Now it was my turn to freeze. My breath caught in my throat at his easy strength. My left side was pressed against the hard wall of his chest. And by the time I remembered I shouldn’t let him haul me around like a sack of potatoes, we were already in the hallway.
Torran’s long stride ate up the short distance to the medbay—which he found without direction. I guess he really had studied the ship’s map.
He gently placed me on the examination table and stepped back.
“Thank you,” I murmured. “But next time, a little warning first, please.”
One eyebrow rose. “Would you have agreed had I warned you?”
He had me there. Rather than answering, I hopped off the table—landing on my left leg—and bent to unlace my boots. I stood and toed them off with a wince. Torran remained rooted in place.
I started undoing my belt. “Are you going to stand there and watch?”
He straightened and focused on me. I had the feeling that I’d pulled him from his thoughts and he hadn’t been looking at me at all. I squashed the mild sense of disappointment before it could grow into something unhelpful. Torran turned and left the room. The door slid closed behind him, leaving me with Havil.
I dropped my pants and climbed back onto the table. Nudity didn’t bother me, and my underwear covered everything anyway. The area around my right knee was a constellation of faded white scars against skin that remained light golden tan even in the black of space. The scars were a vivid reminder that I was lucky to have kept the leg.
Havil examined me with the cool, impersonal touch of a medical professional. This close, I could see his eyes. They were deep brown with wide tawny streaks. He had kind eyes, I decided, even if they were distinctly Valovian.
When he was done with the exam, he met my gaze. “What do you know of Valovian abilities?”
I wasn’t sure why he was asking, so I went with the most basic answer. “Most of you are telepathic.”
His eyes crinkled at the corners, but he didn’t press me for a more thorough answer. “That is true. In the same vein, some of us can heal. I can’t do anything about the scars, because they are already healed, but I can help with the internal injury, with your permission.”
“It’s as old as the scars,” I said, stalling. I’d never heard of a healing ability, not one that had been proven. There were rumors that the Valoffs had far more abilities than we knew about, but most people dismissed them as just that: rumors.
“It didn’t heal properly, and you’ve irritated it enough that I might be able to help with more than the minor swelling. It still won’t be fully healed, but it should be an improvement.”
“Why would you help me?” I asked, deeply suspicious. He had not only casually confirmed an ability that the FHP would kill to have, but he was also willing to use it on me.
Havil’s expression was gentle. “I’m a healer and you are in pain,” he said simply. He hesitated for a moment before continuing. “I can feel your pain, and it would take more energy to shield against it than it would to heal you. I healed Eli and Varro earlier. You can check with Eli if you have concerns.”
I filed away the information that he was empathic and then did exactly as he’d suggested. Over the comm, Eli confirmed that he felt great and that the whole thing had “tingled” but otherwise wasn’t invasive.
I let Eli go and reinforced my mental shields. I nodded at Havil. “If you are willing to try, then I would appreciate your help.”
He put his hands on the sides of my knee. “You might feel some prickles, but it shouldn’t be unbearable. If it is, let me know and I will adjust.”
Warmth turned into a mild burn, complete with the tingles Eli had mentioned. They intensified to stinging pain, and I sucked in a breath. My shields remained untouched.
“Sorry,” Havil murmured. “Just a little more, if you can bear it.”
“Do it,” I gritted out. I gave him a strangled laugh. “At least it’s better than the field surgery.”
Time stretched. Eventually the burning pain receded back to a mild warmth, and some indefinite interval later, Havil removed his hands. Sweat had broken out along his forehead and his deep brown skin had taken on an unhealthy pallor.
I reached out to steady him when he wavered on his feet. Despite my help, he started to list. I slid off the table and wrapped his arm over my shoulder. I clutched my other arm around his waist as he continued to slide downward. He looked lean, but he was surprisingly heavy. I needed to get him on the table, but I wasn’t strong enough to do it alone. “Torran!” I yelled.
“I’m okay,” Havil whispered. “Just overdid it. Give me a minute.”
The door opened and Torran took in the scene with a glance. Havil’s weight disappeared from my shoulders. “Move back,” he said. “I have him.”
It felt wrong to let go of someone who could barely stand, but I carefully slid out from under Havil’s arm. I held out my hands, ready to catch him if he toppled, but he didn’t fall.
“I’m fine,” Havil insisted again. “Let me go.”
“I don’t think that’s such a great idea, doc,” I said. “Why don’t you sit on the table for a bit until you recover.”
I didn’t know how much Torran was assisting, but Havil slowly climbed onto the edge of the exam table. I handed him an electrolyte drink from the tiny cold storage unit built into the wall. I wasn’t sure the drink would help, but based on the sweat, it wouldn’t hurt.
With Havil stabilized, Torran’s gaze flickered over me before snagging on my legs. My bare legs. Or maybe it was my scars that interested him. My knee was the worst, but other scars marred my skin, mapping the horrors of war across the canvas of my body.
I might not mind nudity, but I felt strangely vulnerable with my scars on display under the bright lights of the medbay. I pulled on my pants with shaky hands.
I met Torran’s inscrutable gaze, relieved that I saw neither triumph nor pity in his eyes. “If you will look after him,” I said with a head tilt at Havil, “I will go check on the others.”
He nodded, so I pulled on my boots, lacing them only enough to allow me to escape without them falling off my feet. I just needed a minute to collect myself, to once again lock away thoughts of war and death.
It was only after I’d left the medbay that I realized that my knee didn’t hurt at all, not even a tiny twinge. And my head felt better, too.
I was completely pain free for the first time in five years.
Chapter Nine
I checked on the crew confined to quarters, let Anja know that it was safe to come up from mechanical if she wanted to, and put the lasagna in to cook. By the time I made it back to the bridge, we were nearly to the first wormhole.