He seemed at a loss for words for a moment. “You’ll heal just fine but expect a scar. We had to operate to remove the bullet and you suffered internal bleeding. You needed a blood transfusion but it didn’t hit anything vital.” He paused. “Expect tenderness at the wound site for a while.”

“Thank you.” She was stunned the injury wasn’t worse.

She saw a flicker of emotion in his eyes and finally figured out what it was. For some reason the guy pitied her. She wanted to ask what was wrong but he turned abruptly and walked away.

“The nurse is here,” he said as he exited the room.

A tall New Species woman entered. She frowned when their gazes met but approached the bed, gripped the side rail and lowered it. “Sit up. You need to shower and put on clean clothing.” Her tone was icy. “You stink of medicine.” Her blue gaze remained narrowed, her manner unfriendly. “Your hair needs to be washed too.” She produced a key from her pocket and unlocked the handcuffs.

“Hello.” Jeanie smiled, happy to meet a free New Species despite it not seeming mutual. The pain in her side dampened her joy, though, when she forced her body upright. “Oh. That hurts.” She tenderly touched the gown over her injury, feeling a thick bandage under the thin material.

“Being shot causes pain.” The nurse stepped back. “Do you need assistance getting down?”

Jeanie pushed her legs over the edge of the bed only to notice how far her feet dangled above the floor. “These beds are pretty high.”

“They were designed for Species.” The nurse advanced, her touch gentle when she wrapped her arm around Jeanie’s waist, carefully helping her transition to a standing position.

Jeanie half expected dizziness to strike but she felt surprisingly good. The nurse released her after a few seconds, seemingly confident she wouldn’t fall.

“Follow me.”

“What’s your name?”

The woman growled. “I don’t want to make pleasantries with you.”

It stung but Jeanie tried not to allow it to hurt her feelings. After all, she’d worked at two places that had abused New Species. No matter the reason for her being there, some animosity might remain. That or the woman just didn’t like humans in general. She didn’t push for answers to figure out the exact cause.

The bathroom in the corner of the room was equipped with a sink, a shower stall and a toilet. She blushed while using the latter, knowing it was probably protocol for a nurse to remain present in case she fainted or needed help. The nurse turned on the water in the shower, bent and retrieved a set of clean gowns from a cabinet under the sink.

“You put one on with the opening in the back and one on with the opening in the front when you’re done, to keep you completely covered on both sides.” The woman paused. “No one enjoys their ass being exposed in those things once they are out of bed.”

“Thank you.” She wanted to say more but the stern look on the New Species’ face had her closing her mouth as she removed the thin gown after untying it in the back.

“I’ll stay in case you need help.” The woman clasped her hands together at her waist and leaned against the door.

Jeanie entered the open stall. The bandage covered a four-inch section just below her waist. A film of plastic covered the entire thing so she didn’t hesitate to step under the water. She closed her eyes, sighing in relief as warmth soaked her from the head down. Just being alive and able to shower seemed a gift.

710 crossed her mind as she stood there. She’d dreamed of seeing him again, trying to imagine what she’d say, or what he would, after he’d discovered the work she’d done to help get him and his people free. It was too much to ask for him to be outright friendly after what he’d suffered. She’d always be a reminder of those hellish times when he’d been beaten and chained.

Hope that he’d be there and want to talk to her again rose but she pushed it back. She might be at Homeland but that didn’t mean he lived there or that he’d purposely seek her out. He could live at Reservation. He’d made a huge impact on her life but she’d just been another employee to him. She stepped back, reaching for the shampoo on the shelf built into the wall of the shower.

“Scrub well,” the nurse encouraged.

Jeanie glanced at her. “I plan to.”

“You really stink.”

She winced, glancing away. The other woman’s sense of smell would be acute and New Species were known to be blunt. She hoped she hadn’t smelled really bad to 710 but being covered in blood wouldn’t have gone unnoticed. Jeanie scrubbed her hair then washed the rest of her body with soap. They had stocked the bathroom with quality products, proof that they weren’t a standard hospital.

The warm water was missed when she shut it off and accepted towels from the woman who’d drawn closer. “Do I need a new bandage?”

“No. It looks like the plastic kept it dry. Just gently pat it with the towel.”

“Thank you. Do you know who will be at this meeting I’m going to?”

“I have no idea.” The nurse retreated to the door. “Two males wait in the hallway. You don’t want them growing impatient to get the answers they seek.”

Jeanie nodded, hurrying. Of course they want to talk to me. Some of the employees had to have escaped using the emergency exits. It’s imperative to track them down before they flee the country. She was just as eager to see some of them imprisoned. Jim Booth at Cornas hadn’t been as horrible as Dean Polanitis at Drackwood, but he was close. Both of those research facilities were partners with Mercile Industries and had to have gained access to the New Species through them before they’d been closed down.