"He won't struggle." He met her gaze. "I promise you. I'll be right here when he wakes to quiet him if he does."

She shrugged. She preferred to use PropoFlo anyway whenever possible. Ned's calm temperament seemed to make him a good candidate. "I'll take care of him if there's a problem. You don't have to be here."

"Yes, I do." He turned to the dog and began to murmur to him. It wasn't En glish, Devon realized with surprise. She studied him. Even though Marrok was olive-complexioned and his hair and eyes were also dark, she had been sure he was American. High cheekbones, wide mouth… Italian? Spanish? No, neither one. But the dog seemed to understand. He was staring intently at Marrok's face, and when the words stopped, he closed his eyes with a little sigh.

Marrok turned back to her. "Get started. We have to get this over. I have something I have to do."

"It will take as long as it takes." She went to the medicine supply chest. "If you're going to stay, scrub up and-"

"Wait. There's something you should know."

"Medical history?"

"No, Ned thought he found a survivor just before he was shot. I didn't get a chance to search the ruins of that house, so I don't know if he was right. I flagged the site."

She shook her head. "That entire village was searched thoroughly before we pulled out a few days ago."

Marrok shrugged. "Ned isn't always right, but he comes close. It's your call."

She hesitated. "Did you tell Captain Ramirez?"

He nodded. "Like you, he didn't believe there was a chance of a survivor after all the search activity you put into that village."

"There's always a chance." She frowned. "I'll call Ramirez and tell him that we need to get an excavation crew up there right away. I'll go myself after I finish with your Ned."

An indecipherable expression flitted across his face. "It would be better if you stayed here. It might not be safe for you up there."