Chapter Five

Chapter Five

ReBOrB

Cammy met his gaze, and he tried not to let her see how anxious he was about this. ReBOrB worried he didn't have the medicines to help her or even access to the medical bay on their ship. If the med center didn't heal Cammy from either the spider bite or the head wound, her life would be at risk.

She smiled. "Something you don't know about me is that I'm a nurse—a medical professional on Earth. I know I'm at risk. But my sister's body metabolizes medicine faster than most people. She also reacts differently to medications. For instance, they gave her a sedative as a child and instead of making her sleepy—it made her hyperactive. The exact opposite of what the doctor wanted. They labeled her a medical unicorn," Cam explained.

"My brother used that term. He said it was a mythical horned animal."

She snorted. "It is. But the phrase emphasizes the point that Casey is a rare case."

Reb leaned in. "You haven't answered if you are another one of those unicorns."

Sighing, she looked back at the lake. "That's because I don't know. I've never had an operation." Her hand went to the scar on her bald head and then touched the one behind her ear. "Or at least, not one I've been conscious of. Maybe that is a good thing."

"I would say yes to that," he muttered. Then stood up and walked over to the wall.

He watched her expression as Cam explained, "I've never been sick, other than a few colds. But nothing that required medication. I have had two minor injuries—but nothing ever broke and I never had to go to the doctor. So, I really don't know if I have the same issue. Now, what do we do?" She changed the subject.

Turning, he opened a door in the wall. "This is our survival closet." Reb was happy to see it was well-stocked. He turned around with two long, white tubes in his hands. "These are water tubes. You crack the top." He brought her one and showed her how to open and reseal the tube.

Sitting in the chair next to her, he waved at the closet. "We have enough food and water for several days. Plus, we can pick some of the fruit from the field next to us and get water from the lake, purify it, and reuse the tubes. I suggest you only take small sips in the beginning and wait for a bit. Make sure the water doesn't make you feel sick," he advised.

Cammy laughed. "I will. Even though I am very thirsty, I know not to guzzle the water. I'm also starving. If I were on Earth, I'd nibble on a soda cracker or two. Then I'd wait to see if the water and cracker stayed down before trying a little soup, or maybe a banana."

Reb's eyes lightened. He jumped up and pulled out a small package. "My translator tells me that Earth's soda cracker s are similar to this. It is dehydrated bread."

She took the package from him and opened the wrapper. "It looks like hardtack," she said. Breaking off a piece, she sniffed it. "On Earth, hardtack is a type of dense biscuit or cracker made from flour, water, and sometimes salt. So, we're just missing the soda. It never spoils and was used by the military for hundreds of years for just this type of circumstance. It will fill us up and doesn't require any cooking." She grinned at him and bit off a small corner.

Reb watched her face for any reaction.

She smiled. "Perfect. This is just like eating a dry, stale, soda cracker. One without salt that I left on the shelf for years. It has no taste, is easy to chew, and hopefully will settle my stomach. It's just what I need. Now that we have food and water, what do we do next?"

He stood and stretched. "Now I'll see if my brother's stocked the hover with an expandable mattress and blankets. We're going to bed."

Cameron

Reb's declaration that they were going to bed… caused two completely different reactions within Cammy's body. Her heart sped with excitement, and she panicked in fear. Longingly, she glanced at the door. She desperately wanted to open it and run away.

At the same time, her traitorous body shuddered with longing at the detailed images her brain fed her.

Thankfully, Reb missed all that. His back was to her as he dug through the supply cabinet.

"The mattress is in here. We won't be on the floor and it's easy to set up using the two seats as part of the base, along with supports that pull out of the wall by the door. It's a great setup. It will allow us to rest, but we can look out the window and monitor our surroundings. Sleeping on the floor makes me nervous. I keep popping up to look outside and never feel comfortable." He turned with his arms full of the mattress and other items.

Cammy was happy to see something that looked like a pillow. He waved away her help and in just a few moments had set up their bed. Their small bed. And Reb wasn't a small person by any stretch of the imagination. It was going to be crowded. Or… nope, she wasn't going there.

It was interesting to watch the interior of the ship morph to accommodate the mattress. Which started out the size of a briefcase and ended up several inches thick and close to the size of a double bed. There were two small pillows and a thin blanket, along with a tiny table tray on the side away from the door.

Reb set out the water tubes and her dehydrated bread. He handed her a folded shirt. "This was tucked in the closet. Since all of my brothers are the same size, it makes sense to have extra shirts. It should be more comfortable than the medical covering you're wearing. You can put the robe back on if you want or use it for an extra blanket. Whichever is more comfortable for you. I'll step outside and scout around, find a place where you can relieve your bladder. We have cleaning tissues for that as well."

He set down a small package on the bed.

Cammy frowned. It looked exactly like a baby wipe package. She supposed that made sense. At the alien hospital, it didn't surprise her to see toilet paper that had roughly the same texture as what they used back home. Why should this be different? She noticed the alien paper dissolved as soon as it hit the water in the toilet. She would assume the baby wipes would act the same way. Extremely biodegradable.

Reb looked out the window for a few moments. "I've scanned the area surrounding us. We are the only humanoid life forms for several miles. You need to remember that the hover is cloaked. When you are inside, no one can see you. But as soon as we open the door, that protection disappears. We are vulnerable to any other ships or even just people walking by when we are outside, as well as any type of wildlife. We will want to keep our excursions limited."

She nodded. The thought of leaving the ship bothered her. Made her nervous. Hell. This was an alien planet. With alien bugs and… snakes. Maybe worse. There could be something like an alien bear. Searching the cabin of the hover for another door, she wished there was indoor plumbing. But no. She needed to go outside.

"I'll change and wait for you to come back. I'm not about to go off on my own. Not yet. I have no idea what creepy crawlies might be poisonous, and I don't know how to open the door."

Reb snorted. "On this planet, the creepy crawlies are pretty safe." He frowned. "At least for us. I'm not sure about Earthers. I'll do a bit of research tomorrow on what you need to avoid, and I'll program your palm print for the door. It's a good idea to wait for me. I won't be long."

He turned around and set his palm on the plate by the door. When it lowered like a ramp, he slipped outside. The door closed on its own when he was a few feet away.

Cammy didn't waste any time pulling off the robe and stripping the thin, backless hospital gown off her body. It wasn't too much different from what they used on Earth. The material tied in a few places and gave medical workers access to every inch of a patient's body.

Slipping on the shirt, Cam giggled. It reminded her of a gray tee shirt. Yet they created it from a much thinner material than cotton. It felt good against her skin. Warm. And hung down past her knees. She didn't want to put the robe back on. It was way too big for her and would definitely make a better blanket.

Running her hand over her head, she wondered if the sight would bother Reb. She kept the hood up most of the time and felt a little self-conscious without it. Cammy decided if the scars and her shaved head seemed to bother Reb, then she'd put it back on. If he dealt with it okay, she'd leave it off.

But the shirt was way too big for her. To keep it from sliding off her shoulders and sagging in the front, Cammy tied a knot in the material under her breasts and that helped a bit. At least now it stayed on her slight frame.

Not for the first time, she bemoaned the differences between her and her twin. Casey was an athlete. Her body was lean and muscular. Cammy was not. She had more fat than her sister, and most of that was boobs. She wasn't more than a C cup, but on her five-foot, three-inch body… her breasts looked bigger. Looking down, she decided the combination of thin material and the knot made them look a LOT bigger.

Before she could undo the material and figure out a different way to keep the enormous shirt on her body, Reb opened the door and stepped inside. He opened his mouth to say something. And froze. His eyes widened, and he forgot to close his mouth. He just stood there, shocked.

Cammy sighed and lowered her head. She ran her hand over hairless flesh and sighed again. "I know. It's horrible. There isn't a mirror, so I couldn't see. I'll put the robe back on and keep the hood up. I know it looks bad."