Quarantined (2/?)
Title: Quarantined
Character/Pairing: Wash/Elisabeth (friendship), Wash/Taylor, Jim/Elisabeth, Mark/Maddy, Skye/Carter, Mira/Guzman
Word Count: ~2555 for this chapter
Genre: Romance, Drama
Rating: PG-13
Summary: As far as she’s concerned, he’s never allowed to set foot near one of Malcolm’s research projects ever again.
Author’s Note: Fill for morganel’s Friday one word prompt “Quarantined” for Wash and Elisabeth. Note, this is set in the context of my other stories, but definitely not necessary to read those for this to make sense - just be aware that in my context now, Wash and Taylor are married and have a little girl named Gracie, and the Sixers have come back to Terra Nova.
Disclaimer is as usual - no profit, not mine (except Gracie, of course), just borrowing.
Part One
Terra Nova Infirmary
Malcolm’s hacking coughs already echo throughout the building, making Nathaniel give Elisabeth a worried look as she enters her office. He has taken refuge here, finding he is little to no help with the things that need to be done around the infirmary. “That kicked in fast, Doc.”
As he speaks, he vacates her desk chair, dropping into one of her guest chairs instead. He’s not wearing a rebreather, as they’ve been able to close down areas of the infirmary enough to get a good seal in certain rooms, Elisabeth’s office being one of them.
She pulls off her rebreather, sighs and sits down. “It did. It’s only been a few hours, but he’s already wheezing. He also has spiked a fever. I finally was able to make him take a break. The only good news is that the last test of the plant we sent the team out to get more of is looking very promising. It appears to be killing the toxin.”
“How is everyone else doing, Elisabeth? How are you doing?”
She gives him a weak smile. “I’m OK, Commander. And for the most part, the others are doing all right as well, outside of being frightened. I’m just glad my only patients were here for physical injuries as opposed to illnesses. At least we’re not worried about weakened immune systems potentially having to fight this. I do wish Nurse Ogawa had gone to lunch when I told her to, though. Then, she wouldn’t be trapped here with us.”
Something she said caught his attention. “Elisabeth, you can call me Nathaniel, and what do you mean, ‘for the most part?’”
She sighs again. “I’m worried about Skye, and to a lesser extent, about Mira. Skye was just so close to Malcolm when it happened, and Mira just told me she actually was infected with this thing back when the Sixers lost three people to it. She and a few others were ill for weeks.”
He shoots Elisabeth a puzzled look. “Shouldn’t that have given her some antibodies?”
She shakes her head. “This isn’t a virus; it’s a toxin that appears to attack the lungs. It’s not like anything I’ve seen before, Comman-, er, Nathaniel, and since it’s never been encountered here in the colony, I don’t have any historical data to study.”
“What are you not saying, Elisabeth?” He can see that she’s holding something back.
“Skye and Mira are both showing early signs of respiratory issues. Their last scans showed a slight decrease in their pulse ox, Mira more so than Skye, and they both are getting a little congestion in their lungs.” At his alarmed look, she holds up her hands. “It’s nothing like what we’ve seen in Malcolm. The amount of exposure seems to be related.”
“I’m assuming you’d tell me if I was showing the same symptoms?” He raises an eyebrow at her. At her confused look, he explains, “I was standing in the hall right next to Mira, Doc. If she’s showing signs of trouble, shouldn’t I be having issues too?”
“Not necessarily. One, you don’t have any record of respiratory issues, Mira does, her prior exposure and illness with this toxin in particular. Two, everyone may react differently. That may be why Skye isn’t as infected as Malcolm or even Mira.”
He offers, “She’s also younger than both Malcolm and Mira.”
“Yes, but,” she mimics his earlier eyebrow lift, “You’re close to twenty years older than both of them and thirty-five years older than Skye, and you’re perfectly fine. I’m close to being of an age with Malcolm and Mira, and I’m also clear. The others, Nurse Ogawa and the two patients, are clear as well, and their ages are all younger than all of us except Skye. Age may or may not be a factor with regard to likelihood of infection. Where it may help is with regard to how effectively the body fights it off.”
“Touché, Elisabeth.” He hesitates briefly. “What do we say?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m assuming you’ve also told Skye and Mira about their conditions?” She nods, so he goes on, “What do we say to Guz and Carter? I need their heads in the game, Guz keeping an eye on things here and Carter OTG. But, I’m not willing to lie to them. Alicia’s going to check in with us tonight. I know there’s an outpost near where we told them the plants we need are, so they’ll stop there for the night. I’d wager we’ll be hearing from them in an hour or two. She’s going to ask how everyone is.”
“I hadn’t thought about this.” She blows out a breath. “I think we need to let Skye talk to Carter. That way, he’ll hear that she’s OK.”
“OK, Elisabeth. I want to brief Alicia first, so she’s prepared for Carter’s reaction. And I’m going to have Mira talk to Guz.” He pauses, and then he swears softly. “Damn it.”
Elisabeth looks at him. “What?”
“Deborah Tate. We have to let Skye talk to her mother, and Malcolm should talk to her too, if he’s up to it. That poor woman.”
Elisabeth pales slightly. “Lord, I forgot that she’s dating Malcolm.” She brushes her hand across her eyes, suddenly looking very tired. “That poor woman indeed. I’ll go get Skye, and then I’ll talk to Malcolm, see if he can talk to Deborah.”
Nathaniel reaches out and puts a hand on Elisabeth’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’ll do both, Doc. You need a break. Take one.” She starts to argue, and he cuts her off. “Just because I’m stuck in here doesn’t mean I’m not in charge of the whole damned colony. I’ll make it an order if have to.”
She looks put out until she clearly sees that he’s teasing her. She rolls her eyes at him, making him think that Alicia is rubbing off on her. “Yes, sir.”
He smirks at her before slipping on his rebreather and exiting the office. Despite his attempt at a lighthearted attitude, he’s dreading talking to Skye, Mira and Malcolm. More than that, he’s dreading talking to Alicia tonight. He sighs as he walks towards the area where he saw Skye last, knowing he needs to get this over with.
*****
Outpost Three, OTG
Alicia collapses onto the cot in the only unused private room at Outpost Three, the others currently taken by the semi-permanent staff of three scientists and two soldiers here. Shannon, Reilly and Carter all wandered into the regular barracks area, giving Alicia the room. Normally, she might’ve shrugged off the favor, but knowing how restless she feels, she knows she’d probably drive everyone nuts out in the barracks.
She rolls her shoulders, trying to work out some of the tension that has settled there. She knows she needs to go to communications and check in with Nathaniel, but she’s terrified as to what he’ll have to report. As worried as she is about all of them in the infirmary, the thought of Nathaniel or Elisabeth getting sick makes her feel almost physically ill.
Shaking her head, she gets to her feet. She heads out the door, intending to go to the communications room. Before she can go five steps, she hears boots behind her, and she turns to see Shannon and Carter standing there, both looking worried.
Shannon looks at Carter, who motions at Alicia as if prompting Shannon to speak. Shannon looks back at Alicia, and he says, “We want to call with you, Wash.”
“No.”
They both blink, almost comically surprised. Apparently they expected at least a little equivocation. Carter recovers first, and he’s surly when he speaks. “Why the hell not?”
She walks up to both of them, drawing herself to her full height, leaving her shorter than Shannon but actually slightly taller than Carter. She gives them both a hard look. “First and foremost, because I said so.” They bristle at that, but after a moment, they both surprise her by giving her terse nods.
With their agreement on her first point, she softens her expression, looking first at Shannon and then at Carter. “Second, I need to get the sit rep from Nathaniel first. Then, I fully intend to let you talk to Elisabeth and Skye.”
At her last statement, they both visibly relax. She reaches out and puts a hand on one of each of their arms. “I’m worried, too. Honestly, I want to talk to Nathaniel alone because I really don’t need an audience if he’s not OK.”
Carter nods at that, but Shannon gets a sympathetic look on his face, and she can see what might be coming. She cuts it off at the pass. In a deadpan voice, she says, “I don’t need a hug, Shannon.”
Carter snorts, and Shannon looks affronted for a moment. Then, he lets out a chuckle. “Fair enough, Wash. But, if you decide you need one later, you know where to find me.”
She shakes her head and turns on her heel, heading for the outpost’s communications room. Silently, she finds herself saying a quick thank you for their decision to leave a secondary communications center in the infirmary back at the colony, one they set up before they defeated the Phoenix Group over two years ago.
After entering the communications room and closing the door, she sinks into the chair at the console. She immediately radios the colony, and after a few minutes, she hears the speaker crackle to life. “Alicia?”
Just at the sound of his voice, perfectly normal and strong, she relaxes a small amount. “Nathaniel. We’re here, Outpost Three.”
“No trouble getting there?”
She smiles at the small amount of concern she hears in his voice. “None at all. It was downright boring.” She hears him chuckle softly, and she can’t stop herself from asking, “You sound OK. Are you OK, Nathaniel?”
“I’m fine, Alicia, I promise. So far, so good.”
She lets out a sigh of relief, but she also frowns. He sounds tired to her, something she didn’t notice at first. “You sound tired, Nathaniel.”
“It’s been a long day, and I just had to watch Skye talk to her mother.”
She furrows her brow. “What’s going on?”
“Malcolm is already pretty sick, Alicia, and he’s getting worse by the hour. Elisabeth just had to put him on a mask to help him breathe.” He pauses. “And Mira and Skye are showing symptoms now, too, Mira more than Skye, but both of them appear to have been at least somewhat infected.”
“Damn it,” she whispers, “But you and Elisabeth?”
“Both still completely clear, and that’s the truth. Neither of us have any symptoms, and we’re both still testing clean - no toxin in the blood or otherwise.”
“Thank God. How bad are Skye and Mira?” Alicia cringes, knowing that Carter might actually lose it if anything happens to Skye, and even, quite honestly, if anything happens to Mira.
“Skye isn’t bad at all. Slightly reduced pulse ox, some mild chest congestion. Mira’s pulse ox is dropping, and she’s developing a hacking cough. It’s nowhere near as bad as Malcolm’s, but that’s relatively cold comfort. She had this before, years ago. Elisabeth is worried that the prior exposure might be making her more vulnerable to the toxin.” He sounds more tired with every word, but she can understand it.
Past history aside, they’ve all become pretty attached to and fond of their resident former Sixers. One person’s affection in particular stands out. Alicia has to ask, “Is Guz OK, Nathaniel?
“He seems to be, but I know it’s a front. He’s falling apart and going crazy because he can’t fight it for her. It’s pretty clear to me that he feels the way I would if it was happening to you.” After a brief pause, he chuckles softly. “It also makes me slightly less irritated with you for demanding to be the one heading up the OTG team. I get that you just needed to do something.”
She feels uncharacteristic tears form in her eyes, and she’s not sure if they’re for Mira and Guz, or Skye and Carter, or poor Deborah Tate. She just knows that she hates this whole situation. Shaking her head, she composes herself. “Speaking of that, Nathaniel, the scientists here know exactly where the plant is. We’re going out to get it at first light, and I’m hoping we’ll be back there by early afternoon tomorrow. Does Malcolm have that much time?”
“I estimated that as the likely time frame, and Elisabeth is at least somewhat hopeful.”
“OK, Nathaniel. I’m going to go get Shannon and Carter in a minute. Who first?”
“Skye.” His voice is emphatic.
“Understood. One other thing, though. Have you talked to the Bug?” Alicia refers to their daughter by her nickname, given to her by Boylan when she was a tiny baby.
“I did. We got on the network cameras, and I read her a bedtime story. She’s OK, Alicia. Scared, but Maddy and Mark will look after her.” His words make more tears spring to her eyes, but she blinks them back.
“I know,” she says quietly. “OK, I’ll go get Carter. And Nathaniel, I love you. Please be careful.”
“Always, Alicia, and I love you too. I’ll go get Skye. Good night, my Alicia.”
She smiles softly at his protective and possessive side rearing its head, and she quietly replies, “Good night, Nathaniel.”
Ten minutes later, after propelling Carter into the communications room and then reassuring Shannon that he was going to get to talk to Elisabeth and that Elisabeth is all right, Alicia curls back onto her cot in her room. She leans back against the wall, pulling her legs up and wrapping her arms around them.
She doesn’t know how long she sits there, but she’s shaken out of her reverie by a sharp knock at the door. Instead of rising, she just calls, “Come in.”
A visibly shaken Carter opens the door and enters the room. He leaves the door to the hallway open and silently crosses the floor to drop next to her on the bed. He’s looking down, staring at his hands.
Eventually, as Alicia watches, Carter’s hands begin to shake. Without hesitation, she reaches over and takes one of them in hers. “She’ll be OK, Carter. She and Mira will both be OK.”
He shakes his head. “She’s too good for me, you know? Too innocent. Too sweet.”
“Carter, you don’t give yourself enough credit. Contrary to popular belief and misconception, you are not a bad guy. Do you honestly think I’d let you near Gracie if I thought you were?” She squeezes his hand. “She’s young, and she’s a fighter. She’ll be there when we get home.”
“Promise?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
With that, he laughs softly. He tenses again after a moment, though. “Can I stay here for a while, Wash? Do you mind?”
“I don’t mind at all, Carter, and you can stay as long as you need to. Older brother, remember?”
In most any other situation, he probably would have snorted at that, but this time, he just sinks back. He holds her hand in silence until they both fall asleep leaned against the wall.
Character/Pairing: Wash/Elisabeth (friendship), Wash/Taylor, Jim/Elisabeth, Mark/Maddy, Skye/Carter, Mira/Guzman
Word Count: ~2555 for this chapter
Genre: Romance, Drama
Rating: PG-13
Summary: As far as she’s concerned, he’s never allowed to set foot near one of Malcolm’s research projects ever again.
Author’s Note: Fill for morganel’s Friday one word prompt “Quarantined” for Wash and Elisabeth. Note, this is set in the context of my other stories, but definitely not necessary to read those for this to make sense - just be aware that in my context now, Wash and Taylor are married and have a little girl named Gracie, and the Sixers have come back to Terra Nova.
Disclaimer is as usual - no profit, not mine (except Gracie, of course), just borrowing.
Part One
Terra Nova Infirmary
Malcolm’s hacking coughs already echo throughout the building, making Nathaniel give Elisabeth a worried look as she enters her office. He has taken refuge here, finding he is little to no help with the things that need to be done around the infirmary. “That kicked in fast, Doc.”
As he speaks, he vacates her desk chair, dropping into one of her guest chairs instead. He’s not wearing a rebreather, as they’ve been able to close down areas of the infirmary enough to get a good seal in certain rooms, Elisabeth’s office being one of them.
She pulls off her rebreather, sighs and sits down. “It did. It’s only been a few hours, but he’s already wheezing. He also has spiked a fever. I finally was able to make him take a break. The only good news is that the last test of the plant we sent the team out to get more of is looking very promising. It appears to be killing the toxin.”
“How is everyone else doing, Elisabeth? How are you doing?”
She gives him a weak smile. “I’m OK, Commander. And for the most part, the others are doing all right as well, outside of being frightened. I’m just glad my only patients were here for physical injuries as opposed to illnesses. At least we’re not worried about weakened immune systems potentially having to fight this. I do wish Nurse Ogawa had gone to lunch when I told her to, though. Then, she wouldn’t be trapped here with us.”
Something she said caught his attention. “Elisabeth, you can call me Nathaniel, and what do you mean, ‘for the most part?’”
She sighs again. “I’m worried about Skye, and to a lesser extent, about Mira. Skye was just so close to Malcolm when it happened, and Mira just told me she actually was infected with this thing back when the Sixers lost three people to it. She and a few others were ill for weeks.”
He shoots Elisabeth a puzzled look. “Shouldn’t that have given her some antibodies?”
She shakes her head. “This isn’t a virus; it’s a toxin that appears to attack the lungs. It’s not like anything I’ve seen before, Comman-, er, Nathaniel, and since it’s never been encountered here in the colony, I don’t have any historical data to study.”
“What are you not saying, Elisabeth?” He can see that she’s holding something back.
“Skye and Mira are both showing early signs of respiratory issues. Their last scans showed a slight decrease in their pulse ox, Mira more so than Skye, and they both are getting a little congestion in their lungs.” At his alarmed look, she holds up her hands. “It’s nothing like what we’ve seen in Malcolm. The amount of exposure seems to be related.”
“I’m assuming you’d tell me if I was showing the same symptoms?” He raises an eyebrow at her. At her confused look, he explains, “I was standing in the hall right next to Mira, Doc. If she’s showing signs of trouble, shouldn’t I be having issues too?”
“Not necessarily. One, you don’t have any record of respiratory issues, Mira does, her prior exposure and illness with this toxin in particular. Two, everyone may react differently. That may be why Skye isn’t as infected as Malcolm or even Mira.”
He offers, “She’s also younger than both Malcolm and Mira.”
“Yes, but,” she mimics his earlier eyebrow lift, “You’re close to twenty years older than both of them and thirty-five years older than Skye, and you’re perfectly fine. I’m close to being of an age with Malcolm and Mira, and I’m also clear. The others, Nurse Ogawa and the two patients, are clear as well, and their ages are all younger than all of us except Skye. Age may or may not be a factor with regard to likelihood of infection. Where it may help is with regard to how effectively the body fights it off.”
“Touché, Elisabeth.” He hesitates briefly. “What do we say?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m assuming you’ve also told Skye and Mira about their conditions?” She nods, so he goes on, “What do we say to Guz and Carter? I need their heads in the game, Guz keeping an eye on things here and Carter OTG. But, I’m not willing to lie to them. Alicia’s going to check in with us tonight. I know there’s an outpost near where we told them the plants we need are, so they’ll stop there for the night. I’d wager we’ll be hearing from them in an hour or two. She’s going to ask how everyone is.”
“I hadn’t thought about this.” She blows out a breath. “I think we need to let Skye talk to Carter. That way, he’ll hear that she’s OK.”
“OK, Elisabeth. I want to brief Alicia first, so she’s prepared for Carter’s reaction. And I’m going to have Mira talk to Guz.” He pauses, and then he swears softly. “Damn it.”
Elisabeth looks at him. “What?”
“Deborah Tate. We have to let Skye talk to her mother, and Malcolm should talk to her too, if he’s up to it. That poor woman.”
Elisabeth pales slightly. “Lord, I forgot that she’s dating Malcolm.” She brushes her hand across her eyes, suddenly looking very tired. “That poor woman indeed. I’ll go get Skye, and then I’ll talk to Malcolm, see if he can talk to Deborah.”
Nathaniel reaches out and puts a hand on Elisabeth’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’ll do both, Doc. You need a break. Take one.” She starts to argue, and he cuts her off. “Just because I’m stuck in here doesn’t mean I’m not in charge of the whole damned colony. I’ll make it an order if have to.”
She looks put out until she clearly sees that he’s teasing her. She rolls her eyes at him, making him think that Alicia is rubbing off on her. “Yes, sir.”
He smirks at her before slipping on his rebreather and exiting the office. Despite his attempt at a lighthearted attitude, he’s dreading talking to Skye, Mira and Malcolm. More than that, he’s dreading talking to Alicia tonight. He sighs as he walks towards the area where he saw Skye last, knowing he needs to get this over with.
*****
Outpost Three, OTG
Alicia collapses onto the cot in the only unused private room at Outpost Three, the others currently taken by the semi-permanent staff of three scientists and two soldiers here. Shannon, Reilly and Carter all wandered into the regular barracks area, giving Alicia the room. Normally, she might’ve shrugged off the favor, but knowing how restless she feels, she knows she’d probably drive everyone nuts out in the barracks.
She rolls her shoulders, trying to work out some of the tension that has settled there. She knows she needs to go to communications and check in with Nathaniel, but she’s terrified as to what he’ll have to report. As worried as she is about all of them in the infirmary, the thought of Nathaniel or Elisabeth getting sick makes her feel almost physically ill.
Shaking her head, she gets to her feet. She heads out the door, intending to go to the communications room. Before she can go five steps, she hears boots behind her, and she turns to see Shannon and Carter standing there, both looking worried.
Shannon looks at Carter, who motions at Alicia as if prompting Shannon to speak. Shannon looks back at Alicia, and he says, “We want to call with you, Wash.”
“No.”
They both blink, almost comically surprised. Apparently they expected at least a little equivocation. Carter recovers first, and he’s surly when he speaks. “Why the hell not?”
She walks up to both of them, drawing herself to her full height, leaving her shorter than Shannon but actually slightly taller than Carter. She gives them both a hard look. “First and foremost, because I said so.” They bristle at that, but after a moment, they both surprise her by giving her terse nods.
With their agreement on her first point, she softens her expression, looking first at Shannon and then at Carter. “Second, I need to get the sit rep from Nathaniel first. Then, I fully intend to let you talk to Elisabeth and Skye.”
At her last statement, they both visibly relax. She reaches out and puts a hand on one of each of their arms. “I’m worried, too. Honestly, I want to talk to Nathaniel alone because I really don’t need an audience if he’s not OK.”
Carter nods at that, but Shannon gets a sympathetic look on his face, and she can see what might be coming. She cuts it off at the pass. In a deadpan voice, she says, “I don’t need a hug, Shannon.”
Carter snorts, and Shannon looks affronted for a moment. Then, he lets out a chuckle. “Fair enough, Wash. But, if you decide you need one later, you know where to find me.”
She shakes her head and turns on her heel, heading for the outpost’s communications room. Silently, she finds herself saying a quick thank you for their decision to leave a secondary communications center in the infirmary back at the colony, one they set up before they defeated the Phoenix Group over two years ago.
After entering the communications room and closing the door, she sinks into the chair at the console. She immediately radios the colony, and after a few minutes, she hears the speaker crackle to life. “Alicia?”
Just at the sound of his voice, perfectly normal and strong, she relaxes a small amount. “Nathaniel. We’re here, Outpost Three.”
“No trouble getting there?”
She smiles at the small amount of concern she hears in his voice. “None at all. It was downright boring.” She hears him chuckle softly, and she can’t stop herself from asking, “You sound OK. Are you OK, Nathaniel?”
“I’m fine, Alicia, I promise. So far, so good.”
She lets out a sigh of relief, but she also frowns. He sounds tired to her, something she didn’t notice at first. “You sound tired, Nathaniel.”
“It’s been a long day, and I just had to watch Skye talk to her mother.”
She furrows her brow. “What’s going on?”
“Malcolm is already pretty sick, Alicia, and he’s getting worse by the hour. Elisabeth just had to put him on a mask to help him breathe.” He pauses. “And Mira and Skye are showing symptoms now, too, Mira more than Skye, but both of them appear to have been at least somewhat infected.”
“Damn it,” she whispers, “But you and Elisabeth?”
“Both still completely clear, and that’s the truth. Neither of us have any symptoms, and we’re both still testing clean - no toxin in the blood or otherwise.”
“Thank God. How bad are Skye and Mira?” Alicia cringes, knowing that Carter might actually lose it if anything happens to Skye, and even, quite honestly, if anything happens to Mira.
“Skye isn’t bad at all. Slightly reduced pulse ox, some mild chest congestion. Mira’s pulse ox is dropping, and she’s developing a hacking cough. It’s nowhere near as bad as Malcolm’s, but that’s relatively cold comfort. She had this before, years ago. Elisabeth is worried that the prior exposure might be making her more vulnerable to the toxin.” He sounds more tired with every word, but she can understand it.
Past history aside, they’ve all become pretty attached to and fond of their resident former Sixers. One person’s affection in particular stands out. Alicia has to ask, “Is Guz OK, Nathaniel?
“He seems to be, but I know it’s a front. He’s falling apart and going crazy because he can’t fight it for her. It’s pretty clear to me that he feels the way I would if it was happening to you.” After a brief pause, he chuckles softly. “It also makes me slightly less irritated with you for demanding to be the one heading up the OTG team. I get that you just needed to do something.”
She feels uncharacteristic tears form in her eyes, and she’s not sure if they’re for Mira and Guz, or Skye and Carter, or poor Deborah Tate. She just knows that she hates this whole situation. Shaking her head, she composes herself. “Speaking of that, Nathaniel, the scientists here know exactly where the plant is. We’re going out to get it at first light, and I’m hoping we’ll be back there by early afternoon tomorrow. Does Malcolm have that much time?”
“I estimated that as the likely time frame, and Elisabeth is at least somewhat hopeful.”
“OK, Nathaniel. I’m going to go get Shannon and Carter in a minute. Who first?”
“Skye.” His voice is emphatic.
“Understood. One other thing, though. Have you talked to the Bug?” Alicia refers to their daughter by her nickname, given to her by Boylan when she was a tiny baby.
“I did. We got on the network cameras, and I read her a bedtime story. She’s OK, Alicia. Scared, but Maddy and Mark will look after her.” His words make more tears spring to her eyes, but she blinks them back.
“I know,” she says quietly. “OK, I’ll go get Carter. And Nathaniel, I love you. Please be careful.”
“Always, Alicia, and I love you too. I’ll go get Skye. Good night, my Alicia.”
She smiles softly at his protective and possessive side rearing its head, and she quietly replies, “Good night, Nathaniel.”
Ten minutes later, after propelling Carter into the communications room and then reassuring Shannon that he was going to get to talk to Elisabeth and that Elisabeth is all right, Alicia curls back onto her cot in her room. She leans back against the wall, pulling her legs up and wrapping her arms around them.
She doesn’t know how long she sits there, but she’s shaken out of her reverie by a sharp knock at the door. Instead of rising, she just calls, “Come in.”
A visibly shaken Carter opens the door and enters the room. He leaves the door to the hallway open and silently crosses the floor to drop next to her on the bed. He’s looking down, staring at his hands.
Eventually, as Alicia watches, Carter’s hands begin to shake. Without hesitation, she reaches over and takes one of them in hers. “She’ll be OK, Carter. She and Mira will both be OK.”
He shakes his head. “She’s too good for me, you know? Too innocent. Too sweet.”
“Carter, you don’t give yourself enough credit. Contrary to popular belief and misconception, you are not a bad guy. Do you honestly think I’d let you near Gracie if I thought you were?” She squeezes his hand. “She’s young, and she’s a fighter. She’ll be there when we get home.”
“Promise?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
With that, he laughs softly. He tenses again after a moment, though. “Can I stay here for a while, Wash? Do you mind?”
“I don’t mind at all, Carter, and you can stay as long as you need to. Older brother, remember?”
In most any other situation, he probably would have snorted at that, but this time, he just sinks back. He holds her hand in silence until they both fall asleep leaned against the wall.