Davin spent the next hour searching every cot that contained a man matching the description of the one he had seen on the deck of the M.M.S. Iris with the little boy just hours earlier. There was no sign of him. No healer that Davin stopped to ask had seen him either. He was afraid that the boy’s father had been one of the lost. He still needed to check the infirmary below deck. If he had been severely injured in the attack, they would have moved him to a more sterile location.
He also wanted to check in on Alex. He couldn’t trust that she was actually where he’d left her. Knowing her, she was probably trying to help the healers with the other patients in the infirmary. Davin swore she did it just to get a rise out of him; to prove to him that she could and would do whatever she wanted. He descended the last set of stairs into the infirmary. He was so lost in thought that he almost slammed into Janice, the healer with the salt and pepper hair who had initially treated Alex.
“Excuse me. I am incredibly sorry.” She said as she hurriedly sidestepped him.
Davin could see her exhaustion. She hadn’t stopped since he had come aboard and he highly doubted that she would with the amount of injured now needing care.
“No problem, ma’am. I actually needed to speak with you, if you have a minute.”
She looked up, finally realizing who she had bumped into. “Oh, Captain Monroe. How are you?” She asked as she scanned his body for injuries, making a tsking noise at what she saw. “You need to let me tend your wounds.”
Sighing, he dipped his head, indicating that she shouldlead. She led him to a space a little way down the hall, lined with curtained off beds. Healers darted from cot to cot, tending to the wounded. Moans and crying peppered the air.
“I don’t have a bed for you, but I can clean you up here if you would like, or we can use your wife’s room, if you would like more privacy?”
“I need to check in on Alex anyway, so we can just do it there.” He scanned the area, trying to see into each bed. “But I do have a favor to ask. Have you happened upon a gentleman, around my age, dark brown hair? Goes by the name David.”
Janice tilted her head, considering what he had asked before gesturing to a curtained off cot across the room. “I do believe that we have a man by that name down here. He had a decent sized gash in his leg and had taken on quite a bit of water. He seems ok for now, but hasn’t regained consciousness yet. Why do you ask?”
Relief flooded Davin. He only hoped that it was the man he was searching for. “He has a son, up on the main deck. May I see if it is the same gentleman?”
Uncertainty marred Janice’s face before she straightened her shoulders. “I will speak with the healer in charge of his care to attempt to verify if he is the same man you are seeking. I will just be a moment.”
Davin watched as she walked away, disappearing behind the curtain. Leaning his back against the wall, he waited. His body felt heavy, his various injuries throbbing and weariness clouded his mind. The weight of everything he had done, had seen, curdled in his stomach. So many had lost their lives today.
Alex could have been one of them. If she had only listened, then she wouldn’t be laid up in that bed down the hall. If she had allowed him to make that supply run, she never would’ve been attacked to start with. If she had followed orders and stayed in bed during the beast attack, he wouldn’t have had tocarry her, half-naked and bleeding, back to her cabin, to be re-bandaged for a third time in just as many days. The thought of all those men on board seeing her naked ass on display while she pulled citizen after citizen up that ladder…a growl emanated from his chest.
“I do hope that growl wasn’t intended for me, Captain,” Janice said, looking up at him.
Shaking his head, Davin couldn’t help but smile. “No ma’am. I was just lost in thought, is all.”
“Well, then, I will be happy to ease some of your stress. That is the man you were searching for. Once he wakes, we will send a healer to bring his son to him since he cannot be moved.”
Davin’s smile widened, some of the weight lifting off his shoulders. “Yes, that would be wonderful. Thank you. The boy should be with a healer named Hannah up on the main deck.”
“Give me just a moment and then I will see to your injuries.” She turned and walked away without waiting for his response. Still smiling, he headed down the short hall, stopping just outside of Alex’s cabin. Lifting his hand, he rapped on the door.
“Come in.” Alex’s muffled voice came from inside.
Thank Fari. She had actually listened this time. He didn’t have the energy to chase her down tonight. He pushed the door open to find Alex sitting up in bed, a book in her hand. He assumed that she must have stashed it in her pack that the nurses had brought in earlier. Unfamiliar with the title, it looked to be well worn and loved, as if a thousand hands had thumbed through its pages.
“Let me guess. One thousand ways to kill a man.” He said, drawing closer.
“Well, you guessed wrong,” she quipped, before taking a deep breath. “I like a wide range of literature, actually.”
Davin reached a hand out. “May I?”
Alex stared at him but reluctantly handed over the book. “Be careful with it...” her voice trailed off. Davin took the book, turning it over in his hand.
“The Bound Queen,” he smirked. “A romance?”
“Just give it back,” she huffed, holding her hand back out. Davin just smiled wider, gently flipping through the pages.
“Davin!”
“What?” he was beaming now, almost on the verge of laughter. Her face grew more murderous as she glared at him. She started to swing her legs off the bed and he moved. “Fine! Here’s your book! It’s nice to see that you have a soft side, princess.”
A sharp rap on the door saved Davin from whatever nasty retort Alex had been about to say. Swinging the door wide, he stepped back, admitting Janice. If she could sense the tension between them, she didn’t let it show. She was all business, addressing Alex first.
