Chapter 7-1
288 Words
Chapter Seven
Jay opened his eyes to find Nasira sitting next to him. He was lying on a hospital bed in a room the size of a toilet cubicle.
‘Where am I?’
‘The infirmary,’ Nasira said. ‘You took a round through your trapezius.’
‘My what?’ Jay sat upright. His neck burned. ‘Yeah, OK, never mind. Got any morphine?’
‘Hospital corpsman already gave you a dose. You’ll have to wait awhile.’ She blinked at his stomach. ‘If you lie flat no one’ll know you been smashing the bolognese.’
Jay tried to inspect the dressing wrapped around his neck. It was rubbing against the fresh stubble under his chin so he tried to readjust it. ‘How long have I been out? A day?’
‘Half an hour,’ Nasira said. ‘Here.’ She leaned in and folded the edge of the dressing under his neck.
Jay smelled a mix of her scented shampoo and his sweat. It wasn’t the best combination. She was too close for him to look at her, so he stared across the infirmary. It was barely large enough for one bed and a chair.
When she was done, she leaned back slightly. ‘I know you don’t want to be here.’
Jay shrugged. It hurt, and he grunted in pain. ‘I wasn’t exactly planning an underwater adventure.’
A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. ‘But you do like adventure. Or I never could’ve convinced you.’
He rolled his eyes. ‘Played me like a fool.’
She stood suddenly. ‘No. Just a soldier of fortune.’
‘What made you join Sophia?’ he said. ‘I mean, from the beginning and all.’
She paused in the doorway. ‘And why would you want to know something like that?’
‘I just need to know.’
‘My whole life, I’ve been lied to. Sophia was the first person who dared show me the truth.’
- Writer
