Cyborg Nation by Kaitlyn O'Connor (english readers TXT) 📗

I’ll be better,” she argued. “Will you help me walk again later?”

He looked torn. “Rest now. We will see.”

“It would be easier without the splint,” she said tiredly.

“The frame broke. I do not think it will mend as quickly as the flesh.”

Bronte opened her eyes to peer at him blankly for a moment before she realized he had no familiarity with bones. “It will, and it isn’t that I’m not grateful that you realized it would have to be lined up again and held in place—I am. I would’ve been crippled if you hadn’t. I’m just complaining because it makes it harder to walk.”

He nodded but he seemed anxious to leave so she didn’t try to keep him any longer.

It was no easier the next several times she forced herself to walk and she had no idea whether she was making any progress at all. She ached worse that night. Gideon fumed when he noticed, but thankfully kept his thoughts to himself.

By the next day, though, she felt stronger. She didn’t ask him or either of the others to help her walk. She crawled over to the rock and then up onto it, rested briefly, and then used handholds along the cave wall to pull herself into a standing position. She was sweating from the effort but so pleased with herself that she grinned broadly at Gideon in spite of the furious glare he sent her when he discovered what she’d done. “I got up by myself!”

“I see that,” he growled. “You could have fallen.”

She frowned at him. “Don’t be such a grouch. I didn’t fall, and I was strong enough to get up by myself.”

He relaxed slightly when she pointed that out. “Even so, do not try that again. I will come and help you up and help you walk until you are stronger. Or Gabriel or Jerico can help you if they are here and I am not.”

Spoilsport, she thought irritably, refusing to allow his disapproval to ruin her good mood. “If I had a crutch, I think I could start walking without any help.”

He frowned. “What is a crutch?”

She wasn’t surprised he didn’t know what a crutch was. “I need something that would reach from the floor to just beneath my arm to help me balance and still keep my weight off the injured leg—something straight. And it would need to be strong but not too heavy,” she said hopefully.

He looked her over as if he was gauging her length and finally left again without a word. Just before dark, Gabriel brought her a crudely wrought crutch made out of what she thought might have been a young tree, except it had a crook at the top that slipped perfectly beneath her arm. She was so happy, she caught his face in both hands and kissed him. She’d only meant to give him a peck of affection, but not surprisingly he wasn’t familiar with that. As soon as her lips made contact with his, he responded with an open mouthed kiss that assured her she was well on the road to recovery.

She sat back dizzily and smiled at him.

He smiled back at her.

And then Gideon, who’d witnessed the whole thing, stalked across the cave floor and slugged him on the side of the jaw hard enough Gabriel sprawled out.

“What did you do that for?” Gabriel demanded furiously as he sat up.

“You do not touch Bronte until she is well!” Gideon growled.

Gabriel looked uncomfortable but still angry. “I only kissed her, and she kissed me first!”

Bronte reddened guiltily when Gideon sent her an irritated glare.

“You are not well enough for that!”

She glared back at him. “It was only supposed to be a kiss of affection for making the crutch for me!”

Both men stared at her uncomprehendingly.

“Like the cuddling?” Gabriel finally asked.

Pleased that Gabriel had made the connection so quickly, Bronte smiled at him. “Yes. Like the cuddling.”

“I do not know what this cuddling is, but I do not want you cuddling her either!” Gideon said testily.

“I was keeping her warm!” Gabriel snapped indignantly.

“Oh. Why did you not say that? Never mind. Do not keep her warm either unless you have your cock in your loincloth! I will cut it off and shove it up your ass if I catch it any where near her cunt!”

Bronte watched him stalk away with a mixture of indignation and … pleasure at his thoughtfulness. She thought that was what it was, concern for her well being. She decided to interpret it that way anyway. It had made her feel as if he was protecting her because he was worried about her and that was all that really mattered.

She had to fight both Gabriel and Jerico off of her the first time she tried to use the crutch. She’d waited until Gideon wasn’t in the cave to try because she’d known he would be determined to help. “Thank you, but no,” she said firmly. “I have to do this myself.”

They hovered anyway, convinced she couldn’t—which only made her more determined to do it. Instead of looking relieved when she’d managed to stand using only the crutch for support, they only looked more angry and upset and doggedly followed her step for step as she took her first practice run with the crutch. Every time she wobbled, they threw their arms out to catch her until she was a nervous wreck and cussed them out and tried to run them off--tried, because they refused to leave or to stop following her around. She finally returned to her sleeping spot and settled again, more because they were getting on her nerves than because she was already tired—although she was.

She waited to try again when she was alone in the cave. When she’d decided she’d gotten the hang of it, she used the crutch whenever she felt like getting up and moving around, but either it still got on their nerves or they just found it disturbing to watch her hobble around. Every time she got