Fear Adder

Disclaimer: I do not own Voltron or any of its characters.

This is another one that I cranked out fast, so it may have more errors than my usual self-edit.

Rating/Setting: Rating is T. Bit of fun fluff. Setting is in DotU. Like I've ever written anything else.

In response to the KAEX Challenge: Broken – this is my second entry ; - D
"Rules: your story must only be a one-shot (one chapter). The theme is "broken." Take that any direction you want. It must be K/A-centric, of course."

Once again – this is a REALLY long one-shot!

Allura looked the gurney as it rolled quickly past her toward the medical facility. She didn't know if it was a villager or one of the team who was headed for treatment. Having heard the alarm that indicated an incoming medical need, she had left her garden and come to the cargo bay entrance. She looked to the door to see who would follow the medical team into the building…

The guys had gone to help some villagers clear away debris from collapsed buildings on the edge of the town. The debris had been there for over a year and had overgrown with vines, shrubs and small trees. It hadn't been a small task for the villagers, so the guys and a Lion had gone to help out.

Finally the door to the hanger bay opened again and Lance rushed in covered with dirt and some blood. In his hand was a bag that looked to have blood on it. His eyes were frantic as they found hers. "Is he okay?"

She didn't have time to answer before Hunk and Pidge rushed in. Both of them were in a similar state of grunge with some tears to the clothing. The only difference was that Hunk had an arm in a sling. When she didn't see Keith follow them, she knew who was on the gurney. "I… I don't know… They rushed by without saying anything to me. I didn't even know who was hurt."

"Let's not wait around here," Hunk said. "Let's go get a report."

Moving briskly down the corridor, Lance filled her in on what happened. "We thought the structure that was standing was sound but then it collapsed with Keith and Hunk still inside. Luckily, Hunk was on the fringe of the collapse and only has an injury to his arm." Calling over his shoulder he said, "As soon as we learn about Keith's condition, I order you to have that looked at Hunk."Turning back to Allura he continued as they turned the bend on the med wing. "Keith managed to get near a stable wall and the village medic said that he probably has a bruised shoulder and a broken leg."

Having arrived at the waiting room, Allura asked, "But why would they be rushing him here if those were his only injuries?"

Looking to Hunk and Pidge for support, Lance said, "It seems that the work and the collapse stirred up some snakes nesting in the rubble." Seeing the fear in the princess' eyes, he continued quickly as he opened the cloth bag he was carrying. "The village medic said this was a dangerous snake and it bit Keith twice."

Allura's hand was at her throat as she looked into the bag and her breath caught. It was a fear adder.

"What does it mean Princess? Is it venomous?" Pidge asked worriedly.

Moving to a chair and slowly sinking into it, Princess looked blankly at the floor as the team gathered around her. "It's called a fear adder and it is poisonous. But it's not a normal kind of poison. On its own, the venom won't cause his body to stop functioning or cause the skin around the wound to rot."

Speaking softly, Hunk asked, "What will it do Princess?"

Looking up into the eyes of her large and compassionate friend, she said, "It multiplies fear, apprehension, and grief. Whoever gets envenomated by the fear adder will quickly become feverish, and have all sorts of delusional thoughts." Allura stopped as she saw the door to the room open and Dr. Gorma enter.

"They say one of you has the snake…" Seeing the bag, he hurried over and opened it. Moving quickly to the com unit he called in an injection amount for Keith and turned back to them. "Sorry. I needed to estimate the amount of anti-venom to give Keith."

"How is he Doc?" Lance queried. "Is he going to make it?"

"Everyone have a seat while I explain to you what has happened." He waited until everyone had a chair and he tossed the bag with the snake in it to the side of the door. He'd dispose of that when he left. The people in this room didn't need to have that gruesome reminder around. "What do you know about fear adders?"

Pidge told Gorma what the princess had told them.

"The princess is correct. Keith was bitten twice by a fairly large fear adder and his fever was 105 when he came in. We've been able to bring that down, but the delusions and hallucinations are beginning to manifest themselves." Dr. Gorma paused for a moment and then continued, "We have given him anti-venom and that will help with the fever, but it won't do much for the attack on his mental state."

"Well, it can't be that bad, right? I mean, if you get the fever down, he'll be fine in a few days once the poison is out of his system. I'm right, aren't I?" There was a pleading in Lance's voice. It said that he needed his comments to be the truth.

Looking from Lance to the very quiet princess, Gorma said, "I'm afraid not Lieutenant. The fear adder's venom finds the weakness in a person's psyche and it breaks them. Some people are completely broken and their bodies shut down and they die within a few days. Others are left as shadows of their former selves with broken spirits and dementia."

The group sat in stunned silence. Whatever they had expected, it had not been this. Feeling the need to do something, Hunk asked, "Are you saying that he's gonna die Doc?"

"No, there are those that do recover completely, but they are in the minority. I just want you to be prepared for what might happen."

"What do you MEAN, 'be prepared'? You just told us he might DIE… from a snake bite! How can we be prepared for that? A robeast… or in combat… that we'd be prepared for. But not this doc. NOT THIS!" Lance's voice continued to rise until he was almost shouting at Gorma.

Then a soft voice cut through the tension. "Those that survived the bites and are not broken, how did they do it?" Allura's gaze was now on the doctor.

Sparing a glance for the still highly emotional lieutenant, Gorma said, "They have people around them that help reduce their fear and make them feel safe."

Nodding her head, she asked, "Can we take turns sitting with him? Keep him company? Calm him down? Make him feel safe?"

"Yes Princess. It's actually what I was going to suggest. I think that Keith's chances improve greatly if he's not left alone."

Hunk dryly said, "Well, you might have wanted to start with that instead of the dementia and dying stuff Doc."

Clearing his throat, Gorma replied, "I just didn't want you to underestimate how serious this is and how important your job will be. Just sitting around and being with a patient and talking to him… well, it may not seem like you're doing much, but you will be."

Lance was sitting now with his head down and his hands clasped behind his neck. He didn't even raise up as he said, "Don't worry Doc, you've made it EXTREMELY clear. How soon can we start?"

"Immediately." Looking around the room, he said, "I'd like for the princess to go first is that is okay. He's said her name several times."

Lifting up, Lance nodded and said, "Makes sense."

As the rest of the team nodded, Allura stared at Lance.

Seeing her quizzical expression, he said, "I'll explain later." Turning to the team, he said, okay, probably best to do three hour shifts so we stay fresh. Allura will take the first shift, then Pidge, then me, then Hunk. Hunk, time for you to get that arm checked out." Seeing the big man was going to argue, he added, "No arguments. We're down one man already. I need you at your best."

"Right Lance."

"Okay, let's go." They all filed out towards Keith's room.

Dr. Gorma paused outside the door as shouting could be heard inside.

Eyes wide in concern, Allura said, "Is that Keith?"

"I'm afraid it is. You all need to be prepared for that. We also have his arms and legs restrained for your safety and his." Gorma then keyed the door open and they entered in. "We won't all stay in here long. It would probably agitate him more."

They all stood near the wall except for Lance who moved closer to his friend. Keith was breathing heavily and was soaked in sweat even though he had just been put in those clothes. His hair was stringy and stuck to his face with sweat. Lance quietly said, "Hey buddy."

Keith heard a familiar voice. His eyes snapped open to find the face that went with it.

Lance sucked in air as he saw the wild frantic look in his friend's eyes. "It's me Keith. It's Lance."

Pulling hard against his restraints, Keith cried out, "She's dead Lance! She's dead!" Falling back against the bed he wailed, "I couldn't stop it!"

Lance tried to calm him while Dr. Gorma spoke to the others in the background. "He's been like this since he came in. Sometimes he thinks someone else on the team has died, but he's always to blame for the death." Looking over to Lance and the struggling Commander, he said, "Let's leave Lance and the princess here for now." Moving toward the door, he waited for Hunk and Pidge to follow. "And Hunk, you should come with me to check out that arm."

Allura watched them exit and then moved to stand beside Lance who was still trying to calm Keith. "Keith, it's me Allura. I'm here and I'm fine. Keith's eyes turned to her. She saw that they were unfocused and wild. "It's me Keith. It's Allura."

"No. No. NO. NO!" He became louder and more insistent with each word as he strained against the white leather straps that held him to the bed. "You're NOT Allura! She's dead!" He became quieter. "I saw her die… I'm the reason she's dead…I couldn't protect her." Collapsing back on the bed, he became eerily quiet after his loud outbursts.

Looking with concern at Lance, she said, "No Keith, it's really me. Listen to my voice."

Opening his eyes and looking at her like a frightened child he said, "Allura? Is it really you?"

"Yes Keith. It's really me." She wanted to touch him but was afraid that might send him into another fit.

Lance spoke up, "We're all fine Keith. You're the only one that's injured."

Like a switch being flipped one, Keith pulled again against the restraints, grunting with the pain of pulling on his strained shoulder. "Hunk! Where's Hunk? He was in the building with me." Falling back yet again, he began crying, "I should have gotten him out…he's dead. I know he's dead."

Allura felt awful. The pain in his face and words tore at her as he struggled to work through grief and guilt about things that weren't even true. "Hunk was just in here Keith. He's fine. He'll be coming back to visit soon."

This time he didn't open his eyes, "Really?"

"Really."

For the moment he was calm, so Lance turned to Allura and whispered, "This is worse than I thought. Do you want me to stay with you?"

Taking Lance's hand and squeezing it, she said with compassion, "No. I can take care of him."

When she would have dropped his hand, he held it as he said, "You know that losing you is his biggest fear."

Giving Lance a quizzical look, she said, "Yes. He's worried about me being killed."

"You know it's more than that." Lance said softly. He watched her eyes drop. "Yeah, he worries about you being hurt or killed in battle… but he also worries about losing you to some fancy prince. I just don't want you to be surprised if he says something like that." He dropped her hand and said, "I'll go now."

As he exited the room, she called over her shoulder, "Thanks Lance."

Allura looked at Keith's resting form. He was still covered in sweat. Moving to the sink, she wet a cloth and returned to the bed. Standing beside the bed, she whispered, "Keith, I'm going to wipe your face with a cloth… is that okay?"

Opening his eyes, he squinted to focus on her. She looked so much like Allura. Softly he said, "You look so much like her you know?"

Stunned by the longing in his voice, she leaned forward and wiped the cloth across his brow.

"I should have told her how much I cared before it was too late."

A pain formed in Allura's heart. Had he been in love with someone else… or was he talking about her? Putting the cloth to the side, she softly asked, "Who did you care about Keith?"

"Allura."

Not wanting to cause another outburst, but not wanting him to think that she was dead, she spoke softly. "But I'm Allura Keith. It's me."

He sighed and closed his eyes, "No. You're not Allura. She's dead. Just like my parents."

Her heart ached. She knew his parents were dead and she couldn't refute that. How could she make him believe it was her? "How can I convince you it's really me Keith?"

His voice was incredibly soft as he slowly answered, "You can't." His body finally gave in to the exhaustion of the day's events and the toll it had taken on his body and he drifted off to sleep.

She gently reached out to touch his face and then thought better of it as he was finally resting.

Keith slept a lot during the rest of her shift. When her shift was over, she found it difficult to leave him and often came by during the other shifts. Her presence seemed to make him more at ease and docile.

When her next shift came around, Dr. Gorma called the team together for an update.

Smiling Lance said, "He seems to be doing much better Doc. He's having fewer outbursts and is able to talk more. It's looking good isn't it?"

Dr. Gorma put his hands in his pockets as he looked at the group. "It's good that he's calmer, but unfortunately, I think he's calmer because he's given up his will to live."

"What do you mean Doc?" Hunk asked. "He seems to understand that we're alive and well. Why would he give up?"

Dr. Gorma looked to the princess.

Allura nodded and looked to her friends. "He doesn't believe that I'm me. He thinks I'm a ghost or a figment of his imagination. Keith is convinced I'm dead." As she looked around the group, she didn't have to explain more. It seemed that they knew the depths of Keith's feelings better than she did. Even Dr. Gorma didn't argue.

But it was Gorma who spoke now. "Princess. You need to convince him to live. From my readings, I think his body is starting to shut down. His blood pressure has dropped and his breathing has become shallower among other things. I think you have twenty-four hours or less to convince him." Seeing the princess' distress, he said, "I didn't mean to upset you, but the situation is critical."

"I understand Doctor. I won't leave the medical wing until I have." Turning toward the team she said,"You'll probably have to run interference for me with Coran and Nanny. You know they're not going to understand me being in Keith's room so much." Seeing their nodding heads, she headed to Keith's room.

After she left, Lance asked, "Doctor, if he makes it, will he remember all this?"

"It's uncertain. Sometimes people remember everything and some remember part or nothing at all."

"It'll be a shame if he doesn't remember."

Patting Lance on the back, Gorma said, "Let's just get him well son. Let's get him well."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Allura drew a deep breath as she stood outside of Keith's door. He was sleeping right now with a nurse in the room. What was she going to do? What could she do to convince him? Sighing she entered the room.

Two hours later she felt exhausted. Keith had awoken soon after she had entered his room and she had been trying to convince him that she was alive and that everyone was fine ever since. Finally, her frustration got the better of her and she yelled at him, "What the hell do I need to do to convince you that I'm alive?!"

Keith stopped and looked at her in surprise.

Feeling a little guilty, Allura said as she put her hands on her hips, "Sorry, but I'm frustrated that you don't believe me."

Keith stared intensely at her.

Allura started to blush at the intensity of his gaze.

"Kiss me."

It was the last thing that she had expected. "What?"

"Kiss me. Allura never kissed me and I'd like to kiss you before I die." His tone was wistful as he looked at the vision that was so like his princess. His tone softened again. "Please."

Her eyes welled with tears. "YOU are NOT going to die." Then she softened her tone. "But I will kiss you." She went to the controls and raised his bed the rest of the way. Then blushing slightly, she climbed onto his bed and straddled his lap. Looking into his eyes, she said, "I've wanted to kiss you for a long time. Why didn't you do it before?"

His soft wistful tone continued as his hands contracted into fists and released as he lay on the bed. "I'm just a pilot and she was a princess. No one would have approved."

"Ooooo Keith. I would have approved." She reached out a hand and brushed the damp hair from his brow. "I would have so very much approved."

This was it. This was her moment to convince him that she was alive. This was her opportunity to make him whole instead of broken. She made her decision. Turning slightly to the side, she fumbled for a moment with the buckles on the restraints before working them loose. As she moved to remove the ones around his upper arms he spoke.

"What are you doing?"

Glancing his way as she released his left arm, she replied huskily, "If I'm going to kiss you, I want you to kiss me back." For the first time since he was admitted, she was rewarded by one of his beautiful smiles. Finishing up, she gave him a moment as he flexed his arms and then she took his hands. "I'm real Keith. Don't let this poison break you… I need you too much."

Letting go of his hands, she moved her arms around him as he sat up a little more.

Cautiously he moved his hands around her waist and up her back. She felt so real. He wanted her to be real. Feeling her hands move around his neck his breathing quickened. It feels so real… can she be real? Doe she really want to kiss me?

Allura looked into his eyes as she felt the heat from his fever transfer from his skin to hers. The look in his eyes wasn't as wild, but she could tell the venom was still at work. She closed her eyes as she closed the distance between their lips.

His lips were hot and dry but they pressed against hers with passion. Keith leaned back against the bed pulling her with him. His lips slanted across hers and her lips parted beneath his. Moaning against her mouth he raggedly said, "Feels so real."

Pulling back from the kiss, she managed to say, "Oh, Keith, it's so VERY real." Then she gave back in to the passion she was feeling and kissed him again. After a lot of kissing and touching, she pulled back again to ask, "Am I real Keith? Am I Allura? Am I alive?"

He looked at her with love and hope. "Yes, yes to all of it… Allura."

Smiling at him, she moved to the bed controls and lowered it. Being careful of his broken leg, she snuggled at his side. She didn't care that he was sweaty or if this was appropriate for a princess. She just wanted to be close to him.

They were both exhausted and it would be hard to pinpoint which one of them fell asleep first.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dr. Gorma stood at Keith's door and looked down the hallway to see whom the approaching footsteps belonged to. Smiling, he waved Lance to join him.

"Hi Doc, the nurse said that you wanted me but nothing was wrong. What's going on? Has there been a change in his condition?" Lance was still concerned even if the nurse said everything was okay. Dr. Gorma didn't want him here for no reason.

"There actually been a huge change in his condition. The fever has broken and I'm sure when I take a blood sample I'll see that the poison in his system is lessening."

Confused, Lance said, "Why haven't you already taken the sample?"

Dr. Gorma failed at wiping the smile from his face. "I don't want to wake them up." Gorma tilted his head toward the window in the door.

Moving to look through the door himself, a huge grin spread across his face. Lance saw Allura snuggled up to Keith's side with her head laying on his chest and his arm wrapped around her. "Man, he's got to remember this when he wakes up." Turning to Gorma, he said, "His restraints are off. Did she do that? Wait! Did she kiss him?" Lance was now super excited.

Shaking his head and laughing, Gorma said, "You'll have to ask them that when they wake up lieutenant. I was just hoping you'd be willing to guard this door until they do."

Nodding his understanding, but still grinning, he said, "He's going to be okay isn't he?"

"From the readings that I can get from his sensors, I'd say yes, he'll be fine. But I'll have to examine him first." Glancing in the window he added, "But I'd like to think that the only thing that is broken about the commander now is his leg." Dr. Gorma then took his leave.

Lance smiled as he glanced in the room again. It looked like Keith was going to be fine and with the way the princess was snuggled up to him, things between them would be more than fine. One thing was for sure, if Keith didn't remember this, he was going to tell him.