Laila protested, sitting up. She realized she had been so busy for the last week that protein bars and cups of coffee had been her only sustenance. She sighed, “Ok, so maybe I haven’t been eating as much as I should.”
Turning to the medic, she asked, “Why didn’t the human doctor come?”
“Dr. O’Malley?” The medic asked. Laila nodded. “She’s not on shift tonight. Commander Qu’Rell called when you wouldn’t wake up. I’ve checked your vitals, and as well as the fatigue, your nutrient levels are very low.”
Zac eased her back onto the bed and turned to the medic. “Is there anything she needs to do?”
The medic snapped her kit shut, shouldering the bag as she turned to face Laila. “You should be under supervision until you recover. Apart from food, you need hydration.”
Laila protested as a matter of course, but she had to admit she felt shitty, like she had come down with a cold.
“I’ll check in on her and make sure she rests,” Zac said, thanking the medic, who nodded and left the room.
Laila looked at him in surprise. “You don’t need to stay here, I’ll be fine.” She struggled to sit up in bed, but gave up, lying back down amongst the pillows, her obvious exhaustion at odds with her claims of health.
“I’ve ordered some food for you. Someone will bring it up from the mess.”
“I feel like an idiot. I can take care of myself,” she protested, rising up on her elbows.
“You’re in no fit state to go to the mess, so it was logical to have food brought to you.”
She hated to admit it, but he was right. She settled back into the pillows as the door chimed. Zac opened it to speak with someone in the hall. He returned with a tray of covered dishes.
“Is that chicken soup?” She asked, her appetite picking up as the familiar smell filled the room.
Zac chuckled. “There are several Earth recipes in our databases. The most popular is pizza... and a squishy circular dessert covered in sugar that I have never seen before. Its appeal escapes me.”
Laila frowned in concentration. “You don’t mean donuts?” She squealed in delight.
“I guess that’s what they are. There’s a selection of other things here,” he said, placing the tray on a low table and lifting the covers to show that there were indeed donuts.
Donuts in space. Laila sent thanks to whichever enterprising human had thought of this.
Zac arranged the food next to the bed and then propped her up with pillows, and settled down to sit next to her. He passed her the bowl and a spoon, clearly waiting for her verdict on the food. Laila took a tentative taste of the soup and groaned as the taste exploded on her tongue.
“This is good!” She quickly devoured the rest of the soup, Zac taking the empty bowl from her hands.
She closed her eyes, stomach full, “Why are you doing this?”
Zac’s behavior towards her over the last week had been almost dismissive. And now this? She didn’t know what to think.
He moved to swing his legs up onto the bed so they were sitting side by side.
“I don’t know,” he admitted, sounding surprised by the admission. “I had every intention of looking for you after I had dealt with T’arq’s mess that first night.”
“I didn’t want to leave, you know,” she whispered.
Zac turned to look at her. “I had hoped that was the case. I was wrong to doubt you. There was no way you could have known who I was in the beginning… it must have come as a shock.” He shook his head, dropping his hand. “I'm sorry about the simulation. How I have acted. I have hurt you, and I apologize.”
She smiled, the sincerity in his tone soothing the memory of her anger and hurt. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
“I know. When I'm alone with you, I want to...”
Laila's heart felt like it would take off. “You want to what?” She looked at him, nervous about what he would say.
His eyes dropped to her lips, his gaze heating. “I want to do so many things, Iriska.”
Iriska?Hold on, had Zac just called her a pet name in Taurean?
Zac bent his head towards her, his eyes glazed, and all thoughts of asking him what it meant disappeared. Laila's tongue flicked out to wet her lip, and he grunted softly. She opened her mouth to speak, but, much to her dismay, a yawn escaped. Zac chuckled and pulled back, the tension broken.
“You're exhausted. Go back to sleep.”
Laila protested, but yawned again, Zac’s lips twitching in a small smile. She attempted to protest, but slipped quickly into sleep, her head pillowed against Zac's brawny arm. He hugged her protectively, the smile never leaving his face.
