Recon Marines III: The Marine's Doctor (37 page)

* * * *

“
We’ll go with you.”
Callie resisted the temptation to put conditions on the agreement.
They depended on the mercy of the marines and had nothing to
bargain.

Joe gave a short nod. “You’ll need
your sturdiest boots and shoes. The clothing you wear will have to
do.”

“
We need to take along
some other things.”

Joe shook his head, before she
finished speaking. “We can’t carry anything else but
you.”

“
You won’t have to carry
us.”

“
We will.”

“
But we’ll need more than
one set of clothing. And what of the children? The baby needs
changing several times per day.” Callie didn’t think the small pile
of belongings they’d put together amounted to much. Two changes of
simple clothing for everyone, their small supply of medicine and
the few data packs they’d carried on their journey.

“
Your life or your
clothing, Lady Callie,” Joe said.

“
Sir,” Riba said. “The
baby must have linens and fresh clothing.”

Sally cooed as if in answer and waved
a tiny fist at her mother’s chin.

Joe took a small step closer to Riba
and stretched his neck to look at the baby. Riba had stripped the
infant down to her diaper during the mid day heat. Joe’s jaw
clenched in the largest display of emotion Callie had seen from him
so far. Rib lifted Sally toward him.

The marine’s eyes widened and he
retreated with his palms out in a warding motion. “Take what you
need for the … baby. Leave the rest and we’ll come back for it
later.”

He turned and hopped out of the door
before anyone could answer. Callie stared after him. He seemed a
little … unbalanced.

Acacia giggled, and soon Grace joined
her. Riba smiled and rubbed her head against Sally’s downy head.
But Yalo looked at the empty hatch with a puzzled expression
matching Callie’s feelings.

“
I think our lean, mean
marine is afraid of babies,” Acacia managed around her
laughter.

Callie smiled because she couldn’t
resist their merriment. Joe’s obvious discomfort around the baby
didn’t amuse her. Why would anyone react so to something so
harmless?

* * * *

“
We’ll have to double or
triple up tonight.” Only Tar grimaced at Joe’s words. “I don’t know
how fast we’ll be able to move so go light on the water. Tar, take
the point. Vin, cover the rear. Roz and I will take the
flanks.”

“
Who will take the baby
tonight?” Roz asked.

“
We’ll decide later,” Joe
answered. None of them wanted to sleep with an infant. He’d been
close enough to touch it and had smelled its strange
odor.

The women gathered in a small herd
near their disabled ship. Lady Callie stood tall and proud while
looking their way. The loose clothing she wore did little to
conceal the swell of her hips or the generous roundness of her
breasts. Damn him for noticing but how long since any of them had
lain with a woman? A year? And those women had been paid to
entertain them. Nothing like these women. Women such as they’d
never even seen.

“
Find the easiest route,
Tar, even if it costs us time.”

“
Yes, sir.”

An hour into their trip Joe knew they
were in trouble. The women took small steps. They labored up the
gentle inclines and breathed heavily of the dry air. Roz lifted the
little girl again, swinging her up to his shoulders. The child
laughed, an alien sound in the white sea of death they strode
upon.

The marines could have covered three
times the distance in the same amount of time. They had to move
faster if they wanted to reach the oasis before the hot hours on
the morrow.

“
Joe.”

Joe slowed to allow Callie to catch up
to him. Only her soft, brown eyes showed above the white cloth
she’d wrapped around her face but they sufficed to display her
displeasure.

“
We can’t keep up this
pace. Can’t we stop and rest.”

“
Not yet.” Joe searched
for the words to explain, but the lady’s presence tangled his
thoughts. His training didn’t include dealing with respectable
civilians.

“
We’re going…” Callie
stumbled into him, her words ending in a strangled cry.

Joe cursed and slid his knife from his
belt. He slashed at the cactus vine wrapping around Callie’s boot
and up her calf. He hacked it off but not before it left several
thorns in her footwear and pant leg.

Callie squeezed his arm, her thin
fingers digging into his muscles. She stared at the purple fluid
leaking like blood from the sliced vine.

“
What is it?” Her breath
brushed his face.

Joe couldn’t think with her only a
hand’s width from him. The cloth had dropped from her face and
exposed her smooth, pale skin to the harsh sun. He looked away and
kicked at the vine. “Cover your face.”

He inwardly winced at his the
harshness of his command. “The thorns are poison, one of the many
dangers in the sands. You have your wish, my lady. We must stop and
treat your injury.”

* * * *

Callie bit her lip as Joe pulled
another of the barbed thorns from her calf. His hard gaze flicked
up to her as a small whimper escaped her despite her attempt at
stoicism.

“
One more,” he said in a
voice she could only describe as a growl.

The other marines dug shallow holes in
the hot sand. Roz had spread a thin sheet of camouflage material on
the ground so the women could rest. The wondrous cloth kept the
heat of the burning sand at bay. Callie sat on Joe’s thin pack
while he knelt with her bare foot cradled in his callused
hand.

Joe slid his other hand up her calf to
the back of her knee. Little fissions of pleasure followed the path
he traced and distracted her from her painful wounds. Her reaction
shocked her but she couldn’t stop it. She sensed Joe’s displeasure
though his hands moved gently on her leg. His warm breath feathered
against her skin as he leaned close to find the tip of the last
thorn. He used his thumb and the edge of a small knife to grip the
barb.

He lifted his head and met her gaze.
The pureness of blue in his eyes reminded her of rare, old Earth
sapphires. She nearly missed the flicker of regret and her wonder
at it was cut short when he tore the thorn from her leg.

Callie shrieked and jerked her leg
from his grip. She tumbled from her perch and landed on the burning
sand. Joe lifted her quickly to her feet.

“
Sit.” He pushed her back
to her seat on the pack. He pulled a small capped tin from one of
the sacks attached to his belt.

Yalo started toward them, but Callie
waved her back.

“
I had to get the thorns
out.” Joe didn’t look at her. “One of my men died from their poison
when we first crossed.”

Callie realized Joe meant to apologize
in his short-worded rude way. “I know you had to do it. Thank
you.”

“
I should have noticed it
so you didn’t step on it. Now we’ll have to stay here and might not
reach the waterhole tomorrow.” Joe rubbed some ointment from the
small tin over the seeping punctures on her leg and then pulled a
skinny roll of white cloth from the same pouch on his waist. His
hands moved quick and sure, pulling the bandage tight without
pinching. His thick hair begged to be tested for silkiness as he
bent his head over his task.

Callie squeezed her hands into fists
as they moved toward him without her conscious thought. He finished
and looked up, his clear gaze startling her anew with his
intensity. He looked away and gestured toward his men.

“
We only have four field
beds. You and I must decide how they’re shared.”

“
Four beds for eleven
people?” Outrage flooded through Callie. The marines now had them
trapped out in the desert and probably expected the women to give
in with little protest. And Joe wanted her to help match them
up?

Joe’s predator gaze touched on her and
then swept over the rest of her party. “The children might be a
problem.”

“
A problem?” Callie
lurched to her feet, trying to keep her bare foot out of the sand.
She poked him in the chest with her finger and found him as movable
as the marble walls of her royal home. “Get this straight, soldier!
We’re not sharing any beds with you or your genetic-freak comrades.
We’d rather die out here!”

The others surely heard every word.
The marines stopped digging and stared at her and Joe.

Joe picked up her boot and handed it
to her. “The sun will set within half an hour, Lady Callie. All of
you will be frozen within another hour if you don’t join us in our
field beds. Though I’d guess the children won’t last even that
long.”

He gathered up his supplies and walked
away to join his men. They exchanged no words and started digging
again. Callie winced as she slid her foot into her hot boot. She
hobbled over to the other women. They lifted their frightened gazes
to her.

“
What was that about?”
Yalo asked.

“
He wanted me to decide
which one of them each of you would sleep with.” Saying the words
added fuel to Callie’s anger.

“
So?” Riba
asked.

“
Riba! I know they’re
pretty to look at but…”

“
Callie,” Riba
interrupted. “What are you thinking? We’ll have to sleep together
to keep warm. They’re not digging those holes so they can have
their way with us. Roz said they have special sleeping sacks to
hold in the heat.”

“
They must have some
advanced gear to allow them to survive the extreme temperatures, or
they wouldn’t be able to cross this desert,” Yalo
offered.

Callie winced as she recalled her
words to Joe. She watched the marines as they went about their
preparations. They pulled more thin sheets like the one the women
rested on from their packs and lined the holes. No words passed
between them as they worked in perfect efficiency.

How could she apologize for her harsh
words? If she hadn’t been thinking about how beautiful Joe was, she
wouldn’t have jumped to such an illogical conclusion. No matter the
marines’ rudeness and social ineptness, the men had been nothing
but helpful. They’d asked nothing in return and perhaps that was
why she couldn’t bring herself to trust them.

* * * *

Joe set aside his shovel as Callie
walked toward him. It might be best if the men didn’t hear more of
her opinions of them. “Tar and Roz, set up the condensation nets
for the night. Vin, see about food for everyone.”

Callie stopped in front of him. “I
misunderstood your intentions, Joe.”

He tried not to stare at her pale,
smooth skin, so fragile appearing against the unforgiving backdrop
of the desert. “Have you decided on the sleeping
arrangements?”

“
I’m trying to
apologize.”

Joe thought she looked more angry than
sorry. His mind raced to interpret her meaning. She said she
misunderstood, but she was still upset. Perhaps more details would
help. “I will take the baby. Roz volunteered to take the child and
her mother. Vin will take only one as he’ll be the last
settled.”

Red color rose to Callie’s cheeks.
Could the thorns cause a fever so quickly? She spoke through
clenched teeth. “Are you some kind of robot? Having a conversation
with you is like speaking to my computer.”

Joe repeated her words in his mind.
Did she expect an answer to the robot question? He feared to say
the wrong thing so said nothing.

Callie sighed. “The baby’s mother must
sleep with her. Sally still wakes up to eat in the middle of the
night. Yalo can sleep with Vin and help him to whatever it is he
needs to do.”

Joe gave a quick nod, eager to agree
and move away from the confusion of her earlier anger. He knew his
intelligence quotient topped the abilities of most men but being
around Callie proved his ignorance of so many things.

Callie broke eye contact, and the
fever rose in her cheeks again. “As the leader I should stay close
to your leader. I’ll sleep with you and Riba and the
baby.”

“
The plan is good,” Joe
agreed without hesitation. “Vin has food for your
people.”

“
Thank you.” But she
didn’t move away.

“
You’ll be safe
tonight.”

“
I know.”

Joe wondered if he hadn’t responded
fully enough. Civilians had conversations, did they not? “The food
is the same but it has many nutrients.”

“
Joe!”

“
Yes?” He stood right
beside her. Why did she call him?

Callie laughed, a musical sound from
deep inside her. “What goes on in your head, and why am I trying to
figure it out? The food is wonderful, especially compared to what
we had.”

“
You said you didn’t have
any food.”

Callie laughed again and walked away
to join her other friends. What the hell had she meant about the
food?