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he’d shown, but instead of this woman getting the hell out, which would have been the smartest thing to do, she stood there as if confused.
    Of course, that was the final straw. “Get the hell out of here!” he shouted, jabbing his finger toward the door. This time, he got the reaction he expected. She fled out the door, and he had to hold himself back from wanting to race after her and unleash the monster inside of him, putting the fear of God into her, after he noticed Abby was watching him.
    He stopped everything as warmth shimmered in her startling blue eyes for him. She was a mess, an absolutely gorgeous mess. Her long hair was so dirty and tangled, but it was lovely to him. “Hi, how are you feeling?” He approached her, and her smile was so subtle and warm and blinding that it was doing all kinds of horrible things to him. He felt as if he’d just been lit up, as if fireworks were going off inside him, and he felt flustered, which pissed him off. Get it together, man! he wanted to shout at himself. He stared at her as she tried to pull the sheet over her leg.
    “Better. Thank you…for everything.” Her face tinged pink, and he could feel the instant his eyebrows raised. When had he ever faced a woman who blushed? He watched as she pressed her hand to the bed and started to sit up before wincing. She pressed her hand to her ribs and sucked in a breath.
    Eric placed his hand on her shoulder over the faded hospital gown she now wore. “No, don’t move. I didn’t mean to wake you...”
    Voices outside the door had him turning just as it popped open, and Lieutenant Larry Saunders stepped in, carrying a food tray. He hesitated. Eric was quite aware he was early, and the doctor was most likely surprised. The guard didn’t hesitate or linger, pulling the door closed behind the doc.
    “Captain.” Larry placed the tray on the silver counter along the wall. Eric watched the doc take a sweeping glance around the sick bay. Larry frowned. “I seem to be missing a corpsman,” he said in a low voice.
    “Actually, Doc, I dismissed your corpsman.” Eric felt the reins of his temper fray again as he thought about Carruthers and how it had seemed she was challenging him.
    Larry only nodded and then faced Abby. “I see you’re awake. I brought you some lunch. Eat. It’s not the Ritz, but it’s edible.” Larry strode beside the bed and slid his hand under her elbow and shoulder, supporting her while she sat up, sliding her legs over the side of the bed. “Captain, could you slide that table over here?” he asked, gesturing to the small brown table behind him. Eric slid it over in front of Abby, and Larry set the tray upon it.
    “It smells good; I didn’t realize how hungry I was,” Abby said. This time, her voice sounded smooth and silky, but he could hear the traces of weariness in her tone. She glanced shyly up at the captain and, with shaky hands, tucked long locks of hair behind her ears. She tried to run her fingers through the knots in her tangled hair, pulling hard enough he thought she’d rip her hair out. She was so nervous of him.
    “Eat your lunch, Abby. After you’re done, I’m sure the doc here can get someone to scrounge up a brush for your hair, maybe a shower, too, so you can get cleaned up.”
    She glanced shyly again before immediately lowering her gaze as if she should know better. “Thank you, sir. That would be nice.” She unrolled the napkin that surrounded the utensils and seemed to hesitate, as if she needed his permission to continue.
    “Abby, you’re a guest here. Please eat.”
    She nodded, her hands clasped together, and then lifted a spoon to her lips and sipped the dark broth.
    “Doc, can I have a word please?” Eric asked. He didn’t wait for a response as he crossed the room, just out of earshot, then crossed his arms and faced the doc. “Your corpsman is a problem you need to deal with.”
    “May I ask what she did, sir?”
    “She’s insubordinate. Refused to