"Is she alright?"
Jack reached over and checked Commander Shepard's pulse.
"Yeah, she's just out-cold. It was a fu-reaking flesh wound, Joker, chill out!"
"'F-freak... Freaking...!? Bahahaha!"
Joker's amusement was apparent to all over the Normandy's comm system, raising eyebrows and few giggles from the crew here and there. Samantha didn't have a clue what was so funny though. Her mind was frantic. Shepard was hurt! Why were they laughing? She had closely followed the ongoing conversation aboard the shuttle, as it made its way back to the Normandy from Grissom Academy, waiting to hear word of Shepard's injuries. Yet all she could hear now was Joker's hysterical laughter, echoing all over the CIC as though he could care less. Aren't they concerned? Balls, it's all my fault if she's hurt. I was the one who suggested the bloody rescue in the first place!
Samantha watched a half-bald, heavily tattooed woman scowl on the monitor in front of her, showing the shuttle's vid comm. Had she said something funny? Out of the ordinary? She didn't look happy with Joker's continued hysterics. Christ, Shepard, where do you find these people? I'm having such a hard job keeping track. Me! Of all people...and I know the damn periodic table like the back of my hand.
"Jack's trying to watch her language around the kids," the Alliance woman Kaley Sanders informed Joker, when he had finally recomposed himself.
"What has she got, a swear jar or something? Shit, I bet you could build a new Normandy with that thing."
Jack's students all looked to her, to see how she would respond. She smiled.
"Cover your ears kids...Hey, Joker..."
Samantha's eyes widened as a burst of profanity blasted over the comms then. Despite her fretting over the Commander, she managed a little giggle herself this time. Wow, kitty's got claws alright! Glad to hear someone give Joker a taste of his own medicine for once, Samantha listened closer for any more word on Shepard's condition when the Jack woman was finished with her insults, but no one mentioned it. Damn it, why aren't they more worried? I'm going out of my mind here! As she watched outlines of the shuttle's passengers disembark in the Normandy's bay and take the elevator up to the Crew Deck, she contemplated rushing down to Dr Chakwas' office right away to lend a hand. No, I can't do that. I'll look like a complete idiot, won't I? Wondering what the protocol was when your Commanding Officer was injured aboard a frigate, Traynor grabbed either end of her workstation tightly, her brow furrowed. Don't we get to crowd around her sick-bed? Fuss over her like she'd do with anyone of us? Like she did for Kaidan?
Hearing the elevator open behind her after a few minutes of indecision, Samantha spun around, seeing Sanders, Jack, Garrus and Vega emerge, laughing quietly still.
"...Hell, you'd think she'd be used to taking in the ass by now," Jack was saying. Sanders rolled her eyes as the others chuckled. Garrus gave Traynor a friendly pat on shoulder as he passed, leading the other two woman up towards the cockpit. Before Vega could follow, Sam grabbed his arm and dragged him to the side.
"Hey, what happened down there? Is Commander Shepard alright?"
To her surprise, the Lieutenant sniggered. "She's fine, Traynor. Don't worry about it. It's nothing serious."
"What happened?" Samantha asked, her eyes wide with concern. "Do you think Dr Chakwas needs any help? Maybe I should go down and see her. Oh, balls this is all my fault, Vega. It was my Intel she was using."
"Hey, hey, relax," James soothed, rubbing her arms, "This is war, Specialist. People get injured. There's nothing you can do. You did your job perfectly. We had a head-start on Cerberus for the most part thanks to you, and the mission was a success. That's the most important thing."
"Crap, I know I'm just...not used to all this," Samantha admitted, "I used to work in a lab, remember? And here I've been, worrying about a bloody toothbrush all day."
Vega smiled. "I know. You're a nerd, I get it."
Traynor punched the Marine in the ribs, chuckling then. She sucked her knuckles, knowing it hurt her more than him.
"Bastard, I bet you were one of the cool kids."
Vega laughed loudly. "What do you mean 'were'? I've still got it, chica. Check..Me..Out!"
Samantha rolled her eyes as he flexed his impressive muscles in her face. "Yes, yes, you've still got it," she mocked, wrinkling her nose at the smell of his pits. "Your bloody stinking though. You need a shower. So Shep's alright? You're sure?"
"Positive," Vega smiled, sniffing his own pits and seeing her point. "It's not that we're not concerned, it's just...the location of the injury warranted some laughs. She was even joking about it herself before she passed out."
Traynor frowned. "What do you mean?"
Vega chuckled a little once more. "Go see for yourself if you really want. Liara's down in the Med-bay with her now, but the Commander doesn't seem too happy about it."
"Oh..." Traynor replied, taken aback a little. Liara? I thought Shepard and Dr T'Soni were keeping their distance from one another after last night. "I...I'll maybe go a bit later then, leave them to it."
Vega gave her a look, clearly oblivious to any goings on between the Asari and their Commander. "Alright, have it your way. Catch you later, man."
Samantha smiled as he winked at her and walked off to join the others at the front of the ship. Soothed a little by his reassurance, Traynor turned back to her work and tried to busy herself again, keeping thoughts of Shepard to the back of her mind. Vega's right. This is war. People get hurt. Oh Lord, I didn't think it would be this difficult to sit on the ship as everyone else runs off into danger though, upon my Intel of all things. Her thought's then fell on Liara, wondering why the Asari had chosen to stay with Shepard, despite her protests. Hadn't she asked her for some time apart only last night? A slithering feeling of jealousy erupted inside Samantha then, one that she had never felt before. She had never been the jealous type. Her geekiness tended to take over, and anytime she felt anything of the sort, she would bury herself in a book. Besides, I have no right to be jealous. Liara and Shepard clearly have a history together. Painful or not, it's none of my business. Pulling herself together, Samantha opened a file on Quantum Mechanics and began to read, hoping it would distract her as much as it had done in the past.
Nervous, though wondering why exactly, Specialist Traynor knocked on the door to Dr Chakwas' Med-bay a few hours later. Hearing no reponse, she then walked inside uninvited. Commander Shepard was lying on a bed in the corner, sound asleep by the looks of things. Samantha smiled. She had never seen the woman look so peaceful. Shepard looked ten years younger, as though the events of last night were just a horrible dream. Maybe she really did just need a good night's kip, Traynor thought to herself, remembering Shepard's face after her and Liara's argument the night before. Taking a deep breath, Samantha walked over to the Commander's bed and placed a vial of water down on the table beside it, along with some food from the Normandy's kitchen. Trying not to wake her, she then turned and began to make her way towards the door.
"Traynor?"
Sam spun around. She smiled before she could stop herself. "Commander," she said, saluting her. "You're awake?"
Shepard smiled back, still looking rather drowsy. "I am now," she joked.
Traynor cringed. "Oh...Sorry, I...I just thought you might need some company." Shepard laughed quietly and tried to straighten up to greet her properly. "Oh, don't! Please, let me!" Samantha said worriedly, speeding back to her and coming to her aid. The Commander grimaced and allowed Traynor to ease her back against the medical bed's holdings, watching as she settled into a sitting position. She exhaled with ragged breath, holding the right side of her ribcage and then finally opened her eyes as the pain evened itself out. Samantha's face was lined with concern. "Are you alright, Ma'am?"
Shepard smiled her familiar mischievous smile once more. "I'm great," she joked, "Didn't you hear I took one in the butt?"
"I...What!?" Traynor blurted out. Shepard chuckled as best she could against the strain in her chest.
"You mean no one told you?" she asked in disbelief, "I got shot in the ass, Traynor...I also got one in the side but for some reason everyone chose to focus on my ass."
Samantha laughed. "Can't say I blame them," she replied, before she could stop herself.
Oh my God, did I really just say that!?
To her immense relief, Commander Shepard smiled. "Specialist Traynor..." she said seductively, eyeing her thoughtfully, "...Are you flirting with me?"
Samantha was mortified. "I...No! A-absolutely not, no! I..."
Hearing her stumble over her words, Commander Shepard started laughing. Sam sighed, bring a hand to her face. Christ Almighty, am I ever going to realise when she's winding me up? "Sorry," she mumbled, feeling her face burn. "That was a joke."
"Don't worry about it. Take a seat," Shepard replied kindly. "What's up?"
"I guess I just thought I'd check up on you," Traynor replied, turning busnesslike all of a sudden, "It was my Intel you based this mission on after all. I just...God, I just feel so guilty seeing you like this."
"Hey," Shepard soothed, her tone changing instantly. She patted Samantha on the arm, staring deep into her eyes. Samantha's head dropped. "You did great, Traynor. Don't start second guessing yourself now. We need you at your best. You're our first line of offence. Trust your skills and initial instincts, and then the only thing you can blame is bad luck."
"I...suppose you're right," Traynor replied, pulling herself together, "I suppose it was bad luck that got you shot in the behind then?"
Shepard chuckled, glad to see she was making jokes.
"Uh, not really. That was my fault. I was getting a bit too cocky. Did a forward roll and a bullet skimmed my ass cheek. You should see the wound though, it's great! Looks like a Goddamn smiley face," she said excitedly, her eyes lighting up. Sam had to laugh. Christ, she's like a kid on Christmas! Only someone as insane as Commander Shepard would be excited about adding to her scar collection.
"Well, I'll leave you be to recover. Shouldn't you be resting, Ma'am?" Traynor asked, "I don't want to intrude."
Shepard rolled her eyes.
"Shit, you sound like Chakwas," she groaned, "She pestered me with sleeping pills but they still have no effect on my system. I eventually gave into Liara and allowed her to..."
Shepard's voice trailed off immediately as though she realised she didn't want to talk about that particular subject with anyone. Samantha sat down on the stool beside her bed finally, knowing what the Commander had been about to say. So Liara Melded with her again to help her sleep. For some reason this bothered Samantha a little more than it should have. Even if she hadn't heard the argument between the Asari and Shepard last night, the look on the Commander's face proved that Melding with her ex was a very painful thing to do. Samantha couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for her. I don't think I would like to expose every pick of my being to Elena after everything we've been through together, just to fall asleep alone.
"Would you...like me to leave?" Traynor asked then, feeling rather awkward all of a sudden. Shepard's face changed instantly, much like it had last night when she noticed Traynor in the kitchen.
"No, please don't," she replied, almost sounding like she was begging, "I'm bored shitless in here. Do you think you could rustle me up a drink instead? Minus the Turian poison?"
Samantha laughed. "Sorry," she replied, getting to her feet and checking the bleeping monitor that was attached to the Commander's chest. "I don't think alcohol would be a good shout when you're already high on a cocktail of dihydrocodeine, tranexamic acid and Medi-gel."
"Dihydrocodeine?" Shepard repeated, raising an eyebrow, "Fuck me, what happened to good old-fashioned codeine?"
"Well, my guess is Dr Chakwas chose it as it's part-synthetic, just like you are," Traynor informed her, wearing her concentration face as she began checking the Doctor's notes in another tab on the monitor, "It's perfect for your...uh...condition. The codeine however will thin your blood too much, relieving you of great amounts of pain, but not allowing your bullet wounds to clot, even with Medi-gel. My guess is that's why she's administered the tranexamic acid to counteract it. That's what I'd do." Feeling the Commander's eyes on her then, Samantha looked up. Shepard was watching her closely, a slight smirk on her face. "What?" Traynor asked gently, feeling rather self-conscious. Her cheeks burned under Shepard's gaze.
I'm blushing? God, I'm actually blushing.
"Nothing..." Shepard replied, shaking her head, "You're... such a geek."
"Hey!" Traynor replied, slightly-offended. Shepard chuckled then.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly, shaking her head once more, "I... meant that in a good way. It's cute...Ugh, I think all this medication is making me babble."
Samantha's expression relaxed then. She was rather flattered. Cute? "Uhm...thanks, I suppose."
Shepard grinned. "Anytime," she said, winking, "So, Doctor Traynor, any chance you can examine my wounds?"
Traynor laughed. "I'm not a Doctor really. I just know quite a bit about chemicals...but I can play Doctor if you wish?"
The Commander laughed, seemingly enjoying the playful responses she was getting. "I'm actually being serious," she grunted then, grimacing slightly. "I'm burning up."
Her face turned paler than usual and all of a sudden the monitors on the screen started to protest, bleeping loudly.
"OH, bollocks!" Traynor replied, feeling embarrassed at having joked. I thought she was bloody kidding! Commander Shepard slumped forwards in the bed, her eyes fluttering. "Oh come on, Shep. Stay with me...What do I do?"
Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the monitor before her and began to scan Dr Chakwas' notes, seeing what would be the best course of action. Shepard's synthetic heart-rate was climbing. Suddenly Dr Chakwas came bustling into the infirmary.
"What happened?" she demanded.
"I...I don't rightly know! She just fell unconscious!" Traynor replied, frantically. She watched the old woman lean over Shepard and slip her hands under her N7 shirt, feeling around for the wound.
"Specialist, can you get me some more Medi-gel from the cabinet above you?" Dr Chakwas asked, her tone calm and businesslike.
"Yes, Ma'am. Right away."
Traynor rushed back with it, holding the Medi-gel out with shaking hands. She held back Shepard's shirt as the Doctor ordered, allowing her to administer it to the raging burn-like mark on the Commander's left-side.
"There," Dr Chakwas breathed, relaxing then as Shepard's monitors began to return to normal after a few lengthy seconds. "Both bullets only grazed her. The one on her buttocks is healing fine, though I should have doubled the dosage earlier for this one. She wouldn't let me when Dr T'Soni was there, stubborn as she is."
"Is she going to be alright?" Samantha asked, her face lined with worry. Dr Chakwas chuckled.
"You're definitely showing your newness to the Normandy team, Traynor" she said, smiling kindly, "Shepard spends most of her time here in the med-bay after particularly stressing missions. Her body just doesn't heal naturally as much as it used to. She was dead after all. It's amazing she's even here with us...But the Lazarus Project came at a price."
Traynor sighed then. "Right..."
So that's why no one's making a big deal over her injuries. They must have seen this a thousand times over by now...Great, now I feel like a complete and utter idiot. Vega's never going to let me live this down. Dr Chakwas reached out and placed a hand on Samantha's shoulder.
"Don't worry, dear. I'm sure she appreciates the concern. If it were anyone else they wouldn't even be in my care now. It's just that Shepard's implants need constant attention. Her body is rejecting them you see, as a result of her actions."
"Rejecting them?" Traynor asked, her inner geek taking over then. She looked to where Dr Chakwas was pointing around the Commander's abdominal wound and saw the tiny cracks of glowing orange spreading from it, revealing the synthetic skeleton underneath. "Wow," she breathed, having never seen anything like it before. "Do you think it's painful?"
Dr Chakwas tittered quietly. "You can ask her when she comes around, but I doubt she'll give you a straight answer. Hayley's a tough girl. She's had a hard life."
"Hayley?" Samantha scoffed, unable to stop herself, "Quite a girly name for one so hard."
Dr Chakwas smiled. "Tell her that when she comes round again. I bet she'd rip off my monitors and walk out that door with her implants hanging out just to prove a point."
They both laughed.
"You're damn right I will."
Shepard had finally re-opened her eyes. The hazy, emerald orbs stared up at both Chakwas and Traynor, then that same cheeky grin spread across her face. Both women came to either side of her immediately and helped her up into a more comfortable position.
"Commander..." Samantha exhaled, glad to see she was alright.
"Sorry for giving you a heart-attack, Traynor," Shepard joked, "I'm fine now. Are you sticking around?"
"I..." Traynor looked to Dr Chakwas for permission.
"Stay if you want," she replied kindly, "Just don't let her talk you into cracking opening my Serrice Ice Brandy. She can be very charming when she wants to be."
Samantha giggled. "Yes, Ma'am. You have my word."
Dr Chakwas bid them goodnight and exited the Med-bay, the door swishing closed behind her. Traynor turned back to Shepard then, taking a seat beside her once more.
"So," she began awkwardly, grasping for a topic.
God, Samantha, think of something! You're normally better at this.
Shepard snorted. "Your bedtime manner is a little rusty, Traynor. Did you even bring me gift?"
Sam chuckled. "I brought you some water," she replied lamely.
"Wait, real water? Like, from a bottle? Oh, Specialist you shouldn't have!" Shepard joked, her voice heavy with sarcasm.
"God, you're so witty, Commander."
Shepard winked at her. "I try."
"There's food as well if you're hungry," Traynor replied, rolling her eyes. Shepard grinned and reached over, opening the glass vial and tipping its contents into her mouth. Seeing a thin drip of water stream down her chin and along her throat, Samantha swallowed hard. Oh, wow...Something about that is incredibly sexy. It was a while before she realised Shepard was staring at her.
"Is there...something wrong?" the Commander asked lightly, eyebrows raised as she followed Samantha's gaze to her own neckline.
"N-no," Samantha stammered, composing herself. Stop staring at her breasts! "I was just..." She cleared her throat. "You spilled a little... down your shirt."
Shepard looked down again, a hint of cleavage peeking out over the v-necked shirt she was wearing. It was shining with moisture. She wiped it away without another thought, not knowing Samantha was trying very hard to wrestling down her growing feelings towards her. The Commander then began to check the food Traynor had brought.
"Want some?" she asked, offering out a curried dish to her. Traynor cringed and backed away.
"No thanks, I'm allergic."
"To curry?" Shepard asked surprised. "I love curry."
"To a lot of things actually. Curry, dust...cats."
"Hey, relax, I wasn't asking you to eat pussy," Shepard blurted out.
Seeing the Commander cringe at herself then, Samantha burst out laughing. "Well, I'm glad to see it's not just me who can't keep my foot out of my mouth," she teased. Shepard chuckled.
"Apparently not. I'm worse, believe me...Anyway, what brings you down here to see me?" she asked interestedly, looking back up at Traynor again, trying to shift topics quickly, "Everyone else usually just takes bets on how long I'll last before I try to escape with the monitors still attached."
Samantha chuckled. "Hmm, I'd pay to see that," she teased, "I don't know, I guess I just wanted to see what a real bullet wound looked like. I hear you have a lot of them, trouble-magnet that you are."
Shepard laughed. "You've got a lot of balls, back-cheeking your Commanding Officer, Specialist."
Samantha backtracked at once. "Oh...I'm...Excuse me, Ma'am I—" Shepard's laughter interrupted her once more and she giggled a little herself then. God, she is so annoying. "You know, one of these days I'm going to get your sense of humour."
Shepard reached out and placed a heavily scarred hand over hers then. Traynor froze, surprised at the softness of her skin, despite its apparent roughness. What's happening here? she wondered, her breath catching in her throat.
"Sorry," the Commander said, stroking her hand comfortingly. Her eyes were warm, inviting almost. Samantha felt herself quiver. "I just can't resist teasing you. You're too easy."
I'm a different kind of easy right now I think.
She glanced down at Shepard's full, red lips, feeling her mouth water. Knowing she had to get out of there before she did something stupid, Samantha leapt to her feet like she'd been shocked, letting the Commander's hand fall. "I...I have to go. I forgot I was supposed to update the Drive Core with EDI," she lied, improvising a reason to escape. Shepard looked confused, and a little hurt too.
Balls, I'm walking out on her again, aren't I?
"Oh," the woman replied, taken aback by the abruptness of this announcement. "Er...will you come by later? I could sure use some company and it's only you and Liara off duty."
"I...Maybe," Samantha replied, feeling some kind of tension between them. Is it sexual tension? She slowly backed away from Shepard's bed then, accidentally knocking over a platter of medical tools behind her. "Crap!" she squeaked, hearing them clatter to the floor noisily. As quickly as she could she bent over to pick them up, then turned back to Shepard, her face burning again. The Commander was smiling once more, looking amused as she so often did by the awkwardness of Samantha's demeanour around her. She seemed to enjoy seeing her flustered.
"I'll hopefully see you later then, Specialist."
"Aye, aye, Ma'am...I'll...See you..."
Hoping to get out of the room before she made any more blunders, Samantha fought the urge to run, feeling Shepard's eyes on her. When the door to the infirmary closed, she lay back against it and exhaled, feeling her heart thump wildly in her chest. Oh God...All of a sudden her Omni-tool reactivated the door and it reopened. Traynor let out a little yelp as fell backwards into the Med-bay, landing on the ground rather ungraciously. Commander Shepard burst out laughing at once, as Samantha sprung to her feet, fixing her disheveled clothes.
"Ma'am!" she breathed, her eyes wide with surprise at what had just happened.
"Are you alright?" Shepard asked sympathetically, trying to hold back her laughter.
"Fine!" Samantha replied in a high-pitched voice, "Faulty door...Mechanism's gone...See you, Shep."
She rushed out as fast as she could, hearing Shepard's continued laughter follow her all the way to the elevator. When she had rounded the corner and was sure she was out of the Commander's view, Traynor sunk on to the wall and covered her face in her hands. She punched the elevator button with her hands and waited for it to arrive, silently berating herself over and over for yet again, making a fool out of herself in front of someone she had a crush on. Falling on my ass? Check! Flirting with a VI? Check! Standing her up? Check! Almost poisoning her?...Good Lord, I...am...hopeless.
As the elevator binged beside her, Samantha crawled inside, pressing the button to the Shuttle Bay and figuring she might as well pay James a visit. He was very good with distractions, and after that last embarrassing scene with Commander Shepard, a distraction was exactly just what she needed to regain a bit of her dignity.
