Chapter 37 Dax
Dax
A battle cry tore through the loading dock. My head whipped up and everything appeared like snapshots.
Finn shoving past Burn.
Finn bracing a hand on a cargo pallet.
Finn vaulting over the pallet.
Finn flying through the air.
Finn wrapping his arms around the man in danger.
Finn shoved him hard enough that he cleared the cart’s path and stumbled along the deck. Several of his team members caught him and pulled him to safety.
All of that happened in the blink of an eye. I kept my attention focused on Finn. He was so close to clearing the cart.
Come on, buddy.
But the same momentum that launched the other man forward caused Finn to lose his footing on the steep ramp.
He dropped to one knee, his hands catching the rest of his weight.
The cart caught his ankle. Rolled over his shin.
The sickening crunch of bones echoed around the loading dock.
“Aahhh!”
“Finn!” Burn and I yelled his name at nearly the same time and raced toward him.
The cart slowed but didn’t stop and ran over his right hand. Another anguished cry split the air until it was cut off abruptly.
“Finn!”
Was he dead?
Burn reached him before I did, so I joined the scrum of men trying to stop the runaway cart.
It slowed, stopped, but the damage was done. And Finn was still trapped beneath it.
“Finn?” His name was a prayer and a question.
“Still . . . here . . . Dax.” Every word sounded like a struggle. I hated that he was injured and in pain, but I was so glad he was still breathing.
Next to him, Burn was sprawled on the deck, her hand reaching for him under the cart. Her murmured nonononono broke my heart. Finn had been injured in the same accident that killed Wilson. This incident, while completely different, threatened to dredge up memories of that horrible time.
I shoved those thoughts as deep as I could and channeled my fear and anger into command mode. One of my team—my brother—was injured. I couldn’t afford to lose myself in the moment.
“We need medical help, stat!” Damn, I wished Mercer was here with us.
“On its way.” Bruce already had his comms in hand and was communicating with someone, presumably medical.
That sorted, I focused on the next problem. Finn’s position.
At Burn’s side, I dropped to the ground and peered under the cargo sled. Finn’s face was ashen, every feature caught in a rictus of pain. As far as I could tell, the cart wasn’t actually pinning him down. It would just be almost impossible to move it without some part of Finn being in the way.
“Help is coming, Finn. Just hold on.” Sitting back on my knees, I found Bruce in the crowd of people on the deck. “How long ’til medical is here?”
“The spaceport’s medic will be here any minute now. The planet-based medical transport has launched. ETA on that is twelve minutes.”
“Hang on, buddy.”
“I . . . hate . . . our new . . . gig.”
I laughed the way I was supposed to. “Yeah, this wasn’t a great start.”
A shadow appeared at my side. I looked up to find Lacy next to me. “I grabbed the ship’s med kit.” She set it down next to me.
I stared at the kit longingly. I didn’t know what to do for Finn. “I’m afraid of hurting him more.”
Her hand settled on my shoulder, a warm, comforting weight. “The medic is almost here. They’ll take good care of him.”
She kept speaking, her voice a calming counterpoint to the thud of blood rushing in my ears.
“Bruce has his crew clearing the stupid shooters that they managed to unload out of the area. They’ll be safely stored and that will free up the space around Fortuna.
They won’t be able to unload the others until we’ve helped Finn. ”
“I want them off my ship,” I rasped.
She rubbed my shoulder. “The team will take care of them as soon as it’s safe to do so. Right now, everyone is focused on getting Finn to safety.”
“And that’s what I’m here for.” A breathless voice joined our conversation.
A figure clad in a dark jumpsuit dropped to his knees next to Burn. Despite the white armband emblazoned with a big red cross, his shock of red hair and the freckles scattered over his cheeks made him look twelve.
“I’m Jefferson,” he said in a calm, soothing voice. “Your friends call you Finn, but everyone here on the station is calling you a hero.”
“Damn . . . straight,” Finn wheezed from beneath the cart.
If the sound concerned the medic, he didn’t show it. The ginger medic’s calm, easy manner and steady movements eased some of my concerns. As did the gentle, almost magical way he urged Burn—and me—to move out of his way.
Lacy helped Burn to her feet and wrapped her arms around her.
I felt a rush of affection for her. Even after everything my team had said about her and done to her, she was still here, willing to step up for them.
I stood too, ready to help however I could, but Jefferson shooed me out of the way. While understandable, I hated being sidelined like this. All I could do was watch as Bruce and his team, directed by the unflappable Jefferson, slowly and carefully disassembled the cart from around Finn.
I nearly darted forward when the cart gave an ominous rattle, but Lacy grabbed my wrist. “Let them do their jobs, Dax,” she whispered.
“But I can help!”
“They’re a well-trained team. Used to working together. Let them do their jobs.”
I understood her message. I wouldn’t want someone interrupting my team. Except her. I shook my head. Not the time or the place, Dax.
Time had no meaning as we watched them work. Watched Jefferson stabilize Finn and get him loaded on a hover stretcher.
Jefferson carefully removed his gloves and disposed of them. “The medical transport is at the next dock. You can have a minute with him, but then we need to get him to the hospital immediately.”
“He’s coming with us.” Burn dashed past the medic, stopping at Finn’s side. She reached out to touch him, then pulled her hand away.
I followed more slowly and put a hand on her shoulder. “Burn, we can’t.”
“He’s one of us. He belongs with us.” Her voice was thick with unshed tears.
“I want that too. But Fortuna’s med bay is small and we don’t have the proper tools. We can’t help him the way he needs, can we?” I looked over to Jefferson.
He shook his head, regret stark on his face. “It was touch-and-go there for a minute. We’ve got state-of-the-art facilities down on the planet.”
“The planet you use those bombs on?” Burn was shaking now. Shock probably. Maybe rage.
The medic took her question in stride. “The hospital is well away from the active mining sites. We take safety very seriously in all aspects of life here.”
“What about the emergency medical pod?” Burn asked.
From her position behind Jefferson, Lacy shook her head.
“You don’t know that,” Burn said. “You’re not a doctor.”
Lacy flinched from Burn’s verbal blow, but she didn’t try to convince her.
Jefferson stepped into the emotional fray. “A Palaminto?” He looked at me.
“I don’t know.” I looked at Lacy and cursed my blind spots and the huge amount I had to learn still.
“Yes. Model 458.”
“Yeah, that’s standard on most smaller ships.” He directed his next words to Burn. “The emergency life pod is for when the only option is to get the patient to a medical facility as soon as possible. It keeps them alive—usually—but it can’t heal them.”
His tone gentled. “You don’t have to rush him to a medical facility and hope you make it in time. Our clinic is minutes away. We’re ready to take care of him. Will you let us do that?”
Staring down at Finn, Burn didn’t answer for a long minute. Finally, she nodded.
“Great. You can come with us while we strap him in. It might make you feel better about his treatment.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Several more figures dressed like Jefferson had appeared during our conversation.
They had to be the staff from the medical transport.
They grabbed the sides of the hover stretcher, but before they could roll him away, I leaned close to Finn.
“Your job is to get better,” I told him.
“We’ll be back to get you when you’re back on your feet. I promise.”
When I stepped back, one of the medics gave me a solemn nod, then they took Finn away.
Bruce stepped forward. “We’ll take care of him. He’s one of ours now.”
Although I was glad that someone else would be looking after Finn, I battled a sense of failure that we couldn’t help him. If Mercer had been here, would he have been willing to risk bringing Finn on Fortuna?
“If you need anything for his care—” I let the words trail off. That was as oblique an offer to pay for his treatment as I could make.
The other man shook his head. “Your guy was injured saving one of my guys. We’ve got him.” His words were as solemn as a vow.
“You’ll contact us if you need anything?”
“I promise.” He pulled a tablet out of a pocket. “We’ve unloaded the rest of the cargo. Ready for funds transfer?”
I nodded. Now I understood what Lacy had meant about not talking about payment. I felt incredibly uncomfortable after what had happened to Finn. It took a couple times clearing my throat to be able to say yes.
He handed the tablet to me and I swiftly entered the ship’s account number.
“Thank you.” I handed the tablet back.
He pressed another button and we both watched the numbers change between accounts. I nearly whistled through my teeth. That much money would keep us in fuel for quite a while.
Once we were back on the ship, I’d verify payment and transfer the finder’s fee to Moya. Then Burn and I would figure out next moves. Picking up Mercer and Orion was a priority.
Bruce pocketed the tablet then studied me. “You’ll be back for him?”
“As soon as he’s ready. Maybe before then, if we can swing a visit.”