Dana Cartwright Mission 1: Stiletto (12 page)

She dozed off, revived briefly, shuffled to her office, and stretched out, forgetting entirely to log out of the MCE staff computer.

After a time, the auto sensor turned off the lights, but she was already fast asleep.

Kieran hated the thought of even visiting the MCE ward; and even more so, seeing his Ambassador in the coffin. He used his SSID credentials to gain access to the Ambassador’s private room on the East Ward.

Cray slept straight through, thank the stars. He looked bruised and battered, but stable.
 

Not that Kieran could judge such things. He did notice the doctor’s name on the unit and he warily quizzed the android nurse stationed at the foot of the coffin. “Where is Doctor Cartwright?”

“Doctor is in her office.”

Kieran didn’t bother to ask where it might be. He found a human down the hall as he limped along.

“Francis Calagura — can I help you?” the man asked.

“I’m Colonel Jai.”

“Yes, Colonel, I know who you are. I was at your admission care conference. Looking for Doctor Dana?”

Kieran nodded.

“Straight ahead and last door on the left. Names are on the windows.”

Before Kieran could take a step, Calagura stopped him. “Colonel?”

Kieran turned.

“Dana may not report this, but I think you should know. Earlier today she did an emergency MAT transfer. Somehow — and I dare say this is very suspicious — she was exposed to sodium sulfite. The chemical is extremely toxic to Enturians. Exposure can even be fatal. Now, she said she’d been home at the apartment; and that someone had broke in and did some mischief, but nothing was taken. I…”

Kieran found himself nodding. “I think someone needs to investigate.”

Doctor Calagura nodded. Then the communication system blared, “Doctor Calagura to Intake: code red. Doctor Francis Calagura: code red.”

The Doctor waved a hasty good-bye and started off at a run.

Kieran crept along, pausing before her door.

He took a moment to touch his voice-badge. “Colonel Sierra?”

“Colonel Jai.”

“When you were at Doctor Cartwright’s apartment, did you take any samples?”

“No, sir.”

“Better send someone over there. She reported being in contact with sodium sulfite.”

“Odd… A white crystal… Similar to salt, if I am correct.”

“Yes… Or a powder,” Kieran recalled.

“I do recall Doctor Cartwright wiping up something spilled in the kitchen area.” Sierra commented. “Sulfites are extremely toxic to Enturians.”

“Yes, very.”

“I’ll have Major Perry take care of it right away,” Sierra assured.

“Get back to me.”

“Aye, sir. How is the Ambassador?”

“Resting comfortably… but still in serious condition. I’m very concerned that he’s vulnerable here at MCE.”

“Agreed… Perhaps the Alphan Delegation should take over his care.”

“Contact Doctor Santero. He can be trusted.”

Kieran ended the conversation by tapping his voice-badge; then he knocked lightly and entered Dana Cartwright’s office.

The lights came on, but softly, not glaringly. He spied her on the sofa and smiled, wishing he could stretch out there beside her.

He sank into the visitor chair beside the desk, rotating it around so he could see her, and suffering in silence.

Before long she stirred and looked his way. “Oh,” she scrambled to sit up. “Didn’t hear you come in.”

He nodded, enjoying the sleepy look in her eyes, daydreaming about what it would be like to wake up next to her after a night of passion.

“You’re hurting,” she assessed.

He nodded again.

“Do you trust me?”

He blinked. “You know I do.”
 

She reached for his hand. “Come with me.” She helped him up and steadied him when he tottered.
 

Just holding her hand helped re-establish the telepathic link.
 

I love you,
he immediately told her.

She squeezed his hand just a little harder and led him to a lift.

The aquatic therapy pool area, in the lower most level of the Medical Center East campus, boasted three pools and two whirlpools.

Dana showed Kieran to the stack of men’s swim briefs and the showers and lockers. He was still wearing the
Navitor
sickbay clothing. She suggested he trash the clothing and get something fresh from the digitizer later. Then she ducked into the women’s area to change from her uniform into a ladies’ one-piece swimsuit.

He took longer. She called in, “If you need assistance or…”

“I’m okay,” he assured and soon surfaced. “Stepping into the briefs was a bother.”

Dana led him by the hand to the railing at the shallow end of the nearest pool and guided down five steps into the pleasantly warm water.

“The buoyancy and water viscosity help relieve the pain.” She patiently guided him along the edge, using handholds, until he was chest-deep and she was up to her chin.

“I don’t think I’m up to swimming,” he said.

“Just use the water — stretch — move your legs in gentle movements. Feel your muscles. Test which motions cause pain and which relieve it.” She kept him in sight while jumping up to the side. “I’ll grab some floats.”

He watched and admired her gentle curves, but pretended to be disinterested as she dug in a poolside storage chest.

She returned with four handheld and two long noodles, dropping them into the water from poolside and then stepping in with a splash.
 

“This form of therapy has been used for hundreds of years. We call it, TLC. MCE has a full team of certified aquatic therapy instructors. If you find it helpful, we can schedule assistance.” She demonstrated uses for the floats and watched him for signs of distress.

“I rather like this,” Kieran commented, using the hand floats for additional buoyancy while walking the length of the pool as Dana floated along beside him to the deep end and back.

They floated and played for about an hour before he tired and clung to the side. “Dana? You’re terrific!”

She brightened at the compliment.

“Are there cameras?”

“Yes,” she laughed and blushed, seeing and reading the glint in his eyes. She quickly changed the subject.
 

“The middle pool is about five degrees cooler. The third, normal swimming temperature. Mostly the doctors use it. I don’t recommend the whirlpools while you’re experiencing inflammation; too hot. Causes additional swelling. However, the cooler water may be helpful.”
 

He nodded and reached for her hand.
 

She took his and guided him back to the handrails. While he slowly climbed the stairs, she stowed the floaters they’d used back in the proper storage bins and then went to grab two body towels, wrapping one about her middle and the other about his neck.

“Do you need assistance in the showers?”

His grin, again, made her blush. She offered, “I’ll call an attendant.”

“No, I’ll be fine,” he assured.

Before he turned away, she took a long look at his back, touching specific vertebrae. “Definitely need another dose of anti-inflammatory.” She pointed him to the showers and then ducked into the doctors’ area.

Dana finished before Kieran. She’d unbraided her hair to wash out the pool chemicals and had given it a quick blow dry, but while she waited tied it off to one shoulder and used her fingers to comb through the long strands. Using the digitizer in the shower area, she’d dressed in a fresh MCE uniform, but her clean-room boots. She checked on the Sterillian blade and was affixing her voice-badge while waiting for him.

“Kieran? Are you…”

“Fine,” he called from behind the wall.

After a few more minutes, when he still had not come out, she started in. She spied him, fully dressed in a fresh standard Star Service uniform, sitting in a meditative pose with his legs folded under. He was staring into space.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

He sighed. “I feel so good. I’m almost afraid to move and spoil it.”

She smiled and used her slender fingers to massage his shoulders.

He reached up for her hand. “You’d make a wonderful masseuse.”

He kissed the back of her right hand.

“Well, if I give up medicine, maybe I…”

They both chuckled.

He carefully unfolded his legs and stood.

She led back to the lift, passing several of the android nurses he remembered from the ER.

“Why are there so few human nurses?” He wondered, watching the ANs as they floated along down the corridor.

“Cost cutting…plus, the human ones tend to specialize in pediatrics and obstetrics, or work in physicians’ offices.” She stepped inside the lift and he followed, but as the doors closed, he tapped the hold button and turned to her.

“Dana?” He slid his arms around her tiny waist, pulled her close, and kissed her deeply, whispering, “I love you.” He sensed her doubt and assured, “I have never said that to anyone before. Dana, only you have touched my soul.” He felt desire stirring. She felt it, too.

“Kieran, you’re my patient,” she protested. “It’s not ethical.”

“Resign and be my lover.” His kisses grew bolder. Still, he sensed her hesitation and wondered, “Are you a virgin?”

She chuckled, too embarrassed to respond.

“Is there someone else?”

Again she blushed. “I had a fling with an academy cadet. He graduated and shipped out. It’s been a year.”

“Did he give you pleasure?” Kieran used his hands to caress and massage.

“It felt nothing like this,” she admitted.
 

As the lift warning signal began to beep, having been on hold too long, she yielded and whispered an invitation, “Come home with me?”

His answer was a kiss that took her breath away. She recovered, released the hold and the lift rose to the doctors’ offices level. There, she collected her medical kit, changed into civilian boots and slid on her multicolored cloak. She wrapped Kieran in the Ambassador’s robe for warmth.

Using her voice-badge, she requested transfer from the MCE controller. “Two to my apartment building.”

Kieran held her hand even after transfer to the public pad outside her apartment building. The wind blew cold off the Rocky Mountains, but the view was breathtaking.

She led him up a ramp to the second level deck and touched the security pad beside the doors.

“What happened?” He exclaimed, seeing the mess when they stepped inside.

“Someone broke in while I was at DOC’s. Didn’t Colonel Sierra tell you?”

“Yes, but… This is far worse than I imagined! I think you should stay here!” Kieran looked about suspiciously, wondering if Major Perry had already been and tested for the sodium sulfite. “Dana? Please? Let’s go to my suite at the Station. I don’t think you should stay here!”

“You think they might come back?” She wondered. “I’ll reset the entry codes.”

He pulled her aside. “Please…trust me.”

“Kieran, you’re being paranoid.”

He admitted he was. She shrugged and instead led him up to the loft bedroom.

Dana took off his cape and slipped out of her cloak, draping them across the back of an occasional chair.

She ordered the lights dimmed and the curtains to close then she slid into his arms for another kiss, picking up where the kisses while on the lift left off.

“May I?” He indicated the knot in her hair. He set it free. It was still damp and with his hands gathered up a handful of strands, letting them fall loosely. “You are so beautiful.”

They smooched and undressed then stretched out on the bed with just the thin top blanket covering them as they cuddled and played and made love.

Dana dozed, but awoke enjoying the comfortable feeling of Kieran beside her.

He was holding a photo-viewer she kept on the bedside table, staring at the people in pictures.

He smiled and kissed her lips then pointed to one image in particular. “Who are these people with you and DOC?”

“From my twelfth birthday. In the middle is Admiral Barrett Cartwright,” Dana began, pointing to the tall, black man standing nearly a head and chest taller than she. “Next to him is Jake Ankara, retired Chief Surgeon from the
Starlight
, and the last is Ambassador Solon of Galaxea.”

Kieran peered at the images intently. “You have his eyes.”

“Eyes? I only have one brown one,” she reminded, chuckling.
 

“Seriously… Don’t you see the resemblance?” Kieran pointed to the tall Galaxean.

“No.” Dana shook her head.
 

“Close your blue eye,” Kieran instructed.

She half-heartedly obeyed.

“Yes, I see a distinct similarity.”

She pushed his hand holding the viewer toward the bedside table and tackled him with a very passionate kiss. “You’re imaging things. I may need to check you for delusions.”

“By making love to me?” He teased.

She reddened. “Why do you tease me so?”

“Because you blush so easily,” he slid his hands down to her breasts, “and then your cheeks match the color of your hair.”

“You are incorrigible,” she whispered, enjoying his gentle but persuasive touch. She boldly slid her tiny hands along his torso, causing him to gasp and sigh with delight.

“Oh, Dana…” He closed his eyes, pulled her into a tight embrace with their bodies molded together. “This is heavenly.”

“Do you believe in heaven?”

“I do now,” he said as they sought union a second time.

Kieran felt the dull throbbing escalate to a rip-roaring stabbing pain in his mid-back.
 

Dana slept on, with an amazing smile of satisfaction upon her lips. He did not want to wake her.

Their bedroom gymnastics made for a serious violation of doctor’s orders for rest and recuperation. Though it was worth every moment, he needed either some very strong pain meds, or another dunk in the swimming pool.

He decided on the latter, slid a bed pillow between her arms, and sidled out of the bed, stifling his groans. He pulled on his clothes and, rather than use her bathroom, he scooted down the stairs to the apartment great room before touching his voice-badge and requesting a site-to-site transfer to MCE.