to be even more aggressive than I originally thought. I took a closer look at her scan while she bathed and discovered spots on her liver and her kidneys. My estimate of her life expectancy has dropped to a moon or less.”
There was a soft gasp behind me, and I turned to see the human standing in the doorway of the bathroom again. The gown she wore was meant for a Draax male and it hung on her like a sheet.
Her mouth trembling, she stared at Sigan. “Cancer? I have cancer?”
“Yes,” Sigan said although his tone was softer than it normally was. “I am sorry, human. You have a large tumour on your spine and the cancer has spread to your lungs and other organs. It is why you cough.”
“I… but I don’t feel that bad,” she said. “It’s just a lung infection.”
“It is not,” Sigan said. “It is cancer and you are going to die.”
“Sigan!” I glared at him as the human slumped against the wall.
“Lying to her will not change the outcome,” Sigan said.
“You could be… gentler about it,” I said.
I liked our kadana but for a healer, he was not particularly compassionate.
“I am sorry, human,” Sigan said. “I did not mean to upset you. But think of it this way, you will not have to live long in the Earth prison. That should cheer you, should it not?”
“For Krono’s sake,” I snapped as the human made a sound that was half laughter and half sob. “Sigan, be quiet.”
I took a step toward the human. “Human, take a deep breath.”
She stared up at me, her eyes as large and round as a diacus flower. Her pale skin was nearly translucent, and her lips had lost all their colour. I picked her up when she staggered on her feet and carried her back to her bed. I set her on the side of it with her legs dangling before pressing on the back of her neck. “Head between your knees, little human.”
She bent forward obediently but I kept one hand on the back of her neck as I rubbed her upper back with the other. “Take deep breaths.”
She breathed deep for a few minutes and when I was sure she wouldn’t faint, I eased her into an upright position. I studied her face. She wasn’t quite as pale as before and her lips were pink again.
“Sigan, bring me some juice,” I said.
He brought it over and I twisted off the cap and handed it to the human. “Drink this.”
Her hands shaking, she drank the entire bottle of juice before wiping her mouth with the back of the hand. “Thanks.”
“You are welcome, human,” I said.
She made a face. “Ellis. My name is Ellis.”
“I am Galan,” I said.
“Nice to meet you,” she said. “How many extra minutes do you think that bottle of juice gave me? Two? Three?”
“At least an hour,” Sigan said.
“Sigan,” I said as the female gaped at him.
Both Sigan and I jerked when the little female burst into loud laughter. We watched as she bent over, holding onto her stomach and laughing until tears slipped down her cheeks.
“This female is a strange one,” Sigan said before walking away.
Ellis laughed harder until the laughter turned to coughing. She buried her mouth in the crook of her elbow and I rubbed her back again until her coughing fit eased.
I was about to ask Sigan for another bottle of juice when he dropped one off on the bed beside her and returned to his desk. I opened the juice and handed it to her. “Drink.”
She drank this one a little slower, swiping at her watery eyes. “Thanks. It’s good.”
I took the empty bottle from her as she rubbed her upper chest. “So, are you here to take me back to Earth now?”
“No,” I said. “Our king has requested to see you.”
“Right, there was a royal crest on the ship.” She sighed and rubbed at her chest again. “I should never have snuck onto your damn ship.”
I wanted to ask her why she was stealing the juice, but Quill was waiting for her and he would be growing impatient.
“Do you feel well enough to walk, human?”
“Yes.” She slid off the bed, the hospital gown dragging on the ground behind her. She lifted it up a little and I stared at her bare feet.
“Sigan, where are the human’s boots?”
“I threw them away with the rest of her clothing,” Sigan said.
“Threw them away?” The little female stared indignantly at him. “What the hell? Those