Available in Kindle Unlimited

Match Forged

Elizabeth wiped the sweat from her brow. The emergency surgery had gone well. Both father and baby were happy and healthy, so a job well done for her. She watched the smiling man holding his tiny baby and felt a warmth in her chest. Her skills and knowledge had sparked that happiness. She loved being a doctor. She loved being in the front row, pushing the limits of science. And she also loved the way she still felt the adrenaline pumping through her body, even after the surgery had ended.

Too buzzed to go home, she showered and changed into her everyday jumpsuit, which covered her body from neck to toe to protect her from the harsh Harcan winds. Everyone on the planet wore the suits. They came in all shapes and sizes, and Elizabeth preferred a flowy design, which hid her curves, in bright cheerful colors. No one had ever accused her of being fashionable, but she didn’t care.

She left the hospital, turned on the anti-grav in her shoes and floated to her favorite coffee shop only five minutes away. She had the place to herself this early in the morning and sat down at her favorite table in the corner by the window. She ordered a calming herbal tea, pulling up a medical article on her comm. The words floated in front of her face, visible only to her.

“Good morning,” said a deep voice.

Elizabeth read the next paragraph.

“Ahem.” The voice sounded irritated. “I said, good morning.”

It took Elizabeth several seconds to come out of her article and realize he was talking to her. She defocused her eyes from the words and looked through them to the person in front of her, causing her comm to automatically shut off the holo display. A man sat on the chair opposite her. Her blood ran cold as he pinned her with a cold stare, made more intimidating by the scar that spanned from his eyebrow to his neck.

He raised an eyebrow expectantly and crossed his arms over his chest, making his muscles bulge. She swallowed a lump in her throat. He wore a form-fitting jumpsuit that left little to the imagination about the musculature of his body. That kind of shoulder breadth, easily the width of two regular men, meant he’d probably gone through gene therapy and possibly surgery. The planet of Harcan had low gravity which naturally resulted in leaner bodies—unless you liked food, in which case you could easily put on weight, like Elizabeth—but muscles required a lot of work, and few people had the time to exercise that much.

He could be from another planet. His skin was darker than most Harcans, but not as dark as people from Minas. And his eyes had a slight slant, possibly from New Terra. Although, with travel between planets becoming so common over the last couple centuries, since the invention of fast Flintoid engines, it could be hard to distinguish origin based on a person’s physical attributes.

She looked around, her heart beating against her chest. They were the only two people in the shop. The waiter robot sat idly by the entrance waiting for customers to serve.

“Morning,” she answered tentatively. “People usually sit at their own tables.”

She pointed to the empty table behind him, hoping that would be enough to make him go away and leave her alone. He didn’t look where she pointed but kept her pinned down, his cold blue eyes a sharp contrast to his brown skin.

“I came to talk to you, Dr. Wells.”

The use of her name sent a chill down her back. He wasn’t a patient, she would have remembered seeing him before.

“If you want a consultation, you need to make an appointment at the hospital. I will be happy to talk to you then.”

“I need your help.” Neither his facial expression nor his emotionless tone conveyed someone in need of help. Rather, he looked like the kind of person who expected others to trip over themselves in their hurry to obey his commands.

“I’m not working at the moment. Please, just go to the hospital.” Despite her efforts to look and sound as confident as him, she couldn’t keep the fear out of her voice.

“I’m not the one who needs medical attention,” he said. “Your records show you have experience delivering multiple babies.”

He didn’t phrase it as a question, but paused and looked at her for an answer anyway.

“Yes. If your wife is pregnant with multiple babies, just bring her to the hospital and I would be happy to see her. If money is a problem,” though she doubted it was if he’d been able to afford gene therapy, but sometimes poor patients did approach her outside of work if they couldn’t afford the hospital bill, “we will work something out when she comes to see me.”

“The woman is pregnant with triplets. She cannot be moved. You’ll have to go to her instead.”

No way she was going anywhere with him. “I can order an ambulance to go get her.”

“She’s not on Harcan,” he said, narrowing his eyes into slits as if trying to read her reaction.

Not on Harcan? He must be joking. Or crazy. Elizabeth racked her brain for ways to get rid of this guy.

“I’m very busy,” she said. “I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to find someone else.”

Not deterred by her refusal one bit, he leaned forward in his seat.

“My government limits its citizen’s access to technology. Our culture doesn’t rely on science for reproduction, therefore multiple babies are very rare. We don’t have any doctors trained to handle the delivery. If you do not help her, the woman and her babies may die.” The tone of his voice didn’t soften as he blatantly preyed on her compassion. Elizabeth began to suspect he had no connection to the pregnant woman after all but had only been sent to do the work of finding a doctor. There were several remote backwater planets, moons, and space stations that kept themselves out of IPAC, the interplanetary alliance that allowed free trade and travel between the civilized planets. Some of these places lacked even some basic human rights, such as health care.

It was all very sad, but not Elizabeth’s problem. She had enough work at the hospital to last her several lifetimes. She didn’t need to take on extra, no matter how gut-wrenching his story might be.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated. A couple of teenagers walked into the coffee shop, speaking excitedly to each other. She noticed one of them giving her guy a few uneasy sideways glances, then directing his friend to sit at a table on the other side of the room.

“Bring her here and I’ll be happy to see her, but I’m not leaving the planet.” Elizabeth stood up, feeling brave enough to leave now that other people had entered the coffee shop.

He thankfully remained seated but extended out his hand holding a small piece of paper. “This is the amount we’re willing to pay you, half now and half after the delivery.”

She grabbed the paper and read the number. It was a lot of money. More than she made in a year working at the hospital.

She shook her head. He must be crazy.

“Think about it,” he said in a low voice as she walked away. Elizabeth nodded even though there was nothing to think about. Picking up her pace in her hurry to get away from him, she walked out of the shop. Delete Created with Sketch.

For several days after the strange encounter in the coffee shop, Elizabeth repeatedly replayed the conversation in her head. She imagined being a woman on one of those planets, having little freedom and a difficult life for no other reason than being born into a society that dictated you couldn’t use the technology the rest of the system took for granted. The guy hadn’t said which planet he came from, but often in these societies, women were mistreated or even abused.

She felt bad for this woman, pregnant with triplets and scared for her life, when her death, as well as her babies’, would be totally avoidable if she lived on any of the civilized planets. She hoped the woman found a way to make it to a safe place. Obviously, someone cared enough about her to send their henchman to find a qualified doctor. She just hoped they took her to a different hospital, as just thinking about that guy’s cold stare sent chills down her back.

Not having much of a social life—or family life—to keep her occupied outside of work and being unable to get the poor woman out of her head, Elizabeth spent her free time researching anti-tech societies. Sadly, there were far too many to guess where the woman could be from.

In addition to several planets that had refused to sign the trade treaty to become members of IPAC, some groups had built space stations, and others had even refurbished large interstellar generation ships—those that had brought the original humans to the system from Earth over five hundred years ago—making them their homes and slowly traveling through the system, stopping only for supplies.

Any self-pity she might have had about growing up without parents disappeared when she imagined how much worse off she could have been. She’d never really thought about these things before. She’d never left Harcan. Being an orphan, she’d spent her entire life making sure she would never feel lost again by becoming a successful doctor. Space travel had never interested her, and she’d never given it much thought, but the more she researched, the more she wanted to know. She was amazed by the places human beings had managed to transform into homes. But most of all, she was disappointed that no level of technological advancement was ever enough to eradicate human suffering.

A week later, she saw him again outside her apartment. He leaned casually against one of the artificial linden trees that lined the sidewalk, but his relaxed stance didn’t fool her. He looked like a predator ready to pounce the instant she made a false move. Her heart beat against her chest. He’d figured out where she lived. She imagined turning around and floating away as fast as her anti-grav shoes would take her. But where? He obviously knew how to find her. She gathered her courage and walked up to him, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“I haven’t changed my mind.”

He pushed away from the tree and stood in front of her. She gulped. He towered a full head over her, and she was not a small woman. This close, his arms looked as large as tree trunks. It crossed her mind that he could very easily hurt her, and she would be powerless to stop him. Her heart pounded as a shot of adrenaline coursed through her body.

“There are other doctors,” she said, not wanting to cower in front of him. “I found an organization of doctors who travel to dangerous places to help populations in need. I contacted them about your situation, and they assured me that they have people trained in childbirth. I can give you their information, and they will be happy to help you.”

The corner of his lip lifted as she spoke, but the look in his eyes told her it wasn’t because he was interested in her offer. Rather it was a self-satisfied smile that he’d succeeded in making her want to help him.

Ugh.

“I don’t need to contact them, because you’re going to come with me.”

“You can’t make me,” she said, stopping herself from moving away from him and backing down. He raised an eyebrow, giving her an are-you-sure look. She stood her ground on shaky legs. What was he going to do? Kidnap her in the middle of the street?

“It’s the right thing to do. You’ll save a woman’s life, make enough money to pay off the loan on your apartment, and then come back to your life in three months’ time.”

He knew how much money she owed on her apartment? Elizabeth had a well-paying job, but having been raised in an orphanage, she’d had to start her life with absolutely nothing. In addition to her apartment loan, she still had some debt from her days in medical school that she struggled to pay off.

“Why me?” The system was full of doctors for him to go after.

He shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said. “You’re the one they told me to get. You must be good at your job.”

She was good at her job, and she did have money problems, but still….

“I can’t leave my job for three months.”

“You might want to check your messages.”

Messages? As soon as she’d formed the thought, her comm flashed the words “unopened message” in front of her face. It was from her boss.

Wells,

Come to my office.

Steinher

At the bottom floated the hospital’s official seal. Blood beat loudly in her ear.

“What did you do?”

He didn’t answer and just smiled his self-satisfied smile at her.

Clicking her heels to turn on her shoes’ anti-grav, Elizabeth shook her head and turned away from him. Delete Created with Sketch.

Steinher was waiting for her in his office when she got to the hospital. She generally liked the guy. He appreciated and rewarded hard work, which was the only kind of work she liked to do.

“Sit,” he said when she walked through the door. Though she preferred to stand, she was feeling too edgy to remain still. She sat down on one of the chairs facing his desk.

“You wanted to see me?” she asked. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s come to my attention that you haven’t taken time off in seven years.” He leaned his elbows on his desk to glare at her.

“I don’t need time off. I have too much work to do.”

He laughed, shaking his head. “That’s why I like you! But unfortunately, it’s against the law to deny employees their vacation time. And from my calculations you are owed about three months off.”

Had “he” done this?

“But I don’t want vacation time. I want to work.”

“It’s out of my hands.” He raised his empty hands. “The entire hospital is under review. We don’t want to get a fine over this.”

“But—”

“The pile of work will still be here when you come back.”

“Did someone threaten you to give me time off?”

“Threaten me?” The confused look on his face was answer enough.

She shook her head. “I have patients who expect me to deliver their babies, as well as ongoing research that needs my attention.”

He shrugged. “You have until the end of the week to hand everything off to colleagues.”

“What am I supposed to do for three months?”

“Have some fun, take a trip, then come back well-rested and ready for more work.” His tone was final.

She left the office feeling lost. She’d never wanted to do anything but her work. She spent the rest of the day preparing for her leave. She had three days to get her patients divided between the remaining doctors and to get her assistant up to date on how to handle the research.

She came home late and in a bad mood. She didn’t like delegating control over her work. To make things worse, “he” was waiting for her, leaning against her door with his arms crossed over his chest.

She gave him a nasty glare and he moved over, allowing her access to her door.

“I’m not letting you in.”

He just raised an eyebrow, as if to say that if he wanted to get in, she couldn’t stop him. All he had to do was grab her hand and place it over the palm panel by the door, or grab the door as she went in. Her hand froze midway to the panel. Better not open the door at all. She turned around instead and faced him.

“Did you really think taking my job away from me would make me want to help you?”

“Paid time off!” he said. “Considering your financial situation, yes.”

She didn’t do this job for the money; it was her life’s work. But why bother explaining it to him? She didn’t want to tell him how the thought of having nothing to do for three months made her feel like she had a weight pressing down on her chest, making it difficult to breathe. Her entire life, she’d always been busy, and she didn’t know how to live without work.

But then, he was offering her a job. She shook her head. She couldn’t possibly be considering his offer. It would mean traveling with him.

She stood there, awkwardly not knowing what to do. She didn’t want to open her door, but he continued looking at her with narrowed eyes, like he expected her to say something.

“I sent you a copy of the medical report to look over,” he said, finally breaking the silence.

She bit down on her bottom lip, not wanting to admit that she was actually curious to know more.

“When does your vacation start?”

“End of the week.”

“Good. I’ll come back then to pick you up. Pack a bag.”

She shook her head, but he’d already turned around and walked toward the anti-grav drop.

“Can you at least tell me where this woman lives?” she asked, calling out to his broad back.

“No,” he said, turning to look at her. “Not until you’re on the ship.”

“Why the secrecy?”

He shook his head and turned to leave again.

“Can I know your name?” she asked, frustrated by his behavior. Did he really expect her to just trust him?

He turned his head and looked back at her with a crooked smile.

“Rex,” he said, stepping into the drop and disappearing.

Rex? It sounded made up, and without a last name, there was no point even trying to look him up on her comm.

She worked all day every day for the rest of the week, coming home only to sleep. She had a lot to get done in a short amount of time. She didn’t give herself time to think. The very idea of going with Rex was ridiculous and dangerous, but it also made her heart drum with excitement. On the other hand, the thought of staying home and doing nothing for months only filled her with dread. And more importantly, her thoughts kept returning to that woman.

One night, she cracked and read the file Rex had sent her. It was very thin, but it did suggest the woman, Lauren, was not handling the stress of the pregnancy very well. Could she forgive herself if in three months’ time she found out that Lauren had died along with her babies? As a doctor, she had to deal with the fact that sometimes patients died, but she always did everything in her power to ensure their safety. The idea of someone dying when she could have done something to stop it—while she sat at home and relaxed—bothered her. A lot.

On her last day of work, she woke up extra early and packed a bag while she was too sleep-deprived to question what she was even doing, preferring to stay in a half state of denial. If she didn’t think too hard about what she was about to do, she could stave off the terror of traveling in space for the first time in her life and placing her trust in someone she didn’t know, who was unfriendly and, worst of all, who could overpower her with his little finger.

At work, she packed whatever medical supplies she might need. Technically, it was stealing, but she didn’t want to go just to watch Lauren die, and she needed supplies to successfully deliver her babies. She’d replace everything she took later.

When she came home that night, Rex was waiting for her outside her door as promised. This time she did let him in her apartment, though he just stood by the entrance with his arms crossed the entire time it took her to change and grab her bag. Unlike most people she’d invited into her home, he didn’t comment on the fact that her apartment contained almost no furniture or the fact that she kept it as clean as an operating room, which she appreciated.

Once ready, she gave her apartment a quick once over, trying to ignore the sense of loss she already felt from leaving her private space behind. This was the apartment she’d moved into after graduating from medical school, it was the first and only place that she’d ever called home. She’d be back in three months, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she would come back a changed person. She gathered her strength and closed the door on her old life as she closed the door of the apartment behind her.