"No, no, no, no!"
I scramble to get out to help her, initially unable to remember how I got inside to begin with.
"Get your shit together!"
9
Ree
My hand is still trembling as I press the touchscreen 'open' option, but my mind is back under control.
I take a relieved, painful breath when it allows me to exit. After being stuck in a cell for weeks, the thought of being trapped in an even smaller space is terrifying.
I push myself out, gritting my teeth against the pain and then hobble over to Silver, my heart breaking when she continues to lay still. Then I see the slight movement of her breathing as I keep moving toward her and let out a relieved whistle.
I don't like the idea of moving her without knowing if she has spinal injuries, but her weight is steadily making the broken glass-like material of the chamber cut deeper and deeper into her stomach.
It goes against my training, but it's better to risk permanent spinal injury than to leave her to die to gravity. I put my arms under hers, then lift with all my strength.
She slips out and I tumble backwards under her weight, then shift her off of me.
I feel terrible when I see the deep scores I've left down her hips and legs because I wasn't able to fully lift her body off the jagged edge.
Then it occurs to me that considering how much larger she is than me, deep scrapes are a small price. She's a tall, curvy woman. I'm not even sure how I could lift her at all.
In fact, now that I no longer have that spike in strength, I struggle to drag her away from her chamber so I can lay her flat.
I have to take a moment to catch my breath and steady my shaking hands, then I ensure her neck is stabilized. Her stomach and head are bleeding heavily and I have nothing to use to staunch the blood flow. Nothing to use to stitch it up.
Her pulse is still steady and her breathing is even. It's possible her nanites will heal this, but I have no proper way to know.
I look around wildly, already knowing there is nothing here to help me, but still hoping.
There is no longer any light coming from the ship, with just our chambers providing internal illumination. I look up at the ceiling, noting that there is some muted natural light coming from above. It's a miracle we landed upright.
I'll have to figure out a way to get up there and see where we are, but that will have to wait.
I feel sick at how helpless I am.
I'm a trained professional, but I'm used to having a hospital and all its many tools available to me. I know that without them I can do very little to save this woman.
I jerk my head toward my cryochamber, realizing it's her best option. I hate the idea of putting her back into what equates to a jail cell. After her last experience, they are probably her absolute worst nightmare.
I hope she'll know that my intent differs greatly from the slimes when they put her in the one that lays broken open behind us.
I clench my jaw against my pain, hoping I'm not about to cause her further injury, and then start dragging her the few feet needed to get her to the base of my chamber. I step on broken glass, hissing in pain but simply keep pulling.
I doubt she has much time.
When I get her there, I'm unsure how I can get her in it.
I try to heave her up, but the small burst of strength I had in order to save her from the broken chamber doesn't come a second time.
"Think, dammit!"
I haven't been this rattled in years, but there is a process to follow and tools to use in an ER.
Here I have nothing and living in terror for weeks has left me frayed.
