Chapter 2: Scar Tissue
It had been eighty seven days since Commander Shepard was found among the jagged remains of the Citadel that had crashed to Earth. The city of London lay in ruins, emergency crews and resources were scattered and disorganized. The Human Alliance, along with the other allied races, had sent thousands of doctors to Earth, hundreds to the city of London in an attempt to save as many of the remaining citizens as they could. Dozens of teams of Engineers had been dispatched to help establish medical centers in whatever buildings were sturdy enough to support them. After discovering him about forty miles outside of London, Shepard had been transferred to "Arcturus Memorial", the first built, and best established post war medical center. Made up in a historical Royal Estate that was largely ignored by Reaper forces during the invasion, it was the primary medical facility in Europe and people from hundreds of miles away had flocked there looking for treatment, food, and shelter. The remaining members of the Normandy Crew had become mainstays at the hospital, working in shifts guarding Shepard's room; their respective governments had granted them the proper leave under the circumstances, and nobody at the hospital had the heart to turn them away.
Liara hadn't left the hospital since Shepard's transport there. Rarely able to actually go to his bedside, a room was made up for her in the adjoining area, which was formerly a servant's quarters. Shepard was in the main bedroom of the estate, which had been refitted by the Alliance engineers to bring it up to medical standards. The ornate wooden doors had been replaced by an airtight hatch, and a large viewing window had been installed, overlooking his bed and newly installed monitors and medical equipment, also a decontamination chamber along with several other upgrades to the facility. Shepard was hooked up to several machines, his breathing tube only recently removed. It was hard for Liara to see the man she loved in this condition, so she tried to distract herself with other things "Glyph, have we received any reports from the Athena Nebula?" Liara demanded of her drone assistant. "Nothing yet Dr. T'Soni, the Comm Buoy Network in the Sol System has not been fully re-established, reports and communications with agents operating outside of Earth's atmosphere are sparse and generally incoherent". Liara worried about Thessia, and was distraught at not hearing word from Feron since the assault, but refused to let Shepard out of her sight. After narrowly escaping the "Collector" attack on the original Normandy and watching the Citadel explode with Shepard still on board, she wouldn't be anywhere but at his side.
There was a knock on the door, and Liara instructed the visitor to enter. "Liara, Jacob Taylor is here to see Shepard, is it alright to let him in?" Ashley asked, her head just poking in the door to Liara's room. "Yes Ashley it is fine, I am just having Glyph run some minor tasks at the moment." Ashley's head pulled back out of sight, and the door slowly opened, as Jacob walked in, wearing his usual combat gear. "Hey doctor T'Soni, any updates on the Commander?" he asked softly, to which Liara replied, "No Mr. Taylor, unfortunately he still has not woken up, and Dr. Chakwas says there has been almost no change in his brain activity since he arrived here. If you want to see him, you may do so through the window there, I will give you some space, I apologize however, that I will not be leaving the room." Jacob didn't seem surprised, and walked over to the window as Liara went and sat back down by her terminal, trying desperately to get a connection with her agents.
Looking in at his motionless body, Jacob began "It's hard to see you like this Shepard, but I'm glad you're still alive. After you wake up, I get to tell my grandkids, "I was there both times Commander Shepard came back to life". Brynn wants you to know that she's sending her best. She'd have come with me, but she's been taking it easy ever since the Crucible was finished, I'm making her rest what with the baby on the way and everything. Besides, I wasn't sure how people would respond to seeing former Cerberus agents walking around the hospital. Get well soon Shepard; I still owe you those drinks in Rio. The other doctors and their families all sent pictures and thank you letters; I hope you get to look at them soon." Jacob smiled a half smile as he turned away from the window and took a few steps towards the door. "Thanks for letting me see him Doctor, I know he means a lot to you, and since we don't know each other, and my being ex-Cerberus, I understand you not leaving the room". Jacob started walking towards the door, as Liara spoke up, "Jacob, those pictures and letters, I will make sure that he gets them, where are they?" "I put them outside with the others" he replied. Not knowing what Jacob meant, she asked, "what others?"
Liara stood up and followed Jacob out into the atrium where Ashley was still standing guard. He led her out into a service hallway and pointed to his left towards a large storage closet "those others" he instructed. As she walked through the doorway, she was unprepared for what she saw. There before them was a mountain of letters, pictures, vids, and audio recordings. Stunned, Liara walked over to the pile and started grasping at a few of them, glancing over the contents; she exclaimed "by the Goddess, there must be thousands of these here!" And there were. Mountains of thank you letters and well wishes from countless people filled nearly the entire room. Letters from Alliance soldiers deployed all over earth, audio recordings from mothers and fathers, even some pictures of children wearing homemade "N7" armor sporting a "thumbs up" and smiling in the arms of their parents. There were several pieces of correspondence from the Sword fleet, and the ones who had come to Earth following the fall of the Reapers: Quarians, Turians, Krogan, Salarian, Asari, there was even a crudely written "Get Well Soon" card from a Batarian who was a crewman on a ship in Aria's fleet. Liara was breathless as she stared down at the seemingly endless pile in front of her. "He means the world to a lot of people, Doctor" Jacob said, "they know what he did for them, and they are thankful for it." He picked up what he had added to the collection and handed it to her. With a nod, he turned around and walked back into the elevator and out of sight.
Still floored from what she was seeing, Liara regained her composure, and walked back into her room, dutifully placing the letters from Jacob's team in a locked cabinet next to her bed. She then hurried over to the window, and looked in at Shepard's still motionless body. "You have to wake up" she ordered, receiving only the beeps of the machines in response, "Come on Shepard, open your eyes, get up! Do it for all these people counting on you, do it for Garrus, wake up for Ashley, or Mr. Taylor, or any of the people you've saved! Please, just come out of this…. For me" placing one hand on the cold glass, Liara felt herself starting to cry. She bowed her head down, and held her other hand over her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks. Just then, she heard a slight rap on the door as it slowly opened. Wiping her face, Liara turned around to see Dr. Chakwas slowly entering the room.
"Are you alright Liara?" Dr. Chakwas asked as she walked over and placed her hand on Liara's shoulder. "I'll be fine" she replied, still wiping the tears from her face "is there anything new in the rest results?" "Well, as you already know, most of the permanent scarring is in fact superficial. There was significant internal damage, but we were able to treat him in time and his organs have healed at least to a stable condition. His implants have helped to sufficiently repair the damage to both his nervous system and his bone structure. Since we got him stabilized, it would appear that his body is healing itself rather normally" Liara was happy to hear that last part, "Is there any estimate on when he'll wake up, or what to expect when he does?" she asked. "Unfortunately, I cannot give you the answer to that question. His brain activity, while not significantly hindered, remains largely unchanged. While it appears to be functioning normally, there is no telling the extent of psychological damage the Commander has endured, until he wakes up" Dr. Chakwas' response caused Liara to start crying again. "In the meantime, I suggest you take care of yourself a little bit. While I know I won't be able to pry you away for long, it would do you some good to at least get out of this room, maybe even off this floor for a little while. The Engineering team managed to save a small arboretum over on the other side of the estate, I think it would do you some good to go and relax for a bit. Lt. Commander Williams is right outside the door, also I believe Grunt is on his way up and no one will get in here to harm the commander. I am close by, and I will contact you immediately on your Omni-tool if anything should happen." Dr. Chakwas was right, as much as Liara didn't want to leave; she knew she would go crazy if she didn't at least take a walk. Unwilling to debate, she gathered up a few things, and set out to explore the hospital.
After travelling through several corridors, and passing by countless refugees, Liara stumbled onto the arboretum that Dr. Chakwas had mentioned. It was roughly half the length of an American football field, and the glass roof allowed a pleasant amount of sunshine in. There was a stone walkway leading down the middle of it, with several benches lining the sides. She walked up to a small collection of rose bushes, and sat down in the grass next to them. The room was surprisingly comfortable, unlike the rest of the hospital, as it had been running on backup generators since it re-opened just hours after the "Citadel Beam Event" as it had semi-officially been named. Liara pulled out a data pad, and tried to get a connection to the extranet. "Groundside communication bandwidth has reached nearly 30% Dr. T'Soni" Glyph declared almost proudly as it emerged from within one of the rose bushes. "Glyph, get me the Alliance communications with the infrastructure repair teams in the area. I want to see if there is anything I can do to help. "As you wish Doctor, it should appear on your datapad now".
Skimming through several field reports and messages between commanders on the ground, Liara was somewhat relieved to see that the rest of the world had begun rebuilding, even without Shepard out there knocking heads around. With the recent influx of patients, "Arcturus Memorial Hospital" administrators were cutting energy use wherever it wasn't critical and, unfortunately for most, that meant air conditioning use was negligible. The weather in London was surprisingly warm, the temperature sometimes getting over ninety degrees Fahrenheit, and in the cramped quarters of the overcrowded manor, it seemed like it was much warmer than that. The Alliance was putting forth their best efforts to restore Earth's infrastructure, along with whatever semblances of local government remained, but it was slow-going. Most utility buildings were completely destroyed, and even with the armies of friendly Geth working to assist, the obstacles to complete restoration were quite formidable.
Multi-species laborers and engineers had re-established only 4 functioning medical facilities on the island, Arcturus Memorial along with 3 smaller emergency care centers. Detachments of Alliance Marines, with the aid of several Krogan (mostly from Clan Urdnot) were running law enforcement, although crime was nearly nonexistent since the only things worth stealing were weapons and medical supplies, which were under heavy guard by teams of Asari Commando Units. The Quarians were running most of the logistical operations, transporting resources and people, and using their expertise in field medicine to perform first aid where they could, while the Geth were primarily focused on clearing debris and restoring power facilities. They had put in place a plan to use the drive cores of heavily damaged ships as replacement high volume generators until more permanent power sources could be brought online. Liara was surprised at the ingenuity of the newly upgraded Geth, as she continued to read the reports and communique that Glyph had provided.
After about an hour, she had contented herself with the fact that things were beginning to be repaired, and after making several plans to improve operations, Liara packed up her equipment and headed back towards her room next to Shepard. As she walked out of the arboretum, she heard Garrus call out to her from down a long dimly lit hallway, full of sick and injured patients. "It sure is a mess down here" Garrus said, "but it's good to see you decided to get away for a minute." "I needed to get back into my work for a little while Garrus; the garden over there just provided a semi-quiet place for me to focus for a while. Besides, I fear Dr. Chakwas would have chased me out of the room with that stick of yours, had I not agreed to leave the room for a while". They both chuckled at the thought as they got into the elevator back up to the top floor. "Tali wanted me to let her know how you're doing. She's been worried about you since we got Shepard back to the hospital. She couldn't make it today, some big happenings with the Admiralty Board I guess, but I'm glad I have something good to report" Garrus smiled. "How about you Garrus, how have you been handling everything?" Liara inquired. He was visibly exhausted, his mandibles lazily twitching as he spoke, and his eyes drooping. "I hope you are finding time to rest, I would hate to have to visit you here right after Shepard recovers" Liara scolded in an almost motherly way.
As it reached the top, the two exited the elevator and walked into the waiting area outside the recovery room. At the same time they noticed Grunt, who was sitting in a chair next to the door, taking a nap. "Damn tank bred Krogan, can't even trust them to watch a door" Garrus said with a grin, as he walked over to Grunt. He quietly lowered his head down and prepared to shout, in an attempt to scare him awake. But just as he took in a deep breath, Grunt's head shot up and he shouted, "Don't even think about it Vakarian!" Garrus leapt back, nearly shooting out of his exo-suit. Liara jumped, startled and catching her breath she started to smile. Grunt began to laugh heartily "Allies or not, a Krogan always knows when a Turian enters the room. I smelled you before you even got off the elevator!" Smiling, he stood up and proclaimed, "Do you need to go change before you take over, Garrus? Heh heh heh" Garrus, clearly embarrassed said, "It's good to see the Salarians didn't sterilize your sense of humor, Grunt" and after a few moments, Grunt walked out of the room thoroughly pleased with himself.
Liara patted Garrus on the shoulder, "It's alright Garrus, and I'll only tell a few people that I saw Archangel fill his pants in fear. The changing station is just over there if you need it." To Liara, it felt good to smile again, even if it was at the expense of a good friend. Garrus was anxious to end this encounter, and said "I think somebody is waiting for you T'Soni", as Liara chuckled to herself and walked back through the door into her room. Dr. Chakwas had left, and the small servant's quarters felt particularly empty. She walked over to her bed and began to type on her terminal once again. Looking out the window, she could see the sun setting off in the distance. "I wish you could see this with me Travis" Liara said to herself, for the first time in a while calling Shepard by his first name. She dimmed the small lamp that was next to her bed, and stared out the window. After the sun had completely disappeared, she stood up and walked over to the glass separating her from Shepard's room. She looked in at him lying there, and said a silent prayer to herself. "As much as I would love to stay up all night with you, I am feeling particularly tired this evening. If you wake up before I do, make sure you don't go off to save the galaxy again without saying goodbye." Liara half-heartedly smiled, and walked over to change into her pajamas. She lied down in the small bed and turned the light off the rest of the way. Lying there for several moments, the only light coming from through the glass to the other room, she imagined Shepard walking up to the window, as she felt herself fall asleep.
Waking up, Liara slowly climbed out of bed, the sun shining in through the window. It was morning, and the normal rabble of doctors and assistants throughout the hospital could be faintly heard. She changed into one of Shepard's "Alliance Navy" t-shirts, although it was slightly big on her, and a pair of what looked like track pants. She walked over to the glass, "good morning my love" she said as she turned and walked over to the door. Peeking out to see Vega sitting there, she said "good morning James, you're here early." "I've been here since zero five Liara, I relieved Garrus early. He's tough, even for a Turian, but I don't think he's slept in days. I'll be here most of the day until Massani shows up, whenever that will be. I brought some breakfast if you're hungry."
The two sat and ate, and talked for over an hour. They talked about the times on the Normandy, the different worlds they went to, and debated on what the keepers were doing now that the Citadel was out of commission. They talked about the rest of the team, and Liara discovered that Vega had a thing for Ashley, although he wasn't going to act on it right away, considering the circumstances. After a while, Dr. Chakwas came in, "I'm just here to check on our patient, pretend I'm not even here" she announced as she hurried towards the door. "Please Doctor, you should come and sit with us for a while, you've been working yourself sick, and are as stressed as the rest of us. Come and talk with us, Doctor's Orders" Liara said with a smile. Realizing she had no grounds to argue, she replied "I suppose you're right. Let me go check on him, and I will set with you after." She walked into the room, and shut the door behind her. James and Liara continued talking for a while, and eventually noticed that the Doctor had been in with Shepard for an unusual amount of time. Liara grew worried, and was about to walk in when the door opened. "Liara, could you come here for a moment?" Dr. Chakwas asked politely. She stood up and walked towards the door, wondering what the situation was.
Dr. Chakwas led her into the room, and over to the glass. "Liara, I've been looking at the charts, and there is a slight increase in brain activity over the last six hours, which would imply that Shepard was dreaming last night. With this wonderful news, I had an idea. While there is nothing further we can do for him medically, I've heard of coma patients waking up due to small things like a touch, a kind word from a loved one, a revisited memory, something along those lines. I would like to start having you go into the room and just sitting and talking with him for a while. Hold his hand, speak to him, and maybe talk about things that he would remember. I think it might stimulate brain activity, and may bring him back to us. Would you mind giving it a try?" Liara was confused, but was willing to try anything to help Shepard wake up. She slowly walked over to the door leading to the next room, and after decontamination, walked in to Shepard's bedside. She looked over to see Dr. Chakwas standing near the window, looking at one of the monitors Shepard was hooked up to.
She was instantly overcome with emotion. It had been several weeks since she had gone into this room, and had forgotten what it was like. She felt heaviness in her stomach, realizing that she had forgotten what it felt like in here. The overwhelming smell of disinfectant and the overt beeping of the monitors was a grim and sudden reminder. Composing herself, she leaned over and looked down at his resting figure. "Shepard…" she started to say, getting slightly choked up. "Dr. Chakwas says you had a dream last night, I hope it was a pleasant one. She thought it would be a good idea for me to come in here to talk to you, thought that maybe it would help you to wake up" Liara looked closely at him, she began to reach out, then stopped. She looked over at the Doctor through the window, who nodded in approval. Liara took Shepard's hand in hers, surprised to see that most of the scarring on his face and arms had healed, although a sheet covered most of his torso and legs. "Do you remember the day we met? When you found me on Therum, trapped in that Prothean bubble hiding from Saren's mercenaries? I knew that day that there was something special about you, although I wasn't the best at expressing what I felt. I didn't know, however, that you would spend the next several years helping me to achieve things that I never thought possible. Well now it is my turn to help you. I want to help you Shepard, I owe you that much"
Overcome with emotion, Liara felt her eyes welling up again. As she turned to leave, she tried to take her hand away, but realized she couldn't. She struggled slightly, until she realized that Shepard was holding her, "You've already helped me Liara, more than you know" his voice was faint and scratchy. Not fully grasping what was going on, she looked up at the window to see Dr. Chakwas standing there smiling. "I can't believe the doctor took credit for my idea though, that's kind of low, considering my condition." It finally hit her that he was actually awake. A slew of emotions hit her at once as she looked over to see Shepard smiling, and his eyes slowly opening. She wanted to wrap him in a hug, and hit him for playing a trick on her all at once. As much as she tried to speak, she couldn't get the words out of her mouth, she just squeaked and grunted, and made a few unintelligible noises. "You know, you're kind of cute when you're confused" Shepard quipped weakly, a huge smile now plastered on his face. Before she could say anything, Liara began to feel dizzy. She reached out for something to balance on, unable to find a good grip; she fainted and fell to the floor.
Author's Note: Hey everyone, thanks for reading the first couple of chapters. I'll put new ones up as often as I can, which should be around two or three per week. I'm relatively new to this, so please feel free to leave reviews, and let me know what you think, ways you think I can improve, or possibly something you'd like to see in the future. Otherwise, I hope you're enjoying it so far, and thanks again for reading.