Title: Fire and Ice
Summary: Just a couple of missing scenes from "Past Is Prolix". It's split into two parts. Part one takes place before Dylan puts Trance into the cryo-chamber thingy to lower her temperature. Part two takes place right after Dylan says "Let's go get her".
Rating: rated T for nudity (I personally don't think nudity warrants a T rating, but I just want to be safe)
Disclaimer: I don't own Andromeda.
Author's note: This is my first Andromeda story (and my first story altogether on ), so please be nice.
Part I
As Trance's temperature rose to dangerous levels, and wiping her face with a washcloth no longer worked, Dylan realized something had to be done. He considered putting her in a cryo-chamber, but didn't want to have to resort to it yet.
"Doyle, I'm going to need your help." He told the android, who was reading several scans. Doyle put the scans down.
"Absolutely Dylan."
"Fill up the bathtub halfway with cold water---make sure it's really cold---and then fill up the rest with ice cubes. Try to have it ready by the time I'm finished undressing her."
Doyle ran off to fill the tub, and while it was filling, she ran to the kitchen and filled a bucket with ice.
By the time she got back, the tub was filled to the perfect depth, and Trance was wrapped in a towel. Dylan had sat her down on the toilet seat, with an arm around her shoulders in case she passed out.
"Do you need any more help, Dylan?" Doyle asked after emptying the ice cubes into the tub. Dylan turned to Trance.
"Trance, do you want Doyle in here while I bathe you?" He moved a strand of hair out of her eyes. Trance shook her head.
"I'll be out here in case you need me." Doyle said as she left the bathroom and closed the door behind her.
Dylan helped Trance step into the bathtub, towel still wrapped around her, so that she stood knee-deep in the ice cold water. He then removed the towel, and, with his large hands under her armpits, gently eased her down into the water. Trance gasped as the icy water hit her rear-end, but she was too weak to protest, and submitted as Dylan lowered her the rest of the way into the water, until it came up to just below her chest.
She shivered violently and drew her knees up to her chest, partly out of modesty but mostly to try and warm herself. She had severe chills even before being dunked into a tub full of ice water. Dylan did his best to protect her modesty, but couldn't help but notice that she had no hair in a certain area where humans grow hair. This didn't surprise him though, considering how Trance's genitals were not functional, but rather for mimicking human form only. Therefore she did not have the biological need that humans have for growing hair in certain places. In fact, the only place she had hair was on her head. Dylan mentally slapped himself. Why was he analyzing Trance's body? He felt like a pervert. He loved her like a brother loves his little sister. He just found Trance so amazing. He was constantly finding out something new about her, and he couldn't help but marvel at what a unique being she was. And Trance loved him and trusted him, which is why it broke his heart to see her shivering in a tub full of ice. But it had to be done. Fevers could be so dangerous. When he was a child, a boy living down the street from him had a fever so high that he began having seizures and eventually died. Dylan kept her in there for five more minutes, and by the time he lifted her out, her entire body was pink and shaking.
He immediately wrapped her in a thick towel and carried her back to the bed in MedDeck. He took her temperature, and it was down considerably, but a half hour later, her fever was back with a vengeance…
Part II
The Andromeda reeled in the cryo-chamber containing Trance, and Dylan hurried down to the hangar deck to retrieve her. She was a dead weight and barely conscious, but managed to wrap her arms around Dylan's neck as he carried her back to MedDeck. Just from having her in his arms he could tell that her fever had subsided, but now she was cold, very cold. And she was shivering, just like she had been when her body was ravaged by the fever. He laid her down on one of the beds and took her temperature. It was very low from being out in space.
"Doyle, get me blankets, as many as you can find!" He ordered. He took Trance's tiny, cold hands in his large, warm ones, and rubbed them, trying to warm them. Doyle rushed in with about five blankets, which Dylan wrapped around her, practically cocooning her in them. Beka and Orlund walked in.
"Dylan, I know she's cold and everything, but I think you have enough blankets on her." Beka stated, eyebrows raised. "She needs to be able to breathe."
"You're right." Dylan had a sixth blanket in his hand, which he simply laid on top of her instead of wrapping around her.
"Is she asleep or unconscious?" Beka asked.
"I don't know. But she's alive. That's the important thing." Dylan kissed Trance on the cheek and sat down in the chair next to the bed.
About two hours later Trance woke up. She turned her head to look groggily at Dylan, who had been sitting there the entire time.
"Dylan," she said, "Thank you."
"Trance, you don't have to say thank you. I love you…we all love you." He brushed the hair out of her face.
"Dylan, I can't move."
"Oh, hang on." He loosened the six blankets that held her captive and, after checking her temperature, removed three of them. Once she could move, Trance held out her arms to Dylan, who leaned down and gave her a big hug.
END