Human Bait

Chapter 28: The Clean-Up

The smell of disinfectant hung heavy in the air. Despite the whirring space heater, a chill permeated my sweatshirt. Grime clung to the white walls, and old blood stains blotched the white sheets. A few stubborn flies zapped against the flickering light bulbs, an erratic accent to the steady tap of my foot.

I sat on a chair beside the bed, hands clasped tight, watching the slow rise and fall of Rekkan's chest. Alive... but unconscious for a week. Thank Ether I had found a doctor in the cupboards before Rekkan's pulse stopped, but I had enough medical knowledge to know the truth before the doctor delivered the bleak report.

Every day, the chance of him ever waking up decreased.

"Rekkan, I know you can't hear me, but I'm so, so sorry I dragged you into this. Whenever you wake up, I'm going to take care of you and protect you better than before. Because even though you're a psychopath who still folds his socks, you're... you're my favorite person in the world."

I sucked in a breath. "And... and Rekkan, saving the world without you is not good enough. All of my plans have you in them, and I don't..." My voice strangled off in a sob, and tears blurred my eyes. "I don't want to live in a world you're not in. So please wake up, sweetheart. Please."

"Zaf," croaked a dry bass. "Did you just call me sweetheart?"

I scrambled to the bedside fast enough my chair clattered to the ground. Perching carefully on the side of the bed, I brushed sweaty blonde locks from his face and skimmed my knuckles over his unkempt beard. When his eyes met mine and blinked into focus, a rush of protectiveness and relief flooded my chest, warm and bright.

"Rekkan! Oh, thank fuck. How are you feeling?"

His voice croaked, breathless. "Is this real? Are you real?" He reached up to touch my face but then dropped his hand to his side, face pinching in a wince. "Feels real."

Propping my hands on either side of his shoulders, I leaned down to kiss the forehead. "Hey, don't move too much. You're still connected to IVs. You've been out for a week, and I didn't even know if you'd ever..."

Tears clogged my throat, drowning out the rest of my words, but Rekkan looked unconcerned. In fact, a smile tugged one corner of his lips. "So you watched me sleep all week?"

"Uh, I... is that creepy?"

His smile grew. "Na, just sounds boring. Hope you brought a book."

I rolled my eyes, but a smile overtook my lips. "I did have some company. Nikkla and Fennikk stopped by a few times. Fennikk left you a picture of her new bionic arm."

I reached over to snag the paper on the bedside table, a crayon drawing of two figures walking side by side. A man with a bionic leg and a child with a bionic arm. Rekkan squinted at the drawing and frowned.

"Is that a—did she draw herself with a rifle?"

"Nikkla was a bit worried about that part. But Fennikk needs fantasies." I gently squeezed an uninjured part of his shoulder. "Not everyone can live out of habit."

His brow furrowed. "Actually, I have a fantasy now."

The warmth in my chest shot down to swirl in my belly. "Really? What kind of fantasy?"

He hesitated, pulling the side of his lower lip through his teeth. "I'm not sure I should... can you tell me one of yours first?"

I swung a glance around the room to ensure we were still alone. Then I leaned a little closer to Rekkan and lowered my voice. "Well, in one fantasy, you tie me to a chair."

His eyes widened. "I—what?"

"You know, like you did back in the fortress, except... except we're both naked. And I'm begging you to touch me, but you won't until I've pleased you with just my tongue."