Page 70 of Alien's Luck
Cuffed to the bed railing, Poppy tugged against the restraint. A flimsy cuff and railing wouldn't hold her if she was determined to break free.
"Hey. Don't freak out. We're safe," Carla said, keeping her voice calm. The doctors warned her that Poppy would be disoriented, and her actions would be unpredictable. Translation, they were worried the big Nakkoni would lose her shit and trash the place.
Carla wasn't worried as she dragged a chair closer to Poppy's bed. She knew her friend would calm down the moment she realized she wasn't alone. She said, "You're safe."
Poppy gave her such a vicious glare that Carla doubted the treatment worked.
She scooted the chair back, just in case Poppy was still feeling bitey.
Poppy tugged at the cuff again, the railing groaning ominously.
"Please don't," Carla said. "The medics will have to sedate you again and that can't be good."
"Where—" Poppy's voice was little more than a dry whisper, like the breeze gently brushing the tops of the tall grass growing in a field. It sounded like home. Poppy sounded like home.
Carla sprang to her feet, filling a cup with water. Yes, her hands trembled as she handed the cup to Poppy and also yes, she was crying. She didn't care. "A Khargal ship," she said.
Poppy made a noise of disbelief and said, "Those uppity aliens have rocks for brains. They wouldn't help anyone."
What Poppy actually said was a lot less intelligible and had a lot more croaking and rasping, but Carla understood.
"This is the third time you've woken up and the third time you didn't believe me." The medics cautioned her that Poppy's recovery would be a process, but she hadn't anticipated how repetitive it would be. "To answer the next question you're going to ask, I made a trade for your treatment. That's how we're affording it, so don't worry."
"What did you trade?" Poppy's quills flexed up and down, menacingly.
"Information. Calm down, Popzilla."
For the first time, Carla's words sunk in. Poppy stopped thrashing and leaned back against the pillows. Her tail moved under the blanket.
"What information could you possibly have?" she asked.
Carla took in the room, imagining it through Poppy's eyes. It was clean and modern. The furniture was not second-hand. Nothing was patched together and there was nary a spot of rust. They could never hope to afford such accommodations. She said,"Fair point. It wasn't information, exactly, but I lifted a comm bracelet from someone the Khargals very much want in custody. But, good news, you've never stayed awake this long before. I think you're up for reals this time."
Poppy snorted. "What is this taste in my mouth?"
"Fingers? You bit off some fingers."
"What?"
"They had it coming," Carla said.
Poppy stared at her hand. "I'm the wrong color. Did I go into a fever?"
"The medics induced it to kickstart your immune system," Carla explained. Poppy's questions encouraged her. She hadn't been this alert the last two times she woke. Scans showed minimal brain damage, but Carla refused to be optimistic. Optimism just led to broken hearts. Weird shit was weird and unpredictable, and the fungus that infected Poppy was Grade A Weird. "How much do you remember?"
"I don't know. Some. I felt like a ghost in my own body." Poppy's eyes drifted shut again. Just as Carla thought she fell asleep again, they flew open. "Tavat! Where--"
Carla moved to the edge of the bed. She placed Tavat's quills, all neatly tied in a bundle with a ribbon, on Poppy's lap. "Dead. Well, his ship exploded, and no one's seen him since, so presumed dead."
"Ones like that are never dead. It is too easy." Poppy picked up the bundle, turning it over in her hands. "Are these his quills?"
"Yup. Yanked them out myself," Carla said with pride.
"How—"
"Okay, long story short, and don't complain that I'm skipping stuff, because this is the third time I've explained it to you. I'll do the details when I'm sure you'll remember. Okay?" Carla paused, waiting for Poppy to nod in agreement. "Good. Basically, wewere goners. Tavat's goons got us. A busybody Khargal thought I was someone else, because all humans look the same to him, I guess, and bought me."
"He never," Poppy said, sounding outraged.
