Sorry this one took so long! I got distracted by ME2... Please read and let me know your thoughts!

Chapter 4 - Med Bay

Ow.

OW. Shepard whimpered. The last time her body ached like this was when some asshole back at basic convinced her she could 'phase straight through solid objects' if she used a biotic charge.

What the hell? Where am I?

"Doctor? Doctor Chakwas? I think she's waking up."

Shepard jerked and sat up. The sudden movement made the room start spinning, and she held her head in her hands. It took a few seconds for her eyes to focus, but when Shepard realized she was in the med bay, she reflexively patted herself down, checking for injuries. Slowly, the memories from Eden Prime returned.

"You had us worried there, Shepard," Chakwas said as she handed the Commander a glass of water, "how are you feeling?"

"Like the morning after shore leave," Shepard groaned, "but a few painkillers should get me up to speed. I need to go back out there and get Jenkins and Nihlus, and then there's the science team…"

"Commander," Chakwas put a hand on her shoulder, "Lieutenant Alenko has already seen to that. You've been out for almost fifteen hours. Something happened down there with the beacon, I think." Shepard stared at the doctor, dumbfounded.

For Kaidan, they were fifteen terrible hours in which he mentally kicked himself for his technical curiosity. He didn't feel any less guilty now than when the beacon first exploded.

"It's my fault," Kaidan rambled, "I must have triggered some kind of security field when I approached it. You had to push me out of the way. The beacon exploded…"

"Lieutenant…" Shepard tried to interrupt.

"… some kind of system overload, maybe. I should have seen it coming with that green glow, but it was too late. The blast knocked you cold. Williams and I had to carry you back here to the ship, and…"

"Lieutenant!" The voice was stern, and Kaidan expected a tongue-lashing; instead, the Commander looked at him with sympathetic eyes. "It's not your fault. You had no way to know what would happen," she said as she reached out to shake his hand, "thank you for bringing me back."

Kaidan managed to maintain professional, giving her a nod and a smile; inside, however, he could have sworn he felt his heart skip a beat. A shimmer of biotic static coursed through him when he took her hand, and Kaidan began hoping that if he ever got the chance to hold her in his arms again, it would be under different circumstances.

As if on cue, Captain Anderson entered the med bay as soon as Kaidan's mind began to wander, snapping the Lieutenant back to the real world. Before he knew it, both he and Doctor Chakwas had relocated to the mess hall while the Captain and the Commander spoke in private.

"Relax, Lieutenant," the Doctor spoke in her usual motherly voice as she handed Kaidan a cup of coffee. "The Commander is alright, and I don't think our cups are going to explode; I'd say this day is getting better by the minute."

Kaidan thanked her for the coffee, but his mind loitered back to thoughts of Shepard, of how warm she felt when he held her close. Stop that, Kaidan, she's your commanding officer. He coughed uncomfortably.

"So the Commander is awake now?" Ashley asked as she approached the dining table. "I'm sure everyone will be glad to hear that."

Kaidan narrowed his eyes and glance over at Gunnery Chief. Did I just hear sarcasm in her voice? Kaidan decided to let it slide; Shepard didn't really need him defending her anyway.

Shepard and Anderson talked briefly about Jenkins' death, Williams' assignment, the mess on Eden Prime, and even her health. She told the Captain that she was feeling fine, but in truth, she still felt a little dazed and was glad she could lean on the bed for support. She told him about the vision she saw before the beacon exploded and omitted the dream she had of the Lieutenant holding her in his arms, eyes full of emotion. The thought alone made her feel unprofessional and uncomfortable.

"You said you wanted to speak to me in private?" Shepard asked in order to divert the conversation.

Captain Anderson paced around the med bay, then finally braced himself on Chakwas' table and sighed.

"I won't lie to you, Shepard," he said, sounding disappointed, "things look bad."

The Captain then proceeded to blindside Shepard, telling her about Saren, the rogue Spectre, and Shepard's own Spectre candidacy, now exceedingly tenuous because of Eden Prime. Shepard was adrift in a sea of emotions: honored that she was considered, upset that she failed, and even betrayed that Anderson hadn't informed her sooner.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Although she'd only spent a few weeks under his command, Shepard already saw the Captain as a mentor.

Captain Anderson rubbed his temples. "It was on a need to know basis. I wanted to let you know when I was briefing you about the beacon, but the distress signal cut that meeting short."

Shepard nodded. It was on a need to know basis, and you didn't need to know. "So what happens now?"

The Captain paused for a moment before straightening up. The defeat and disappointment that seemed to surround him before was gone in a heartbeat.

"Now, we head for the Citadel."