pain relief or stitches. One man had a broken arm but didn’t want to get caught up in the melee the day before so he had held himself back until things had calmed down, but it was easy enough to set. He went off on his way with some pain pills, but he would be fine.

I chanced a peek at Cadmus who was bent over someone’s leg, inspecting a dark bruise. His rear was taking up the majority of my view, and I couldn’t help but pause to admire it. Round and pert, he clearly spent a lot of time sculpting those particular muscles. And to think, I just barely missed out on first-hand experience for how those mounds would feel cupped in my hands…

My fingers and palms tingled with the memory of how the other side of him felt through the fabric of his clothes. Thick, heavy, and double the trouble with his two admittedly large cocks. I couldn’t help but wonder what they would look like, my only experience with Griknots and Terrans. When we’d scoured through virtual files during the awakening of our sexuality, the only footage Libby and I had discovered had solely starred Griknots. Whilst we were aware of the differing anatomies of the various races, it was mostly theoretical knowledge beyond that.

---