“I doubt that,” Gilmo grumbled. “I’ll send you the details.”
They talked a little longer before Han left. There was a little time before meeting the girls for drinks, and she needed a skin patch. Her cousin worked on the station and he always had everything!
It didn’t take long for her to find him half buried inside a kiosk that normally dispensed food packs. Judging by the mess on the ground around the kiosk, the machine had overheated and exploded cooling gel out one side.
Jacks was one of the most popular kiosk repair techs on the station. He never lacked for work considering there were over a thousand kiosks in constant use.
She nudged his leg with a toe. “Hey, Jacks.”
He emerged from the machine, his hair sticky with cooling gel and smudges of something else on his face.
“Hannah!” he said, getting to his feet and giving her a hug.
“Han,” she reminded him for the billionth time. She’d be more upset if it wasn’t for the fact that Jacks wasn’t trying to be malicious. When he got excited, he forgot. Unlike Aunt Gilla who hated the shortening of any name.
“Sorry,” he said, face going red as he drew away.
“No worries,” she said. “You can make it up to me with a skin patch.”
His eyes got wide, and he dropped to a crouch and started going through the various bags around him. “I’ve got some here, I know I do.”
After some searching, he pulled out a packet of skin patches and thrust them at her. She opened the packet and pulled one out. “Thanks, Jacks.”
When she pulled up her pant leg, Jacks hissed out a breath. “You’re going to need two or three skin patches.”
It was worse than she thought. Now that she was looking at the wound, it started to hurt much more.
“Yeah, I didn’t think it was that bad,” she admitted.
“You should see a med tech,” Jacks said.
Han shook her head. “It’ll be fine.”
Jacks made a little distressed sound and started digging through another bag. “Let me at least put some salve on it.”
“Yeah, that's a good idea. Thanks, Jacks.” Han sat down on the floor next to him and rolled her pant leg up to her knee.
Jacks swiped a disinfecting pad over the wound, cleaning off all the blood. It was about four inches long and half an inch wide. She should’ve jabbed Hoomak with the jolter a few more times!
“Stupid Hamlershin,” she grumbled then grimaced as Jacks finished cleaning the spot. When the salve went on, the pain vanished.
“So much better,” she said, relaxing a little. “Thanks, Jacks.”
He grumbled something then grabbed the patches and started to apply them. He ended up using the entire packet because half the patches were expired and wouldn’t stick to her skin.
He sat back with a shake of his head. “We should redo the whole thing with new patches.”
“I’m sure these will hold,” Han said, unwilling to go through that again.
“But you might scar,” Jacks said. “They’re old enough that they might not last the entire healing process.”
Han snorted. “It wouldn’t be my first scar and probably won’t be my last.”
Jacks gave her a concerned look. “How much longer until you retire?”
“Maybe soon,” she said with a big smile. “My next bounty is a big one!”
“Next bounty?” Jacks gave her a reproachful look. “Han, the holiday celebration starts in about two weeks. You’ll be home by then, right?”
