Never Boring (1/3)
Title: Never Boring
Character/Pairing: Wash/Taylor, Mark Reynolds, Elisabeth Shannon, Boylan
Word Count: this part, ~3270
Genre: Romance, friendship, shameless fluff and general naughtiness
Rating: PG-13
Summary: When you have a colony to run, enemies about and distant leaders to answer to, it’s not always simple to just live your life.
Author’s Note: This is, as usual, set in the context of my other stories. I was asked over on FF.net for the wedding story. Here it is. This is some time after my story “Are You Kidding?” - when Taylor proposed - but before “A Phoenix By Any Other Name.” This really did start out as a one-shot, but it got a little long for that. So, it’ll be a two-shot.
Disclaimer is the same as always - don’t own them, just borrowing, no profit here.
Early in the morning, well before sunrise on the day after the pulse that disabled the colony, Alicia wakes up tucked into Nathaniel’s uninjured side, her head resting on his shoulder and hand on his chest. His arm is wrapped around her, and she can tell from his even breathing that he’s still asleep.
A light wave of nausea washes over her as she thinks about his injury. Just a few inches higher, and things might’ve been a lot worse. She doesn’t often let it show, but the idea of losing him terrifies her almost into paralysis. She tries to mentally shake the bad thoughts away, refocusing on what happened last night.
He proposed. She said yes. She still can’t believe that he asked her, and she’s even more surprised at herself for agreeing. She knows, though, that the marriage itself isn’t the biggest issue. They can be quietly married; they’ve been quietly together for seven years now, and very few are the wiser.
Alicia knows that the greater hurdle is cohabitation. She loves the idea of living with him, sharing space and waking up like this every morning. But they are already violating pretty much every frat reg that ever existed, and to live together openly would just be the icing on the cake. He’s more dismissive of the regs than she is. He always has been. But she knows that no matter how distant they are from the powers that be in the future, they still are technically under command.
She sighs a little, feeling some of the happiness from the night before slip away. When she said yes (after, she openly acknowledges, some cajoling from him), her heart felt lighter than it ever has. In the harsh light of day, though, she can’t help but worry.
“Stop it, Lieutenant. That’s an order.”
She jumps a little at the sound of his voice. “Stop what?”
He snorts, tugging her even tighter into his side. “For lack of a better term, stop mindfucking this. I got you to say yes. No backing out now.”
She grumbles. “I wasn’t going to back out. I want to marry you. I’m just worried about how we handle moving in together.”
“We pack up my stuff and move it over here,” he pauses, “You have the built-in shelves and a better kitchen.”
She pokes him in the side. “Smart ass. You know that’s not what I mean.”
He laughs quietly before releasing a sigh. “I know. We’ll figure it out, Alicia.” She pulls away from him and sits up, her legs still under the covers. She draws her knees to her chest and wraps her arms around her legs. “Alicia?” She feels him sit up next to her.
“I know you’re trying to make me worry less, but I’m serious, Nathaniel. If the brass in the future order us to split up or give up our positions, what are we going to do?” She looks at him, and his smile fades.
“Alicia, we won’t have to figure that out. I just believe that we’re going to be all right.” He wraps his arm around her shoulders.
“But what if we’re not, Nathaniel? I know you do OK with taking things on faith, but I’ve never been very good at crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.” She looks back down at the bed.
Using two fingers under her chin, he tips her face up to get her to look at him. “If they force us to choose, each other or the colony, my choice is clear.” She blinks, and he drops a feather-light kiss on her lips. “I’d choose you, Alicia. Every day of the week and twice on Sunday.”
“I’d never ask you to…”
He cuts her off with another kiss. “I know. You wouldn’t have to. And I’m guessing I wouldn’t have to ask you either.”
“You wouldn’t.” Something occurs to her; she knows he won’t like it, but she wants to say it. “Nathaniel, if they do find out and make us choose, I know what we should do. Or, more precisely, I know what I should do.”
He looks confused for a moment, but then his face darkens. “No. Out of the question, Lieutenant.”
“I’ll resign my commission so you can keep yours. If I’m not military…”
“Damn it, Alicia, I said no.” He shakes his head.
He’s scowling now, his eyes stormy. She puts a placating hand on his cheek. “Nathaniel, you know it makes the most sense. If I’m not military, we can be married. You can even create a civilian role for me in the command staff. You did it for Shannon, didn’t you?”
He’s still shaking his head, silently now. She leans up and kisses him softly. “Nathaniel it’s the only thing we can do and have things stay mostly the same. The colony needs you at the helm. You’re the reason this thing works. Some may not agree with that, but I know it’s true.”
He remains silent for several moments. Just when Alicia is about to try to get him to talk, he says, his voice gruff, “I don’t like this, Alicia. You spend your life protecting me. At some point, I’m going to demand that you let me protect you.”
“I know. But this is not that time. I’m not saying I’m giving up my commission right now, though. I’m just saying that if it comes to that, I will.” She kisses him again. “Agreed?”
He looks stubborn for a moment, but then he huffs out a breath and nods. “Agreed. But you are at liberty to change your mind, no questions asked.”
“OK.” She leans up and kisses him. “How is your side?”
He touches the covered wound, only wincing slightly. “Not bad. I had an excellent field medic.”
She rolls her eyes. “Flattery won’t get you anywhere, Commander. We’re still going to see Elisabeth this morning. I can’t wait to watch you try to explain to her why you didn’t go to the infirmary last night.” He actually pouts at that, and she just chuckles and shakes her head. “Now I’m going to kick you out. It’s still early, so the coast should be clear. Go.”
He stops pouting and laughs. “Yes ma’am. My house is still without power, and I need to get cleaned up. I’m not particularly enamored of the idea of having a cold shower, so I’m going to go use the shower at the command center. Meet me for breakfast in the market in an hour?”
“Sounds good. I don’t want a cold shower either, so I’ll go to the barracks to get cleaned up. We got those buildings powered up last night. But we’re not meeting in the market. We’re meeting at the infirmary. Once Elisabeth checks you out and administers some antibiotics just in case, then we can go to breakfast.”
He snorts but gives her a begrudging nod. They both get up, and she peels off the t-shirt, one of his, that she’s wearing to give to him. His eyes widen slightly at the sight of her naked upper body, but she just gives him a mischievous grin and pulls on a sports bra, followed by a pair of her cargoes and a tight, fitted t-shirt of her own. He rolls his eyes and shakes his head as he gets dressed himself.
Once he’s dressed and has pulled on his boots, they go into her living room. He’s about to slip out when a knock at her door makes them both jump. Alicia gestures towards her bedroom with her head, and he goes back into it and closes the door most of the way. She watches and then takes a deep breath, going to see who is here.
She breathes a sigh of relief when she opens the door, as it’s Boylan on the other side, and he already knows about her relationship with Nathaniel. “Tom, what’s up?”
The bartender shoots her a shit-eating grin. “I have new comms for you and Taylor.” He hands them to her.
“Er…thanks. I’ll give him his when I see him later.” Alicia knows that Tom knows about them, but she still isn’t comfortable acknowledging that.
Boylan laughs. “Sure, Wash. Or you could just give it to him before he leaves.” She opens her mouth, but she can’t quite formulate a response to that. He chuckles again and pats her on the shoulder. “I hope the old bastard’s side is all right. That crossbow bolt had to hurt like a bitch. Have a good day, Lieutenant.” He raises his voice. “You too, Taylor.”
Alicia just closes the door. “Good bye, Tom.”
Nathaniel comes in, laughing softly. “You know, he annoys the hell out of me, but he does have moments when I don’t completely despise him.” He takes his comm from her and hugs her to him. “I should go before it gets too light.” She nods but doesn’t pull away immediately.
One last kiss and he goes, slipping out and leaving her to spend a moment thinking about the fact that they’re actually engaged. She’s glad he’s gone, because she really doesn’t want an audience for the goofy grin she gets on her face and the completely-out-of-character girly squeak she emits at the thought of their new status.
Ten minutes later, she has a backpack of her toiletries on her shoulder and is headed for the barracks. The area is co-ed, but they do have stalls and curtains for privacy. She enters the shower area. It’s empty except one stall at the far end. She can tell from the off-key singing that it’s Dunham.
She smirks and calls. “Tune up, soldier!” It has the desired effect. She hears a clatter and the sound of scrambling on the tile floor. She chooses a stall towards the front and steps into it, putting her bag down. Laughing to herself, she hears the water in the other stall shut off, and a moment later, she sees Dunham rush past, hair wet and in a t-shirt and boxers.
She leans into her shower and turns on the water, feeling a little guilty about poor Dunham. She wasn’t trying to run him out, but it had been an irresistible opportunity to mess with him a little. A noise outside her stall makes her think he’s returned, so she peers out to see if it’s him, intending to apologize. Instead of Dunham, though, she sees a very dirty, not to mention stinky, Mark Reynolds.
He is basically creeping into the shower area, looking left and right to see if anyone is around. “Mark? What happened? Are you all right?”
He jumps about a foot. “Wash! I mean ma’am! I didn’t see you, I mean, I didn’t, um, what are you doing here?”
Still in her clothes, she steps out of her stall and approaches him, eyeing him suspiciously. “The pulse knocked out power, and my house isn’t back up yet. Now what happened, Mark?”
“I, well, I sort of got, well…” He looks down at the floor.
“Got what, Mark? Spit it out. Don’t make me make it an order.” She crosses her arms across her chest.
He looks back up at her. “I got stuck outside the fence last night. My rover got fried by the pulse, and I had to hike back. I couldn’t make it back before dark, so I covered up with this stuff and hid out in a tree.”
She furrows her brow, running duty rosters through her head. “Mark, why were you OTG? That wasn’t on the duty roster.”
He swallows hard, looking, if possible, even more nervous. After a moment, he mumbles, “It was a date with Maddy Shannon.”
“I’m sorry?” She can’t believe what she thinks she just heard him say. “Say that again, Mark. But enunciate this time.”
“It was a date! With Maddy! I’m sorry, Wash! I didn’t mean for us to get stuck out there. We were just going for a picnic lunch. That’s all!” He runs a hand through is filthy hair.
She wants to be angry with him, but he looks so pathetic and freaked out that she can’t muster too much in the way of outrage. “Tell you what, kid - you are going to be my personal sparring punching bag and training course guinea pig for a while. No complaining allowed. And you, Dunham and Reilly get a replacement chip from Boylan for the rovers so you can go get the one you had to abandon. That’s it. I’m also telling the commander about this, and if he has another punishment to mete out, you will bear it gracefully. Are we clear?” He nods. “Good. I’m assuming Shannon doesn’t know?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t think so. Maddy said she’d call if she got caught sneaking in.”
“And she was all right?”
“Yes. I took care of her, Wash, I swear. I’d have died before I let something happen to her.”
She continues to eye him critically. “OK. Take a shower. You are rank, kid.”
He nods and darts towards the back of the shower room. He pauses, turning back. “Wash?” She lifts a questioning eyebrow at him. “Thanks.”
Her expression softens. “No problem, kid. But on this, one more strike and I tell Shannon. This was reckless, Mark, and since we didn’t know you were out there, you not only endangered yourself, you endangered Maddy.”
He pales under all the muck on his face. “Understood. It won’t happen again, Wash. You have my word.”
“Good. Now shower. You really do stink.”
He grins sheepishly. “Yes ma’am.”
She shakes her head and steps back into her own stall, muttering, “Kids.”
*****
At the agreed to time, Alicia enters the infirmary. As she walks in, she looks around for Nathaniel. She sees Elisabeth talking to Hunter, still a patient after his experience with his parasite. Slightly annoyed, she taps her comm to open a private channel. “Washington to Taylor, come in please.”
When she’s met with silence on the line, she rolls her eyes. “Nathaniel, respond. Ignoring me will not make me go away.”
Alicia has to snort when she hears actual grumbling over the connection. “On my way, Lieutenant.”
“Thank you.” She taps her comm to close the connection just as Elisabeth approaches her.
“Lieutenant, what can I do for you?”
Alicia turns to smile at her. “Doc, you can call me Wash, or even Alicia.”
“All right, Alicia. In that case, I’m Elisabeth.” She returns Alicia’s smile. “Are you here to rat out the commander?”
Alicia laughs. “No. I’m certain your husband already covered that. I’m here to make the commander sit still while you check him over.”
Elisabeth smirks and nods. “I take it you stitched him up? I know you would’ve called if you thought it was something you couldn’t manage.”
“I did. I want you to double check the wound, though, and I imagine a shot of antibiotics would be in order,” she pauses and gives Elisabeth a conspiratorial look, “And frankly, I just want you to give him a hard time for not coming here right away.”
“Understood.” They both look up to see Nathaniel enter, a grumpy expression on his face. “Commander, have a seat.” Elisabeth gestures to the nearest biobed. When he hesitates and looks stubborn, Elisabeth puts her hands on her hips and says, “It wasn’t a request. Sit or I’ll tranq you. I may not have a crossbow handy, but I’m quick and accurate with a hypo.”
He grumbles and rolls his eyes, sitting down on the bed. “Your husband is a rat, Doctor.”
She laughs. “Yes, he is. But your lieutenant here would have busted you if Jim hadn’t.”
He gives Alicia a dirty look, but she’s completely unphased by it. She looks around to make sure the area is clear, and then she says, “Might I remind you that you agreed, albeit silently, to come here? If nothing else, Commander, you need antibiotics. And no matter how good I still am with a needle, Elisabeth needs to make sure there isn’t any internal damage.”
“Fine.” He pulls off his jacket and takes his weapon out of his shoulder holster, passing both to Alicia. He then lifts his t-shirt so Elisabeth can see the wound.
She hisses when she sees it. “That had to hurt.” He just grunts in response as Elisabeth pokes gently at his side. “This looks good, Alicia. Well done.” Alicia nods, and Elisabeth looks up at Nathaniel. “One quick scan for internal injury, please. Lie back, Commander.”
He obeys, reclining back on the biobed. After the machine finishes its scan, Elisabeth looks at a readout and then gives him a nod. “You can sit up.”
He does so and tucks his t-shirt back in. “Well, Doc, am I going to live?” He lifts an eyebrow at her as she preps a hypo.
Alicia snorts, and Elisabeth replies, “Yes.” She gives him a hard look. “But you were lucky, Taylor. Lucky that it didn’t hit anything vital and even luckier that you didn’t bleed out before your medic here got to you. So we now have a new rule,” she reaches up and administers the hypo to his neck, making him jump a little, “And that rule is that when you get shot, no matter how inconsequential you think it is, you come here. Are we clear, Commander?”
He shakes his head. “I won’t agree to that.” As Alicia and Elisabeth both start to object, he holds up his hands. “What I’ll agree to is immediately finding Wash, and if I can’t find her, then I’ll come here.”
Elisabeth starts to protest, but Alicia stops her this time. “OK, sir. We can live with that.” She gives Elisabeth a pointed look.
Elisabeth looks back and forth between them before letting her shoulders drop in defeat. “All right. But one break of that promise, and my rule goes into effect.”
“Fine.”
He’s back to looking grumpy, so Alicia checks the area again. Seeing that it’s clear, Alicia puts a hand on his arm. He looks at her, and his expression softens almost instantly. “Thank you, Nathaniel.” She turns to Elisabeth, keeping her hand on Nathaniel’s arm. “I take it that hypo was antibiotics?”
“It was, and I have some painkillers for him as well, for tonight.” She goes over to a cabinet, unlocking it and pulling out a small vial of pills. “It’s just a mix of acetaminophen and codeine. Not too strong.”
She hands them to Alicia, knowing that Nathaniel would likely refuse to accept them. Alicia slips them into her pocket. She figures that if he won’t take them, Alicia can at least re-stock her med kit. “Are we free to go, Elisabeth?”
The doctor nods and turns to Nathaniel, actually shaking her finger at him. “Take it easy for a couple of days, Commander. I mean it.”
He snaps her a salute. “Yes ma’am.”
Laughing, Alicia hands him his jacket and weapon and points at the door. “Go.” Holstering his pistol and shrugging into his jacket, he arches an eyebrow at her. She rolls her eyes. “Go, sir.”
He grins and goes to the door, holding it open for her to go first and then following her out the door. As they walk towards the market in search of something for breakfast, he chuckles a little.
She looks at him, a questioning look on her face. “What’s funny?”
He grins. “I was just thinking that if nothing else, life with me is never boring.”
She snorts. “Truer words have never been spoken.”
Character/Pairing: Wash/Taylor, Mark Reynolds, Elisabeth Shannon, Boylan
Word Count: this part, ~3270
Genre: Romance, friendship, shameless fluff and general naughtiness
Rating: PG-13
Summary: When you have a colony to run, enemies about and distant leaders to answer to, it’s not always simple to just live your life.
Author’s Note: This is, as usual, set in the context of my other stories. I was asked over on FF.net for the wedding story. Here it is. This is some time after my story “Are You Kidding?” - when Taylor proposed - but before “A Phoenix By Any Other Name.” This really did start out as a one-shot, but it got a little long for that. So, it’ll be a two-shot.
Disclaimer is the same as always - don’t own them, just borrowing, no profit here.
Early in the morning, well before sunrise on the day after the pulse that disabled the colony, Alicia wakes up tucked into Nathaniel’s uninjured side, her head resting on his shoulder and hand on his chest. His arm is wrapped around her, and she can tell from his even breathing that he’s still asleep.
A light wave of nausea washes over her as she thinks about his injury. Just a few inches higher, and things might’ve been a lot worse. She doesn’t often let it show, but the idea of losing him terrifies her almost into paralysis. She tries to mentally shake the bad thoughts away, refocusing on what happened last night.
He proposed. She said yes. She still can’t believe that he asked her, and she’s even more surprised at herself for agreeing. She knows, though, that the marriage itself isn’t the biggest issue. They can be quietly married; they’ve been quietly together for seven years now, and very few are the wiser.
Alicia knows that the greater hurdle is cohabitation. She loves the idea of living with him, sharing space and waking up like this every morning. But they are already violating pretty much every frat reg that ever existed, and to live together openly would just be the icing on the cake. He’s more dismissive of the regs than she is. He always has been. But she knows that no matter how distant they are from the powers that be in the future, they still are technically under command.
She sighs a little, feeling some of the happiness from the night before slip away. When she said yes (after, she openly acknowledges, some cajoling from him), her heart felt lighter than it ever has. In the harsh light of day, though, she can’t help but worry.
“Stop it, Lieutenant. That’s an order.”
She jumps a little at the sound of his voice. “Stop what?”
He snorts, tugging her even tighter into his side. “For lack of a better term, stop mindfucking this. I got you to say yes. No backing out now.”
She grumbles. “I wasn’t going to back out. I want to marry you. I’m just worried about how we handle moving in together.”
“We pack up my stuff and move it over here,” he pauses, “You have the built-in shelves and a better kitchen.”
She pokes him in the side. “Smart ass. You know that’s not what I mean.”
He laughs quietly before releasing a sigh. “I know. We’ll figure it out, Alicia.” She pulls away from him and sits up, her legs still under the covers. She draws her knees to her chest and wraps her arms around her legs. “Alicia?” She feels him sit up next to her.
“I know you’re trying to make me worry less, but I’m serious, Nathaniel. If the brass in the future order us to split up or give up our positions, what are we going to do?” She looks at him, and his smile fades.
“Alicia, we won’t have to figure that out. I just believe that we’re going to be all right.” He wraps his arm around her shoulders.
“But what if we’re not, Nathaniel? I know you do OK with taking things on faith, but I’ve never been very good at crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.” She looks back down at the bed.
Using two fingers under her chin, he tips her face up to get her to look at him. “If they force us to choose, each other or the colony, my choice is clear.” She blinks, and he drops a feather-light kiss on her lips. “I’d choose you, Alicia. Every day of the week and twice on Sunday.”
“I’d never ask you to…”
He cuts her off with another kiss. “I know. You wouldn’t have to. And I’m guessing I wouldn’t have to ask you either.”
“You wouldn’t.” Something occurs to her; she knows he won’t like it, but she wants to say it. “Nathaniel, if they do find out and make us choose, I know what we should do. Or, more precisely, I know what I should do.”
He looks confused for a moment, but then his face darkens. “No. Out of the question, Lieutenant.”
“I’ll resign my commission so you can keep yours. If I’m not military…”
“Damn it, Alicia, I said no.” He shakes his head.
He’s scowling now, his eyes stormy. She puts a placating hand on his cheek. “Nathaniel, you know it makes the most sense. If I’m not military, we can be married. You can even create a civilian role for me in the command staff. You did it for Shannon, didn’t you?”
He’s still shaking his head, silently now. She leans up and kisses him softly. “Nathaniel it’s the only thing we can do and have things stay mostly the same. The colony needs you at the helm. You’re the reason this thing works. Some may not agree with that, but I know it’s true.”
He remains silent for several moments. Just when Alicia is about to try to get him to talk, he says, his voice gruff, “I don’t like this, Alicia. You spend your life protecting me. At some point, I’m going to demand that you let me protect you.”
“I know. But this is not that time. I’m not saying I’m giving up my commission right now, though. I’m just saying that if it comes to that, I will.” She kisses him again. “Agreed?”
He looks stubborn for a moment, but then he huffs out a breath and nods. “Agreed. But you are at liberty to change your mind, no questions asked.”
“OK.” She leans up and kisses him. “How is your side?”
He touches the covered wound, only wincing slightly. “Not bad. I had an excellent field medic.”
She rolls her eyes. “Flattery won’t get you anywhere, Commander. We’re still going to see Elisabeth this morning. I can’t wait to watch you try to explain to her why you didn’t go to the infirmary last night.” He actually pouts at that, and she just chuckles and shakes her head. “Now I’m going to kick you out. It’s still early, so the coast should be clear. Go.”
He stops pouting and laughs. “Yes ma’am. My house is still without power, and I need to get cleaned up. I’m not particularly enamored of the idea of having a cold shower, so I’m going to go use the shower at the command center. Meet me for breakfast in the market in an hour?”
“Sounds good. I don’t want a cold shower either, so I’ll go to the barracks to get cleaned up. We got those buildings powered up last night. But we’re not meeting in the market. We’re meeting at the infirmary. Once Elisabeth checks you out and administers some antibiotics just in case, then we can go to breakfast.”
He snorts but gives her a begrudging nod. They both get up, and she peels off the t-shirt, one of his, that she’s wearing to give to him. His eyes widen slightly at the sight of her naked upper body, but she just gives him a mischievous grin and pulls on a sports bra, followed by a pair of her cargoes and a tight, fitted t-shirt of her own. He rolls his eyes and shakes his head as he gets dressed himself.
Once he’s dressed and has pulled on his boots, they go into her living room. He’s about to slip out when a knock at her door makes them both jump. Alicia gestures towards her bedroom with her head, and he goes back into it and closes the door most of the way. She watches and then takes a deep breath, going to see who is here.
She breathes a sigh of relief when she opens the door, as it’s Boylan on the other side, and he already knows about her relationship with Nathaniel. “Tom, what’s up?”
The bartender shoots her a shit-eating grin. “I have new comms for you and Taylor.” He hands them to her.
“Er…thanks. I’ll give him his when I see him later.” Alicia knows that Tom knows about them, but she still isn’t comfortable acknowledging that.
Boylan laughs. “Sure, Wash. Or you could just give it to him before he leaves.” She opens her mouth, but she can’t quite formulate a response to that. He chuckles again and pats her on the shoulder. “I hope the old bastard’s side is all right. That crossbow bolt had to hurt like a bitch. Have a good day, Lieutenant.” He raises his voice. “You too, Taylor.”
Alicia just closes the door. “Good bye, Tom.”
Nathaniel comes in, laughing softly. “You know, he annoys the hell out of me, but he does have moments when I don’t completely despise him.” He takes his comm from her and hugs her to him. “I should go before it gets too light.” She nods but doesn’t pull away immediately.
One last kiss and he goes, slipping out and leaving her to spend a moment thinking about the fact that they’re actually engaged. She’s glad he’s gone, because she really doesn’t want an audience for the goofy grin she gets on her face and the completely-out-of-character girly squeak she emits at the thought of their new status.
Ten minutes later, she has a backpack of her toiletries on her shoulder and is headed for the barracks. The area is co-ed, but they do have stalls and curtains for privacy. She enters the shower area. It’s empty except one stall at the far end. She can tell from the off-key singing that it’s Dunham.
She smirks and calls. “Tune up, soldier!” It has the desired effect. She hears a clatter and the sound of scrambling on the tile floor. She chooses a stall towards the front and steps into it, putting her bag down. Laughing to herself, she hears the water in the other stall shut off, and a moment later, she sees Dunham rush past, hair wet and in a t-shirt and boxers.
She leans into her shower and turns on the water, feeling a little guilty about poor Dunham. She wasn’t trying to run him out, but it had been an irresistible opportunity to mess with him a little. A noise outside her stall makes her think he’s returned, so she peers out to see if it’s him, intending to apologize. Instead of Dunham, though, she sees a very dirty, not to mention stinky, Mark Reynolds.
He is basically creeping into the shower area, looking left and right to see if anyone is around. “Mark? What happened? Are you all right?”
He jumps about a foot. “Wash! I mean ma’am! I didn’t see you, I mean, I didn’t, um, what are you doing here?”
Still in her clothes, she steps out of her stall and approaches him, eyeing him suspiciously. “The pulse knocked out power, and my house isn’t back up yet. Now what happened, Mark?”
“I, well, I sort of got, well…” He looks down at the floor.
“Got what, Mark? Spit it out. Don’t make me make it an order.” She crosses her arms across her chest.
He looks back up at her. “I got stuck outside the fence last night. My rover got fried by the pulse, and I had to hike back. I couldn’t make it back before dark, so I covered up with this stuff and hid out in a tree.”
She furrows her brow, running duty rosters through her head. “Mark, why were you OTG? That wasn’t on the duty roster.”
He swallows hard, looking, if possible, even more nervous. After a moment, he mumbles, “It was a date with Maddy Shannon.”
“I’m sorry?” She can’t believe what she thinks she just heard him say. “Say that again, Mark. But enunciate this time.”
“It was a date! With Maddy! I’m sorry, Wash! I didn’t mean for us to get stuck out there. We were just going for a picnic lunch. That’s all!” He runs a hand through is filthy hair.
She wants to be angry with him, but he looks so pathetic and freaked out that she can’t muster too much in the way of outrage. “Tell you what, kid - you are going to be my personal sparring punching bag and training course guinea pig for a while. No complaining allowed. And you, Dunham and Reilly get a replacement chip from Boylan for the rovers so you can go get the one you had to abandon. That’s it. I’m also telling the commander about this, and if he has another punishment to mete out, you will bear it gracefully. Are we clear?” He nods. “Good. I’m assuming Shannon doesn’t know?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t think so. Maddy said she’d call if she got caught sneaking in.”
“And she was all right?”
“Yes. I took care of her, Wash, I swear. I’d have died before I let something happen to her.”
She continues to eye him critically. “OK. Take a shower. You are rank, kid.”
He nods and darts towards the back of the shower room. He pauses, turning back. “Wash?” She lifts a questioning eyebrow at him. “Thanks.”
Her expression softens. “No problem, kid. But on this, one more strike and I tell Shannon. This was reckless, Mark, and since we didn’t know you were out there, you not only endangered yourself, you endangered Maddy.”
He pales under all the muck on his face. “Understood. It won’t happen again, Wash. You have my word.”
“Good. Now shower. You really do stink.”
He grins sheepishly. “Yes ma’am.”
She shakes her head and steps back into her own stall, muttering, “Kids.”
*****
At the agreed to time, Alicia enters the infirmary. As she walks in, she looks around for Nathaniel. She sees Elisabeth talking to Hunter, still a patient after his experience with his parasite. Slightly annoyed, she taps her comm to open a private channel. “Washington to Taylor, come in please.”
When she’s met with silence on the line, she rolls her eyes. “Nathaniel, respond. Ignoring me will not make me go away.”
Alicia has to snort when she hears actual grumbling over the connection. “On my way, Lieutenant.”
“Thank you.” She taps her comm to close the connection just as Elisabeth approaches her.
“Lieutenant, what can I do for you?”
Alicia turns to smile at her. “Doc, you can call me Wash, or even Alicia.”
“All right, Alicia. In that case, I’m Elisabeth.” She returns Alicia’s smile. “Are you here to rat out the commander?”
Alicia laughs. “No. I’m certain your husband already covered that. I’m here to make the commander sit still while you check him over.”
Elisabeth smirks and nods. “I take it you stitched him up? I know you would’ve called if you thought it was something you couldn’t manage.”
“I did. I want you to double check the wound, though, and I imagine a shot of antibiotics would be in order,” she pauses and gives Elisabeth a conspiratorial look, “And frankly, I just want you to give him a hard time for not coming here right away.”
“Understood.” They both look up to see Nathaniel enter, a grumpy expression on his face. “Commander, have a seat.” Elisabeth gestures to the nearest biobed. When he hesitates and looks stubborn, Elisabeth puts her hands on her hips and says, “It wasn’t a request. Sit or I’ll tranq you. I may not have a crossbow handy, but I’m quick and accurate with a hypo.”
He grumbles and rolls his eyes, sitting down on the bed. “Your husband is a rat, Doctor.”
She laughs. “Yes, he is. But your lieutenant here would have busted you if Jim hadn’t.”
He gives Alicia a dirty look, but she’s completely unphased by it. She looks around to make sure the area is clear, and then she says, “Might I remind you that you agreed, albeit silently, to come here? If nothing else, Commander, you need antibiotics. And no matter how good I still am with a needle, Elisabeth needs to make sure there isn’t any internal damage.”
“Fine.” He pulls off his jacket and takes his weapon out of his shoulder holster, passing both to Alicia. He then lifts his t-shirt so Elisabeth can see the wound.
She hisses when she sees it. “That had to hurt.” He just grunts in response as Elisabeth pokes gently at his side. “This looks good, Alicia. Well done.” Alicia nods, and Elisabeth looks up at Nathaniel. “One quick scan for internal injury, please. Lie back, Commander.”
He obeys, reclining back on the biobed. After the machine finishes its scan, Elisabeth looks at a readout and then gives him a nod. “You can sit up.”
He does so and tucks his t-shirt back in. “Well, Doc, am I going to live?” He lifts an eyebrow at her as she preps a hypo.
Alicia snorts, and Elisabeth replies, “Yes.” She gives him a hard look. “But you were lucky, Taylor. Lucky that it didn’t hit anything vital and even luckier that you didn’t bleed out before your medic here got to you. So we now have a new rule,” she reaches up and administers the hypo to his neck, making him jump a little, “And that rule is that when you get shot, no matter how inconsequential you think it is, you come here. Are we clear, Commander?”
He shakes his head. “I won’t agree to that.” As Alicia and Elisabeth both start to object, he holds up his hands. “What I’ll agree to is immediately finding Wash, and if I can’t find her, then I’ll come here.”
Elisabeth starts to protest, but Alicia stops her this time. “OK, sir. We can live with that.” She gives Elisabeth a pointed look.
Elisabeth looks back and forth between them before letting her shoulders drop in defeat. “All right. But one break of that promise, and my rule goes into effect.”
“Fine.”
He’s back to looking grumpy, so Alicia checks the area again. Seeing that it’s clear, Alicia puts a hand on his arm. He looks at her, and his expression softens almost instantly. “Thank you, Nathaniel.” She turns to Elisabeth, keeping her hand on Nathaniel’s arm. “I take it that hypo was antibiotics?”
“It was, and I have some painkillers for him as well, for tonight.” She goes over to a cabinet, unlocking it and pulling out a small vial of pills. “It’s just a mix of acetaminophen and codeine. Not too strong.”
She hands them to Alicia, knowing that Nathaniel would likely refuse to accept them. Alicia slips them into her pocket. She figures that if he won’t take them, Alicia can at least re-stock her med kit. “Are we free to go, Elisabeth?”
The doctor nods and turns to Nathaniel, actually shaking her finger at him. “Take it easy for a couple of days, Commander. I mean it.”
He snaps her a salute. “Yes ma’am.”
Laughing, Alicia hands him his jacket and weapon and points at the door. “Go.” Holstering his pistol and shrugging into his jacket, he arches an eyebrow at her. She rolls her eyes. “Go, sir.”
He grins and goes to the door, holding it open for her to go first and then following her out the door. As they walk towards the market in search of something for breakfast, he chuckles a little.
She looks at him, a questioning look on her face. “What’s funny?”
He grins. “I was just thinking that if nothing else, life with me is never boring.”
She snorts. “Truer words have never been spoken.”