Chocolate Rewards: The Sweetness of Two Worlds Colliding Together (10 page)

“
Oh no,
we are going to fix you up and when you are all better I am going to
give you the thrashing of a lifetime.”

“
Okay,
that sounds good. Let's do that.” Her head rolled to the side and
she passed out.

“
Amber?”
He shook her shoulder. “Amber? Can you hear me?”

Rokai
stayed at her side, holding her hand. He didn't want her to be alone.

The Emko
had gone right to work, doing what needed to be done. Rokai was the
only one who gagged as they removed the dead animal's head from her
foot, tooth by long hairy tooth.

They
pumped so much blood out of her body that he feared that she would
die from blood loss.

Now that
everything that could be done was done Rokai felt drained and
useless. There was nothing he could do to help her, except stare at
her and will her to get better. Even that wasn't working.

Rokai sat
next to her, holding her hand until it was late. Three stars showed
their light down on the this planet. It never got dark here. It just
got lighter and dimmer. That would take a long time to get used to.

Rokai had
been giving orders and explaining what needed to be done with the
cocoa plants. The Emko were so competent that they didn't need him
checking on them.

They were
a species that was made to serve. They wanted to have a family that
they could serve. Rokai had found out in the meantime that all the
Emko here had volunteered to join this undertaking. They wanted to be
away from the factories and other work places they had. By reading
between the lines he was able to hear that they wanted to serve a
family that would know who was who among them, and be good to them.

Rokai was
quick to promise that he would be a good master if only they could
save his Amber for him. They wanted her to survive just as much as he
did. They were very loyal creatures, but a chance to have a good
master was something they wouldn't want to pass up. Lots of them had
stopped by to check on her and offer suggestions about how they could
help her.

Some told
Rokai that they had once worked with families before. Rokai's new
house was quickly filling up. He had a large staff that would work in
the house taking care of him and Amber.

The ones
that preferred to work outside came in and told him that they were
thankful for this chance. They all promised to work hard for him and
Amber.

Amber had
no idea that so many people were wishing her well and thinking good
thoughts for her.

Amber had
a high fever. Rokai was worried that she wouldn't survive. It seemed
more and more unlikely that she would survive this as time past by.
He held her hand, trying to convince himself that she would wake up
any moment.

Time
past, and still he sat. He should have slept, but he was afraid to.
What if she woke up and spoke before passing on?

He cursed
himself for leaving her alone. What master left a newly acquired
slave unattended? He should have figured that she would try to run
off. Of course she didn't know anything about this planet. He didn't
even have a clue.

He would
regret that for the rest of his life.

When
Rokai couldn't hold his head up or keep his eyes open he undressed
and laid down in bed next to her. He moved her so she was lying on
top of him. Her head was on his chest. This position just felt right.

Amber
heard a gentle pounding in her ear. It seemed so familiar and
comforting. She snuggled into it, rubbing her cheek and ear over the
sound. She moved her arm around the thing that was making the
wonderful noise, wanting to hold it in place.

Amber
noticed that her foot still hurt, but she was too tired to worry
about that.

Rokai's
eyes flashed open when he felt movement. Amber's head was snuggling
into his chest. Then her arm wrapped around him holding him tightly.
He gently moved his hand so it was covering her head, wanting to
protect her. He was thrilled that she was moving. It must mean that
she would live.

He smiled
briefly before exhaustion took him again.

Rokai
woke when an Emko poked him. His eyes flew open to see what was the
matter.

“
The
doctor is here,” Emil told him.

Rokai
rubbed over his eyes quickly before he sat up. He gently laid Amber
by his side as he got up to greet the doctor.

He
wrapped his clothes around himself as he explained that she had moved
in the night. It sounded like he was bragging about her. The thought
of her snuggling into him was a moment that was precious to him. One
he hoped that he would never forget.

The
doctor looked her over. “Are you positive that she woke?”

“
Yes.
She rubbed her head against me and wrap an arm around me.”

The head
Emko, Emil, moved, so he was standing next to his master. He wanted
to show the doctor that his master wasn't a liar.

“
Perhaps
you dreamt that she moved. My computer is showing that she isn't
conscious.” He moved the blankets away from her body and looked at
her foot. “I arrived too late. I may have to remove this.” He
looked up at Rokai to see how he would react.

Rokai
didn't really care about her foot. He just wanted her to live, but
Emil had the presence of mind to say something. “I realize that our
medicine is seen as being old fashioned, but her body will fight off
the poison and she will heal with time.”

Emil
turned to his master. “Doctors nowadays don't know anything about
the art of healing. They can only hold a laser. Trust in our ways. I
will find a woman and assign her to your slave she will care for
her.” Emil looked down at the woman in the bed and added, “For
the rest of her long life.”

“
I am
going to trust my worker. He came highly recommended, from King
Aideyoung, personally.”

The
doctor was offended by what the tiny man had said. “You are lucky
enough to have a woman. It is your duty to see to it that she
recovers. If you don't want her another man will, even without one of
her feet.”

“
I want
to keep her, but I have to agree with my man. And she did wake up in
the night. She was looking for closeness to me.” Even now Rokai
felt like need to pull her close and holding her tightly. It was a
need that he would see to the second that they were alone.

“
I'll
be staying on my ship until she dies, but I will report this. Denying
a slave medical attention is a cruelty that won't be tolerated.”
The doctor packed up his laser and left.

Rokai's
stomach was all in knots as he worried about losing Amber. He just
felt strongly that no Emko would insult a doctor without cause. What
he said about the doctor just being able to hold a laser was
something that his own parents had complained about. The best doctors
worked for the King and normal ones had offices on the planets, but
those who showed the least amount of potential made house calls to
far away planets. This planet was so far away that the owners
abandoned it; despite the money they had invested in the houses.

Rokai
undressed, got into bed next to his Amber and moved her like she
liked to lie, namely, on top of him.

Emil
entered the room with a smiling female Emko. “This is Zufu, she
once served on the King's ship. She left when she married.
Unfortunately her husband died. She needs to care for someone again.
She would love to care for your slave, master.”

Rokai
looked at the happy creature. “Do you have any experience with
humans?”

“
Yes, I
worked for one on the King's ship. I never would have left her, but I
met my husband, and he had to return to his factory. I went with him.
I parted from my human on the best terms.”

Rokai
nodded. In fact, he felt lucky to have her. “Zufu, you have the
job. I'll be taking care of her for now but you can lend me a hand
with her.”

“
Of
course, master.” She stepped forward and covered up Amber's
shoulder, perfectly. “The blanket was starting to slip. “Humans
get cold so easily.”

Rokai
nodded at her. Amber had complained about being cold. This Emko did
seem to know what she was talking about.

Rokai
held Amber all day while Zufu smiled down at her. She would smile
when Amber moved a little and tell him when her fever rose or fell.
Even explaining what was so good about having a fever. She told him
that his Amber was a fighter.

It
quickly became clear that whenever Rokai left Amber's side that she,
rapidly, got worse. As soon as he slipped back under the blankets, in
close to her she would sigh and her fever would drop.

Rokai had
a feeling that she loved him back.

Zufu told
him that was the only plausible explanation.

He liked
hearing that.

Rokai
stared at her. He had wanted her too much. This was his punishment
him for his lust. He had never gotten a chance to get to know her. He
had such intense feelings for her.

Maybe
he should have let the doctor take her foot off. No, if the Emko said
this was for the best, then it was. They didn't have it in them to
harm anyone.

He
just needed to keep his Amber close to his heart where she belonged.
If he had it his way than she would never leave this house again. She
would get better and he would see to it that she adjusted here. She
was just tired. After she rested she would be just fine again.

His
thoughts drifted and he saw them carrying her to the spacecraft,
where they would then release her body back to the universe, as they
did with their dead.

Rokai
couldn't bare that thought. He didn't want to lose her. He kissed the
top of her head, wanting to feel that she was still in his arms. As
long as that was the case it meant that she was safe.

He
held her close so neither of them would fall out of the bed in their
sleep. He fell asleep quickly, already used to sleeping next to her.

Rokai
woke in the morning with the first sounds of the Emko working in the
fields. Sometimes he would stand in the window and watch them, but
mostly he stayed with his Amber, hugging her warm body to his.

Rokai
looked down at Amber. He could only see the back of her head. She was
lying on his chest. He felt her hand on his stomach. He looked at her
rounded back, watching closely to see if she was breathing. Her
shoulder slowly raised and sunk again. She was alive. She had made it
through the nightly resting phase and she would make it through the
day, too.

Rokai
had to keep his faith, believing that she would live.

Rokai
inched his way out from under her. He laid her head gently on the
pillow, kissing her cheek before he went off to wash for the day. He
nodded at Zufu who smiled at him and moved closer to Amber.

Zufu
was running her purple hand over Amber's beautiful hair. Zufu had
explained that humans needed lots of contact to be happy and even
more to heal.

Amber
still hadn't moved when he came back from his wash in the brook. He
sat down and looked at her. Was she breathing or not? He found her
pulse and held his hand over her mouth to feel the air moving there.
She was doing just fine.

There
was a knock on the door. He rose to answer the door himself.

Zufu
stayed by Amber's other side.

“
Good
morning, doctor.” Rokai stepped aside so he could enter.

The
doctor slowly did. “How is she?”

“
She's
still sleeping.”

The
doctor checked her pulse and listened to her heart. She was alive and
stronger than last night. She could pull through. “Has she woken at
all yet?”

“
Not
yet. She moves now and then, but she hasn't spoken. She is still very
tired. It was a very long trip to get here. She needs a couple of
days to adjust to the new climate.”