comes back clear, you can go home after lunch.”
“Okay.” Charli didn’t bother reminding the doctor that she couldn’t go home. “What do I do until then?”
“You could sleep,” he suggested, smirking when Charli glared at him. “Even if I do discharge you today, you still need rest.”
“I’m fine. I don’t need rest.” She’d done nothing but sleep since arriving on Nekron. “Can I go into the city? I mean, is that allowed?” Another thought occurred to her, and she bit her bottom lip while she thought through how to phrase her next question. “Am I going to implode if I go outside?”
Doctor Breccan chuckled again as he tucked the clear tablet under his arm. “I’m going to miss your endless list of questions, Charli. I’ve never met a human before.”
“Well, you’re only the third Nekros I’ve met, so join the club,” she countered. “Now, back to this imploding thing.” She’d read somewhere that humans were delicate creatures who could only survive in very specific conditions. “Or would I explode? I’m not really sure how that works.”
Doc Breccan shook his head. “I promise you have nothing to worry about. As for going into the city, I’d recommend an escort until you’re more accustomed to the culture, but yes, you can go almost anywhere you’d like.” He angled his shoulders toward the door. “Anything else?”
“Do you have Netflix here?”
The doctor paused and tilted his head to the side while his lips turned down at the corners. “I’m sorry? What is a Netflix?”
Yeah, she hadn’t thought so. “Never mind. Your weird alien television is good, too.” Smiling, she dropped back against the pillows and waved. “I’ll see you later. Thanks, Doc.”
“Weird alien television?” Vane asked as he entered the room. After a brief nod in greeting to the doctor, he sauntered over to the bed and tapped her on the hip.
“You’re early.” Since Vane had patrol duty in the mornings, he’d never made an appearance before dinner.
“I am. Now, shove over, female. You have much to learn.”
“I’m not watching three hours of soccer again.” She did, however, move over to clear a place for him to sit on the bed. “That cooking show wasn’t so bad, though I only understood about half of the ingredients.”
“It’s not soccer. It’s fieldball, and it’s a great sport.”
Charli rolled her eyes. “Whatever. It’s soccer.” Each side had two goals instead of one, and she’d counted twice as many players on the field, but still essentially the same. “What about movies? Do you have those here?”
“Of course we have movies. I’ll show you when I get you home.”
She’d spent the first two days of her hospital stay moping about while she cried on and off. Coming to terms with the fact that she’d never be able to go home hadn’t been easy, but it sure beat the hell out of dying.
The reminder of the home she would never see again made her chest ache. She had no clothes, no money, not even a memento from her old life. Probably the thing that hurt most, though, was the fact that no one would likely miss her. Sure, she had Sage, but the woman was what Charli liked to call a “weekend friend.” They had brunch or coffee a couple of times a month, and they’d do something special for their birthdays. Beyond that, they rarely talked.
Her mother had died before Charli’s second birthday, and her father had passed a couple of years ago. She had no grandparents, uncles, aunts, siblings, or cousins. Hell, it would probably be weeks before anyone back on Earth even realized she’d gone missing.
Pushing away her unpleasant thoughts, Charli tried to look at the silver lining. Nekron didn’t differ that much from Earth, or so she’d been told. They even spoke English, which was a big plus in her book. From the corner of her eye, she peeked at Vane and grinned. Well, Nekron definitely had one perk.
“Where exactly is home?” she asked while Vane
“Okay.” Charli didn’t bother reminding the doctor that she couldn’t go home. “What do I do until then?”
“You could sleep,” he suggested, smirking when Charli glared at him. “Even if I do discharge you today, you still need rest.”
“I’m fine. I don’t need rest.” She’d done nothing but sleep since arriving on Nekron. “Can I go into the city? I mean, is that allowed?” Another thought occurred to her, and she bit her bottom lip while she thought through how to phrase her next question. “Am I going to implode if I go outside?”
Doctor Breccan chuckled again as he tucked the clear tablet under his arm. “I’m going to miss your endless list of questions, Charli. I’ve never met a human before.”
“Well, you’re only the third Nekros I’ve met, so join the club,” she countered. “Now, back to this imploding thing.” She’d read somewhere that humans were delicate creatures who could only survive in very specific conditions. “Or would I explode? I’m not really sure how that works.”
Doc Breccan shook his head. “I promise you have nothing to worry about. As for going into the city, I’d recommend an escort until you’re more accustomed to the culture, but yes, you can go almost anywhere you’d like.” He angled his shoulders toward the door. “Anything else?”
“Do you have Netflix here?”
The doctor paused and tilted his head to the side while his lips turned down at the corners. “I’m sorry? What is a Netflix?”
Yeah, she hadn’t thought so. “Never mind. Your weird alien television is good, too.” Smiling, she dropped back against the pillows and waved. “I’ll see you later. Thanks, Doc.”
“Weird alien television?” Vane asked as he entered the room. After a brief nod in greeting to the doctor, he sauntered over to the bed and tapped her on the hip.
“You’re early.” Since Vane had patrol duty in the mornings, he’d never made an appearance before dinner.
“I am. Now, shove over, female. You have much to learn.”
“I’m not watching three hours of soccer again.” She did, however, move over to clear a place for him to sit on the bed. “That cooking show wasn’t so bad, though I only understood about half of the ingredients.”
“It’s not soccer. It’s fieldball, and it’s a great sport.”
Charli rolled her eyes. “Whatever. It’s soccer.” Each side had two goals instead of one, and she’d counted twice as many players on the field, but still essentially the same. “What about movies? Do you have those here?”
“Of course we have movies. I’ll show you when I get you home.”
She’d spent the first two days of her hospital stay moping about while she cried on and off. Coming to terms with the fact that she’d never be able to go home hadn’t been easy, but it sure beat the hell out of dying.
The reminder of the home she would never see again made her chest ache. She had no clothes, no money, not even a memento from her old life. Probably the thing that hurt most, though, was the fact that no one would likely miss her. Sure, she had Sage, but the woman was what Charli liked to call a “weekend friend.” They had brunch or coffee a couple of times a month, and they’d do something special for their birthdays. Beyond that, they rarely talked.
Her mother had died before Charli’s second birthday, and her father had passed a couple of years ago. She had no grandparents, uncles, aunts, siblings, or cousins. Hell, it would probably be weeks before anyone back on Earth even realized she’d gone missing.
Pushing away her unpleasant thoughts, Charli tried to look at the silver lining. Nekron didn’t differ that much from Earth, or so she’d been told. They even spoke English, which was a big plus in her book. From the corner of her eye, she peeked at Vane and grinned. Well, Nekron definitely had one perk.
“Where exactly is home?” she asked while Vane
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