Zac
T’arq had been able to not only dodge the second Xakul ship, but he’d got them back to the Zataras in record time. The trip had been bumpy, but none of them were complaining. Thanks to Laila, they had retrieved the intelligence data they had been looking for, and they were now safely on the starship and making their way back to the space station orbiting Taurus.
Thankfully, everyone had made it back alive, if not entirely unscathed.
As soon as the shuttle docked, Zac had raced down the ramp with Laila in his arms. The body armor that encased his chest and back had barely stopped two rounds from the Xakul cannons, but he was heedless of the pain. He paused only to place her on a gurney pushed by staff from medical. Their white uniforms with red bands on their sleeves marking their profession.
They raced through the corridors of the Zataras to the medical ward, as Zac followed. Bright white light filled the space, and staff moved quickly. The human doctor, Amelia O’Malley, was pulling on a pair of gloves as she started barking questions.
“Injuries?” The one word question was snapped, Zac replying automatically, years of battlefield experience coming to life. He quickly listed her injuries that he had dressed, the dash to the shuttle, and how she had lost consciousness.
Amelia nodded as she quickly stripped Laila of her bloodied uniform and pulled a mobile scanner to the bed to check for internal injuries.
“CJ, help me turn her so I can check if there's anything else.” As the team got to work, Zac realized he was in the way, and moved to stand against the wall.
“She's lost a lot of blood and gone into shock.” Amelia announced, “We’ll do everything we can, but there are no guarantees.”
Zac swallowed, unable to speak, watching as Laila was hooked up to what seemed like an incredible number of wires and tubes.
She seemed so small, lying there, unconscious, and his heart ached for her. Had he lost her forever? He had been so stupid! If she died, not knowing how he felt... he choked, unable to hold back. Quiet tears fell as he watched her lay deathly still on the examination table.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. She had fought until the bitter end, never giving up.
She would make it, she had to.
* * *
Zac opened his eyes, realizing he had fallen asleep. He’d lost track of how long he’d been waiting, and started when he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning to see CJ hand him a cup of coffee.
The small waiting area was cramped, with hard chairs that made it impossible to get comfortable, but he was so exhausted he’d fallen asleep anyway.
“Here, this will help,” she said with a tired smile.
“Thank you.” He took the cup and sipped. He looked around the room, noticing for the first time that the entire team had crammed themselves into the small space. Domik was leaning against the wall. Oren was pacing and rubbing his temples. CJ had dropped to a chair next to Zac, and T’arq had stretched out across two chairs, legs dangling over the arm as he snored softly.
“I don’t think I’ve thanked you for coming to get us,” Zac said, looking around at the small group.
“No way would we leave Laila behind!” CJ laughed at Zac's raised eyebrow. “But you?” CJ said, “You've made her life a misery ever since we arrived. I'm not sure I would have gone back for you.”
“Oh, come on, CJ!” Domik jabbed her with his elbow. “Give the guy a break. It's obvious he's got a thing for her.”
“But is it obvious toher?” CJ grumbled under her breath, folding her arms over her chest and glaring at Domik.
Zac paused, cup halfway to his lips. Did Laila not realize how he felt?
“Uh, Commander Qu’Rell?”
Oren’s head jerked up at the woman’s voice.
Zac shot to his feet. “Yes?”
The doctor turned to Zac with a tired smile. “I’m Dr. O’Malley. You can see her now.”
“She's awake? Is she going to be alright?” Zac paused at the doorway.
“No, she's not awake, and she may not regain consciousness for a while. I expect her to recover fully, but it will take time. She spent a long time in the medical scanner.”
The group sighed collectively, relieved to hear the news.
