Subterra Heart

Chapter 26: Connor Rocha

There wasn't much Connor could do except wait while Marina processed his words. She didn't move or say anything. Just stared at him. He grimaced. If he hadn't been so shaky and his damn arm wasn't so useless right now, he'd have been in and out of the pharmacy in no time at all. This wasn't how he'd wanted things to go. He needed to get Tess some kind of medical treatment. Now.

The headache behind his eyes kept throbbing, and his nausea kept threatening to bubble up. It'd been a while since he'd last taken his meds, and he had half a mind to ask Marina for some parlin. But he kept his mouth shut.

After what seemed like an eternity, Marina huffed and took a full step into the back room.

"Let me look at that arm," she ordered.

That wasn't the response that Connor had expected.

"What?" he said.

Marina's blue dress swished at her ankles as she strode closer. She was barefoot, for some reason. She cleared her throat, and her voice came out in that same crisp, businesslike manner that Connor had always known.

"I said, let me look at that arm."

"No – I'm fine," said Connor. He trusted Marina, but he really didn't want her moving his arm around. Especially after what he'd just told her about Tess being hurt and trapped outside of Heart. He was backed into a corner though. There wasn't anything he could do.

"Don't be silly. You're useless to me if that arm is damaged too badly," she scolded him. And with that, her quick, cool fingers were on his skin, deftly examining the muscles in his damaged shoulder. Connor let out a muffled grunt. It hurt.

"It looks like you've just dislocated it," Marina murmured. She stepped back and crossed her arms. "Untie it and turn around."

Connor raised an eyebrow. A stupid comment was forming on his lips, but he cleared his throat instead. Now wasn't the time. Slowly, he untied the sleeves that held his arm in place and did as Marina said.

"Since when have you ever – argh!"

Marina had grabbed his arm and shoved the busted shoulder back in place without so much as a warning. She stepped away and immediately began rummaging through shelves.

"I've been taking classes," she said. "Uncle Fred has a continuing education requirement to work here. He sends me to Heart Central for training every other year. Now, the sling should be somewhere around here. Ah – here we are."

She hoisted a large box off of one of the upper shelves and dropped it at her feet, flipping the lid off in one smooth motion. The inside was filled with strips of thick white fabric. Marina grabbed one and strode back to Connor. She stood right up against him, hanging the adjustable belt across his neck before lifting his arm into the sling. Connor grit his teeth. The arm still hurt.

"Any of those classes cover burns?" he asked her. Marina nodded tersely.

"Apart from pharmacy, I'm certified for a fair amount of first-aid, yes." She paused, and suddenly set the back of her hand against Connor's forehead. It felt like ice. Marina's brown eyes narrowed. "You're burning up," she said. Hereyes flicked to his cuts and the burns across his arms. She grabbed his hand,flipping it over and inspecting it. Connor tugged it away, surprised at hersudden touch. "These are infected. When did you get these injuries, and when was your last dose of parlin?"

Connor gave a one-shouldered shrug, and Marina huffed.

"What did I just tell you about rationing your meds?" she asked.

"Don't do it," grunted Connor, "So I didn't. They're gone." He stared pointedly at the ground and clamped his mouth shut. They didn't have time for this, and he couldn't afford to get her riled up over stupid things. Now that he thought about it, he really needed to get Marina to Tess. It sounded like she knew more about dealing with burns than he did. He'd keep quiet about the bloodrot that Tess had gone through for now though. He didn't want to scare Marina.

"Look, can we deal with this later?" he added. "If you want to come with me, we need to go now. I told Tess I wouldn't be long."

Marina's lips were pressed into a thin line as she watched him. Connor thought that she was about to scold him again. Then, suddenly, she spun back towards the shelves.

"We'll be needing three filter masks, correct?" she asked. It took Connor a moment to register her words.

"What – yeah," he began, but then shook his head. "No, no. We just need one for you."

Marina arched her brow, questioningly, and Connor bent down to try lifting the box of bandages at his feet with his good arm. He was trying to avoid Marina's gaze, but the box was heavy, and he couldn't get a good grip on it. Marina took the box from him and held it against her hip before he could drop it. She spun on her heel and plucked a filter mask off of a middle rack. It was a thick, white mask with a wire woven into the edges so that users could press it as close to their skin as possible. Then she grabbed two more. Marina let them dangle off of one finger. She shook them slightly.

"Now, Connor," she said, "You know these won't do us any good against tunnel gasses. For that, we'd need one of those rebreathers that miners always use. Why are you so intent on having me bring a filter mask?" she asked, "And why only for me?"

The shae band that Tess had loaned him was pressing against Connor's leg in his pocket. This was taking too long.

"Later," he said. "We need to get back to Tess. I'll explain on the way."

"Ah...yes," said Marina. She glanced down at the box of bandages resting on her hip and then cleared her throat. "One moment," she added, dropping her filter mask in with the bandages. She returned her attention to the shelves and grabbed a few additional items. Might have been ointment and disinfectant. Connor didn't know.

When Marina was ready, she nodded towards the backroom door. "Lead the way," she said. Connor grunted and shuffled out the door. His shoulder still throbbed, and his muscles ached. The remnants of Marina's broken mug on the other side of the door clinked together as his boot nudged them. He looked down at them and then noticed a set of grey heels set neatly together in front of him.

"Um," he said, but Marina brushed past him before he could say anything more. She slipped her feet into the shoes, squared her shoulders, and strode out the pharmacy door. As always, Marina was still trying to keep up her stern façade, but she looked pale, and there was a tremor in her hands that Connor had never seen before.

He hoped she would stay calm.