Change Horizons: Three Novellas by Gun Brooke Read Free Book Online

voice husky.
    “Just need a pillow.”
    “Here.” Ciel held one out to her.
    “Thanks. Go to sleep now.”
    “You too.”
    Gemma listened to Ciel’s breathing even out. Only when she was convinced Ciel was sleeping soundly did she relax against the pillow. The skin on her wrist tingled and Gemma had no clue what that meant. She was going to have to keep an eye on Ciel O’Diarda in more ways than one and try to figure it out.

Chapter Five
     
    Ciel stood on slightly wobbly legs, relieved to feel only a slight discomfort in her leg. Gemma’s chair was empty and the blanket folded neatly on top of the pillow. Military precision, of course. She listened for clues as to where Gemma might be and heard faint sounds from the bathroom. Desperately needing what the SC staff called the cleansing tube, she went over to her quarters and gathered a clean set of underwear and a coverall. She missed her usual airy, flowing kaftan and pants but conceded that, while working with the SC military, a generic sort of coverall was more practical. She stood out less that way, something she’d become an expert at over the years.
    “Ciel?” Gemma’s voice came from her quarters. “You all right?”
    “I’m fine. Just getting ready to, eh, shower.”
    “Can I take a look at your leg before you do?” Gemma asked from the doorway.
    “No need,” Ciel muttered. “I’ll check it out and, if I need to, I’ll take care of it using the correct herbs.”
    “Herbs.” Gemma pursed her lips. “You had such a bad reaction last night. Life-threatening. I’m not sure herbs will cut it.”
    “Herbs kept people alive through much worse during the last twenty-five years, and before that too.” Annoyance simmered in the back of Ciel’s mind at Gemma’s unwavering belief in the superiority of SC medicine.
    “That said—”
    “That said, I’m going to shower now.” Ciel hurried past Gemma, who took a step back without another word.
    In the bathroom, Ciel leaned against the closed door. Exasperated, this time with herself and her temper, she groaned. “Damn.” She pulled off her nightclothes and stepped into the cleaning tube. The humming sound waves made goose bumps erupt along her arms. She hated how this machine made her hair static, even if the effect didn’t last. It only took sixty seconds to thoroughly cleanse her entire body. Grateful when the cycle ended, Ciel exited the narrow space and pulled on everything but the coverall that was still in her room, as she needed to apply her herbal paste and dress the affected area on her leg.
    Gemma had returned to her quarters as Ciel crossed the corridor to enter hers. She thought of how she’d just talked to the woman who had saved her life last night. Her personal issues had more to do with her attitude than the fact that Gemma believed in her own profession and education. Placing her head in her hands, Ciel sighed. She sometimes spoke before she had time to edit herself, but she knew when she’d been in the wrong. She pulled on the coverall and walked over to Gemma’s quarters. Knocking on the door, she chewed on the inside of her cheek.
    “Enter.” The door opened. Gemma was at her desk, her computer showing the SC crest, but her subspace conversation was clearly over. “Yes?” Her expression didn’t reveal her mood.
    “I apologize. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. You saved my life yesterday and it was wrong of me to dismiss your efforts, as well as your way of practicing medicine.” Ciel tugged at her sleeves, putting weight on her uninjured leg.
    “Apology accepted. In all fairness, I’m guilty of the same suspicion.” Gemma smiled faintly. “We’d both do well to remember we’re working toward the same goal, albeit through different approaches.”
    Suddenly enthusiastic, and a lot happier that Gemma didn’t hold a grudge, Ciel motioned toward the bed. “May I sit down?”
    “Oh. Sorry. Of course, your poor leg.”
    “I’m all right, just a bit