He stared at her face. She glanced around wildly, seeming panicked.
“Look at me,” he ordered.
She gazed at him as if he were a lifeline. He liked her eyes. They were a soft shade of brown with a lot of gold flecks inside the irises. He hadn’t seen too many humans who had that trait. They seemed suspiciously wet but she didn’t cry. He wouldn’t have blamed her if she had.
“Are you allergic to any medications?” Chimes poured water over the wound to clear the blood.
Melinda’s tongue darted out as she licked her lips. She didn’t say anything but shook her head.
“No, she’s not,” he answered for her.
“I’m not blind.” Chimes smiled. “You’re being brave, female. I heard you shot bad humans intent on killing our males. We’ll take good care of you. You are also lucky. It looks as if you’re only missing some flesh, but Doc Alli will probably order an X-ray to make sure more damage wasn’t done. You will need stitches.”
“Where is Doc Alli?” It pissed Snow off that she wasn’t already there. Melinda had put her life at risk to save Species and she deserved excellent medical care, as if she were one of them.
“She was at home when we got the call but she’s on her way. She should be here at any second. It takes time even with her speeding.”
The answer from Chimes settled Snow a bit, until Melinda flinched. “Give her something for the pain.” It bothered him, knowing she suffered.
“I can’t. I’m not trained for that yet. Destiny could, but he was sent to Homeland when Doc Alli came. Obsidian still won’t allow her to work with that male. I only have Species dosages down. I wouldn’t want to accidently give her too much. I like being a nurse.”
Melinda gasped. He wasn’t sure if it was from something Chimes had said or done. He pressed tighter against her body. “It’s going to be okay. Just breathe in and out.”
“I am.”
He could feel every time she inhaled and exhaled, since he was almost on top of her in case she tried to wiggle away from Chimes tending to her bleeding arm. “You’re being very brave,” he rushed to assure her.
Tears flooded her eyes. “I was scared. I didn’t know you had guns or I would have shouted to you about those men. I saw them before they came in. I thought they were going to rob us. I didn’t know they wanted you.”
He nodded. “You shot those males, and that was good. Why did you have a weapon?”
“Joel keeps his shotgun locked up near the register. I have a key for it, since I know how to shoot. He made me shoot cans to prove I wasn’t bullshitting. I hit every one without missing after the first two shots. And that thing is old; I’d never fired one like it before.”
“Were you in the human military?” She didn’t look like it to him. Melinda had a soft, rounded body. Not one that was overly fit, like the bodies of most of the female military he’d seen.
“No.” She stiffened, gasping out. “Ouch.”
“Sorry, I have to dig around a bit to make sure the bullet didn’t splinter. It seems it just nicked you,” Chimes muttered. “I’m trying to see if it hit bone.”
“I nick my legs while shaving. I’ve never bled this much.” Melinda arched her back, pressing her breasts against his chest.
Snow hated noticing how good those soft mounds felt against him. The female was in pain. Her breathing rapidly increased, and he needed to attempt to calm her. “She means the bullet didn’t pierce a lot of flesh.” Snow hoped, anyway. “For Species, that’s just a small wound.”
“You all seem to have a really messed-up understanding of not much and not too bad.”
He grinned. “I like the way you talk.”
“I haven’t rid myself of my accent completely yet. It comes out when I’m stressed.” She eased her grip on his hand but then clenched her fingers tight. “Dang it. That hurts!”
“You’re doing really well. I’m impressed.” He meant it. Some humans would scream and cry.
“I’ve got a good tolerance for pain. Farm girl here. I got hurt a lot growing up.”
He stroked her light brown hair with his fingers, hoping it would help. He liked it when someone played with his. “Where are you from? I haven’t heard someone talk the way you do before.”
“A tiny town in Indiana. Home of cows, chickens, and pigs, mostly.” She arched her back again and her legs moved restlessly.
He broke eye contact with her to glance over his shoulder. She’d bent her knee upward and kicked a little at the bed with that foot. He looked back at her. “Is that helping?”
“I’m not shouting cuss words, am I?”
“No. Do you want to?”
“I’m here! Move!”
Snow felt relief when Doc Alli entered. She had gloved up and wore colorful cartoon-print scrubs. She ignored him and focused on Melinda. Chimes stepped to the side to give the doctor room to work.
“You were shot with a handgun, correct? I’m Dr. Allison. What’s your name?”
“Mel. Um, Melinda York.” She groaned. “It looked like a .38 but I’m not real good about knowing that stuff, and it’s kind of a blur. It happened too fast. It hurts.”
Doc Alli pulled back and frowned at Chimes. “Why hasn’t someone given her pain meds yet?”
“Doc Ted is with Wind. Doc Harris is waiting for the bad humans to arrive. We just got an update that Homeland is sending us more medical help.”
“Shit. Okay.” Doc Alli leaned in close. “Are you allergic to any medicines?”
“No, she’s not.” Snow met Doc Alli’s stare.
“Is she taking any medications? Been drinking? Doing drugs?”
“Nope, nope, and nope.” Mel paused. “Birth control pills. I almost forgot that.” She rattled off what she took.
Doc Alli nodded. “I’m on it.” She spun away and returned quickly with a syringe. “You’re going to feel a little pinch in a second.”
“It’s got to be nothing compared to feeling like my arm is being torn apart by a hungry crow.”
Snow smothered a grin and stroked Melinda’s hair. “Do crows tear limbs apart often?”
“Well, no, but they might if you’re bleeding and think you won’t fight back.” She paused when she was given the shot, her face scrunching up slightly. “They’re scavengers. That was nice. It didn’t hurt much.”
“I’m happy to hear that.” Doc Alli moved away to dispose of the syringe. “It will quickly take effect.”
“Nighty-night time?”
Snow’s amusement at the way Melinda spoke grew.
“No. You’ll be feeling good though.” Doc Alli came back to the bed.
The female under him relaxed after a few minutes and smiled. “Oh, this is good.”
“What is?” Snow eased some of his weight off her chest as her body became limp.
“The drugs.” Mel smiled. “I can’t feel my toes.” She paused. “They are still there, right?”
He nodded. “I promise you that they are.” He turned his head to address Doc Alli. “Will she be alright?”
“Yes. She was grazed. She’s going to have a scar but I got the bleeding stopped. I’m about to put in stitches after I finish cleaning the wound. She got lucky. The bullet missed the bone. I don’t even see a crease on it.”
Snow gazed into Mel’s eyes. He wanted to keep her distracted and focused on him to prevent her from seeing what was about to happen next. He never enjoyed looking at sharp needles, especially if it involved his skin being sewn together. “How long have you lived in town?”
“Just over a year.” She smiled. “I love your eyes. The color is amazing. They remind me of my favorite kind of summer day. I call you Mr. Blue Eyes. I didn’t know your name.”
He grinned. “Thank you. Your eyes are quite pretty, too.”