Reckless Rescue (6 page)

Disappointment swamped Marlee. Her mother had done this all her life, telling her not to get excited about something, just in case. She stuck out her lower lip. A spaceship had just fallen out of the sky, and the injured pilot was right here. She had every right to be excited! “The Hylista,” she said.

“What?” Her mother looked confused.

“The ship. It’s called the Hylista. That’s what it says on the side anyway.”

Her mother stared at her for a moment.

“Even if his ship isn’t repairable, the Colonies will send another one, won’t they?” Jaimma asked.

“We don’t know if the Colonies even sent him.” Kalim stepped forward and eyed the man lying on the stretcher. His brow creased.

The urge to stand between Kalim and the man was strong. As though a suspicious stare could hurt him. What a silly thought. The man was unconscious. A look wasn’t going to bother him.

“Well, why else would he be here?” Jaimma asked.

“Because of the anysogen, you moron.” Weiss pushed his way to the front of the crowd and looked down at the unconscious pilot, his eyes narrow. The scowl on her stepfather’s rough, lined face sent a chill through her, and it took all her willpower not to take a step back.

Weiss ignored her. “No one is going to rescue us, not after all this time. They’re only here for the fuel.”

Everyone fell silent, as though his words had drained all their excitement. Weiss had a way of doing that.

“What does it matter if he is?” Marlee said, her voice rising. “Either way, we’ll get off this planet!” Longing filled her chest.

“Right now, our first concern is for his well-being,” Yasmyn interrupted. She turned to Karla, who was still bent over the motionless body. “How is he?”

The diversion worked. Everyone’s eyes turned to the nurse as she gently pressed on his torso a few more times before she pulled herself up on her cane. “He has no broken ribs, and other than the injury on his head, I can’t find anything major wrong. He has a serious concussion, but we’re going to have to wait until he wakes to find out anything else. All I can do is make him comfortable and watch for any signs of fever that might indicate an infection.”

Marlee looked down at him, and licked her lips. “Surely there’s something you can do? Some herbs? Or a poultice?” Karla often lamented the absence of the sophisticated equipment that they had left behind on Semala, but since none of them could increase her fertility, Marlee had never felt the lack herself. Until now.

Karla nodded. “Of course, Marlee. I can give him something to reduce any swelling or bruising. He looks young and healthy. He has a high chance of surviving.”

Marlee bit back a sigh. She didn’t want a ‘high chance’. She wanted a guarantee.

“Where’s Nerris? He went looking for you,” Kalim said.

“He and Nelor stayed behind to examine the spaceship,” Beren said.

Kalim frowned and looked out the window. “I hope they have shelter from this storm.” As he spoke, the dull roar of the rain increased. Lumps of ice bounced on the grass outside, quickly turning the area white. Marlee winced. Was Nelor okay? Had they stayed at the ship, or were they on their way home and caught in this?

“There they are,” Jaimma called out, pointing out the window. “They just went into Brenda’s house. I saw them.”

Marlee couldn’t see what she was pointing at from this distance, but she couldn’t leave the stranger to look. Jaimma had seen them, so Nelor was safe. She turned back to the stretcher. Was the pilot looking paler?

“We should go out there as soon as the storm is over,” Belac said, stepping up beside Weiss. “Maybe we could bring the ship back to the village.”

Marlee shook her head. Belac was so similar to her stepfather, but she wasn’t afraid of him. “It’s too big to move,” she said. “We’ll have to go out there to repair it. As soon as the pilot wakes.” She wished she knew his name. Would it be something that sounded as exciting and exotic as the name on his ship?

Kalim exchanged a glance with the other elders.

What was wrong? Surely they could see the possibilities. “If we can repair it quickly, we might be back in the Colonies before winter hits,” Marlee said.

The other council members were frowning as well. Marlee opened her mouth to say more, but before she could speak, Kalim turned back to Karla. He had to yell to be heard over the storm. “Do you have room for him in your house?”

Marlee froze. She didn’t want the stranger to go to Karla’s. If he did, she wouldn’t see him again. Her stomach clenched.

Karla shook her head. “There is no need for him to be near me. There is little I can do for him besides the initial care. I already have Talta and her daughter staying, the child’s arm has a bad break, and I need to make sure she doesn’t move it too much before it has a chance to heal. I don’t want any excitement around her right now.”

The council began discussing options.

“Balac has a spare bed. He could go there.”

“No, Jenka has moved back home now that the baby is nearly due. She wants to be near her mother in case she has difficulties.”

“Well how about Brenda? She could move some of the children around to make a spare bed. They could share for a week or two?”

The definitive shake of Karla’s head stopped them. “I don’t think he should stay in a house with children. Not when we know nothing about him.”

“He can stay with me,” Marlee blurted out. As soon as she said it she couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of it earlier. It was perfect! She tried not to smile, to look properly serious.

Everyone turned to stare at her.

Her mother frowned, but she didn’t say no outright. “You don’t have a spare bed.”

“I can sleep on a pallet on the floor. I have a whole house to myself. I have more than enough room.” The rain stopped abruptly, right as she spoke, leaving her shouting in the sudden silence. She took a deep breath to slow the words tumbling out of her mouth. She tried to think of something she could add that would convince them, but when nothing came to her, she kept silent.

They had to agree. She couldn’t bear it if he disappeared off into someone else’s home where she would only see him if she could come up with an excuse to visit.

Her mother had spent the last two weeks trying to push her to invite someone to move in with her. Surely she wouldn’t say no when Marlee was asking. Just to be sure her mother got the picture, she let her eyes stray to the stranger, let them linger on his face, and let a smile turn up the corners of her mouth.

She hoped it worked. She’d do whatever it took to get off this planet, away from the council’s rules, even pretend to be attracted to the handsome stranger.

What she felt wasn’t real attraction, it couldn’t be. The excitement bubbling along her veins was because of what he represented. A world she had never seen. A world without the hardships and restrictions they faced here. A world where she could make her own choices.

She examined his face one last time, as if she could see an imprint of that world in its shape. If… no
when
… he woke up, perhaps he would talk to her about it.

Everyone turned to Yasmyn, and Marlee held her breath. Her mother pursed her lips, regarding her through narrowed eyes. Then she smiled and shrugged. “If you are willing Marlee, that would be satisfactory. We can see about more permanent accommodations once he is well.”

Marlee squeezed her hands together tightly, trying to maintain her adult demeanour. He was hers. For now at least. Permanent wouldn’t matter because once he woke up, he could take them all away.

“Karla, see him settled at Marlee’s. Do what you can for him.” Yasmyn turned to the council. “We must discuss this. There is much to consider.”

Marlee sprinted ahead of Karla and the two men bearing the stretcher, being careful not to slip in the mud. She was glad of the excuse to run. The frozen rain still littered the ground, though it was already beginning to melt in the sun, which had returned with as little notice as it had disappeared.

She arrived panting and leaned on the doorframe for a few moments to catch her breath. As she looked around the small house, she saw it through new eyes. It was small: a bed in a tiny curtained alcove near the fireplace, and an even smaller bathroom off that. She and Nelor had built it together two summers ago. They hadn’t needed much room.

What would the stranger think of her home? How would it compare to what he was used to? The room on his ship wasn’t very big either, but it was so different. Everything there was smooth and shiny. It would be easy to wipe down, easy to keep clean. Not like the wood and dirt here. She sighed. It would have to do. It was all she had.

Bustling into the bedroom, she pulled back the covers on the bed, looking at the sheet. There wasn’t time to wash it. At least it didn’t get as sweaty in winter. She plumped up the feather pillows, determined he would be comfortable at least.

The stretcher arrived, and two men helped Karla lay the unconscious man out on the bed before leaving to see what damage the storm had done. Marlee heated water and brought rags to Karla as she cleaned and bandaged the wound on the man’s head.

They worked in companionable silence until Karla straightened up with a groan, stretching with a hand in the small of her back. “There’s nothing more I can do. Keep a close eye on him, and call me if his temperature rises or if he wakes.”

Marlee nodded, and Karla left, leaving her alone with him at last.

She sat beside the bed, studying his face. He couldn’t be very old, maybe a little older than Nelor. Despite the shadow she’d noticed earlier, his face was clean shaven, and when she reached out to touch it, it was almost as smooth as her own.

How had he ended up here? Was he here to rescue them, or just for the anysogen, as Weiss suggested? What had happened to his ship? Why had he crashed? Would he be okay?

So many questions. And none could be answered until he woke. A sigh escaped her lips. She desperately wanted to talk to him.

A trace of guilt stirred in her heart. She should be worrying about Nelor, not the stranger. Hopefully he hadn’t been hurt on his way back from the spaceship. Perhaps he and Nerris could repair it. They knew a lot about ships.

Restlessness overcame her, and she busied herself setting up a pallet on the floor and putting on some stew for dinner. She tidied here and there, coming back often to check on him. He didn’t move. His breathing was even, if shallow, and there was nothing she could do but wait.

And wait she did, sitting around for several hours as he lay there. She began to worry. Maybe she should get Karla.

She rested her hand on the unconscious man’s forehead. It felt a little warm. Did he have a fever, or was that his normal temperature? She bit her lip. When she was a child, her mother had kissed her forehead to check if she was too hot, telling her that the sensitivity of her lips could tell temperature changes more accurately.

She frowned. Kissing his forehead didn’t seem quite right, but if he was developing a temperature, the sooner she identified it the better. Concern convinced her, and she bent and touched her lips to his brow lightly.

It felt smooth and warm. Just the right amount of warm.

“Psst! Marlee!” The voice at the window made her jump back, her heart thudding in her chest.

“Nelor!” She ran across the room to take his hands through the window. Had he seen her kissing the stranger? She hoped not. “What are you doing here?”

“Beren told me that you asked to come and dig with me this morning.” He smiled gently at her. “And that the council wouldn’t let you.”

Nelor stroked her hair awkwardly. “I know it’s hard right now, Marlee. I miss you too, but the council is right. It will be easier if we both accept that things are over.”

Marlee felt like she’d been head-butted in the stomach by a goat. She had that same feeling of all the air rushing out of her lungs, followed by the knowledge that in a few minutes, she’d be on her behind in the dirt. She jerked back, out of his arms. “How can you agree with them?” Her eyes filled with tears.

“We don’t have any choice, Marlee. The sooner we both move on, the sooner we can get back to being friends, without the council worrying. We knew this might happen when we moved in together. If you keep insisting that you’re not going to find anyone else, the council will continue to keep us apart.” His voice was edgy. Was he annoyed with her? Annoyed that she missed him and wanted to be with him.

She pulled back further into the house, suddenly glad there was a wall between them. “That’s not fair,” she said. She refused to admit that his words made a twisted sort of sense.

“Life isn’t always fair.” Nelor’s words held regret. “But that’s the way it is.” He glanced at the man in the bed behind her. “I bet he didn’t think crashing was fair either. Do you think he’ll survive?”

He was changing the subject, but Marlee was too upset to change it back. “He has to.” She refused to let any element of doubt enter her mind.

“I hope so.” Nelor stared at the bed for a while then turned to her, his face resolute. “Marlee, have you thought about asking him to live with you? He hasn’t been on the planet for more than a day. If anyone can give you a child, he can.”

Marlee’s jaw dropped. Did he think she had offered to have the man stay here because she wanted a baby? How could he say such a thing? Couldn’t he see? “Why do I need a child if we can escape from here? We could be together again.”

Nelor’s shook his head sadly. “Dad thinks the spaceship is unrepairable. We couldn’t even get the power to come on. I don’t think anyone is going to be leaving any time soon.”

So that was why he was pulling back! It all made sense now. She glanced back at the man lying in the bed behind her. His head tossed from side to side. She turned back to Nelor. “Why is everyone being so negative? I won’t believe that nothing can be done to fix it. That ship is nothing like ours. Maybe he turned the power off? Or there could be ways to fix it that Nerris knows nothing about.”

She refused to give up hope. The alternative was unbearable.