“We were just getting up and around,” Andi answered distractedly. “Zane, you cannot keep working like this. No offense, but you look like complete shit.”
Tamin walked out of the bathroom as she was speaking to a visibly swaying Zane.
“Zane, we are going to have to write you a medical leave for rest. This is not healthy,” Tamin added, frowning at the shape her friend was in.
“Especially since you are working on our shuttles. One mistake and somebody else would pay dearly,” Rodin chided.
“I understand. I was not given an opportunity to refuse the shift last night. This morning I dropped an engine part and my superior realized I was no longer functioning at the capacity that was needed. I have off the next twenty-four hours, barring any emergencies.”
“Please make use of our apartment and facilities. We will clean up here after the med center closes and you can have your apartment this evening,” Rodin said, walking to the door with the group following behind him.
“Yeah, I’ll even let you pick the movie while we eat lasagna again,” Andi added.
“You will be staying in our quarters.”
She whipped her head to the side to stare at Rodin. When had he started to think he could make decisions for her?
“Excuse me?” she asked, giving him the skunk eye that she had perfected over the years.
“Do you object to staying with your future husbands?” Tamin asked, drawing her ire from Rodin.
Andi stopped dead in her tracks. Shit. They were right. She had essentially made up her mind that she was going to go through with the bridal match with both of them. The fact that Rodin seemed to know it and made a decision about her current living status still irked her.
“Well…I would like to be the one to decide where I live. Since this is so new, I will cut you guys some slack. In the future though, you should be aware that I have my own mind and hate it when somebody speaks for me. Fair warning, okay?” she conceded, giving both of the men glares that said she meant business.
“Fair warning acknowledged,” Tamin said with a nod, then shifted his attention to his friend.
“I agree,” Rodin said, his jaw tight. “However, I will tell you that if there is a situation where I believe that I can steer you in a better direction, then I will not keep my opinion to myself.”
Andi stared at him for a moment in silence. If anything, the man was honest in his intentions.
“I will always take advice, Rodin. Just make sure to actually talk to me before making a decision that affects me, okay?” Andi hoped that her voice portrayed how important this was to her. Seeing the recognition in his eyes, she smiled when he nodded again at her, this time without the stiffness the one earlier had been given with.
“Zane?” When the weary man turned from where he was leaning against the wall, Andi patted his shoulder. “Let’s get you to bed, buddy. You are dead on your feet.”
Tamin swatted her on the ass as they started to walk out, the action making her jump and rub her palm on her behind to ease the sting. Shooting him a mock glare, she laughed when he shrugged innocently.
As the group continued their trek down the corridor to the med center, Andi felt a sense of peace engulf her. These men made her feel emotions that she had never had before. The fact that there were two of them no longer concerned her. The lack of jealousy the previous evening had showed that this would work.
Having two men focusing all their attention on her really did double the pleasure. Never had she thought herself to be an exhibitionist. When Rodin had watched her rub against Tamin in bed, it had been as if her entire body had lit up like the Fourth of July. She also had a better understanding of their dynamics in the bedroom. Rodin was definitely dominant the way he had commanded the entire scene to play out.
Feeling infinitely lucky with the turn of events, Andi walked to the med center with her men surrounding her, ready to get their day started. She was going to be counting down the minutes until she had her men alone again and knew the time wouldn’t come quickly enough. After prepping the exam rooms, Andi settled at her desk and busied herself with paperwork that she knew would distract her.
The tone on the door beeped loudly, announcing a visitor. Moving quickly to greet her first patient, she didn’t stop the smile that came across her face when Nixon appeared. Izzie seemed almost one hundred percent better. Assessing her quickly, Andi saw that her color was a nice healthy pink. Even her hair had been freshly washed and styled.
“You are looking fabulous, Izzie.” Andi gestured to the exam room where she needed Nixon to carry her friend and patient.
“I feel so much better.” Izzie brushed the hair from her face. “It’s amazing what something as simple as a bath will do to cheer you up.”
“I’m hoping that you didn’t try to bathe yourself.” Andi said, connecting the monitors to Izzie’s wrist and chest.
“I would never have let her do that. We have been bathing together,” Nixon answered with a smile.
“Nixon!” Izzie pulled her hand from Andi to cup her burning cheek.
“What?” he asked, confused at her embarrassment.
“You don’t need to tell everyone we took a bath together.” Izzie said, still red-faced.
“I did not tell her that we had sex. I said bathed,” he said plainly.
“Nixon!” Izzie dropped her head to her chest as though she wanted the floor to swallow her up.
Andi couldn’t control her chuckles any longer. Full-blown laughter flew out of her mouth even though she tried to hold it in. The embarrassment on Izzie’s face combined with Nixon’s confused expression was hilarious. Andi’s laughter even spurred Izzie to laugh at the situation.
After a few moments, the women were finally able to control themselves. As Andi finished up her recordings, Tamin and Rodin walked into the exam room.
“Good morning, Doctors,” Izzie greeted, all smiles.
“You are seem much better, Isabel,” Tamin said, patting her shoulder as he stood beside the bed.
“Thank you, and please call me Izzie. Isabel reminds me of my grandma,” she said with a grimace.
“Why would it remind you of your grandmother?” Rodin asked, reviewing the chart that Andi handed him.
“I was named after my grandma.” Shrugging, Izzie gave them a small smile. “Don’t get me wrong, I loved the lady. When I hear the name, it always make me think of the smell of mothballs and peppermints.”
Turning toward Andi, Rodin lifted his eyebrow in question. “Does this mean that our children are going to be named after us? Is that a human custom?”
At the mention of children, both Nixon and Izzie stared at the three of them with eyes wide open.
“Rodin, I was not aware you were courting Andi.” Nixon spoke, surprise heavy in his voice.
“We are both courting her,” Tamin replied from his spot on the other side of the bed.
“Both of you? Is the council aware of your situation?” Nixon’s curiosity was evident in his tone.
Tamin and Rodin both nodded.
“And you are not opposed to the marriage, Andi?” Nixon probed, obviously intrigued.
“Nixon, please! That is none of our business,” Izzie chastised with a smack on his arm.
“I am just intrigued by the dynamics,” he explained with a sheepish grin on his face.
“Well stop it already. Jesus. I can’t take you anywhere.” Izzie muttered the words, but she had a smile as she delivered them.
“Let’s get to why you are here today,” Andi interrupted, grateful that she had an excuse to distract them both. As the doctors took turns answering questions from Nixon, Andi remembered she still had to prep the other exam room. Walking into the other room to start up the regen bed, she jumped when a warm hand landed on her shoulder.
“Holy smokes, Tamin. You move like a fucking panther,” Andi yipped out when she could finally catch her breath.
“Sorry to have scared you, sweetheart,” he apologized. “What i
s a panther?”
“It’s a big black cat…never mind.” Waving her hand, she stopped what she was doing with the bed and turned to him. “Are you done with the initial exam already?”
“Not yet. Rodin is finishing it up. I just wanted to make sure that you were not embarrassed by what was said or the questions that Nixon asked.”
“Don’t worry, it was actually a little funny,” Andi said. “For some reason I thought all the warriors knew about the situation with you guys. Zane seemed to know about you guys before I even mentioned it. If I felt anything at all, it would be surprise that he was surprised.”
Tamin pulled her into a hug. “Good then. I was worried that you would be embarrassed by what we are asking you to commit to.”
“There isn’t a worry in my mind, Tamin. Any concerns I had were personal and not based on what other people thought.” Andi gave him a quick peck. “Hell, I got all sorts of flak for signing up for the Bridal Pact in the first place. This doesn’t bother me at all.”
“That is a relief to us.” The comment came from the door where Rodin was standing with Nixon, who was still carrying his bride.
“I truly meant no offense. Honestly,” Nixon added, his expression full of guilt and embarrassment.
“None taken, don’t worry about it.” Andi gestured for him to lay his wife on the bed, then excused herself so the room wasn’t packed with people.
Hours passed with the med center being quiet. Between their daily tasks, Rodin and Tamin took turns teasing her. A soft kiss here, a pat on the butt there. She was loving the ease of closeness.
A few appointments came in throughout, but it was otherwise a slow day. Izzie was still using the regen bed in room one where Nixon kept her company during her treatments. The men had both spoken to him about leaving for the afternoon meal but he was adamant that he stay by her side.
The entire thing was incredibly sweet. Taking him to lunch and chatting with him as he ate had been a fun way for Andi to learn more about Phaeton culture. Nixon answered questions regarding his job on the bridge and what his life had been like prior to meeting Izzie.
Before lunch had ended, Andi was surprised when Zane popped into the exam room where she had been laughing with Nixon.
“What are you doing here?”
“I have been called to the bay. We received message that two shuttles will be landing with supplies and they need to have one serviced immediately.” Yawning, but not seeming as exhausted as he had previously been, Zane shook his head. “Could you ask the doctors to get a medical release for me for seventy-two hours? If I have a couple days’ rest I will be as good as new. The sleep that I was able to get today will help me get through this shift, but I need more.”
“I’ll remind them as soon as they are done with their patient. They should be finished any moment if you want to wait.”
“Thanks, but the sooner I get to the bay, the quicker I can finish and leave.” Giving her a quick hug, he left at a jog, obviously trying to hurry.
Within minutes, Tamin and Rodin walked from the exam room with the warrior who had been in for his physical.
“Thank you for your time, Doctors,” he said with a swift bow. Nodding once to Andi, he left the med center.
“We are through with patients for the afternoon. I will tell Nixon that Izzie will be finished any moment. Once they leave, we can close medical and go to our apartment,” Tamin said. He swung by as he was walking past and kissed her on the top of the head.
“You guys had a slow day today,” Andi said as she checked off boxes for items they needed to reorder.
“It was very quiet,” he agreed as he walked closer to loop an arm around her waist. “I need to remind Tamin that we should wait a few days until she has another treatment. Today’s session in the bed was too long for us to schedule another anytime this week.”
“Go on, I’m just finishing up the little tasks that need to be done. You better catch him so he doesn’t log her appointment or else I will have to go into the system and fix it later,” she pointed out, waving her hand toward the door.
Giving her one last squeeze, he hurried to the room where Tamin was most likely doing exactly what she was afraid of.
As she was working in the main entry room, she was startled when a loud alarm sounded. Jumping to her feet from her place at the desk, Andi cupped her hands over her ears. Red lights illuminated a signal on the ceiling every ten feet and were blinking rapidly.
Tamin, Rodin and Nixon all ran into the room from where they had been. Izzie was curled into Nixon’s arm and he was holding her protectively to his chest with a wide-eyed look on his face.
“What the fuck is that?” Andi yelled over the blaring siren.
Tamin and Rodin both moved to her in unison, partly shielding her and also so she could hear better when they spoke. Their closeness still required them to yell since the alarm was so loud. Rodin quickly read the message center on the wall.
“It’s the ship’s defense alarm. It only sounds when we are under attack!” Tamin yelled for her to hear.
As the men read the codes on the screen, she stared at Izzie with panic-filled eyes. Never in her life had she expected an attack on the ship. The structure seemed larger than life and impenetrable from her point of view.
Moving quickly and efficiently, Rodin yelled to Nixon, “I need you to stay here in medical. There will be warriors wounded who will be transferred. If it seems life-threatening put them in a regen bed and hit the button for it to close. It will automatically start from there.”
“Where was the attack?” Nixon asked, nodding as he agreed to follow orders.
“The docking bay was hit. The reports state that there was a large explosion with several casualties. We have been ordered to report there to assess the men injured,” Rodin said, rushing to the door with his medical bag in his hand.
“Wait? The docking bay?” Andi repeated, stunned at what was happening.
“Yes. We have multiple warrior bands’ readings. Some injuries are life-threatening.”
Panic rushed through her body. “Oh my god.”
As her face paled and she covered her mouth with a trembling hand, Tamin ran forward to catch her in case she fell. “What is it?”
“Zane was called into work,” she whispered, with dread filling every ounce of her voice, blinking at the hot tears that threatened to spill past her lids. “Zane is in the bay.”
At Andi’s stricken expression, Tamin ran out of the room with his bag in his hand. Rodin turned around with fierce determination in his eyes. “We will find him, Andi. I promise.”
“Go. Just go. Hurry.” Andi started to cry silent tears. Sinking into the chair next to her desk, she barely felt the hand pat her shoulder.
“All will be well,” Nixon soothed. Andi glanced at Izzie nodding her head from where he had set her down.
“I can’t just sit here and do nothing.” The words were whispered, but Nixon heard her clearly.
“You need to stay here and out of danger. We have no way of knowing if the assault has stopped,” he argued.
Andi was torn. She knew that she could assist Tamin and Rodin in the bay. Sometimes an extra hand was able to save a life. Distracted from her thoughts, she jumped to her feet when the door slid open and a man walked in, dragging an injured warrior.
Panting, exhaustion plain on his face, the warrior started speaking quickly. “I ran into the doctors in the corridor. Rodin said to put him directly into a bed.”
Nixon, who had quickly moved to help him prop the man up, took charge and moved him into the first exam room. The warrior who had carried the injured man started for the door once he had been relieved of his burden.
“Are you going to the bay?” Andi’s voice came out in a rush as she stood in front of the doorway.
“Yes, I will be moving the injured along with help from some of the others,” he explained, obviously annoyed that she was blocking his way.
“I’m going with you.”
“But Andi—” Izzie started to speak only to be shut down quickly.
“I’ll take a med bag with me. The men will most likely run out of supplies before long.” She snatched a prepped bag from the closet at the speed of light.
“It’s no use arguing.” Walking to the entry, she gave a quick glance behind her. “Hurry the hell up already.”
He gave her a glare that was part exasperation and part admiration, and followed her out the door.
“We need to run. Can you keep up?” he asked as he started to move faster.
“I have no choice,” Andi said, breaking into a run beside him.
The closer they got to the bay, the more Andi could see smoke hanging in the air. The smell of it was so incredibly strong Andi wondered if something was still on fire. Shielding her mouth with one hand, she breathed in the acrid stench while trying to keep up with the running man beside her.
Chapter Thirteen
Andi was panting by the time they reached the docking bay. The scene in front of her resembled something out of a movie. Black smoke was billowing from objects that had been a part of the explosion. Men were running around the debris, putting out the flames that were still burning. Groups of warriors were busy dragging others from underneath piles of the blackened rubble.
She spotted a warrior only a few feet in front of her, lying still, obviously injured. Blood coated his abdomen. As Andi started to go toward him to evaluate his condition, she was stopped abruptly by a hand on her arm keeping her still.
“Do not approach that one,” her escort said, his voice dark with anger.
“Why the hell not?” The question came out harsh. Andi was furious that the man might be dying and she had been told to stay.
“He was one of the Verge warriors who attacked.” Pulling her by the arm so she had no choice but to follow, her guide moved her to another man who was moaning on the floor. “Help this one.”
“How do you know he’s Verge?”
“The men in the green tunics were the ones who attacked,” he explained with fury in his voice.