Groaning, not in the mood and lacking any energy to argue, I explain the situation to Tina as gently as I can. I tell her she'll be safer off-planet for a little while, that it's temporary, that I'll come back. She listens silently, fingers twisted in the hem of her shirt.
When I finish, I stumble to my bed. The adrenaline is gone, leaving only bone-deep exhaustion behind. I don't remember falling into it, but when I wake some hours later, I'm stripped to my underwear and tucked neatly under the covers. I notice my pillow carries the faint scent of Tina's perfume and realize she must have been sleeping in my bed until I got home last night, waiting for me.
Rolling over slowly, I see Tina's hazel eyes staring back at me from inches away.
"Mmm, good morning, sleepyhead," she purrs with a soft, relieved smile, as if she's just grateful that I'm still here at all.
"Morning?" I ask. The light is wrong for it to be morning.
