Her Alien Protector: A Sci-fi Romance

Part 19

Kayla scowls and Tarak proceeds to buckle an angry Kayla into the seat with him. I cannot help wondering: is what happened to Ava precipitating this argument? Is Tarak now afraid of letting his human out of his sight?

Maybe? Because I also buckle Ava and myself into a seat together.

During Firefly's takeoff, Ava quickly falls asleep.

"Acceleration process complete. The internal gravitational force is now applied to all rooms," announces the wall unit.

Tarak lets Kayla lose.

"I will be in the lab," Kayla informs us.

The sound of the humming engines and the warmth of Ava laying on my chest lulls me into relaxing and then sleeping. For once, my sleep is peaceful, until the ship's wall unit starts with its announcements.

"Estimated docking time with Hydra: one Earth hour," says the wall unit.

Earth hour? I laugh, realizing that if the wall unit says this, Kayla must have readjusted the computer's settings.

Hydra becomes visible through the viewport, and it is beautiful.

I run my fingers through Ava's sweaty hair, wanting to share this moment with her. "We are approaching Hydra, Ava. Do you want to see it?"

Ava's eyelashes flutter, her eyes open, and she gazes around the helm with a furrowed brow. "Hannah? Oliver?"

Patiently I wait for the wall unit to translate Ava's words. The wall stays silent. Strange. Does it not know these particular words?

I point at Hydra through the viewport. "Look, Ava, it is our home."

Ava's eyes flick between me and the wall speaking in the synth voice.

Her brow stitches together, and she strokes my feathers. "Angel?"

I push a few wild strands of her hair away from her face, my fingers ghosting over her hot forehead.

Tarak's tail writhes, his eyes fixed on Ava. He advances toward us. "Something is wrong with the human!"

Ava scrabbles against me.

I growl at Tarak in warning. "You are scaring her, don't—"

"Her breathing! It isn't right. Check her!"

Ava's eyes are wide and scared. I place my head against her chest and Tarak is right; she is wheezing.

Tarak barks commands at the wall. "Kayla, come to the helm. There is a medical emergency with Ava."

The door hisses open, and Kayla enters, approaching Ava who rests in my lap. She takes Ava's hand.

I study every detail of Ava's face: her furrowed brow, the shimmer in her eyes, the divot at the base of her neck that goes in and out as she sucks in the air, and the blue tint of her lips.

"Rigel, things might get worse, so please stay calm, for Ava's sake," says Kayla.

Worse?! Before I can even ask her what that might mean, Kayla and Tarak walk through the helm in search of the first-aid kit.

Ava sucks in a deep ragged breath. Her eyes close.

I shake Ava. "No sleeping."

Ava's eyelashes flutter and her dark eyes meet mine.

I push her hair away from her face. "That's it, sweetheart, stay with me, you can—"

Tarak stomps toward me, bellowing. "Sweetheart! Why are you calling her by the name of a sweet and succulent snack at a moment like this?!"

Ava whimpers.

Kayla steps in front of Tarak, putting her palm on his stomach, stopping him in his tracks. "Tarak, stop it. That's not what Rigel meant. Among humans, sweetheart is a word of endearment."

Tarak's tail writhes, growling at me.

"Tarak, I need you to focus on more important things. Look, I found the first aid kit," Kayla says, lifting a large box. "From what I've seen so far, it looks like a hodgepodge of supplies. Can you go through the ship and bring any other first aid kits you find to the helm?"

Tarak growls in agreement and departs through the helm door.

Ava's dark eyes close. This time, my gentle shaking does not wake her. She is slipping away from me.

"Help me," I ask Kayla.

Kayla gives me a pulse oximeter ring to measure Ava's oxygen levels. "The ring is built for a scourge, but as long as you can get it to fit, it should still work."

I slip the ring onto Ava's wrist.

"Can you assemble this? It is part of a breathing facilitator," says Kayla, handing me the next piece of equipment from the first aid kit.

I take them from her, snapping the oxygen canister into the oxygen aid machine, except I am at a loss as to what to do next. "How is she supposed to breathe from this?"

Kayla pulls a long coil from the first aid kit—a cannula—which she hands to me. "Attach this to the machine and her face."

I lie Ava across the floor, holding her torso upright. The oxygen aid machine and oxygen canister are at my side. I gaze at the tubing in my hand, and my mind sputters. From sight alone, I can see this will not work—the prongs are far too wide for a human.

I show Kayla the cannula. "What am I supposed to do with this? It won't fit!"

Kayla's eyes get huge. "Computer. Tell Tarak to bring any first aid kits to the helm immediately."

Rasping sounds come from Ava. Gently, I wrap myself around Ava and rock her.

"Establishing proper airflow is essential to maintain vitals," the wall informs us.

I want to hurl the oxygen aid machine against the wall.

Tarak enters the helm with another first aid kit. Together, Tarak and Kayla sift through the contents.

"I found one," says Tarak, holding up a clear mask.

I am hopeful until I see what Tarak holds up: a huge, scourge-sized mask, also useless.

Ava's breathing now sounds like an old rattling engine. The blue pallor has spread from her lips to her cheeks.

Desperately, I curl around Ava, trying to protect her. What am I going to do? Ava is going to die in my arms.