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Lucius stared at the Courier with crossed arms. “Caesar told you to return straight to him after you completed your mission in the bunker. Why are you lingering by the infirmary tent?”
The Courier lifted her head from the barrel she was hunched over. Specks of blood clung to her chin, along with a fine sweat that gathered and dripped from the corners of her lips. Her pupils were dilated wide, giving her eyes an almost crazed look. The slave woman that treated the wounded at The Fort, Siri, pressed a damp cloth to the Courier’s neck.
“She has severe radiation poisoning, sir. I believe it’s causing confusion. I’m certain she was not willfully disobedient.”
The Courier set her hands on the edge of the barrel that she was sitting by and used it to support her as she shakily stood. Once she was fully upright, she almost immediately lurched forward, nearly falling face-down into the sand. Lucius quickly dove forward and caught the slight woman in his arms. Even through her armor, he could feel that her body was radiating an extreme amount of heat. He adjusted his hold on her so that he could scoop up her legs as well. The Courier moaned at his jostling and weakly batted a hand against his chest.
Lucius’ brows furrowed as he looked down at the Courier’s perspiration-glistening face. “Did you bring any RadAway with you when you came to The Fort, woman?”
“Fucker at the gate took it away,” she feebly croaked.
Lucius turned his attention back to Siri. “Go to the gate guard and tell him to give you the Courier’s medical supplies on my order. Bring them to my tent. The woman will be able to rest better there.”
The slave nodded and scampered away to carry out Lucius’ bidding. The Praetorian turned on his heels and began the climb up the hill to bring the Courier to his private quarters. Lucius would be deprived of his own bed tonight, but the Courier would be able to receive treatment in peace, hidden from the eyes of the more lecherous legionaries as she recovered. Caesar would want this, Lucius was sure.
Once they were inside his tent, Lucius gently set the Courier down on his mattress before covering her with his heaviest blanket. It would help her sweat out the fever. As he tucked the blanket close to her blood-spattered chin, the Courier clasped her fingers around his and gave a weak squeeze. Her eyes were hazy and unfocused, but she tilted her head in Lucius’ general direction. “Thank you.”
Lucius let the fever-ravaged woman cling to his hand as he waited for Siri to return with the medicine. The Courier quickly fell asleep, her exhaustion finally overwhelming her. For that brief moment that he was alone with the Courier, without even the woman herself being awake to remember, Lucius picked up her hand, still clinging to his own, and pressed his lips to her knuckles.