TN Brownies to Antibiotics
Chapter: One-shot
Pairing: Wash/Taylor
Characters: Wash, Taylor, Elisabeth, and Zoe
Genre: Gen/Humor/Ship
Rating: Pg-13
Spoiler Alert: All of Season 1
Warning: None
Summary: Christmas season is upon Terra Nova, and Taylor goes to Medical to pick up some medication for Wash. He tries to explain something to Zoe and the metaphor runs away with him, but at least she stops thinking of antibiotics as zombies.
AN: This is after TN Bugs to Brownies where Zoe snuck Wash some brownies to eat without Taylor knowing they even had chocolate at Terra Nova.
Wash shook her head again. "I have to get to my post."
Taylor towered over her as threatening as he could possibly manage as she lay on his couch. "You're not going anywhere. I already sent a replacement."
Wash sat up and rolled her eyes at him. "Stop telling me what to do. I'm not that sick."
She tried to stand up and almost landed in the floor.
Taylor was tempted to let her fall just to prove his point, but caught her instead because proving his point was not worth her getting hurt.
He never remembered seeing her this bad off before. She kept blinking losing focus and couldn't even sit up straight. He mused to himself that she was in better shape when she was almost killed by a pipe bomb twelve years ago.
He decided to repeat something he said to her back then when she tried to return to the field the day after she was almost killed. "Oooh yeah. Fit for duty."
It took Wash a minute to figure it out, and knew she must be worse off than she thought she was. She huffed out a deep breath. "Ok."
"I win?" Taylor grinned wickedly at her.
"Never." Wash sneezed again and her entire body jerked as if she was having a convulsion. She then started coughing like her lungs were going to come out.
Taylor felt panic hearing that she was struggling to breath. He knew there was nothing he could do to help but offer more tea. "Here. Try to drink."
Wash practically smacked the drink away as she found her breath. "Stop mothering me its torture. I said I'd stay here today didn't I? Back off."
"I'm trying to help. I'm not mothering and I'm not torturing and you know it." Taylor sounded gruff as he set the tea down.
Wash held the side of her head and nodded gently. "I know. It's just that whatever this is it's wiped me out. I can barely raise my arms."
"Meds?" Taylor asked knowing when he asked her ten minutes ago she had cursed at him till he backed down.
Wash lay down on the couch and pulled the throw blanket up to her neck. "No."
Taylor doubled his efforts because that was progress. "I'll get you chocolate while I'm there."
Wash's blood shot eyes rose up to meet his. She had to blink several times and her head shook slightly from the effort to watch him.
"Come on. You need meds or you're going to be down like this for a week. Maybe two." Taylor folded his arms and squinted at her.
Wash relaxed back on the couch. "Brownies."
Taylor grinned mischievously. "Brownies?"
"Don't start that again. And a Christmas movie." Wash had her head almost buried in the army green blanket at this point.
Taylor could not help but poke at her since she was now making demands. "How about the Grinch? I hear Zoe loves that movie now."
"Very funny. Ha ha ha." Wash's voice was scratchy and barely audible at this point.
"I believe Santa says Ho ho ho." Taylor was enjoying himself too much.
He had to duck when a boot almost hit him in the face. "That's my Wash. How about a good World War I Christmas movie like Joyeux Noël?"
He saw her head nod yes as she covered back up under the blanket.
Taylor retrieved his medic kit and took scans that Elisabeth would need. A couching fit took her again as soon as he finished. His hands instinctively went to hold her. She did not resist till she could breathe easy and then it was only half hearted.
"I'll be back soon. Keep your com in your hand." Taylor spoke quietly and nodded once to her. A barely discernible nod was her reply as she closed her eyes.
Not five minutes later, Taylor hurriedly strode into Medical to find dozens of patients all over the facility who were almost as bad off as Wash.
Taylor snapped out of it and walked up to the first medical personnel member he saw. "Where's Dr. Shannon?"
The slender man pointed to a room. "With her daughter, Commander."
Taylor walked to the room and stood in the doorway. He tipped his head to the side as he watched Zoe being scanned in the same way he had just scanned Wash.
"How is she?" Taylor's voice was low and gravely.
"Holding in there. I just synthesized enough antibiotic for Zoe." Elisabeth smiled weakly.
Elisabeth glanced out of the room then back. "Where is she? You said you would bring Wash kicking and screaming if you had to in order to get her treated."
"She's not even up for kicking and screaming. The most I go was a boot and demands for brownies. I scanned her. Can you give me the right meds and aahhhh the brownies?"
It didn't make a lot of sense to Elisabeth, but she shook her head anyway.
His level of concern ratcheted up when little Zoe started having a coughing fit that thankfully was not as bad as Wash's had been.
Taylor continued to watch as Elisabeth spoke calm soothing words to her youngest daughter. "There now. Mummy's here. It's ok. Here's the medicine. Won't hurt. It'll make it go away. That's it. Ok, now lay back for mummy. There's a good girl, Zoe. I have to go to my office, but Commander Taylor is going to stay right with you the whole time. Ok?"
Zoe spoke with a raspy voice. "Ok."
Elisabeth walked over to Taylor, and he nodded yes.
Elisabeth went to leave then paused when she read over Wash's scan. "My goodness what is she trying to do get rheumatic fever. Why did she wait so long for treatment?"
"Stubborn." Taylor answered as if he were proud of Wash.
Elisabeth just shook her head once again not understanding him because it was foolish to risk heart and brain damage if treatment was available.
Elisabeth raised the scan wand in her hand and held it out to Taylor. "Scan her every thirty minutes and forward it to me on my Plexpad. If she gets any worse, I want her here in a bed. Stubborn or not."
"Copy that." Taylor folded his arms while nodding.
"We're running low, so it might take a little to get the right amounts for her."
"Tis the season." Taylor looked around the room and focused on the Christmas tree then over to Zoe and back to Elisabeth.
Elisabeth glanced at the tree and back. "Yes, it's almost Christmas Eve."
"Oh aaaah no I meant Tis the season for snot and sneezing." Taylor grinned.
A giggly sound came from across the room and both adults turned to Zoe who had a smile that covered her entire face. "He's funny."
Elisabeth smiled back at her daughter who looked a little better from the humor than the medicine she just received. "That he is. I'll be right back. Ok?"
Zoe nodded then started watching Commander Taylor. Elisabeth went to her office to see how much medicine was synthesized and if it was the right kind that Wash needed.
He went to the chair next to her bed and sat down. "Are you breathing ok?"
"Yes. Just hurts." Zoe touched her throat.
"I know, but the antibiotics your mother just gave you will help with that." Taylor spoke with a calm and reassuring tone.
Zoe's face scrunched up. "I don't think I like robots in my body. Daddy said the anibots are like robots that eat the bad stuff. Sounds like zombies or vampires. I don't think I like that."
Taylor grinned a little more till Zoe started rubbing on her neck like she was worried. "Well, now. Your mom is a very good doctor. And very good doctors take extra care with their own children, so you don't have to worry about them hurting you. They're not zombies."
Zoe glanced up looking kind of hopeful.
Taylor took that as a sign to continue. "Think of it like a battle with two sides. The bacteria is the bad side, and your immune system is the good side. They are fighting and that's why you're feeling bad. The bacteria have grown in forces and have tried to flank your immune system who is your infantry. When that happens, you take antibiotics. They are the artillery with big guns that only shoot bacteria. No friendly fire."
"Fire is not friendly. Is that why my throat hurts like its burning…because of the fire?"
"No not fire. It's from the fighting. Well, it's from where the bacteria have a strong hold that needs to be breached. The antibiotics help with that."
"But why is it holding so strong on my throat?" Zoe was listening as intently as possible.
"It's not really holding onto you. That's just where it likes to stay." Taylor was struggling to help her know what was going on because Zoe did not understand everything he was saying.
"But why here." Zoe kept tapping her throat and under her jaw.
He thought of the narrow passage of the throat. "Because it's a good choking point."
"Yes, they keep choking me. So, the bacteria are trying to kill me to win the war?" Zoe looked worried again.
He paused to think about the question. He knew that if she was not treated that the bacteria running unchecked could quite possibly kill her, but he didn't want to tell her that. He tried to think of what to say.
"Don't do that." Zoe shook her head no.
"Do what?" Taylor just needed some more time to think.
"Do the Grinch face."
"The Grinch face?" Taylor remembered Wash calling him the Grinch in front of Zoe before and she thought feeding him brownies would make his heart grow.
"Yes, like the part where he thought up a lie and he thought it up quick." Zoe nodded her head yes as if it were final.
"Well, you're no Cindy Lou to be tricked. You're a smart one." Taylor grinned hoping she would forget everything he had said because it seemed to make it worse.
Elisabeth came back in the room. "Feel any better?"
"No, because the war is causing them to choke me and use fire on me. They want to kill me." Zoe's quiet scratchy voice sounded pitiful but determined.
Elisabeth looked at Taylor accusingly. "I was gone five minutes maybe."
Taylor had no idea what to say, but feared Elisabeth was not going to give him any more brownies or chocolate chip cookies anytime soon.
Zoe chimed in quickly because she wanted to prove she understood what was going on with her. "There's a war going on inside my body. Commander says it's ok because our side has the artillery anibot robots to stop me from being overrun."
Elisabeth handed Taylor the medicine and a stash of brownies. "Is that so?"
"Yes. He says there're not zombies." Zoe paused then looked back at Taylor. "What happens if the big guns don't work?"
Elisabeth took a big breath not knowing what was scaring Zoe more the illness or the explanations of the meds that the men kept giving her.
Elisabeth mumbled to herself. "Men and metaphors."
"No mommy the infantry already did all they could."
Elisabeth raised her eyebrows at Taylor. "They certainly did."
AN: I heard the "Tis the season for snot and sneezing" phrase today when someone was talking to a pharmacist and that was the plot dino for this story. The pharmacist laughed and said they had to use that. I thought me too me too. I hope you make it through the season in good health. Happy Holidays!