Combat (3)

3.  Knife

Sheila was still sore from last night, but she never let the soreness or her resultant bruises keep her from her duty or from her lessons.  She was determined to hurt K’avir, one way or another.  She stood with one leg bent, her knife in her hand.

“I trust that you aren’t distracted tonight, Doctor?”

She was calm, serene.  “I’m going to slit you from your throat to your dick, K’avir.”

         

She was very amusing.  “Of course you may try, Doctor.  Assuming you can touch me.”  Then he slapped his chest.  “Come on.  Cut me.  If you can.”  He was eager to see what she would do.

Sheila smiled at him very slowly, her dark eyes flashing, and to K’avir’s chagrin, he found himself getting aroused.  She was a wild, fierce beauty; a woman who would be more than capable of handling him during his illogical time, as well as any other time.  He quickly put that thought out of his mind.

The next thing he knew, her knife pierced his left pectoral right above the nipple.  Sheila grinned.  “You’re cut.”

She forced him to follow her to sickbay so that she could see to his injury.  He lay on the cot, irritated that she outsmarted him.  He tried to meditate but he could smell her.  Her fragrance was an intoxicating blend of perspiration and her usual jade.  He liked it.

Sheila checked his wound and cleaned it with antiseptic.  She pressed gauze against it and stared at him.  His eyes were closed and she took a moment to study his features.  He was so handsome and it was something she noticed when he started training her to fight.  Of course, that was when all the women noticed what a babe he was.  Sheila didn’t know if he had a girlfriend or if any of the other women had made a move towards him.  She found herself disconcerted as she stood over him.  They were never this close outside of training and it was hard to be brash when he was her patient.

“K’avir, can you hear me?”

He didn’t open his eyes.  “I can hear you, Dr. Stephens.”

“You know, you can call me Sheila, K’avir.”

“I prefer to use your title, Doctor.  What is it you want?”

She sighed.  “I’m going to stitch you up.”

“I should hope so, as that is why you dragged me here.”

She rolled her eyes as she prepared to suture.  “Do you have to be such a dick?”

“Please clarify.  You use that term in several ways when you address me.”

“I mean dick in the asshole sense.  Don’t you know how to be nice?”

“I find that illogical, Dr. Stephens.  I am a warrior and a security chief and being nice does not benefit me.”

She started to use her skin regenerator, but K’avir shook his head.  “I prefer that you use a needle, Dr. Stephens.”

She looked at him.  He had multiple scars from God knows where or what, so his request didn’t surprise her.  Sheila sighed.  “Hold still.”  He was an infuriating asshole.  She was not gentle with her needle and when she pierced him she heard his breath catch ever so faintly.  She kept going, not missing a beat but she regretted hurting him.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Do not be,” he said in an equally low voice.  “You caught me by surprise, as I did not expect for you to throw your knife.  It was a most efficient attack.  However, your blade only went two inches deep and you missed every major organ in that location.  I am disappointed at your lack of strength, your inferior aim and failure to kill me.”

Furious, she almost screamed.  Sheila rammed the needle in and closed the wound.  K’avir merely stared at her, watching her eyes flash with heat.  He did not respond to the aggressive way she sewed him up, at least not verbally.

“Is that what you want?” she snapped.  “You want me to kill you?  I don’t need a knife to do that, you shithead!  I’m a doctor or are you forgetting that?”

“I forget nothing.  I want you to survive,” he said.  “You cannot show any mercy.  Not even to me.”

“I’ll remember that.” 

Sheila looked up at the overhead light and then back down at him.  He was staring at her, his honey eyes focused on an area beneath her nose.  “I can’t kill you, K’avir.  First of all, Captain Spock would be quite pissed, and two, you’re my…teacher.”

“That is no excuse.  I expect for you to best me in combat.”

She rolled her eyes.  She had had enough of him.  “To hell with this.  Are you okay?  Good.  Then get the fuck out of my sickbay.”  She turned away from him and stomped into her office.

To be continued...