Page 41

“My ankle pinches a bit, but I can stand.” Avel twisted a piece of pipe before shutting the panel. “That should do for now.”

“That was a close call.” Holly’s insides shook as she realized how close they’d been to dying.

Avel tucked a wrench into his belt before scrambling back up toward Holly. He pulled himself into the seat next to her, the concern clear in his eyes. “It was. I tried to wake you after I came to, but you weren’t responding. I kept an eye on you, but I had to get the oxygen supply fixed or we wouldn’t have lasted long.”

“Of course!” A smile wobbled across her lips. “We have to be able to breathe.”

Avel reached out as if to touch her cheek but pulled back. “I was worried about you.”

Holly’s eyes widened as she saw a deep gash on Avel’s forehead. “You’ve hit your head.”

He shrugged. “The damn belt buckle came loose and hit me.”

“And your ankle?”

“The seat crushed my foot.” He grimaced. “I had to yank it free, so I could seal off the leaking oxygen supply.”

That didn’t sound like fun. “I need to treat your injuries.”

“I’ve handled them so far on my own.”

Holly could tell by Avel’s ash gray complexion that he wasn’t doing well. “Do you have a medical kit?”

“Sure.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Then I’m treating you.”

He frowned but nodded. “Over your head to the right, there are medical supplies.”

Holly eased herself out of her seat and rested her thighs against the back as she pulled open the cabinet. She took out a medical kit before shuffling back into her seat. She opened it to find a few basic supplies and was relieved when there were several nano-med patches. They’d speed up Avel’s healing. The worst of his pain would be gone in a few hours.

She cleaned his head wound first, taking care as she applied a nano-med patch over the cut. “It should feel better soon.”

“It already does with you taking care of me.”

Her gaze ran over him. “Anywhere else?”

“Just my ankle,” he whispered. His gaze remained on Holly as she carefully placed his right foot on her leg.

She grimaced. His foot was horribly swollen, the skin bright red and hot to the touch. She had no idea if anything was broken. Nano-med patches were good, but the small patches he had in this kit wouldn’t heal a broken bone.

A stifled groan came from Avel’s mouth as she shifted his foot.

“Sorry, I know this hurts. We have to get this treated, or you might get an infection.”

“Stick a nano-med patch on it, and I’ll be fine.”

Holly doubted that. She carefully moved the foot, and he groaned again.

“Stars! Holly, are you trying to kill me?”

“I need to know how bad it is.”

“It’s bad. It hurts like hell. That’s all you need to know.”

She glared at him, but her expression softened when she saw the pain etched on his face. “I’ll be as gentle as I can.” She eased up the leg of his pants and applied nano-med patches on the bruising. “How’s that?”

When he didn’t reply, she glanced up. Avel’s eyes were closed, and his head lolled to the side. The pain must have been too much.