dark_ages | landing party ( for thecanarylives )

landing party ( for thecanarylives )

[ He comes to with his head pounding, his vision blurred, and a persistent ringing in his ears. It takes him a while-- a good while, maybe seconds or maybe minutes, to even regain his vision properly, and to take in his surroundings. He's in a shuttle, which is completely wrecked, panels broken and burnt, wires hanging from everywhere, sparks going off and small fires here or there. They're also tilted forward slightly, so he can feel his weight pushing against the belts keeping him strapped to his chair. He looks beyond the window and he sees a lush forest just outside, trees and blue skies as far as the eye can see. It'd be pretty if not for the fact that they've clearly crashed on the planet they were supposed to land on.

Shit. Holy shit, they crashed. How the fuck did they crash? Leonard just wanted to gather some samples from the surface, it didn't even warrant a landing party bigger than two people, how the fuck did they end up like this?

That thought gets his brain into gear. Because he's not alone. He looks over to find Sara passed out, though at least thankfully still strapped to her seat. He lets out a shuddered breath, trying not to panic as he struggles to undo his own safety belt. ]

Sara!! Come on, you piece of shi-- [ His panicked grousing is cut off as his belt comes undone, and he just barely manages to brace himself against the controls rather than slam right into them. Head still spinning, he nevertheless forces himself to stumble towards her, looking her over briefly for possible injuries before he cups her face, trying to wake her up. ] Sara. Hey, can you hear me? Come on, open your eyes...

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[ The tension in her shoulders eases slightly when she sees him, breath still shallow in her chest. ]

You're okay?

[ She scans him up and down, and besides looking exhausted, he at least looks like he's in one piece. She settles back against the pillow, the heart monitor slowly starting to settle back to a normal pace. ]

Of course I'm okay. I'm not the one who got stabbed through with a spear.

[ Any injuries he had, from the crash or anything else, were quickly and easily healed, needing no treatment more specialized than the dermal regenerator and some good old-fashioned ice packs. ]

You're doin' alright too, for what it's worth. The wound's been sutured completely, and you've been given a blood transfusion. You'll feel some soreness over the next week or so, but nothing too terrible. You're staying in bed until tomorrow, and avoiding any intense exercise until I clear you for it, just in case.

[ He's not suggesting, he's ordering. ] Any questions?

[ At the mention of it, the ache creeps back into her body full strength, a hot throb in the spot just beneath her ribcage. She shifts a little in an attempt to get comfortable, glancing over at him again. ]

Have you slept?

[ He lifts an eyebrow at her question, deciding he may as well be honest. ]

No. But we've only been back a few hours. I'll sleep when my shift's over.

[ Never mind that this is a self-imposed shift. He'll do what he wants. ]

Your shift? [ She pulls a face, leveling him with a look. ]

Jesus Christ, Doc. You need to rest. You said it yourself, I'm fine. What the hell are you doing here?

I'm lookin' after you, what does it look like I'm doing?

[ What, like he's gonna leave her in the hands of some random medical officer? Hell no. ]

Now, stay still and let me check your vitals. And your injury.

You've got an entire team of medical officers on this ship, you're saying none of them can handle a mild stabbing?

[ She waves her hand at him, as if it'll do anything to block his scanner. ]

No. This is me officially refusing treatment from you. Get out of here, Doc.

I'm saying none of them can handle you.

[ She would huff and groan and quite probably try to sneak out of medical the first chance she got. She still might, even, unless he sedates her. Seems kind of over the top, though, so he'll keep that as a last resort. ]

Don't do that. Just let me check you. If you're alright, then I'll go get some sleep. I promise.

Oh I am not that bad of a patient.

[ It's bullshit, and she knows it. The amount of times he's left her under someone else's supervision only to find that she'd taken it upon herself to "clear herself for active duty" - which, yes, was totally against protocol - were far too many to count.

She rolls her eyes, though, resting back and allowing him to do his final checks. ]

Who said you knew how to handle me, anyway?

That's a filthy lie and we both know it.

[ And he knows that the moment he leaves, she'll already be plotting a way to escape medical. Hell, she's probably already plotting it in her head right now. ]

I've got plenty of experience. I can pull up the number of times you've landed yourself here, you know. [ And yeah, he's learned how to handle her. In this context, anyway. ]

Tell you what. I'll go get some sleep, if you promise me you'll still be here when I come back in eight to nine hours. Do we have a deal?

[ She can't but quirk a small smile at that, shrugging innocently in reply. ]

Okay, but in comparison to the number of times I've snuck out? That's... not even that high, probably.

[ She shoots him another sweet smile, considering his offer a moment. ]

Will you bring me food from the commissary?

It's high enough.

[ Hence his proposal for an agreement. He trusts her word, at the very least, and he hopes she'll use that time to get some decent sleep herself, not try and sneak out just because she doesn't like staying still. ]

I think that can be arranged. [ He tilts his head while setting the scanner aside. ] Is that a yes?

[ There's not much of a reason for her to get out of bed at the moment. Except on principal. But a promise is a promise.

She lifts her hand, pinky finger extended. ]

Pinky promise.

[ Shaking his head, he snorts. ] Oh, come on.

[ But fine. With a long sigh, he curls his pinky around hers, giving it a quick tug then letting go again before anyone in medical sees them acting like two children. ]

There. We're good now?

[ She grins up at him, giving his hand a playful shake before releasing the hold. ]

Sleep tight, Doc.

You too.

[ Dawdling for a little longer, he finally heads back to his quarters, and as promised, he pretty much passes out face-first on his bed. He wakes up eventually, feeling groggy at first, but nothing that washing his face and having some coffee can't fix.

He slips back into his uniform, then heads out to get her food, before he makes his way to sick bay. He does look inside almost worried that he won't find her there, but once he spots her on the same bed he left her, he heads on over with a tray of food in hand. ]

You ordered?

[ She's been pumped with a whole cocktail of things that barely keep her awake more than a few minutes after he's gone. There's a chance the dose is purposely high to keep her from moving around too much or, say, sneaking away, but if that's the case she honestly doesn't even blame the staff.

At the very least, by the time he's back, she at least looks vaguely more alive than before. She's fiddling with her communicator, checking back on old transmissions she missed while they were away.

Perking up at the sound of his voice, she grins and reaches out for the food, wiggling her fingers. ]

What'd you bring me?

[ Looks like at least the rest of the officers in medical have learned how she operates, and he's not about to criticize them using a combination of medications that happens to have the fortunate side effect of knocking her out. At least she can't go anywhere, and she's forced to get a full, decent night's sleep whether she wants to or not.

She's looking much more well-rested when he comes in, and for the record so does he. Face freshly scrubbed, that bit of stubble shaved, and no dark rim around his eyes. He sets the try in front of her: steak with mushroom sauce, rice and some french fries, and a glass of orange juice. It's still all replicator food, but it does look warmer and more appetizing than she's likely used to. ]

It's not breakfast, but I figured you'd rather have something a little better.

[ He doesn't reach for the scanner yet, but he does ask, ] How're you feeling? Does the injury still hurt a lot or is it just sore now?

[ She's been on this ship long enough for the other officers to know what a pain in the ass she is when she's being treated. Which is to say, all the time. But in her defense, she'd made due in survival mode for years stitching herself up and pushing on without long bouts of rest and recovery time, so being forced to sit still after first class technology treatment seemed like a fairly hefty waste of time to her.

At least they're giving her the good pain meds this time around.

She does light up when he sets the tray down, shifting the bed upright a bit so she can dig in. Going straight for the fries, she munches on a few and washes it down with more than half the glass of orange juice. Hadn't realized how thirsty she was. ]

You eat yet? [ She says between bites, slicing up some of the steak. It might be replicator food, but it's a hell of a lot tastier than wild alien creature roasted over a flame. At his question, she shrugs a shoulder. ]

It's not so bad. But I think your nurse upped my morphine when I called her pretty.

Leonard asks for a jar of water to be brought over to her bed, since it seems like she's thirsty. While not dehydrated, a dry mouth and throat is very common after having been on a drip for a while, so that's all too understanding.

I had breakfast, yes. [ No lunch yet, but then he hasn't been up that long. He'll worry about that later. Right now he's not feeling particularly hungry yet anyway.

He chuckles at her last remark, tilting his head. ]

Well, she is pretty. Although I have to wonder if she was tryin' to help with the pain or hoping to knock you out.

[ Sara's fairly sure not every patient that comes through sick bay gets the bedside vigilance and lunch delivery McCoy's currently offering, and she's definitely enjoying the preferential treatment. Even if he's doing a half-assed job of taking care of himself in the process.

She nudges the pile of fries towards him, slicing up another few pieces of steak. ]

Oh, definitely both. Mostly the latter, I think. [ She munches, flashing him a grin. ] I think they're starting to learn how to handle me properly.

[ He can't lie, it's definitely preferential treatment, but he's glad that at least she's not pointing it out or asking about it.

He raises an eyebrow at the offered fries, helping himself to a few without saying a word. ]

They must've learned from watching me, clearly. They're a smart team. Which means you might not be so lucky in sneaking out of medical the next times you land yourself here.

[ The night shift has noticed. Quietly. With their eyes.

She takes another bite of steak, replying with nothing but a quiet smile. What he doesn't know is that despite her small stature, she's no lightweight. And she'd told the staff that the Captain had brought her the communicator she'd been using all morning, but that wasn't exactly true, either. ]

You're probably right. Guess I've finally learned my lesson, huh?

[ Leonard huffs a chuckle at that. ]

Right. I don't believe that for a second.

[ She grins shamelessly up at him, munching on a few fries before resting back against the bed. ]

Oh, our picture’s pretty popular, by the way.

[ She passes her comm to him, the screen open to the picture she’d taken of them both hours ago. ]

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