Free Precious Cargo by Sarah Marsh Page B

moment, and then nodded his head in agreement. “Take me to him right now. Lieutenant Brokk, I need three of your men with me.”
    It only took a few minutes for them to reach the upper floors of the medical labs using the emergency elevator. This way, they bypassed anyone who might alert the crazy doctor to their arrival. Tannen couldn’t say he was overly surprised that this confrontation had finally come to pass with the ancient doctor. There had been more than one complaint against the brilliant but arrogant Doctor Gend. Tannen had made several himself about the male’s antiquated and biased views on the segregation of their people from the landed aliens who now resided on their planet. It was common knowledge in the medical circles that many had tried to have him removed from his position as head of the Trade Corps medical facility, but each time the petitioners had been overruled. Tannen had never trusted the man’s ethics
    When they reached the lobby on the medical floors, Commander Vaughn stopped and turned towards Conn, holding his hand up to stop them.
    “Conn, I realize you are concerned for her, but I don’t know what we’re walking into up there. I’m going to ask you to stay here until we reach the lab, and once things are stabilized I will send a guard for you.”
    “Like hell!” Kal started to move past the Commander, but Conn grabbed a hold of his bond mate.
    “I understand, Commander. We will wait here.”
    Even Tannen had a difficult time not rushing past them all and taking the elevator to the top floor. He wanted to see Ali now. But he followed his Captain’s lead and tried to calm Kal as well while the other four men walked away from them in a hurry.
    “Conn,” Kal yelled as he pulled away from them, “why did you agree? We need to see Alison now. He could be hurting her!”
    “Stop, Kal.” Conn grabbed his mate’s arms once more. “We trust the Commander. He is an honorable male. You know that. You’re just concerned for Ali’s welfare, and we are as well.”
    “Fine, but he doesn’t fetch us soon, I’m going up no matter what the cost.”

Chapter Eighteen
     
    Alison was huddled in the corner on the bed crying, her arms wrapped around her knees as she rocked back and forth when Commander Vaughn walked into the room and stopped abruptly when he saw her. She was in too much pain to concern herself if the angry look on his face was her fault or not.
    “Why are you interrupting my work Commander, and why do you have Doctor Bard with you?” the older doctor asked in a haughty tone, “He no longer works here and therefore does not have clearance to be in the lab.”
    God, what an asshole. Alison thought to herself as she grit her teeth as another wave of pain went through her body causing her to moan.
    “Doctor, there’s been a report that your treatment of the patient isn’t working and you’ve been refusing alternate ideas.” She could hear that the Commander was trying to keep a neutral tone in his voice, but as he moved even closer, his face clearly showed that he was not happy with the state he found her in.
    “I know what I’m doing,” was the man’s answer. “Take your complaint up with the board. I have work to do.”
    The entire room went quiet for a moment, and she could see the shock on most of the faces of the medical staff and the guards. Commander Vaughn’s face was blank for a second at his dismissal, but then it quickly turned to anger.
    “Get in there, and remove Doctor Gend immediately. Take him to a holding cell,” he said to the guards that had come with him before turning to the younger doctor.  “Doctor Bard, can you help her?”
    “Yes, sir. I’ve read all Doctor Drogan’s notes. If it’s contact dependency withdrawal she suffers from, then we’ll need an unmated male for her treatment.” The younger doctor ran up to the computer and began typing furiously as they all ignored the yelling rants of Doctor Gend as he was escorted out of the