“We’ll have to wait and see.”
“She’s stable.”
“Yes, I think it’ll be safe to wake her soon.”
The room was way too bright when she, at last, opened her eyes.
The infirmary ceiling again.
“Welcome back, Miss Proctor,” a feminine voice said. Gemma angled her head toward her—a nurse. The nurse held a small cup of water beneath her chin and placed the head of the straw at her lips. “Slow sips, okay?”
Gemma obeyed, thankful for the wetness that dampened her parched throat. “What happened?” Her voice was so weak. She must’ve been unconscious for a while.
“I’ll let the doctor explain that to you,” she replied.
Typical nurse response. Gemma forced her eyes not to roll.
“Would you like me to get your boyfriend? He’s been here almost every day.”
Gemma’s heart raced. She hadn’t yet thought about her friends. “He’s okay?”Oh, praise the stars. “What about Imara Joshi? Hawk Gallowood?”
The nurse raised her hands. “Your friends are here in Zion, and they’ve all been checking in on you. I’ll go tell the doctor and Mister Holm that you’re awake.”
Gemma nodded and thanked the nurse before the woman left her alone.
In Zion, she had said. What happened to the shuttle to Oranos? Were they no longer leaving Reva?
Minutes later, the door to her room flung open, and Christian burst through. His face twisted as a sob broke his tough exterior. Seeing him cry tore Gemma’s heart.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she held out a hand to him. In two strides, he had her in his arms.
“I’ve never been so fucking scared in my entire life,” he said. “When you collapsed...” His chest shook as he wept softly into her hair.
She clung to him. His embrace was her safety, her home. He wasalive—she was alive.
“I told you not to use that shield. I begged you not to give in.” Christian kissed the top of her head.
“I know you did. I’m sorry.”
He didn’t let go for several minutes, as if he feared she’d disappear. She stroked his strong back until, at last, he eased his hold and kissed her. His lips lingered on hers until she reluctantly pulled away, running her thumb against the stubble on his chin.
“What happened to me?” she asked.
Christian sat on her infirmary bed and wiped his eyes. “It was...” He swallowed, his hazel-green eyes pooling again with tears. “They kept you in a drug-induced coma while they ran tests. Those purple cells outnumber your red blood cells now, two to one. I asked as many questions as I could to better understand. They think because you leaned into your abilities so heavily and so fast, it was a ‘catalyst for replication.’ At least, that’s what Doctor Manae said. From what I grasped, the extra nucleotide in your DNA is the only reason those cells are running synchronously with your body.”
Gemma frowned, a lump in her throat. She was truly part alien, down to the very cells in her body. What happened now that she was awake? How long until her body could no longer control this part of her that was far from human?
“They did end up putting an implant in your spinal cord to help slow any . . . impulses. They think that might help keep the cells from replicating as fast as they have been,” Christian added.
She blinked slowly, releasing a deep breath through her nose. The Systems’ scientists were famous for their biomechanical creations. Maybe she’d be okay, after all. She would just have to take it one day at a time.
“How long was I unconscious?”
His jaw flexed. “Ten days.”
Ten days?Gemma’s shoulders sagged. No wonder he was so emotional. Ten days worrying about him would’ve destroyed her.
She took his hand in hers. “I’m so sorry.” A tear dripped from her lashes.
