Extraterrestrial Moors

11

I wake up before Maha does this time. The doctor comes in and checks on us both and is happily grunting to himself.

"Lt. do you understand what happened to you?" The doctor asks after he finishes writing in his little file or whatever it's called.

"No, sir. Maha tried to explain it to me but it made no sense."

"We have in our DNA a gene that when we are deeply attached to someone activates. We do whatever we can to help that person and wouldn't be able to hurt that person no matter what the consequences might be. To even be accused of harming that person brings on shock so sever that it physically harms us. That is what happened to you, you have become so attached to Maha and her well being that when the Commander accused you of being her poisoner your body went into shock.

"You are recovering nicely thanks in large part to Maha, I believe. She believed in you and never doubted you. She told off the Commander so I thought the Commander was going to hurt Maha. She brought you out of your coma Lt. and she did it without you having any further attacks. That had been a very real possibility."

"So I owe her my life?" I smile, I had grown very attached to Maha and would willingly give her my life.

"Possibly so Lt. The level of attachment necessary goes beyond that of just loving someone. Most if not all our people aren't capable of the depth of feeling necessary to activate this gene anymore. It was only by ruling out other possible causes that I believed this to be the cause. I never thought to see someone suffer from the gene activation. They rarely talk about it at med school even."

I'm confused now, "Just what are you saying Doctor?"

"I'm saying you are more tightly bound to Maha than if you two were married. Your feelings are deeper than if you had married her. I can't say the same for her and her depth of feeling, but considering how she nearly bit the Commander's head off I'd say she feels pretty strongly for you as well." His words hit me like a load of bricks falling on top of me. They are overwhelming but something inside me settles down and accepts what he's saying, he's right.

It's dark when I wake up. I don't remember where I am and I panic. "Rafe?"

"I'm here Maha," I feel his hand slide into mine and I calm down. He does something and a light turns on. He's looking at me with concern and something more in his expression, something I can't tell what it is. Then he smiles and I can't catch my breath.

"Are you ready for your shower Maha? I've been released back to duty and can take you now if you wish."

A shower, a real shower sounds so good right now. I smile at Rafe, "I'd like that."

He helps me into the wheelchair and makes sure that I was comfortable and pauses just long enough to open a closet and take out some clothes. Real clothes not just the hospital clothing I'd been wearing.

"Rafe, how do you have real clothing for me?" I ask him confused.

He turns and gives me another breathtaking smile, "I told them that leaving you dressed like that shows a lack of respect to you. And it does Maha, I don't like.." he pauses and takes a deep breath. When he looks back at me there is something in his eyes that I don't understand. "From now on Maha, you are my sole responsibility. I will protect you with my life. They have finally decided to listen to me and will give me whatever I or you ask for. When they release you from the infirmary, probably later today, I'll take you to go get more clothes." He blushes a bright red, "I've never gotten clothes for a female before so I hope that I did alright. The shop assistant helped me with the underclothing."