This wasn't supposed to go this way. Connie was supposed to be back in the common area by now, secure in the MOI with South at her side bragging loudly about how well they'd done, casually swinging an arm over her shoulder as Wash tried not to stare. That was what was supposed to happen when they returned. South wasn't supposed to be in the med bay, and Connie was supposed to be on the leaderboard, albeit far from the top.
She wasn't supposed to be alone. She wasn't supposed to be sitting on her bunk alone, waiting tensely to be called to speak with internals or the Director. She wasn't supposed to be dreading seeing Carolina because she knew that the other would undoubtedly be disappointed in her failures.
This was all wrong.
A knock at the door came, and she didn't respond. Carolina would've just came in—the bunk on the other side of the room was hers, anyway. It couldn't be South. Wash wouldn't be able to say anything to comfort her now. There wasn't anyone she wanted to tell her how it wasn't her fault, that she'd be able to do better next time and that she wouldn't drop the ball again. She just wanted to be alone and to not be forced to think about her failures.
A few minutes passed, then the door smoothly opened of it's own accord. Expecting Carolina, Connie feigned sleep, ignoring whoever it was. She could afford to be immature this once, to not want to talk with whoever it was. Besides, she was exhausted and sore and probably should be sleeping, so pretending to be asleep wouldn't surprise anyone.
It didn't sound like Carolina moving, so Connie reluctantly peered up, lifting her head from where she'd had it pressed into her blankets to stare at the figure silhouetted in the light from the doorway.
She didn't need to say anything as she processed who it was, simply scooting down to sit on the floor, huddling there with the blanket still wrapped around her. Maine moved quietly, settling down on the floor to sit at her side. He wouldn't try to reassure her, wouldn't try to pretend that she hadn't messed up, but she knew him, and she knew that he'd simply be present.
Connie didn't say anything. Maine didn't either, and they simply sat in silence. When her head finally did bob down onto her chest as she began to fall asleep Maine carefully shifted himself, allowing her head to lean on his shoulder, sitting quietly. Wash had been worried, but Maine knew him, and he'd interacted with Connie enough to know that Wash's worries would only frustrate her. Besides, Carolina had been worried about her, and if Maine was to help her with this it'd take a little of her stress away, and that was the least that he could do.
They were a team, after all. They needed to take care of each other, and Maine knew that he'd do what he could to protect them—something that some of them needed more than they knew, or in Carolina's place, would ever admit. She was harder on herself than anyone else on the team, and he saw that. It rubbed off on those around her as well, and he'd heard Connie complaining about it to Wash before. He heard more than the others expected, and he used that to his advantage.
Connie wasn't purely innocent, he knew that too. She'd murmured about things that he knew were better left alone more than once. They didn't seem particularly dangerous, and he knew that they'd keep an eye on her. It wasn't his problem.
It was a few hours before Carolina did enter the room, staring at Maine for a moment before shrugging, sitting down on her own bunk, and glancing through a file on her datapad. Finding Maine here wasn't a rarity, and she'd grown accustomed. Besides, Connie had never complained when York had convinced her that she should stay with South for the night so he could have some "private time" with Carolina, so she'd let this slide. (She'd nearly beat York after the first time that he'd convinced the other without Carolina's knowledge that they needed the time alone. It'd paid off in the end, so she'd let that slide as well.)
"I'm going to sleep." She stated quietly. Maine simply nodded, so Carolina carefully settled down in her own bunk, planning to catch a few hours sleep before going to train. She'd wake Connie up then if she was still asleep—she'd ask her to train with her—that way she'd be able to work on the flaws Connie had on the previous mission, but hopefully without causing any more tension with the other.
Either way, she'd figure it out when her alarm went off. Having Maine in the room added a sense of security, and she knew that he knew that. He'd either duck out in a few hours or stay till morning, but both options would be fine, so long as Wash didn't come looking for him and stumble in during the night. That was where she drew the line—if Wash was allowed to stay, then York'd be along soon, and North and South would only be a little while after that. Florida would inevitably follow—and Carolina had learned already that the line needed to be drawn, as Florida wasn't someone you'd want to sleep nearby unless you planned to wake up with yarn adorning your form.
Carolina thought fondly of some of the past escapades that they'd encountered before the leaderboard had been placed, but brushed the thoughts away. She needed to sleep. There wasn't time for ruminating about things that had been a waste of time—albeit an enjoyable one.
She glanced over at Maine and Connie one last time, noting that Maine had relaxed as well, then let her eyes close. Regulating her breathing, she began to clear her mind, focusing on resting in the tentative peace that would cover their room till morning or till they were disturbed.
For now, she would rest.