Of course, I have no idea what's normal.
"Do people usually wake up instantly? It seemed to happen quickly on the ship."
He shakes his head. "It will take a short while if she isn't jarred awake, but I would work fast to take advantage of the transition."
I get right to work, no need to cut off clothing like we would in the ER because she is still naked.
As I rapidly close the wound up, the tool incredibly awkward in my hand and my work not nearly as neat as I would like, I try to ignore my rage over what's been done to her.
Thivoll must sense it because he purrs and nothing about this is pleasant so it can only be meant to soothe me.
I finish up in just a few minutes, my hands sticky with blood and nothing to wipe it on. I end up smearing it on the interior of the chamber, hoping it seals off the scent.
I move up to feel her head. There are several large bumps under her thick mass of silver curls. I grunt as I try to wrangle her hair out of the way so I can feel better. Thivoll reaches forward to help me.
"No," I blurt out and he snatches his hand back. "Sorry. I just would prefer to give her a choice in her transformation. If we can."
He nods. "I hadn't thought. That's a good idea."
I don't like what I find on her head. "Could you turn the chamber light on for just a moment?"
He complies, and I waste no time in peeling her eyelids back. As I suspected, her sclera and iris are the same light green that sometimes shows in her hair, just like my aquamarine eyes.
But the pupils are far too large. "Are my pupils, the inner black part I mean, as big as hers?"
I look up to Thivoll so he can better compare. "No, yours are much smaller."
I groan. Not good.
"I can't say for certain with her still unconscious, but considering how dilated her pupils are she at the very least has a concussion. I'd guess that since she won't wake up, it's severe. I'm afraid she might have brain damage, Thivoll."
"You're probably correct. She should have come out of stasis by now."
I frown, feeling helpless again. Nothing we will ever find in a hunter's camp could solve this issue.
He pats my shoulder, careful to keep his distance from Silver. "We have done for her what we can. Getting her back in stasis so it can keep her stable while her nanites work is her best hope."
I nod and move out of the way so he can close it. As the gas puffs back over her, I feel sick at heart.
"I wish we could have at least dressed her. It isn't right, Thivoll."
His purr starts up again. "What we can do is find a safer place for her and move her there. Then keep returning to her with supplies as we wait until the chamber stops functioning."
I know he's right but I have a hard time accepting that I have to keep leaving her. "What if I stay?"
He doesn't speak for a moment. "This may sound heartless, but the smell of her chamber and blood will attract prey. Not all of them will be peaceful and I would rather you stay away from her unless I'm with you."
I don't think he's heartless, but there is a layer of brutality among the practicality. "I don't know, Thivoll. It doesn't feel right."
He huffs out a breath. "I want to respect your freedom, but I'll not hesitate to carry you out of here by force. I'll help you find and protect your fellow humans, but never at the risk of losing you. Never."
His voice is firm and part of me wants to argue, but I also know he's right. Risking myself doesn't help Silver.
My shoulders slump.
"Alright. I'll leave, but I won't feel better until we have her in a less exposed area and have enough supplies so I can nurse her back to health. We need a place you can defend in that scenario. Is that a reasonable compromise?"
He growls low in his throat.
