Starlight Gleaming Ch. 14

"I can't help it, Sergeant," he shot back. "I'm a growing boy."

"I'll show you a growing boy," she growled.

"If we can get back before lunch, I would appreciate it," I told him.

"You heard the Lieutenant. Load it into his vehicle, Stimmi," Yalcamara said.

He picked up one of the boxes, but she sat down at her desk. "You aren't going to help?" he asked.

She craned her neck and pointedly examined his bare sleeve, then stroked the bars on her own arm. Then she grinned at him.

"Oh, man," he muttered, carrying away the box.

After he was walking away, Yalcamara got up and picked up the other one. "We're partners, but I gotta keep him in line, remind him who's boss," she explained. "Otherwise, that second head of his begins to think it's in charge."

Chita coughed into her cahault again. Doyya snickered as she got up from her desk and followed them out. Chita got up to go clean herself up and get some paper towels.

Returning to my own desk, I was glad they all seemed to get along. I checked on reports and other projects, keeping up to date on the inventory verification process and progress on the emergency shelters. The reports from Sergeant Matiwatli were encouraging.

Half an hour later the three of them were back.

Chita intercepted Doyya and they chatted. Doyya looked at me while I got my things together. Together they came over and stood by my desk.

"Doyya, you're in charge until I get back from Capisco. Yalcamara, are you ready?"

"With all due respect, sir, you are going to Capisco by way of the Naval hospital," Doyya informed me. "You need to get your leg looked at. You take care of everyone else, but seem to have trouble taking the same care with yourself. Sowitwee says you could permanently weaken your leg or even have a clot get loose and kill you. Capisco can wait until after you are cleared."

I looked at them both. Finally, I said, "So how does it feel?"

Doyya flushed. "I don't know, sir. It depends on whether you listen to me or not. I'm doing my best to make you go without being disrespectful."

Sergeant Yalcamara wandered over, giving Doyya her support. "You have been favoring the leg, sir."

Chita turned around in her seat. "A lot, Lieutenant."

I raised my hands. "All right. I'll go."

"You take him there, Sergeant," Doyya told Yalcamara. "No side trips. Stay with him and keep me posted."

"I hear you, Lieutenant, loud and clear." Yalcamara smiled at me. "Coming, sir?"

* * * * *

The ride over was quiet for the most part. I sat in the back seat and closed my eyes. After a bit, I heard a stomach growl.

"Stimmi, it's not even lunch time yet," Yalcamara snapped.

"Sorry, Sergeant. I can't help it."

She glanced in at me in the back. My eyes were mostly closed.

"It's my fault," she said. "I should have made you eat something this morning. You can grab some chow at the hospital cafeteria."

"I wasn't complaining, 'Mara. Then, or now," he said.

"Hsst. We're on duty, so watch the first name business, Stimmi."

"The Lieutenant asleep?"

"Maybe. Why?"

"Unit Protection Orders," he said. "I mean, I just never thought I'd see the day."

"Yeah, me, too. It's a big change, Stimmi. Big changes always mean somebody's going to get hurt. It's our job to make sure it isn't us or ours."

"I hear you."

The vehicle slowed down. The window went down and marines checked their ID cards. Mine was on my lanyard. The marine slipped his hand inside and held up his scanner. It clicked and he stood up. "Vehicle plates and ID matches. Naval hospital?"

"Yes," Stimmi said. "How'd you know?"

"I worked extra duty in Captain Tlacotli's room over the weekend. I recognize the Lieutenant. You are clear to go."

Stimmi found us a spot close by and parked. Yalcamara got out and opened the door for me. I winced putting the foot down. It was hurting even more. And I'd been stupid to put it off for so long.

Once inside, we got into the triage queue. Half an hour later, I gave my information.

Gunshot wound. No, there wasn't an incident report for it. Yes, a Ground Service medico patched me up and I went home. He and several others said I needed to come in and get it looked at, so here I am.

The Receptionist looked at me, then processed the paperwork. An orderly came with a wheelchair and took me to the exam area. Basically it was a large open area walled off by curtains. Yalcamara and Stimmi stayed right with me. The orderly started to say something, but Yalcamara cut him offl.

"Security. We stay with him."

He started to speak again, but she interrupted him again.

"Lieutenant Lovyanchiti ate a Ground Service First Sergeant for breakfast yesterday and didn't bat an eye. I do not intend to disobey her orders."

Shrugging, the orderly helped me up. From the ache, I was glad of the offer. "Take off your trousers, Lieutenant."

Stimmi took my satchel and weapon. After I was situated on the hospital bed, the orderly moved the wheelchair into the corner and left.

I noticed Yalcamara staring at my leg.

"There a problem, Sergeant?"

"You're leg's really swollen, sir. Obvious, now that I can see them side by side. I'd say it was a good thing you're here."

Propping myself up, I looked down. She was right.

An middle-aged woman in green scrubs with a stethoscope and carrying a tablet in her hand came in, accompanied by a nurse. "Lieutenant Kandikan? I'm told you have a gunshot wound." She moved around to the side of the bed. "I'm Captain Gantrani. I presume this is the affected area?"

She handed the tablet to the nurse and squeezed below the wound site.

I saw white spots before my eyes, then I felt dizzy and laid back. "Seven hells! That hurts!"

Talking to the nurse, she said, "See the discoloration above and below the bandage lines?" Turning to me, she continued, "Lieutenant, we need to open this up and drain it. It's infected. If necessary, can you afford nano-treatment?"

"Yes." My leg really throbbed. "Gods above."

Doctor Gantrani went to the computer terminal and brought up my information. "I see here we already have your genome and phenome profile. An accident while at the Academy I see. That saves us some time. There's a free room available for the drainage, and ... you're in luck, the Nano-Treatment is available in two hours. If everything goes well, you'll be out of here in four hours."

Yalcamara grabbed my trousers while they wheeled me out. Down the corridor, two turns, and into a room with real walls. Two more nurses entered, bringing in pans and instruments.

One nurse pushed my hip up, wiped it with alcohol, and gave me two shots, almost in the same spot. She smiled as she rubbed the area, working it into the muscle, then set me back down.

Another two shots, one above the knee and another in the calf, below the wound sites. My leg began to feel numb. Then they strapped me down.

They set up a work area around my leg, and the doctor put on a clear plastic vest and face cover.

"This might hurt a bit. Nurse, hold his leg." Reaching in with the scalpel, she sliced along the bandage area. Most of it was absorbed into the skin. Then a flash of pain.

"Kali's throbbing cunt!" I swore.

Then a release of pressure. Like a boil, the blood suddenly burst forth, splashing the doctor, and then began to drain. The doctor signaled, and a nurse worked a control. The bed began turning sideways.

Doctor Gantrani grinned at me. "In my line, I hear all kinds of things. That's a new one, though. Vulgar – and yet politically aware at the same time. You may not be aware of it, but the Vedan government is re-investigating her case. Sriri Kali, Governor-General of Kolicott, has advocates who say her methods may have been brutal, but they saved the rest of the Kingdom, and possibly even the rest of the world from a terrible plague, keeping it contained within the city. Some of the medical research is finally becoming public, thirty years after the fact. Fascinating, don't you think?"

Without waiting for a response, she spoke to her assistant. "Nurse Milla, set him up with a saline IV. We'll let him drain for five minutes. I'll be right back, and then I'll flush it and check to see if I need to do any digging or cutting."

"Yes, doctor."

I laid there. My entire leg throbbed, even with the local anesthetic. I closed my eyes and waited.

The doctor and two nurses left. The third one monitored the drainage while typing away on the computer in the corner.

When the doctor and a male nurse returned, more equipment was wheeled in, and a third, female nurse behind them.

"We're going to put you under now, Kandikan. In a short–"

Before anyone could react, the third nurse stabbed the doctor. The doctor's voice deepened, growling. The attacking nurse then pulled out a small stunner from her lab jacket and shot the male nurse trying to put a gas mask over me. The other nurse screamed.

Yalcamara and Stimmi both drew their weapons. "Hands up!" Yalcamara barked. Then she shoved the screaming nurse back. "Stay out my line of fire, stupid bitch! Hands up, you! Or I will shoot!"

The nurse reefed the knife into the doctor again, then pulled it out. The doctor's body flickered once, then fell to the floor. Draconian!

The woman held up the bloody knife and the stunner. "I mean you no harm. Doctor Grantani is alive but seriously injured in a nearby closet. The other one must die as well."

"Who are you?" I gasped out.

"You couldn't pronounce my real name, but you can call me Isha. I am here to stop these two from killing you and Captain Tlacotli. Not all draconians mean ill to humanity, Ranji Kandikan. And we consider eating human children – children of any sentient being – to be barbaric and repulsive. I belong to the Order of Quetzal. We are doing what we can, but we are few, and there are greater needs on other worlds."

"So you're–"

"Yes, I am also draconian. Please, I must finish and be out of here."

"All right. You could have let them kill me. I'll give you that. But I want to hear more from you later."

Immediately, she bent over, rifling through the dead one. I recognized the plasma gun she found. It was already starting to collapse in on itself, and to give off a foul stink. The stunned one began to stir, and she literally jumped over and with an underhand strike, stabbed him under the chin. He jerked once and then lay still. Isha retrieved a second plasma gun, putting both into her pocket.

As her hand was on the door, I yelled, "Stop! Wait. Will you show yourself?"

She gave me an odd look. "A moment only. Then I must vanish or I will be caught." She touched something on her belt, and her image flickered and faded. The copper-skinned woman was replaced by a female draconian. More gracile in form, the snout was much smaller, and the face appeared more humanoid than reptilian. The vest and short skirt were almost iridescent. What was startling were her double eyes. In the large orbital sockets, the inner set were blue, while the outer set were green-gold. She gave me a weird smile, then winked as she touched her belt. The copper-skinned woman in nurse's attire returned.

Speaking Vedan, she warned, "Be careful at Sparanztlo."

Unlocking the door, she bolted out into the hallway. It was chaos, with people running back and forth. The other nurse ran out, yelling, adding to the noise.

"Fuck me," Stimmi rasped out. "Did you see those freaky eyes?"

Yalcamara put away her pistol. "Yeah, I did. Gave me the jitters. You believe her, Lieutenant?"

"She made a pretty convincing case. I don't know. Can you get my bed turned right side up?"

Stepping around the other side, Yalcamara studied the control a moment, tried a switch, and the bed began moving, beginning to tilt me upside down. She quickly reversed it.

"Oh, gods, what is that smell?" Stimmi complained.

"Stimmi, shut the fuck up and focus! Help me get the Lieutenant down, and out of here. Then we will flag down some actual human doctors. You're bleeding, sir. It's slow, but you will bleed out if we don't get you help."

"Doyya says she loves her job," I told her, "And that it gets more fun every day."

Yalcamara released my restraints. She blinked as she pulled my arm over her shoulder. "Are you shining me on, sir?"

Stimmi got on the other side.

"I don't think so. Ask her yourself, later. Aren't you having fun with your job?"

After giving me a weird look she stepped out into the hallway. "Wounded man bleeding here! Emergency! Stat!"

Stimmi murmured, "What does stat mean, Sarge?"

"Gods, if I know. I heard it used on a video drama once. It's gotta mean something, don't it?"

I burst out laughing. People started taking notice, especially as I bled onto the tile floor.

Half an hour later, I was fading out as my body was being lowered into a nutrient tank swimming with nano-bots galore.

It was after five bells when I woke up. Stimmi was sitting in a chair near my bed, munching happily on potato wedges with some sort of white sauce.

Setting down his food, Stimmi stood up. "Hey! He's awake!"

A nurse came in and checked me over, then left.

"How ya' doing, Lieutenant?" he asked.

"A little foggy yet, but better. My leg doesn't hurt at all." He peered at me, then nodded. "That crazy look is gone, too. Was kind of cool, seeing you in the tank. It frothed and bubbled like crazy around your leg, then got quiet. Ten minutes later, they pulled you out. You've been asleep for the past two hours."

"Where's the Sergeant?"

"She went to the latrine. She should be back soon. Want a potato wedgie? I have some dill sauce to go with it."

The fried odor hit my nose and my stomach rumbled, but I was too fuzzy yet to worry about food. "Thanks, but not right now."

The doctor came to check me up. I hadn't seen him before. Using a pen light, he checked my eyes, then tested reflexes. Satisfied, he moved his hand along my right calf.

"Anything?"

No pain at all. "Feels normal."

"Good. Give the drugs another ten minutes to wear off, and then you can go. Recommend you wait a half hour before eating though."

"Thanks. How's Dr. Gantrani?"

Startled, he looked at me. "Uh, she's recovering. She'll be released in a couple of days. You know her?"

"She was treating me when she was attacked. Just wanted to see how she was doing."

He nodded. "I'll let her know you asked. That's it, Lieutenant. Ten minute wait, half hour before any food. You can go now."

A little fuzzy, I spotted my uniform on a nearby chair. Yanking off the hospital gown, I slid off the bed and stood up. Stimmi put down his food and hovered.

Just as I was pulling on my underwear, Yalcamara entered the room. She blinked, then grinned. "Nice to see you, Lieutenant. You look a lot better."

Just then, my phone buzzed. Reaching into the trousers, I retrieved it.

"Ranji? They're cutting me loose early. Can you–?"

I grinned. "I'll be there in ... fifteen minutes, my beautiful Warrior."

She laughed. "Okay, Ranji. I can't wait to see you!"

"Any time, and anything, Janetta."

"Bye." She disconnected.

"That Captain Tlacotli, sir?" Yalcamara asked.

"Yes, how'd you know?"

She glanced lower.

I looked down. I was fully hard and hadn't even realized it.

"That's quite the statement," she grinned. "From nothing to impressive in like five seconds. It says a lot about you and about her. I hope she knows and appreciates it."

"I do my best, Sergeant. And she does." Shirt next, then stepped into my trousers.

Stimmi mumbled something.

"What are you going on about, Private?" she demanded.

"I said, my butt's skinnier." He stared at the floor.

"Stimmi, just because I admire the scenery doesn't mean I'm going to jump on it," she growled. "Do I get on your case when I catch you looking at some woman's ass or her tits? Fair is fair. Use your bigger head to think with. It works better."

He frowned, then slowly nodded. "You're right. Fair is fair, Sergeant."

Sitting down in the chair, I put on my socks and shoes and tied them. Fully dressed, I picked up my satchel and slipped the strap over my head. I saw my weapon belt on Yalcamara's shoulder. She passed it over, along with my ID lanyard.

She handed it to me. "Upstairs, sir?"

"Yep. Two to pick up. We'll drop them off at the house, then we'll swing by work. I want to check in. I have to pick up my vehicle, too."

Pulling out my phone, I dialed Ixma.

"Hello?"

"Ixma? Ranji here. I'm picking up Janetta and Nariya. We'll be there in about forty minutes."

"What? But we're still moving furniture and unpacking! Everything's still a mess! Oh, gods. Calia!" Then she hung up.

"Hello?" I asked. "Ixma?"

The status display on the phone clearly stated no connection.

I just laughed. Janetta was coming home!

* * * * *

My excitement was such that I half-walked, half-trotted down the hall to her door. Yalcamara and Stimmi hurried to catch up.

There were two marines in the room when I entered. I also saw that Zinja was missing from her bed. I was pleased to note that both marines were armed with Wampag Talon pistols instead of their usual Chon .44 Peacemakers.

Besides the marines, Cholan, and Nariya were there, watching Janetta sitting on her bed, talking heatedly with the doctor. The two nurses flanking him stood with folded arms, frowning their disapproval. Janetta was dressed in her cyan flight suit, her beret under the left shoulder board, gold diamonds on each shoulder. Oddly, her feet were bare. I was used to seeing her nude, so it was almost a surprise to see her in clothing.

"If I'm being discharged, I am not wearing a foot brace," Janetta proclaimed, "I don't care if it's uncomfortable. My boots are custom-fitted for me. Wrap up the foot if you think it needs it, but I am walking out of here on my own two feet, wearing my combat boots and my boot knives. If I wasn't fit for discharge, you shouldn't have released me. But now you have, and I am getting out of here. Today. Right now. So you better get my boots for me."

"But–" he started.

"You said I could leave today, so I am. Not with a brace. Eagle and Jaguar Warrior, doctor," Janetta snapped. "On my own. Two. Feet."

The doctor waved his arms. "Fine! No running. And definitely no kicking or jumping! The bones in the foot are knitted, but the join is still soft. It needs a few more days – a minimum of two, mind you – for the calcium to finish binding. Too much pressure and you will re-break it, Captain. Go get her stuff, nurse."

The nurse he indicated nodded. "Yes, sir." As she passed Janetta, she muttered, "Bitch."

"No, nurse," Janetta snapped. "I outrank you, so it's Queen Bitch to you, and you better say it with respect, or I will give you a second asshole and I won't need my feet to do it."

Cholan covered her mouth to hide her merriment.

Janetta saw me and her face lit up. In keeping with her preferred reserve in front of strangers, I just grinned like a fool and nodded to her. "Looking good, Captain."

"Thank you, Senior Lieutenant," she acknowledged. Then she watched the doctor, making sure he didn't make any further trouble as she saw it.

The doctor scribbled a quick note on his tablet before moving to check out Cholan.

"You are progressing nicely, Sergeant," he informed her, running his hands over her ribs, poking here and there. More gently, he felt along her jaw. "Another week and you can go home and begin out-patient treatments." He looked at his watch. "You are scheduled for your next nano-treatment right now, so please, follow the nurse."

"Yes, sir," Cholan replied.

The marine corporal motioned, and the second marine moved to wait by the nurse.

Getting off her bed, wearing only her flimsy hospital gown, she stepped into slippers. I did notice she wore my neckerchief, tying off her hair. Cholan looked at me expectantly, but then she headed to the door.