"How did you find me?" Although she sounded fine in her head, Aurelia heard only a croak.
Nicholas smiled and came to kneel next to her. "Shh," he said. "You need food and rest. I'll tell you everything later."
She wanted to protest, but she couldn't find the strength. Her eyes closed against her will, and the next thing she knew was waking to Nicholas trying to prop her up. When he lifted her shoulders, she could feel a sharp pain in her chest.
"Broken ribs," she whispered.
Nicholas's face clouded with worry. "But I can't get food or water into you while you're lying flat on your back," he explained. "Do you think you can bear it if I try to get you at least half seated?"
She nodded and bit her lip as he picked her up once more and shifted something behind her. The pain was immense, like someone was stabbing her, and her head swam with sickness. But when he released her, she found she was relatively comfortable, and the sharp pain faded into a dull throbbing.
"Here," he said, offering her a spoon of something.
She gratefully accepted some warm soup, but after a couple of spoonfuls found she was unable to eat more.
"It's fine; we're going to have to take this slow," Nicholas said.
"I feel like I've been pulled through a washing machine," Aurelia told him. But she felt infinitely better than before and could even keep her eyes open, a good sign. "How did you find me?"
Nicholas sat cross-legged next to her. "You have Bryn to thank," he said.
Bryn? Aurelia thought about the gruff man in black who had shown her out of the dome. He didn't seem particularly predisposed to helping anyone, let alone her. "How come?"
"When he found out you hadn't re-entered the dome after a couple of days, he started to get worried about you. He managed to get a message through to me. Simple."
"He didn't seem . . . he didn't seem like he liked me much," Aurelia said.
Nicholas grinned. "He doesn't like anyone much," he told her. "But he and I, well, we've known each other a long time."
"He wasn't your classmate; he's too old."
"He was my teacher," Nicholas admitted, and the tone of his voice made it clear this was not a matter for discussion.
"What happened after you got his message?"
"It wasn't too hard to track you down. There aren't many women out here, especially not on their own. I found the group of traders you'd spoken to; Bryn put me onto them. When I couldn't find you elsewhere, I figured you'd been taken. Others told me about the brigands by the mine. I've been watching you for a day or so, trying to figure out how to get you out of there without getting us both killed."
Aurelia smiled a little at this. "All that clone training sure comes in handy sometimes."
"And what about you?" Nicholas asked.
Quickly, she filled him in on how she had got out, and what had happened since.
"Okay," he nodded. "But I still don't understand why you're here. I told you not to come."
"I know, but I think you're out under false pretences. Nicholas, why did you leave? We were about to get you to safety. I know you weren't thrilled about going to Earth, but it would have been better than this, wouldn't it?"
Nicholas's shoulders slumped, and Aurelia saw how weary he looked. He'd probably been up for a couple of days, watching her and trying to get her out of the brigand camp. A faint flush of gray under his eyes showed against the pale skin of his face.
"Part of the reason I didn't want you to come here was I didn't want to have this conversation with you," he said, after a few moments of silence. "I know how you feel about Jonathon, and your emotions make it more difficult."
"What? Tell me, Nicholas. I can't help you unless you talk to me." An icicle of fear had gone through her heart when he had mentioned Jonathon. Had he lied to her or hurt Nicholas in some way?
The clone rubbed his face with his hands. "Fine. I don't trust him. I don't think he was about to rescue me; I think he was about to kill me, and I also think you knew of it, too."
If she'd have been able, Aurelia might very well have stood up and walked out on him right then. How could he? Did he really think she would betray him? She tried to remind herself that he'd only known her for a couple of weeks, but still, she thought he knew her better. Since she couldn't go anywhere, and even the thought of yelling made her chest hurt, she asked as patiently as she could: "What makes you think that?"
"I heard, Aurelia. I heard the conversation you two were having when you came to tell me about the escape plan. That damn corridor outside was like an echo chamber; I could hear everything."
She remembered the sound of footsteps in the corridor he mentioned, the sound of a hospitality Worker bringing them tea, and knew he was right. He would have heard any conversation that went on outside of his door. What she didn't know was what exactly he had heard. "Tell me," she ordered.
"Jonathon said I was a dangerous man, and it was best for all of you if you got rid of me now." Nicholas spoke quietly.
Gods. He had said those words; she remembered it distinctly. But all he'd meant was it was better for Nicholas to go to Earth than stay in Lunar, nothing more sinister.
"Then later," Nicholas continued, "you asked me what you should do if something happened to me, who you should contact. It seemed obvious then how you were . . ."
"Stop!" she shouted, though it burned her chest with effort. "Enough. Nicholas, you are a grade-A idiot, and there's nothing more that I'd like to do right now than slap you."
His eyes wide with shock, he stared at her. "You mean . . ."
"I mean we had no underhanded plan, no intention of hurting you in any way. We were willing to risk ourselves to save you and get you away from danger on the moon?"
"But why . . ." He seemed incapable of finishing a sentence.
"Because we're in this together, because I believe in your cause, because you saved Jonathon's life. Now look what you've done. What have you achieved here?"
He hung his head and looked shamefaced. "Aurelia, I don't know what to say. I really did think, well, you know, and I wanted to spare you from any participation. It seemed easier to get myself out so you didn't have to live with knowing you'd been my downfall."
She reached a shaking arm and clasped his hand, his skin smooth and warm. "Nicholas, you've got to learn to trust. I'm your friend. You can trust me. I would never try to deliberately hurt you, and I will do anything I can to avoid anyone else hurting you. Do you understand that?"
When he looked at her, his eyes were glistening. "I guess. Trust is . . . hard. Especially in Lunar."
She saw the truth in what he said. Despite having been in the city for only a little time, she already knew that trusting was not something Lunar citizens did, or even aspired to. And she also understood Nicholas had been moved by what she'd said.
"I didn't know clones could cry," she teased him.
He rolled his eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you that my biology is the same as yours?" he asked, but at least he'd given her a small grin.
She grinned back. "You're going to have to trust Jonathon, as well," she told him.
A cloud went over his face, but he nodded. "I'll try."
"Good. Now, we need a plan of action. You got one?"
"Er, for . . . ?"
"A way to get both of us back inside the dome as soon as possible. I've got to tell you, Nicholas, I'm not the biggest fan of out."
Again she got a grin. "Oh, I don't know, it's got its good points," he said.
"Like what?"
"Like, it's full of people like me," he said. "There are other clones here, ones who have escaped, who have had their numbers erased. It's how I got all this." He gestured to the portable dome and supplies stacked up around the walls.
"Are we safe here?"
"For the time being. Brigands don't usually attack domes; it's not worth their while. They attack trading parties, easy targets. Like you."
"Thanks for reminding me," Aurelia said. "Okay, so right now we're safe. That's good because I don't think I can move far right now."
"Not without me carrying you," said Nicholas. "You're not looking good, Aurelia."
"Again, thanks for reminding me. I think the first part of our plan needs to be taking stock of injuries."
"Alright. What do you need me to do?"
Oh, dear. This is going to be a bit delicate, Aurelia thought. But necessary. "I need you to help me out of this uniform; I need to see what's going on under there. Can you do that?"
He blushed but nodded.
It was somewhat of a painful struggle, but eventually they got the uniform off. Aurelia found it easiest if she relaxed and let Nicholas do the pulling, but since Nicholas was obviously trying hard not to look at her bare skin, this proved a lengthy process. In the end, she was lying naked, propped up and able to see herself at least from the front. Nicholas had his back to her and was ostentatiously staring out of the dome, which was opaque.
"I hate to tell you this," said Aurelia. "But not only are you not looking at anything out there, but I'm reflected in the dome anyway, so you might as well turn around and help me."
He did turn but kept his eyes averted. "What do you need?"
"Have you got any medical supplies?"
"Basics," he said and rummaged in a pack. Eventually, he came up with disinfectants, a few bandages, and some pain patches, which he pushed vaguely in Aurelia's direction, still not looking at her.
"C'mon, Nicholas. This is ridiculous," she said, unable to reach the supplies that he'd pushed to her. "I need your help; you're going to have to look at me sooner or later. I realize this makes you uncomfortable, but could you see me as a patient for a little while, rather than as a girl?"
His face was a deep crimson now, but he did send hesitant glances her way. Aurelia guessed peeks were as good as she was going to get right now. She'd get him busy; he'd forget his embarrassment over time. It wasn't like she was loving this, but she knew if she had injuries she didn't treat, she could end up being in even worse shape than she was in now.
"Alright, we start from the top," she told him. Due to the scarring blisters on her shoulders, she couldn't move her arms up as far as required, so she instructed him in what to do. "I need you to gently feel around my skull. You're probing for dents, depressions, any sign of bone that's flexible or moves under the skin. Got it?"
He nodded and took her head in his hands. His long fingers palpated her scalp. "Nothing," he said after a moment. "It feels good and solid, and I didn't feel any bumps."
Thank Gods. The last thing she needed was a skull fracture out here. "Right, next look at my face."
Nicholas grimaced. "There's a lot of abrasions." he said.
"I know, but I don't think any are serious." She managed to probe her face, herself, and her nose, cheekbones, and jaw all seemed in good shape. She ran her tongue around her mouth, but there were no loose teeth. "Do you see any signs of infection on my face: redness, swelling, yellow patches, anything like that? Do any of the wounds seem hot?"
Again he checked her and shook his head.
"Awesome. Grab a disinfectant pad and wipe the wounds clean, please."
He did as he was told.
And so it went on. As she'd feared, she found at least one broken rib. Her breathing was steady, although deep breaths hurt, which meant the rib wasn't poking into a lung. Her stomach was badly bruised where she'd been kicked, and there were lacerations on her arms and legs, but these were easily dealt with. She found no more broken bones and considered herself lucky. The worst by far were the blisters on her shoulders from carrying the heavy pack.
The wounds had festered. They felt hot and were leaking a yellow, creamy fluid. Worse, fibers from her uniform and breathing suit were stuck inside. By carefully lowering her head to each side, Aurelia could just get a glimpse of the injuries, and she knew they were bad. They needed treating before the infection spread, but she couldn't do it herself.
Nicholas showed worry as she told him what she needed and what to do. He wasn't squeamish by nature, but as he found metal pincers and disinfected them, he didn't look happy. While he carefully removed the foreign material from the blisters, his face twisted in concentration. "You know," he said, as he finished with the right shoulder and started on the left, "I think I prefer it when you operate on me. Can we agree you're going to do the med stuff from now on?"
Aurelia smiled, then bit her lip as he reached for another fiber. "It's a deal."
Once the blisters were as clean as Nicholas could get them, he disinfected them and arranged clean gauze bandages over them. "Okay?" he asked.
She nodded, but the pain had drained her, and she could feel her consciousness slipping away. She heard the sounds of Nicholas rummaging again and felt him place a blanket over her. Before she finally slept, he crawled next to her, curling his body around hers. She was glad of his warmth.