Her Alien Protector: A Sci-fi Romance

Part 27

Ava

I am in some sort of hospital bed, and scourges surround me.

When a scourge tries to touch me, I recoil in fear.

"Please, no scourge, no scourge." I need to escape. I need... "I need Rigel, I want Rigel!"

This room does not have a translator and my wrist translator is gone, too, either lost or taken from me.

Rigel steps into the room. I sob, reaching for him. He climbs into the bed with me, wrapping his arms around me.

Rigel must have said something to the other scourges because they leave.

"Ava safe," he says, pulling me against him.

I relax, letting myself melt into him. Rigel is here. Safe. With Rigel by my side, I sleep.

***

I'm discharged. I have some idea of what my injuries are—hello, I'm the one who got them, and the only bandage on me is on my stomach.

Why then does Rigel need to carry me when I'm discharged? Especially since my legs were untouched.

When we get back to Rigel's apartment, he acts as if I am broken. Before, he would let me bathe, but I guess now he's afraid I might trip and fall into the water and just sink, and then no more Ava? Now he insists that he accompany me into the room with the pond, helping me into the water. Apparently, I can't even hold a sponge; he is the only one who can dab me with one while I bathe.

It is nice, though, to have someone dote their attention on me. Sometimes I look into his eyes and it's either the light of the room or... Are his eyes silver or blue?

***

Rigel is at the bedside in the morning. "I need to go back to work. Pets and pet owners need my help."

He covers me with a blanket and leaves a bowl full of berries for me on the floor.

His wings quiver. "Sorry, Ava."

The second the door closes, I leap out of bed.

"Finally," I say to the empty room.

I like having Rigel care for me, but... I also like doing things for myself, like walking. Being constantly carried from room to room is getting to be a bit much.

More than that, though, right before I went for my test, Kayla told me how to use the computer, so with Rigel at work...

I clap, activating the computer.

Time to start my personal mission.

I have a question I want to ask Rigel. I know we have a translator and can use that, but I'd rather do this the right way. I want to ask him something and it would be torturous to ask, wait for the translator, have him say whatever it is he feels, and so on.

So, I initiate a language tutorial. I practice saying the question a few times, although...

What if I show him what I feel instead? If he does not figure it out, then I will ask for what I want.

So, after practicing with the language tutorial over and over again, I prepare and make a few changes to his living quarters.

Now the only thing I need to complete my plan is Rigel.

***

Everything is arranged just as I want it. I've also practiced my words dozens of times today. When the door to Rigel's quarters opens, even though it's a bit dark, I can see the silhouette of his frame. When he sees the flickering candles, he slows. It took me quite a while to carry the candles from the room with the pond and assemble them around his bedroom.