"Are you hurt?"
"No. David, I'm so ashamed. I should have stayed in the ship."
"Just so you're not hurt, Karen. There's a clip in my pocket. Fire the rest of your clip."
"It's empty."
"Then fire just four of these." I was too busy worrying about us to ask her why she had left the ship. She fired the shots in rapid order.
She tried to help me up, but the needles stuck me again. "No use. Let me down easy," I grunted. I started to black out again, reaching out to grab her to keep from doing so.
The stars quit flashing in my head and I came to with my head in her lap. Her firm legs cushioned me. She was holding my bloody arm.
"Why are you crying?" I asked.
"You're hurt," she answered. I had to hold her hand to keep from blacking out. "I'm just scared. Why did you leave the ship? It was nearly dark when we left."
"I was trying to find you."