A/N: This is a birthday story for MadameGiry25. Happy birthday, darling. I hope you like it.
Setup for the story is that it is set the following day after 'Hide and Seek'.
Disclaimer: SeaQuest DSV and its characters are not my creation. They are the creation of Rockne S. O'Bannon as a 1990's television series. This work of fanfiction is for entertainment purposes only and is not for financial gain. I am just borrowing the characters for a bit and promise to return them unharmed and in their original condition, maybe just a bit happier.
Straight To The Bone
Kristin had tossed and turned half the night, thoughts of Nathan on her mind. She was confused, to say the least. He'd seemed so angry with her when he'd spoken to her on sea deck. He didn't want her to work with Malcolm, yet he wouldn't tell her why. She knew he was jealous, but he wouldn't admit it. Then after all was said and done, he spoke with her in the galley like nothing ever happened.
Part of her expected a knock on her cabin door after she'd left; she'd waited up for a while. She'd finally decided he wasn't coming and turned in for the night. She did not succumb to sleep easily, however; she kept running the conversations over and over in her mind, trying to make sense of it all. She'd finally fallen asleep in the early morning hours after her mind finally decided it had enough.
Naturally, she slept through the alarm, which meant she had less than five minutes to get to the morning staff meeting. She ran down the corridor to the mag-lev, only she wasn't aware that Nathan was coming around the other corner, the same plan on his mind. They bumped into one another, and Kristin ended up falling to the ground, landing on her bottom.
"Oh!" she cried.
"I'm sorry; I didn't realize," Nathan said, bending down to help her up. "Are you all right?"
"Nothing but a bruised ego," Kristin replied upon standing up. "I'm sorry; I'm just running a little late."
"Well, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one."
Kristin nodded and started to enter the mag-lev, but Nathan was about to do the same thing. They bumped into one another yet again. "Sorry," she muttered sheepishly again.
Nathan stepped aside. "No, you go ahead."
"Um, maybe I should just walk?" She stood there for a moment, debating whether the walk would be a good idea or not.
"No, that's not necessary. We can share the mag-lev, can't we?"
"Well, we used to be able to, but I'm not so sure now." She entered through the door of the mag-lev and turned to him expectantly.
Nathan paused for a beat and then followed behind her. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked as he sat down.
She sat next to him and crossed her arms over her chest. As the mag-lev doors closed, she said, "I don't know; you tell me. You're the one I'm having trouble figuring out lately."
Nathan laughed slightly. "I'm the one you can't figure out? What about you? You go off to Malcolm's and bring back a dictator."
"It was either that or he was going to shoot Malcolm."
"That wouldn't have been so bad," Nathan replied.
"You don't mean that."
"Maybe I do."
Kristin sighed. "Look, Nathan, I didn't want to argue with you, but I think we need to talk about this…in a mature fashion."
"Talk about what exactly?"
"You're angry with me, and I want to know why," she told him.
"I am not angry with you. I never said that."
"Maybe not," she agreed. "But you're sending me mixed messages. One minute, you're demanding to know why I went to Malcolm's; the next, you're acting as if that conversation never happened."
Nathan didn't answer.
Kristin stood after a moment. "I'm not going to sit here and be ignored." She hit the stop button on the mag-lev.
"Hey, what'd you do that for?" Nathan demanded. He was about to restart it when Kristin blocked his way.
"They can't start the meeting without us," she pointed out. "And it's apparent we need to talk about this. I am not going to play guessing games with you anymore."
"This is ridiculous."
"Is it?" she asked, an eyebrow raised. She took a step toward him, waiting for an answer.
Nathan, however, saw his opportunity. He swiftly moved his arm past her and started the mag-lev once again.
Kristin turned around and stopped it again, giving him one of her famous glares.
This little back and forth game lasted for several minutes before Kristin stood in front of the control panel with her back to the wall, blocking Nathan's access to it.
Nathan tried to move her, but to no avail.
"You're not getting out of it that easily, Nathan," she finally told him.
Nathan finally gave up and headed to the other side of the mag-lev.
Kristin waited for a few minutes, hoping he'd say something. When he didn't, she decided to start. "I never meant to upset you, you know. I only agreed to work with Malcolm because things on the boat were rather slow. My funding was suffering, and-"
"Why didn't you come to me?"
"What?"
"If you were having trouble with your funding, why didn't you speak with me about it instead?" Nathan asked.
She shrugged. "The science department's funding isn't the UEO's concern; that's how it works, and you know that. I'm a big girl; I figured I could handle it myself, and I did."
"By working with Malcolm?"
"He'd asked me ages ago, actually. I'd turned him down several times before that, but when I had a lull in my work, I decided it was time for some shore leave. It was my time, and I took it; and since we were close enough to the Caicos Islands, it seemed ideal. I wasn't aware I had to clear it with you first."
"You didn't."
"Yet you got angry when you found out."
"I was not angry," Nathan insisted.
"I distinctly remember you cursing at me," she pointed out.
"That didn't mean… Look, I wasn't angry."
"You were jealous."
"Do you have to use that word?"
"What would you like me to say? You seem bristled by the fact I did some work with Malcolm and that he and I became close. Is that better?" She took a few steps closer to him, which meant she was no longer blocking the switches for the mag-lev.
Nathan saw his opportunity and turned the mag-lev on once again. "I think we should have this conversation a little later." He sat back down.
Kristin let out a frustrated groan. "You are impossible! I try to have a serious conversation with you, and you refuse to participate." She, however, made no attempt to sit.
"It isn't exactly the best time, Kristin."
She softened slightly. "I gave you the opportunity last night; I waited up for hours," she answered quietly. "When you didn't show, I couldn't sleep. You're the bloody reason I'm running late this morning. The fact we're here, together…well, I happen to think now is as good a time as any." She crossed back over to the control panel, intending to stop the mag-lev once again.
Nathan stood and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Kristin, I-"
Before Kristin could hit the button, however, the lights suddenly dimmed and the entire car lurched forward, sending the two of them tumbling to the back of the car.
Kristin let out a soft cry when she made impact with the wall. The sounds of clanging metal could be heard. When the car stopped swinging, she was able to compose herself. She was a little bruised, but nothing fatal. She groaned as she sat up. "Nathan?" She suddenly became concerned when she received no answer from him. She willed her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but she couldn't see anything. "Nathan?" she said again, a bit louder this time.
"Are you all right?" Nathan asked, letting out a groan of his own.
She breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness you're fine. When you didn't answer, I thought-"
"You didn't answer my question," he interrupted. "Are you okay?"
"I think so. I'm a little bruised, but I don't think-"
"Well, that makes one of us," he said through gritted teeth. "Ouch."
"Oh, no…what happened?"
"I can't exactly tell. It's too dark, but I think… Are you near the wall?"
"Y-yes; the back wall."
"There should be a flashlight hanging…somewhere. I…I can't exactly remember where at the moment."
Kristin could hear the pain evident in his voice, so she knew she had to hurry. She steadied herself with one hand on the wall and stood. Then using her hands as a guide, she did her best to feel around for something that felt like a flashlight. She couldn't rely on her eyes; it was just too dark.
After several minutes, Nathan asked, "Did you find it yet?"
"I'm trying. How are you doing?"
"I'm fine. I just have a little cut, that's all. Just keep talking, please."
Kristin knew it was worse than 'a little cut', but she couldn't' do anything until she found a flashlight. "Okay. Um, what about?"
"Anything. List off the elements on the periodic table for all I care; just talk."
Kristin continued to feel along the wall and started listing off elements in order; she created a little rhythm with the words, which coincided with every step. "Hydrogen. Helium. Lithium." She then walked a few more feet. "Beryllium. Boron. Carbon." She felt along the wall, but felt nothing that felt remotely close to a flashlight. "Nitrogen. Oxygen. Fluor-"
At that moment, they heard pounding on the mag-lev door and concerned voices. "Doctor? Captain? Are you two in there? Are you all right?"
Kristin could tell it was Jonathan and Chief Crocker. "We're in here!" she called. "Is…is there any way you can help us get the lights back on? We can't see a thing!"
"No can do at the moment, Doctor!" Chief Crocker called back to her. "It seems the whole system shut down for some unknown reason. There should be a flashlight on the wall. There are plenty of emergency supplies in there!"
"Y-yes, I'm quite aware of that, thank you, only I can't see them. I've been trying to find them," she answered back.
"Are either of you hurt?" Jonathan asked.
"I'm not, but the captain is," she replied. She lowered her voice and called his name. "Nathan? Are you still awake?"
"I'm here," he replied, his voice sounding a little weak.
A minute later, her hand made contact with a long, cylindrical object. "Oh, I found the flashlight!" she said excitedly.
"Good work, Doctor!" Crocker called back.
Kristin didn't waste a minute. She flicked on the light and shone it in the direction his voice had come from.
"Ugh, watch where you shine that thing," he muttered.
"Sorry," she said, lowering the beam. She crossed over to him and knelt beside him to examine the damage. "Oh, God," she breathed. When the car jerked, Nathan had reached out to catch himself on the bench. But when he did, the bench broke off of its brackets, and the lurching of the car caused the bench to slide to the back of the car as well. When Nathan finally landed, he happened to make contact with one of the brackets, which was still attached to the wall. The bracket was now protruding from the right side of his chest. It had gone completely through.
"It's…it's probably not as bad as it looks," he told her when he noticed how the color had drained from her face, even in the dim light.
"This is more than a little cut," she stated, a hint of worry in her voice. She quickly masked it, however. "It's nothing to worry about. I…I can handle this. Um, just let me find the first aid kit." She shone her light around the car in search of it.
"Doctor?" Crocker called.
"I've found the captain," she told him. "He's hurt badly. How long before you can get us out of here?"
"I can't say. We're working on it as we speak. Can you hold tight until then?"
Kristin glanced back at Nathan. It wasn't as though they had a choice. "Yes…just please hurry!"
"We're doing our best, Doctor."
She quickly found the first aid kit and made her way back to Nathan. "Now, don't you worry about a thing. This…this doesn't look so bad." She started unbuttoning his shirt. "You just sit still and let me handle things. I'm just going to slip your shirt off and-"
"You don't need to do that."
"Do what?" she asked innocently.
"Patronize me, Kristin. You and I both know this is exactly how it looks." He motioned to the bracket sticking out of his chest. "And it's not good."
She took a deep breath. "You're right," she replied. "Sorry."
"Don't apologize. It's not like you did this."
"Well, I'm not sure my stopping the mag-lev over and over again helped."
"It takes two to tango," he simply said.
She nodded but didn't speak. Although she tried to keep a neutral expression on her face, her eyes reflected worry.
Nathan noticed. "This is not your fault," he assured her.
She nodded again and offered him a weak smile. She carefully removed the shirt, cutting it in the proper places with the scissors from the first aid kit so as to be able to remove it from the bracket. She then shone the flashlight towards his chest to examine it. "I think the best thing to do is-"
"To get this out of me?" Nathan finished for her. "I've had some first aid training, too, remember?"
She nodded. "If we don't, the greater chances there are for infection; plus with the ship moving-"
Nathan winced in pain, knowing exactly what she was getting at. "It will do more damage."
She nodded. "But if we do remove it, there's a chance…"
"That I could bleed to death; I know."
"I'm not sure I know the lesser of the two evils right now. Time isn't exactly on our side." She took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. "Which would you rather?"
"Are you going to be able to slide me off of it?"
She examined the angle at which the bracket entered. "I think we can do it together… I'll need to lift you up about four or five inches."
"That's the best option then," Nathan agreed. "An infection could cause-"
"Further complications; I know," Kristin finished.
"Are you ready?" he asked after a few minutes when she hadn't made any further attempt to do anything.
"Y-yes. I was just…weighing the options," she replied quietly.
Nathan could hear her voice trembling slightly. "It's going to be okay," he told her. He motioned to his chest. "This…this is nothing. I've had worse than this before."
"Hmm…you'll have to tell me about that sometime," she replied.
"Remind me."
Kristin took several deep breaths, trying to ready herself for what she had to do.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm fine." She moved closer to him. "Um, I'll just put my arms here." She put her arms underneath the crook of each of his arms, being careful not to touch his wound. "Hang on to me then."
Nathan could sense her fear over the situation. He was sure he felt her tremble slightly. "Hey, don't worry, okay?" he reassured gently.
"I…I just…"
"I know, Kristin, I know. It's going to be fine." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
Kristin returned the gesture and took another deep breath. "Are you ready?"
"As ready as I can be."
"Okay, on the count of three. One." Kristin took a deep breath. "Two." She tightened her grip on him. "And three." She lifted him up and off the bracket with all her might, just hoping it would work.
Nathan let out an anguished cry as the bracket released from his side.
"I am so sorry," Kristin told him, still holding onto him.
Nathan nodded, trying to find his voice. "I…I know… Don't…apologize," he answered hoarsely.
His head lay on her lap as she cradled him in her arms. "Um, let me help you lie down on your left side. I'm going to need to put pressure on it, so you don't bleed out."
Nathan groaned slightly as he rolled onto his unaffected side. "How bad is it?" he asked.
Kristin shone the flashlight onto his front first and assessed the damage. She used one large piece of Nathan's shirt to wipe away some excess blood so she could see it properly.
Nathan winced in pain as she did so.
"Sorry," she muttered. She held the rest of the shirt tightly up against the wound with on hand as she inspected the contents of the first aid kit with the other. It contained several supplies for a variety of different ailments, but it was apparent that a situation such as this was never anticipated. It was her job to oversee such things; she mentally chastised herself because of it.
She took a deep breath and taped a large gauze pad over it. She then looked at his face. "The front side isn't so bad."
He nodded. "And the back?"
She knew that was quite another story; there was blood everywhere. "A little worse," she replied, trying to keep her voice steady. "This is going to sting."
"J-just do what you need. I'm feeling a little woozy," he admitted.
Kristin gathered a few of the cotton pads in her hand and pressed them tightly into the wound.
Nathan let out a cry of pain.
"I'm sorry," she told him.
"It's…fine…" he replied when he was able to compose himself again.
"Chief! Any chance on getting us out of here anytime soon?" she called at the top of her lungs.
There was no answer, however. "Chief?" she tried again.
"I'm sure they're trying, Kris," Nathan said gently.
"I…I know, but…" her voice trailed off.
"You know, you should probably turn the flashlight off," Nathan told her.
"Why?"
"To save the battery…in case we need. It's just a precaution."
She obliged, turning the flashlight off.
They were both silent for several minutes; Kristin absentmindedly stroked his forehead as she did her best to keep constant pressure on the wound.
"You were right," Nathan finally said.
"What?"
"About you with Malcolm; I was jealous," Nathan explained.
"Nathan, you don't-"
"No, Kristin; I do. You were absolutely right. You had every right to go work with him; you had every right to date him, every right to do…whatever else you've done with him."
"Nathan, nothing happened with Malcolm."
"It's not my business if it did."
She sighed. "I want you to know nothing happened with Malcolm. We shared a few kisses, but nothing more."
"That's…that's good to…know," he said weakly.
"Nathan, you need to stay with me," she urged with desperation in her voice.
"I…I'm trying, Kris."
"Just keep talking; that'll keep your mind occupied," she told him.
"Are…are you going to do any more work…with Malcolm?"
"No; I've already told him I couldn't right now. He's very sweet and charming…but that isn't enough for me. I need more. Besides, I think he would have asked me to choose eventually."
"Choose?"
"Between seaQuest and his island. My place is here, and I do not intend on changing that anytime soon."
"I…I'm glad to-"
"Doctor?" Jonathan called. "How are you doing down there?"
"Not well," she answered. "How long before you get us out?"
"The chief is working on it as we speak. I'd say an hour or so."
Kristin noticed Nathan was starting to go limp in her arms. "We don't have an hour! Please, you need to work faster! The captain…he's lost a lot of blood!"
"We'll work as fast as we can, Doctor. Just tell him to hang on!"
After a moment, Nathan said, "I…heard."
"E-everything's going to be fine. Jonathan and Chief Crocker will get us out of here in a jiffy." Her voice cracked slightly as she spoke.
Nathan simply nodded.
She took a deep breath. "Nathan, I'm sorry about Malcolm."
"You don't… There's…no reason."
"I did wonder if you were interested, but save for some innocent flirting, I thought it was my imagination. You never seemed to want to take it further…"
"I wasn't…sure I was interested either…until I saw you …with Malcolm."
"So, what do you suggest we do about this little problem?" she asked after a beat.
Nathan didn't answer.
Kristin felt him go limp once again. She tapped him gently on the cheek. "Nathan, wake up. Stay with me, please. You have to stay awake."
"I'm…not sure…I can," he replied, his breathing becoming labored.
"You have to try," she said desperately. "You cannot leave me now, Nathan Bridger!" she cried as tears stung her eyes.
He nodded. "I'm…here."
"Good," she encouraged. "That's good." She swallowed her tears. "Just keep talking."
"M-maybe we could…"
"Yes?"
"If…I make it out of this…"
"Don't talk like that," she ordered gently. "Everything's going to be fine." Her cracking voice betrayed her once again.
"M-maybe…we could have dinner sometime?"
"I'd like that…very much."
Nathan started to slump down in her arms once again.
"Nathan, no…stay awake."
Kristin felt around on the floor with her free hand for the flashlight. When she'd found it, she flicked it on and shone it towards Nathan's face.
"Hey…" he said weakly.
"I'm sorry; I just had to check on you." She noticed how pale his face had become, not a very good sign. When she saw the amount of blood that pooled around them both on the floor, she felt dizzy. He'd lost more than she'd guessed. She closed her eyes and willed Jonathan and the chief to hurry.
"Tired…"
"I know, Nathan; I know. It'll just be a little while longer."
"I…I'm glad… I'm glad we…had…this talk. I…I'm sorry, Kris…sorry it took…so long."
"Nathan, don't do this, please," she begged. She could feel him going limp again.
"At least…you're here…with me…" He went completely limp then.
Kristin tapped him on his cheek again. "No, Nathan," she said, tears brimming in her eyes again. "You can't go yet. Wake up." She waited for a minute, but he made no response. "Nathan, please…"
About ten minutes later, the mag-lev doors were pried open. Jonathan, Chief Crocker, and a med team rushed in to find Kristin sobbing softly over a lifeless captain.
-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-
Nathan moaned softly as he started to stir. It took him a moment to realize he obviously had not died; either that or the afterlife had an annoying beeping sound in the background.
"Captain?" a voice said. "It's okay; you're okay."
Nathan opened his eyes slowly, realizing the beeping was the heart monitor. He saw the smiling face of Doctor Levin. "How long was I out?" he asked.
"A couple days; you lost a lot of blood."
Nathan nodded. "Kristin? Is she…"
Joshua stepped off to the side so Nathan could see. There, curled up in a chair next to his bed was a sleeping Kristin, a blanket draped over her. "She's barely left your side."
It was that moment Nathan noticed a small bandage on her forehead. "She got hurt?"
"She had a small cut on her forehead and some minor bumps and bruises. She's fine. You, on the other hand; well, you were very lucky."
"Because of two wonderful doctors," Nathan said.
"I didn't do much," Joshua replied. He nodded towards Kristin. "She's the one who took care of the hard part."
Hearing voices, Kristin began to stir.
"Good news, Doctor," Joshua told her.
She opened her eyes and smiled at them both softly. "Good morning."
They both returned the greeting.
"I have a few rounds to make, so if you'll excuse me," Joshua said, patting Nathan gently on the leg. "I'm leaving you in good hands."
"Oh, I know that," Nathan answered.
Kristin stood and placed a gentle hand on Nathan's arm. "You'll need to wait just a little longer to be in my hands. I need to freshen up," she explained. "I won't be long."
-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-
Kristin returned to medbay not even twenty minutes later.
When she reappeared in the doorway of his room, Nathan offered her a smile. "I am really glad to see you."
"The feeling's mutual," she told him, taking a seat. After a pause, she began, "Nathan, I-"
"Kristin, I-" Nathan said at the exact same time.
They both exchanged a glance and laughed softly.
"Go ahead," Nathan told her.
"I…I really thought I'd lost you," she said, her voice wavering slightly at the thought.
"Me, too. I don't know how I'll ever thank you."
"Just you being here is thanks enough."
"Was it bad?" he asked.
"It was touch and go for a little while. I was a nervous wreck, so Joshua took over. I couldn't…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes filled with fresh tears. "You had gotten a fever. We didn't know if you'd make it through the night. I was so frightened. Everyone was."
Nathan gave her hand an encouraging squeeze. "It's all right. I'm not going anywhere now."
She nodded and wiped at her eyes with her other hand. "I'll make sure of that. At least the mag-lev is in working order now."
"Oh? Did they find out the reason why it broke down?"
"A bit of bare wire caused the system to short, and it had nothing to do with repeatedly starting and stopping it."
"See, you were worried for nothing," Nathan told her.
"It wasn't for nothing," she defended. "I just didn't want to be the cause of that." She motioned to the bandage across his chest.
"I'm not in any pain," he assured her.
"Because you're on a morphine drip. You'll be weaned off of that soon, though."
"I'm sure I'll be fine. I've had worse."
She laughed softly. "I'd forgotten you were supposed to share that with me. That was before…"
There was a moment of awkward silence as they both reflected on what had happened in the mag-lev.
Nathan was the first to break it. "You really haven't left my side?"
She shook her head. "I…I couldn't. If you had… And I wasn't…" She shuddered slightly at the thought. "I just wanted to be with you."
"I'm sorry about getting angry with you, for yelling about Malcolm."
She smiled softly. "I appreciate that, but I'm not."
He gave her a look.
"It showed me how much you cared. Had you not acted the way you did, I'm not sure I'd have sent Malcolm away so quickly," she explained.
"I still shouldn't have yelled."
She waved a hand. "It's forgotten."
"I should have just told you how I felt in the first place; then none of this might have happened."
"Oh, I don't know about that. I think there's a reason certain things happen, even when they're bad."
"Perhaps you're right," he agreed. After a pause, he said, "So…about us?"
"About us," she echoed.
"Are you… Do you…" he stammered.
She smiled softly. "Nathan, let's not dance around this any longer."
He nodded. "I think I'm falling in love with you."
"Me, too."
"I'm just…a little rusty. I haven't had to do this for a while."
She laughed. "I think it's like riding a bicycle."
"I just know I want you in my life," he told her. "I don't like the thought of you kissing Malcolm or any other man. If you're going to kiss someone, I want that man to be me."
She stood and placed a gentle kiss to his lips. "Like that?" she asked.
"Hmm…that was nice, but it could be better."
She kissed him again, this time a little harder. This time, the kiss lingered and deepened. "Better?" she asked when the kiss was broken.
"Much," Nathan said, trying to catch his breath.
"I think I ought to wait until you're much better before I do that again. I wouldn't want to put you into cardiac arrest," she said with a laugh.
"At least I'd die happy."
She gave his arm a push. "Don't jinx it now. You are not going anywhere if I have anything to say about it."
"I promise I'll be good," he told her. "When I get out of here, we'll have that dinner."
"I'd like that."
"Thank you for everything, Kristin."
"Always, Nathan."
She then leaned forward and kissed him gently once again.
A/N: I cannot take complete credit for the idea since I was inspired by another fanfiction story for this: A Gentle Thaw. It is written by Maggie M. on another site and can be found here if you want to reference it: http (colon, slash, slash) www {DOT} reocities {DOT} com (slash) kristin_nathan/gentlethaw {DOT} html. That story is the first part of a trilogy, but if you like K and N stories, I highly recommend it. It's a good little read. Thank you.