Crisis by Scott Moon

Author:Scott Moon [Moon, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: X20
Publisher: Scott Moon Productions LLC
Published: 2021-07-28T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Victor slept longer than he had in years. Bone repair demanded a lot from his metabolism, something he knew from many unfortunate experiences. Some of it was complete oblivion, and a portion was a series of nightmares that might’ve been memories of the Exactas Meridias. He awoke stiff and sore, his body wanting to get out of bed even less than his mind did.

Staring at the ceiling wasn’t going to get the day started, but he indulged himself for several minutes, anyway. Surely, he deserved a break.

It didn’t take long for his tactical brain to take over, running through tasks that needed doing, and evaluating his performance and that of his team during the mission to the EM. And that brought him to thoughts of Sergeant Hammer.

He sat up and kicked his feet out of the covers, glancing at the cast protecting his lower leg. Hammer had been critically injured, in a coma the last time he saw him. Victor’s fracture was nothing to compare with the multiple traumas Hammer had survived.

“Make coffee,” he said, and the machine began its work.

The shower was only two steps away from his bed. He sealed himself inside and worked quickly. Gone were the days of soaking and relaxing. The water turned off two seconds after he had rinsed the small amount of soap available for a single shower session. So far, he hadn’t figured out a way to save it up for a more thorough cleansing. His mind told him he was clean, but he missed the generous lathering he’d grown up with on Gildain.

Everyone was going to miss the planet. For all its problems, it had been a land of plenty.

He slipped on a BSA jumpsuit, wincing as he zipped it up. There was no need to catalog his aches and pains because they covered him from head to toe. He wasn’t even hungry, which was unusual.

Once he’d grabbed the sealed coffee cup and taken a careful sip, he headed for the medical bay. The place was busy, and he was careful not to get in anyone’s way.

“Victor Marlboro?” asked a very businesslike nurse with short strawberry-blonde hair.

“That depends on what I’m being accused of this time,” he said.

She laughed. “I’m Bridget Reach, CNP. I’m not sure we’ve met, but I assisted with the birth of your niece.”

Victor smiled as warmth and good feelings flowed through him. He hadn’t thought about little baby Amelia for so long. Gregory hadn’t been on the EM mission. His big brother had been spending time with the most important people in his life.

Things might have gone differently on the mining station if Gregory had been there, but he didn’t begrudge him the happy times. Maybe someday he would have a family as wonderful as Gregory, Hannah, and little Amelia.

That caused him to think of Penelope. He needed to go see her when his visit to the hospital was done.

He shook the nurse’s hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”

Her smile was nice. There was something about the woman’s presence, her confidence perhaps, that made him feel better than when he had arrived.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.