Page 48 of Solar Bound
"What is all this?" Dani whispered, momentarily forgetting her pain. “It doesn’t look safe. Or sterile.”
"It is an older model but standard medical technology," Solar explained, guiding her toward the table.
Dani swallowed hard and gave a nervous laugh. “I don’t suppose they can just drop me off at an Earth doctor? Or abduct one.”
"We cannot risk them flying back. Not now. It’s too dangerous. Lie down," Solar instructed, his golden eyes scanning the various instruments. "This is much like the standard medical array on my planet, though adapted with questionable modifications."
Dani eased herself onto the table, wincing as her ribs protested. "How bad is it going to hurt?"
Solar's expression softened. "It will not hurt. Most alien cultures do not employ primitive pain-based healing techniques."
Before she could respond, he pressed a sequence of symbols on a panel beside the table. A beam of soft golden light extended from a device overhead, scanning slowly down her body.
Warmth spread through her limbs, not unlike the feeling of Solar's energy when he touched her. The pain in her ankle began to fade, replaced by a pleasant tingling sensation. Lasers concentrated on her stomach, and her ribs stopped aching. Even the scrapes and bruises that covered her arms seemed to be healing before her eyes.
"Holy shit," Dani breathed. "This is amazing."
Solar nodded, studying a display that showed a three-dimensional image of her skeletal structure. "The fracture in your fibula is responding well. Your cracked ribs are being repaired. There is a chip in the bone that lodged near your heart. A wrong impact would have caused great damage to your life. Don’t move. It is being repaired.”
"So I'll live?" Dani attempted humor, though the reality of their situation was beginning to sink in. She was on an alien spaceship, leaving Earth behind and leaving Poppy, Rowan, and Lunar to face Milano without them. And who knew where Eclipse was. She hoped he was safe.
"Your injuries are healing at an accelerated rate," Solar confirmed, missing her attempt at levity. "Though the equipment's efficiency is compromised by Bob and Gary's modifications."
The ship lurched again, sending several loose instruments crashing to the floor. The healing beam flickered but held steady.
The laser moved to her hip and concentrated on it. “I don’t hurt there.”
“An ovarian cyst,” Solar said. “It has been remedied.”
Dani didn’t want to discuss her ovaries. A beep sounded.
"Do you require products for your bleeding cycle?" Solar asked.
"You mean my period?" Dani snorted. She hadn't thought of that. Great, period cramps on an alien ship. "Any chance that device can make me skip it this month?"
She was joking, but Solar nodded seriously and touched the panel. The lasers focused on her stomach. "It is done. The lining has been removed for this cycle."
She really didn't want to discuss her lining, either.
Then a thought hit her. Dani tried to sit up, but he turned to look at her, and the intensity of it kept her on the table.
"I haven't taken my birth control pills," she said. "I'm not going to get pregnant, am I? I mean, can I? Can we even?"
"Technically, yes, I can infuse our energies to create a new entity inside of you for gestation, but I do not think this week is an optimal time to carry an offspring," he answered.
Week?
"Yeah, okay, let's not do that," she answered.
"Agreed. Though perhaps at a later time." Solar continued to study the panel.
The ship creaked and vibrated.
"Are we even going to make it to wherever we're going?" Dani asked. She hadn’t seriously considered traveling away from Earth. This all happened so fast. “What is your planet called? Zorveya?”
"Zorveya is too far away. We can’t abandon the others. We will remain in orbit until we can retrieve them," Solar supplied. "And the probability is..." He paused, his expression darkening. "Lower than I would prefer."
"Great," Dani muttered. "I survive Milano agents, cave collapses, and a motorcycle crash only to die in a malfunctioning alien matchmaking van."
