"Now, see," Hector said, laughing. "I would have thought it was me and some over exaggerated description of me had I
still had the sheet and nothing but. But now I'm dressed."
Cara shook her head. Men were so completely blind sometimes it was nearly amusing all the time.
"Maybe they've come to get an eyeful of me." Potter said. "Never know, some of them might have common sense."
Cara snorted.
"What did Andi say? Men are cute when they're delusional."
"See that?" Potter asked, actually looking up from his book with a grin. "She thinks I'm cute."
"You're only kind of dressed." Andi remarked, looking up at Hector with a crooked smile from under her lashes. Making
her point by lightly moving a finger across the curve of his chest. Which distracted her for a minute.
"So what page are you on?" Cara retaliated and Potter, brows coming down, showed her. She grinned smugly. "And
what page were you on yesterday?"
He opened his mouth and then gave her a look. "A different page." He clarified obliquely.
"She didn't disagree that he's not cute." Andi whispered to Hector.
Hector chuckled. "No, she didn't." He agreed. But that flirtation couldn't go any further than a flirtation. Military had
rules about that, fraternizing and all. But it was a nice change of pace to have someone else to mock besides him all
the time. Especially since up until recently he was pretty near defenseless!
Cara just smiled at Potter and went to the medication refrigerator and brought over another intravenous antibiotic and
moved Hector's arm to hook it back up.
Andi saw the move. It was strange that something she knew was necessary should bother her but for some reason the
IVs bothered her more than the restraints had. Which made no sense and as a doctor she didn't even know why her
mind was taking that route. His body was still fighting the infection and sloughing off all the garbage that had
accumulated in his system because of it. So it wasn't the antibiotic itself. Just - seeing him hooked up to something...
"I did bring lunch." She told him. Distraction in that she didn't move off his other arm she was resting on and she was
offering food and knew he had to be hungry by now since they'd both apparently skipped lunch. Even Potter perked up
at that since he'd enjoyed the fruits of her foraging last night as well. Andi ticked her finds off on long fingers.
"Hard boiled eggs, some cooked up ham, toasted cheese sandwiches which are probably cold by now, and these small
fruit cups of suspicious origin." She looked up at Hector with a smile. "And jell-O. I'm told its expected, though they were
nice enough to throw in a bottle of that 'ready whip' foam."
"Ooh...whippets." Hector said. "Better than morphine."
"You're not on morphine." Cara said with a chuckle. "You're on hydromorphone."
"What's the difference?"
"Hydromorphone is medicinal heroin basically."
"Oh nice. You know I get drug tested, right?" Hector said with a shake of his head, though he knew he'd be exempt for
a bit, because of all the medicines given under a doctor's supervision. "The ham sounds good." Not that he was in any
rush to sit up and eat.
"I got them to cook it with a bit of honey." Andi agreed. Potter gave up and shook his head.
"Honey? Like real honest to God, the cooks swear they've never heard of it, from bees honey?"
Andi rolled over on her side and blinked at him through the bars on the side of the bed.
"Yes. Pat was very helpful. He even offered some cinnamon but I don't like my ham to taste like much more than ham."
Potter rolled his eyes.
"I knew they hoarded. I knew it! You even got eggs out of the deal. Real eggs, not egg substitute. All right, you - new
supply sergeant."
Andi laughed.
"I'm not American, remember?"
"We'll make an exception." Potter promised.
"Mm. Generous." Andi gave a crooked smile before shifting over on her stomach and propping her elbows on the bed
and looking down at Hector. "It's all in the icebox in the other room. If you're hungry. And I'm not in danger of being
enlisted just for fetching it." She teased.
"You're definitely in danger of being enlisted." Hector said with a chuckle. "Usually if they want good food they depend
on us D-boys to go get it."
"Damn straight." Potter replied, making Hector laugh again.
"But I promise if you're enlisted I'll make arrangements for you to skip basic." Hector said.
Cara laughed. "Don't worry. You won't be enlisted. We've got this strict rule on fraternization, so he won't allow it."
"Okay, got me there."
"Mm. Good." Andi commented with a smile. "Because I don't want to be enlisted and I believe I enjoy 'fraternizing'." She
leaned down and gave Hector a light kiss, smiling as she did so. "Very much in fact." Then she shifted smoothly over
and slid easily off the bed. "In a jiff." She promised, slipping on her shoes before she padded out the door. Potter
looked back down at his book that, honestly, he hadn't managed to read a single page of. Eyebrows coming down as
he realized the two women in the room had managed to entirely derail the conversation when they'd been asked to
explain why all the women on base kept stopping by today.
It didn't slip by unnoticed to Hector too, and now that Andi was gone for the moment, he turned his rapt attention on
Cara, with a little boy expression in his eyes.
"Come on, why is everyone stopping by the infirmary lately?" Hector asked. "I promise I won't tell anyone, just tell me.
The suspense is killing me, and if it does kill me, you know Andi will kill you!"
Cara made the mistake of actually meeting his eyes when she looked up. Damn, she thought. He really was good at
that 'little boy' look. She never would have expected something like that from him, so used to his cool, contained
personality. The girls would die over this one.
"Don't you threaten me with your girlfriend, Garrett." She warned, pointing a finger. Pulling on her 'no nonsense
attitude' to combat those eyes of his. Feeling her resolve weakening anyway. "She likes me now. We had a girl's day
out while you boys were grunting and scratching and talking sports or whatever you do when you're alone together."
"That's about it." Potter supplied without looking up from his book.
"You want to know about your visitors, you should ask her what we talked about." More information than she'd wanted
to give but his eyes really were dangerous that way. Besides, it was kind of cute that he honestly seemed to have no
idea.
Hector sighed and put his head back down. Apparently this was what it was like talking to him. At least if you asked
Swanson. And probably anyone else. But still, a straight answer would be nice once in a while.
"Okay. I will. Again." He said with a chuckle.
"Women." Potter said with a shrug and made believe he was going back to his book. He couldn't help it, the show
outside his book was by far more entertaining.
Andi came back in with her arms full. It was amazing how much she could actually manage to carry comfortably. Years
of practice of course.
"Right." She settled down on the edge of the bed and set the different containers on the small table next to it. She
tapped each of them in turn.
"Eggs, potato salad, ham, sandwiches, jell-O, fake cream, scary fruit." She freed one of the four plates she'd carried in.
"Now I suppose I trust everything except the scary fruit. And maybe the fake whipping cream in a can." She gave Hector
a smile and passed Potter one of the other plates. "They promised me sweet tea tomorrow." She added with a grin.
"Don't you dare let them try to make sweet tea." Hector said with a shake of his head. "They don't have the knack for it,
I don't care how much Pat has you convinced that he should be working at Le Cirque, trust me, he'll screw it up so its
undrinkable."
"He's just being picky." Potter said with a laugh as Hector sat up and started spreading the food out. "And the
Redi-Whip is good."
"Nothing says home like processed food put under pressure in an aerosol can." Hector said with a chuckle.
Andi chuckled and motioned Cara over with a smile to share in the spoils.
"If I had a proper kitchen and access to a market I could change your mind." She stated cheerfully. "You Americans
and all your processed food. Its as if you have to make sure its as far from the original version as you can manage
before you'll touch it. And you're going to break Pat's heart." She told Hector.
"Pat's got a heart?" Potter asked flatly and Cara chuckled.
"You're just jealous he's never made you potato salad." She chided, helping herself. This was easily the strangest
recovery she'd ever sat over. Girl in bed with the soldier, she got good food regularly out of the deal... if he wasn't
careful, she'd shoot Hector herself next time.
"I'm jealous he gave her eggs." Potter clarified as he liberally salted down his. "I've had egg substitute for so long I've
forgotten what chickens look like."
Andi added her own food to her plate. She'd missed several meals and, aside from promising, she was also a bit
hungry herself now that there was no stress keeping her from realizing it. She slipped off her shoes and crossed her
legs under her.
"Don't you know? You're never supposed to insult the waiter, or the cook, until after they've brought your food?"
"Keeps them from spitting in your food." Cara agreed cheerfully as she sat in Mike's vacant chair and dug in.
Hector laughed and shook his head as he filled up a plate. Glad to be eating again, he'd eat anything. Including the
mystery meat he ate yesterday. But, this was better.
"Just ignore them." Hector said with a chuckle. "I do." He said as Cara put her plate down for a minute and unhooked
his antibiotic, fully freeing up his arms again.
"Don't suppose you can come when he needs his physical." Cara mused. He was being so co operative. No one had
believed it until they had seen Hector sleeping...without restraints.
Andi chuckled and shot Hector a glance from the corners of her eyes, eyes sparkling.
"I could be tempted." She admitted, taking a bite from one of the eggs. "If you warn me with enough time next time, I
might even be able to bring some food with me." She shook her head. "But no one could be that bad. Truly."
Actually she suspected 'no one' or rather Hector, could and was often that bad. Or worse. But she felt she had to
protest simply for solidarity's sake.
Potter choked on his potato salad and Cara nearly snorted her drink out her nose.
"Did you see the restraints?" She asked. "Remember he couldn't move his arms? And kept trying anyway? You see the
MP sitting right there?" Potter waved. "That was after he was sedated, And. You're dating a holy terror. With capital
letters all the way around." She gestured with her hand for emphasis as she laughed.
"Is that true?" Andi asked with a grin, turning to look at Hector. Looking more delighted with the thought than disturbed.
"Is there really some holy somewhere in all that terror you apparently are?"