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“What do you mean he’s not here?” Chen resisted the urge to shake the medical tech working in the med bay. It wouldn’t solve anything, but it would probably help with her own stress. “Who’s treating my wolf? I gave explicit instructions.”
“As did Dr. Priddy.”
Behind her, Chen heard Inouye and Grenville snort, and she glared at the two of them. “Really? You of all people are going to make fun of someone’s last name, In-the-way?” She appreciated that the two of them had accompanied her to Medical, especially with May tied up in debriefings with Commander Penzak.
“I never should have told you about that,” Inouye muttered. When Grenville started to giggle again, Inouye jabbed him with a quick elbow.
She turned back to the technician. Like all the medical personal, she was a civilian. No way for the rangers to pull rank on her. “I don’t understand. You’ve talked to Javad?”
“I didn’t. But Dr. Lafrenz did. She’s overseeing your umbra wolf’s treatment based on his instruction.” The tech’s omni chimed, and she tugged it out of her pocket. “Actually, Dr. Lafrenz would like you to come back, if you can.”
Chen started to follow the tech. Inouye, Grenville, and their two wolves fell into step behind her.
The tech stopped. “Specialist Chen only. I’m sure you understand.”
“Actually, we don’t understand.” Inouye wasn’t tall, but he was almost as solidly built as Chen, and he carried his authority in his posture as much as his voice. “If she’s going, then we’re going. She doesn’t have to go through this on her own.”
The tech took a step back, and Chen put her hand up before this turned into a scene. “I’m sure she’s just following her instructions, Lance Corporal. She doesn’t have any more say over her orders than we do over ours.” In actuality, the rangers were given a tremendous amount of leeway as to how they completed an assignment, but that hadn’t been the point. Inouye stood down, and the situation de-escalated, which was all Chen wanted. She glanced at her squad mates. “If it’s bad news, you’ll know. Feel free to do whatever it takes to get to me.”
Not that it would matter. If it was bad news, it was doom for her as well as for Nujalik. The other rangers understood that, and Grenville—who had a quip for the most inopportune times—just offered her a tight nod.
She followed the tech back to the same recovery suite where she’d first met Priddy all those months ago. Dr. Lafrenz leaned over one of the tables, winnowing her fingers through Nujalik’s inky coat. She turned as Chen entered the room and smiled. “Ah. You’re here.”
“That is not a good way to start this conversation.” Chen reached out across the bond, and her wolf’s happiness and relief flooded back at her. “Is she okay?”
The doctor looked down at the wolf, rewarding her with another round of scritches. “Yes. She’s fine. Whatever those mercenaries hit her with was top-shelf. Medical-grade paralytics.”
“Meaning it’s someone with a bankroll. I’d figured that part when I looked over their kit.” Chen helped the doctor lower Nujalik to the floor, where the wolf padded about on unsteady legs. “She’s just getting used to walking again, right?”
“Hm? Yes.” Lafrenz took a few observational notes on her omnidevice, then closed it. “She really needs to rest and recover another hour, but there’s no reason why you couldn’t be back here with her. Dr. Priddy felt that would be best to reinforce the bond between you both.”
The wolfbond didn’t feel any stronger than it had before. But, she supposed, it didn’t feel any weaker either. She sat on the deck and let her wolf curl up in her lap. “Speaking of the doctor. When will I be able to talk to him? I want to thank him for his hard work and for figuring out what to do.” And a few other things, but Lafrenz didn’t need to know about those.
The doctor studied a piece of lint on her cuff for too long, and the silence made Chen aware of the twinge of worry that laced Nujalik’s emotions. She stroked her thumb along the edge of the wolf’s ear, a touch that had always calmed her in the past, but Nujalik only settled slightly.
“I don’t believe that Javad is coming back to the ship.” Lafrenz chewed her thumb but didn’t say more.
Chen swore. “You mean he had himself reassigned?” Fool. She’d told him the commander would help, that the pack looked after their own. Regret hooked into the space between her ribs. She didn’t know what they could have had a chance at, and because she hadn’t said anything, it would remain a mystery. Her wolf licked the back of her wrist with a whine of sympathy.
Lafrenz tapped her foot, the leather sole rasping out a quick staccato. “I mean I don’t think he’s returning to the constellation.”
The loss and regret were replaced with icy concern almost immediately. “What’s wrong?” Could a civilian even go AWOL? The TJF had to have some penalty in place for breach of contract, or whatever it was called.
Dr. Lafrenz took a breath. “I don’t know anything for certain. I mean, he didn’t come out and say that he was going to break his assignment. It’s just, you know how when you work alongside someone, you learn their mannerisms?”
Chen raised her eyebrow and studied the doctor with disbelief.
“Right. Of course you do. Don’t be daft, Merla.” She facepalmed as though it would reboot the conversation. “He left a lot of things unsaid. He specifically wouldn’t answer when he was coming back. And the delay in his call was long. Longer than it should be for Farhope, which is where he said he was. Actually, he didn’t transmit video at all.”
Grenville was the communications expert, so he’d be the one who could calculate his potential location by how long the delay was. Then again, she didn’t need to calculate it. Chen knew exactly where he was. Where he had to be. “He’s on Khonsu. Not Farhope.”
Lafrenz thought about it, then agreed. “That makes sense. I think he has family there. Anyway. I don’t know whether I should have shared that with you, but it sounded like he was sorry about not being here to help your umbra wolf. He doesn’t really bond with his colleagues, you know. So that’s a compliment.”
It didn’t feel like a compliment. It felt like twisting the knife so it did extra damage. He didn’t trust her to be able to help with his family. He hadn’t even believed in her enough to admit his real plan. So much for the thought that this time might be different. Chen bit her tongue rather than curse him for a fool. Nujalik’s disappointment and sorrow twinged along the bond, like an aching tooth.
She glanced at the doctor. “If you don’t mind, I’m just going to sit with my wolf for a bit. Thanks for letting me know about Dr. Priddy.”
Dr. Lafrenz slipped out through the side door with a nod, leaving Chen alone with Nujalik and their shared thoughts.