"Take a deep breath."
Lourdes closed her eyes and breathed deeply.
"Right, now stand side-on to your target. Turn a little more." Hal put his hands on Lourdes' waist and gently guided her into the correct position. A small blush blossomed on Lourdes' cheeks.
"Okay, now lift the rifle up. Don't worry about aiming, just feel the weight."
He helped her to lift the barrel and as he slowly let go, her left arm shook a little before steadying itself.
"It feels pretty good," Lourdes said, more to herself than to Hal. Hal smirked.
"Right, now you take aim. Look down the crosshairs there… That's right…"
He couldn't help but take the image in. Lourdes, sweet little medic Lourdes, was holding a gun and she look so… fierce.
"You ready?"
"Yeah." It came out as a breathy whisper. Hal just caught it.
"Squeeze the trigger. There might be a bit of a kick."
Lourdes squeezed. She didn't even flinch as the gun fired and hit the edge of the painted target. She lowered the gun with a wide smile.
"Not bad, doctor, not bad."
"Not bad? I bet you couldn't even hit the target on your first try."
"…That is not the point," Hal laughed.