Swanson had to admit - a pretty girl's smile really did get far. She probably could have walked out of the supply tent
with half the items if she'd wanted to by the time they were ready to go and O'Reily would have let her. And that
was saying something considering O'Reily hoarded his stores as if they were gold.
Then they hit the kitchen and the next thing he knew Andi was getting lessons on how to cook bacon. And he could
have sworn the cooks had told him just this morning that they were all out of bacon. Standing to the side, leaning
on the wall, he realized... the English doctor was just as evil as the French one. Just much, much better at hiding it...
"I'm sure you'll talk your way back into her good graces if you wanted." Hector said, chuckling. "Got an antacid?
That meal was...worse than usual." He said, making a face. He laughed when he caught Mike counting the
silverware. "You're paranoid."
Mike chuckled.
"And you're psychotic so I don't feel bad about being paranoid." He pointed out. "And I'm not surprised your
stomach's bothering you. I am surprised you left the dish the way you inhaled." He settled back down in his chair.
"Besides, they won't let me near any of the drugs. Since I'm not 'official' and all that. Otherwise you'd still be
doped to the eyeballs."
"O'Reily would have had my head." Swanson said as he watched her cook bacon, glaring at the cooks. Out of
bacon, whatever. "But that at least looks like something Hector would willingly eat." Though he had no doubt the
man in the infirmary had wolfed down whatever was on his tray. He hoped they moved the napkins out of the way
first.
"Good." Andi commented. "I hear sneaking food in is a family tradition." She gave Pat a grin as he managed to find
the mayonnaise she'd asked about and his smile almost touched ear to ear. Bacon finished and draining, she
started putting together sandwiches.
Swanson had never heard any such thing. But he was starting to realize even more acutely than usual that there
was a lot he hadn't heard. He was actually learning more from Andi about Hector than he learned from Hector.
"You're a jewel." Andi was telling Stevens, the Ranger assigned to the clean up work thanks to some harmless
stunts pulled for laughs earlier in the week. Guy looked like he was going to pop buttons on the chest of his shirt,
he was so pleased he'd found her tomatoes. What the hell - Swanson thought. Where'd they get tomatoes?!
"Told you I was hungry." Hector said. "And I'm not psychotic." He said, just laying there resting. For he was going
to make a big escape once he had pants and everyone thought he was being a good little Delta. No two ways
about it. He could lay there in his bunk as well as here. "I just don't like infirmaries." He said, making a face as he
grumbled, getting a complete lack of sympathy from Mike.
"All psychotics say they're not psychotic." Mike answered, stretching his legs out again as Cara came back with
what looked like sweat pants and a wry look on her face.
"I still think this is a bad idea." She commented. Potter gave a grunt.
"It's either that or he goes streaking when he decides to make his run." Mike stated dryly.
"The next stupid Ranger trick is producing tomatoes." Swanson grumbled as he shot the Ranger a glare that sent
him away. "This completely sucks. I can't get any information out of that jack ass no matter how much I needle."
Which just made Hector close up even more, truthfully. He shook his head. "Oh well. I'll get over it."
"You will." Andi agreed cheerfully. Not about to tell Swanson any more about Hector than she would about herself.
"Thank you" she told Pat as he helped her wrap the sandwiches. Stevens braved Delta ire to bring her a bag to put
them in and forgot about Swanson entirely when she smiled at him again. Swanson rolled his eyes and actually
took her arm as they left the kitchens with too much friendly waving exchanged for his taste. He swore - he was
going to kill Hector. And then he was going to warn his friend about his friendly, amazingly manipulative girlfriend.
"Don't pout." Andi chided with a smile and made it up to him, somewhat, by handing him one of the sandwiches.
"Exactly right." Hector said with a laugh as he took the sweat pants and put them on under neath the sheet, far
more slowly and carefully than he would have had he been top notch, but they at least got back on. And then he
kicked off the sheet.
Cara shook her head and went over to change the bandage. To the practiced eye, with each change it was
improving, but to Potter it looked like the same old mess. Hector grit his teeth and stared straight ahead, refusing
to make as much as a sound as Cara washed it, packed it and covered it back up, though the bruised and red
flesh extended beyond the bandage. He caught Mike's look.
"Not worth doing if you don't do it right, right?" He asked, reaching for the water.
"Oh, I'd say you did it 'right.'" Mike stated. "You ever 'do it right' like that again however and I'll make sure you
never get pants back. Ever." Like he'd said - psychotic. Then he reached over and strapped the hand with the IVs
back into place before Hector realized he'd rested it there in the first place. Andi breezed in with Swanson as he
reached for the second hand.
Swanson took the sandwich with a grumble. "Well, just be easy on the Rangers. They're kids. They're here for
the sole purpose of being tormented by older, wiser Deltas, but kids all the same."
"They're nice kids." She was protesting and Swanson was making choking noises.
"Nice kids my ass." He disagreed. "They're Rangers!"
"They're kids." She was laughing and it was apparent they'd been having this argument for a while now. Than she
saw Hector was awake and her smile changed and went warmer and softer and brighter. Mike pushed his chair out
of the way but she tapped his leg with her foot on the way past to show she knew he was there anyway.
"Hey." She greeted Hector as she leaned over him to rest her forehead against his, brushing his lips with hers.
"You're awake."
"And I was even untied for bit." Hector said with a laugh.
"Tell her the whole purpose of having a Ranger contingent here." Swanson pressed.
"For the amusement of the Deltas." Hector said with a shrug. "Thought everyone knew that."
"Well, your girlfriend's got a soft spot for the snot nosed brats."
"Does she?" He asked, amused.
Swanson rolled his eyes.
"She's being friendly! All this smiling and 'thank you's' and crap. I swear half the base wanted to follow her around
like a pack of lovesick puppies."
Mike rubbed the end of his nose and cleared his throat. Pointing out:
"You're following her around." Swanson shot him a glare.
"Somebody had to." He protested.
"And where's Suzette?" Mike asked. Swanson gestured.
"Still in the mess tent."
"No she's not." Andi disagreed mildly as she settled down on the side of Hector's bed. "I saw her headed to the
barracks."
"Alone?" Mike asked.
"Of course." Andi sounded offended for her friend. Swanson snorted.
"She can take care of herself. Hector, tell Andi Rangers are bottles of raging hormones. Shit - " He threw up his
hands. "I can't believe I just used that phrase. I sound like Suzette."
"Someone should really check on her." Mike commented.
"Fine, fine." Swanson grumbled. "I'll go get her." He shot Hector a glare and pointed: "Tell her."
Hector smiled. "Okay, they're all little pots of hormones about to boil over and the nicer you are to them, the more
we have to torment them to return them to the status quo." Hector said. "There. Now go find Suzette."
Swanson left, grumbling about Rangers and women under his breath.
"Do I really have to be tied?" Hector asked with a roll of his eyes. "Come on. Be reasonable."
"Be reasonable he says." Potter said, turning a page in his book. "I almost laughed there."
Swanson went into the warehouse where the men slept and saw Suzette...standing there.
Andi laughed.
"Is he always so panicky?" She asked mildly, reaching down to sort through the things Swanson had left before
he'd stormed out and coming back with the pillow first. She held it away from Hector and asked: "I've been told
smothering threats were issued the last time you had one of these."
"I don't know. First pants. Now a pillow. He's going to get spoiled." Mike commented calmly.
Andi laughed, leaning forward to settle the pillow behind Hector's head.
"Unrestrained, yeah?" She asked, teasing. "I think I might like the sound of that."
"Yep." Mike stood up again. "And that would be my cue to head off to bed."
"Lucky bastard." Potter stated without looking up from his book.
"I see you coming out these doors tonight, I'm personally shooting you myself." Mike warned Hector before tapping
Andi's forehead. "Be good." He warned sternly and smiled when she made a face. He looked over at Cara.
"You've got my sympathy." He offered. "My advice would be to dope him up good." Then he gave a final wave and
a "Night" and walked out of the room.