The blood pressure cuff went off and the nurse looked at the reading and adjusted the dopamine drip accordingly.
"We've got coffee and tea." The nurse said.
"Where's my coffee?"
"You can't have coffee." The nurse said with a chuckle.
"Give me coffee and you can peek under my sheet." He said with a laugh.
"If I wanted to peek under your sheet, you're hardly in a position to stop me."
"Stop flirting with the nurse." Andi chided mildly. Voice calm. "I'd hate to have to cut off your oxygen supply. It’s a
terrible way to die. Tea please." She sweetly asked the nurse as if she hadn't just threatened calculated murder
without the slightest hint of joking or teasing in her tone. Once the nurse had left, Andi looked seriously down at
Hector and simply stated:
"Don't make me sic Suzette on her. She seems like a very nice girl and no one deserves that kind of pain."
Hector chuckled, his eyes closing again. "She's been peeking under my sheet all day." He said. Of course, he had a
urinary catheter, and then there was his wound, but never mind that. "If I go to sleep, are you going to go away?" He
asked in a wistful voice as he moved his fingers against her knee.
Her heart turned over in her chest and she softened.
"No, love." Her voice was soft and warm. "I promise. I'm not going anywhere." Gentle, she stroked fingers soothingly
through his hair. "It’s all right to let go for now."
"Promise?" He said as all the medications flowing through his veins finally took over and he closed his eyes fully, body
relaxing at last.
Mike came in with the chart and saw the guard, a restrained Hector, Andi and a highly amused nurse. "He's either a
dedicated son of a bitch or a stupid son of a bitch. Either way he's a septic son of a bitch." He said, stooping down to
lift up the Foley catheter bag, where urine should have been draining in. He looked at all the fluids and did a quick
calculation and grunted, putting the bag back down.
Andi stayed where she was, Hector's hand still on her knee and took the tea from the nurse with a smile before taking
the chart from Mike and reading over it carefully.
"Bloody buggar." She swore, gifting the sleeping Hector with a look. "I should have hurt him while he was still awake."
Mike snorted and squatted down on his heels.
"Well, we did have a line going for that but I'm pretty sure the boys will let you skip to the front of it if you ask nice."
Andi took a sip of the weak liquid they passed off as tea anywhere that wasn't entirely British and looked over the
details on the chart again.
"Bang up job though." She commented on the treatment. She gave the nurse a tired smile. "I couldn't have asked for
better."
"Well, we've never actually managed to get him in here before long enough so we figured we'd do everything while we
had the chance." The nurse told her with a smile. "All I need to do is spot a unicorn and I figure my day will be
complete."
Andi chuckled and then looked back at Mike.
"Anyone called Sam yet?"
Mike gave a choking noise that had the nurse looking alarmed for a moment before she realized it was a laugh.
"Uh. Yeah. That would have been me. I told him we needed a few days off."
"We can't all go off." Andi protested. "You and Suz don't need to stay."
"And turn down this food?" Suzette asked from the doorway. Looking - singularly unimpressed with the donut in her
hand. Andi actually did laugh that time.
"No, petite. We will stay. I am not about to leave you all alone in this camp of wolves."
The guard raised an eyebrow even though he looked as if he was still reading his book.
"Mike?" Andi asked. And he just looked at her. "Oh, surely not!" She protested with a laugh. "I'm not planning on
leaving the infirmary and Swanson and Mark are here if I need an escort."
"Sure." Mike agreed easily. "And now I'm here too. In case you AND Suz need escorts in different directions."
Andi rubbed the back of her head. Realizing she'd never gotten around to putting up her hair. Or a half a dozen other
morning routines. She sipped the tea again thoughtfully.
"Do they have a place for you two to sleep yet?" She asked and Suzette gestured. Whether she'd actually been
offered them or not was questionable but she pointed to the unused beds.
"We shall manage." She stated. Giving up on the donut and setting it gingerly on the edge of a gleaming counter.
"You know," The guard said, not looking up from his book. His jacket bore the last name of Potter. "When he was first
drug in here, he threatened Swanson with siccing someone named Suzette on him." He looked up from his book at the
Frenchwoman, chuckling. "I'm assuming that would be you."
"Obviously he no longer lives in fear, foolishly so." Suzette said, leaning against the counter. "Or Mr Garrett would not
be here."
"Sergeant Garrett." Potter corrected, going back to his book. Suzette elegantly snorted at that and moved over to
Andi, reading over her shoulder.
"They certainly did give him a full work up." She said. "Including things unrelated."
The guard chuckled again. "I'm the one that had to drag him in here under threat of arrest for the last physical." He
said. "He's stubborn."
"He's a jackass." Mike said.
"That too." Potter said, getting out of his chair as the nurse came around with the dressing change. The nurse, Cara,
smiled a bit at everyone else as she carefully pulled back the sheet, careful not to expose too much flesh due to the
company now and removed the bandage on his lower stomach.
It was a hideous shade of purple and black, surrounded by a fiery red ring. She slipped on her sterile gloves and
started to irrigate it. Even in his sleep, Hector tensed and grimaced, the restraints stopping him from moving very far
though.
"It missed everything internal." The nurse said conversationally. "Some would say he's lucky. But if that op he was on
had lasted another day...he had to be dragged in here to begin with."
Andi slipped her hand automatically into Hector's hand as the nurse worked. Watching less with a critical eye as to
method, which was more than competent, but more to get her first look at what he'd done to himself. Her hand
tightened on his in response.
"Sweet Christ." She whispered. She'd seen worse. She'd treated worse. But not by much and not on someone that
hadn't been trapped far from help with no option before. Suzette, silent, rested a hand on her shoulder and gave it a
soft squeeze and Andi reached up with her free hand and curled fingers around the French woman's hand. Mike just
shook his head.
"Okay." He decided. "Suz, you're with me. We're going to clear out for a while."
"But I like peering over shoulders, butting into situations that are not mine and otherwise making a business of
myself." Suz stated, giving Andi's shoulder another squeeze before she moved around to join Mike.
"We'll find Swanson." Mike offered, giving Andi a glance and a nod for the nurse and MP. Suzette rolled her eyes and
simply threw a kiss before they both headed back out the door. Andi let out a breath, thumb rubbing absently against
the heel of Hector's hand.
"You're doing well." Cara offered as she finished and set about putting the new dressing in place and it took Andi a
minute to realize she was talking to her.
"Oh?" She asked with a fleeting smile.
"Compared to him." The nurse gestured to Hector.
"That's not hard to do." Potter stated without looking up from his book. Andi chuckled.
"I wish he'd told me he was planning this. I could have packed a few books of my own."
Potter shot her a look over his book and a smile.
"I'll let you borrow. Believe it or not, I get a lot of reading done during certain parts of my job."
And he was good to his word. Shortly after his replacement, a man that preferred sports car magazines, arrived,
Potter came back with several books for her to choose from.
"For the most part," Potter said, easing back into his chair. "Most of my time is spent patrolling. We really don't have
too many troublemakers on this base. And even then its not bad. Its just dragging them to things they don't want to
do. KP duty, clean up time, med evals..." He said with a chuckle after Andi had chosen her book. He opened up his
own book and crossed his foot onto his other knee.
"I want coffee." Hector muttered, half awake again.
"With or without tabasco sauce?" Potter replied cheerfully.
"You're a tease."
"I never kiss and tell on the first date. Just lie back and relax."
"Thank you for the book." She told Potter, holding the book in her hand. Thinking... it had been a great long time
since she'd read anything other than reports and inventory lists. That - didn't speak very well of her 'free time' she
realized with a mild frown. Thinking ... she'd have a few days to rectify that now. At Hector's demands, she gave a
quiet smile and leaned down to press a soft kiss to his forehead. Feeling the heat against her lips and setting the
book in her lap to reach for a new cloth. Since her other hand was still linked with his.
"You should go back to sleep." She told Hector softly as she laid the new cloth in place. "All's still well."
"What time is it?" Hector asked and lifted his head up to see the clock on the wall. "Damn." He said and tried to get up,
but he was still restrained, and not as strong as he was a week ago. He slumped back on the bed and looked up at
Andi. "There are easier ways to get me tied up you know. Could try asking. That could work." Then he grinned. "Get
rid of Potter, take the restraints off and I promise I'll behave."
Potter lifted an eyebrow and had to put his hand over his mouth to stop the chuckle.
Andi's eyebrows went up and she slipped her hand out of his so that she could rest both forearms across his chest
without letting him take any of her weight. Leaning over him looking down, she met his dark eyes with her own
laughing ones. As if he hadn't just made her stomach do that funny twisting drop that it had. Thinking - at the moment,
with his dark eyes holding that gleam, he was the one that looked like one of the fey with their dark promises that held
more tricks than mortals usually fathomed.
"Maybe I should just get rid of Potter and still keep you tied up." She offered pertly. "But you must still be on
medication if you think I would ever believe a promise of yours to behave."
"Knows you too well." Potter commented.
"You're both having far too much fun at my expense." Hector grumbled.
"Oh yeah, seeing you tied up and uncooperative is the highlight of my day." Potter said, turning his attention back to
his book.
"I hate it here." Hector said to Andi. "And I'm not going to stop until I'm out of here."
"I should hope not." She agreed lightly before her jaw pulled tight again. Bright Christ. She really couldn't think too
long about what he'd almost done to himself. Not and stay at all useful. The bloody bit was it tended to pop without
warning into her head far too often. Like now. One of her fingers tapped lightly against his chest.
"It is your own fault you're here." She reminded him, voice still casual and mild. "You agreed to the price and now you
have to pay the Piper. This is, after all, generally what happens when you get shot and don't do anything about it."
Potter suddenly found his book fascinating.
Hector sighed. "It's not like I shot myself." He argued. "We had a job to do, and we certainly couldn't afford to take time
out for something minor. I feel fine! I'm fine!" He said and tried to sit up, but it aggravated his wound, and now that the
anesthesia had worn off, he felt every bit of it. "Damn it!" He swore as he laid back down and stared fiercely at the
ceiling. He took a couple of deep breaths. "I'm fine."
The skin around her darkening eyes tightened as his wound forced him down. She sat still for a moment. Then,
careful of the tubing and the restraints and his wounds, she slipped off her sneakers and shifted onto the bed next to
him. On her side and curling close along the entire length of him. Careful of her weight so it didn't rest against him but
still pressed close as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"No, you're not." She whispered. Resting her hand over his heart. "You're not fine. Not yet. And you're not minor. Ask
anyone. You almost died." She turned her face into his shoulder. Inhaling the familiar scent of him. That warmth even
if it was still too warm. That solid, it was all right, he was here and safe, feel of him. Drew in a deep breath before she
continued. "This is just for a little while. Just until your body remembers its not dying anymore."
"You're all being unreasonable and treating me like a child."
"Then stop acting like a child," Potter retorted, turning another page, though actually the scene in front of him, the
wisp of a doctor putting the Delta in his place was actually pretty entertaining.
"Can you untie at least one of my hands?" Hector asked. Potter looked at him. "Bro, come on. Does it look like I'm
going to run away?"
Potter considered it. He could get reamed for this, but got up and untied the restraint on the side the British doctor
was on, then went across the bay to get coffee.