Shepard was not where she wanted to be; the slight shaking and small fevers were persistent throughout her sleep. She wanted to fight waking up, ignore the withdrawal symptoms, and just let herself rest for once.
Her eyes finally flickered open when she realized she wasn't going to get what she wanted. This time she wasn't the only the patient taking up the med-bay. Garrus sat at the edge of the bed to the left of her; his bandages were off exposing the twists of cybernetics and unhealed plates of his face.
He wasn't kidding when he said his face was barely being held together. Shepard let out a little whistle just over being impressed that he'd been walking around like that.
His unharmed mandible flicked out in the surprise of her waking.
Could that be considered offensive in turian cultures?
"Sorry," Shepard said while wiping the sweat from her brow. "I just wasn't expecting your face to be as messed up as it is."
Smooth. Great recovery.
"Thanks, I think?" His voice was a bit quieter than usual; it probably hurt to talk without the bandages.
"Your welcome," she quipped as she struggled to rise from the bed. She lightly grunted as she sat up and held her knees to keep herself upright.
While trying to get past her dumb remarks, she kept talking and rambling. "We're going to be heading to Tuchanka soon so maybe you'll get some use out of those scars? Lots of Krogan women." She wiggled her eyebrows up and down with a large smirk on her face.
She got a small laugh from that one. She continued, as she was feeling more normal and glad that he was here.
"So when are you going to you know slap some face paint on there anyway?" She pointed to her face and mimicked the path of his markings.
"First off the markings aren't paint; they are a tattoo. So I'm going to have to wait until the scars heal," Garrus said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Yeah good idea, it hurts like a bitch if you tattoo over a wound," Shepard said as she rubbed her left shoulder.
"You would know? Actually I shouldn't be surprised that you would."
Shepard smirked; he had probably seen the tattoo on her shoulder back on the old Normandy. Although the red had faded to orange then and had been poorly done since its creation. She was glad that didn't survive the rebuild as well.
"Yeah, back when I was still with the Reds. On one of my first…" She paused, wanting to phrase it right.
It was weird to think of the two different lives they had come from. She was an orphan and former criminal and him an "officer's son" as he put it and former C-Sec himself.
Weirder then the whole interspecies relationship? Probably not but still, Shepard thought it was a little funny. Especially funny as she considered all the second-hand xenophobia she grew up around.
"…missions," she finished.
"Uh huh." He said in joking disapproval.
"Anyway, I got stabbed in my left shoulder, I guess the idiot was aiming for my heart? It doesn't matter; I got away and the Reds wanted to get me a tattoo as a sort of gift of taking one for the gang. I thought it would be so badass to get it over where I was stabbed. But I didn't wait for it to heal…and yeah. Where was I going with this? Or right, that's why you need to wait, or it's going to hurt like a bitch."
Fuck, she was blabbering; this is why she didn't like talking about her time with the Reds. It made her sound idiotic.
"Your childhood sounds so charming," he said with a chuckle.
"It was what it was," Shepard shrugged, cursing herself as her shoulders ached from the movement.
"You alright? How are you feeling anyway?" Garrus asked as he turned fully to look over at her.
"Wonderful, that's why I'm still here and strapped to all this shit." Her hands motioned over the great amount of tubing and cuffs that encompassed her.
"Yeah, it definitely not fun being stuck in here, or waking up in here for that matter."
She wanted to make a bad attempt at flirting, where would be a fun place to wake up from then? But the thought of what that must have been like for him, to wake up there, to have that same looming ceiling over his head, after Omega, stopped her.
Chakwas had kicked her out of the med-bay during his surgery and activated the blinders to keep Shepard from bothering her. She stalked over the whole Normandy until she had bothered every crew trying to be productive. She left, unattended to Omega. Where she could walk and walk until the surgery was done.
She had thought about going back to his now cleared base, to help with those ten carefully covered bodies. She didn't though. Wouldn't that be something he would want to see to that? Because he would once he woke up. Because he was going to make it, she had to keep telling herself that then.
"Shepard?" Garrus concern snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Sorry, yeah no fun at all. Hopefully, I'll walk out of here better than you did."
"Well, I was up and out of here in no time. So I got that over you. You sure you're not just getting lazy?" The concern was now gone in his voice and he was back to jokily self-assured manner. He was out of the med-bay within two days and there she was on day two still strapped to the metal slab and only allowed to walk for 10 minutes intervals at a time.
"I'm just using this as a chance to get my beauty rest." She smiled again as she flaunted her hands around her scarred face. "You could use some of that yourself Vakarian."
Chakwas interrupted them, laying down a plethora of medical supplies on the tray next Garrus. At least she was going to allow her to watch this procedure, not that Chakwas had a choice. The doctor checked the healing process of his scars, scrapping at the areas that had healed over too quickly.
The wound traveled down his neck. He wore an odd shirt to allow Chakwas to get to the entire wound. It was the first time she had seen him in well anything that wasn't the clunky banged up armor. Hopefully, it wouldn't be the last. She smiled and felt her face heat up at the thought. She really shouldn't having been using a medical procedure as a chance to check him out.
He caught her watching only to cause her face to heat up even more. God, she really hoped he didn't know what blushing was. His left mandible flared into that cocky grin that she was beginning to recognize and loved seeing.
After Chakwas had finished bandaging Garrus, Shepard called out to her. "Can I please eat? I haven't had anything for a while, and I'm getting real tired of this drip stuff," Shepard said while pointing to her IV.
Even with the constant nausea Shepard was starving. But she couldn't hold anything solid down. She hated these withdrawal symptoms or whatever they were, they lasted much longer than the Red Sand's even did.
"Only liquids for now Commander," Chakwas said sternly.
"Oh come on, please." She dipped her voice to a soft sweetness, trying to add to the pleading.
"No."
"How about coffee?" She jokily battered her eyes at the doctor.
"Fine," Chakwas sighed as she watched Shepard carefully.
Shepard began to quickly and eagerly stripped off the cuff and move out of the bed. The eagerness was stopped short as the stabbing pain in her back and legs.
"Damn, never mind." She growled under her breath and slumped back into bed.
"What was that? Reminds me of something you said early. 'Whiny baby' as you put it?" Garrus quoted at her.
Shepard glared at him, dropping her head to hide her smirk to not give him more encouragement with the mocking. She liked it better that way, it was easier to play off and joke without the constant worrying or watching.
"Shut up, be useful and go get me some coffee from Gardener," she jokingly sneered while she weakly tossed her arm in his direction.
He narrowed his eyes and returned her glare.
"Please," she caved.
Garrus flicked his good mandible at her; in a way that she thinks is the Turian equivalent of a smile. "Definitely."
"Thank you," she said with a beaming smile as he left the med-bay.
Over the week of her recovery, Shepard was trapped in the med-bay under Chakwas' watch.
The crew came and visited her to check to see how she was doing. She lied, saying she was fine as it was easier then trying to explain that she wanted nothing more than to get her hands on some Red Sand or Minagen, even if it was deadly. Luckily they left Illium, even if she couldn't be useful they could continue to scan for minerals.
Out of all of her visitors, Garrus stopped by the most. It helped keep her sane and her thoughts away from Red Sand. It became a little routine that she looked forward to throughout the day. Eating their meals together as Chakwas check on them both over. With Chakwas, it was like having a supervisor, which made it easier to talk as friends without the awkwardness on talking about blowing off steam or research.
Although Shepard missed the talks, which made him stick his foot in his mouth. She was definitely never going to let him off the hook for the "popping the heatsink." Watching him squirm when she slipped the phrase into conversation nearly had her on the floor in laughter.
The time had finally come, she was more or less physically healed; her muscles back to normal from the new microfiber weave upgrades that Chakwas insisted on. She didn't want to think of all the scanning for palladium she was going to have to do to make up for that. She was freshly showered and had just finished her coffee and breakfast with Garrus.
"Commander I still need to do one more test on your upgrades before I can clear you for duty," Chakwas said.
"I'm fine, I could get up right now and do a little dance for you two." Shepard kicked her feet out and jumped off the bed with no stabbing pains.
Garrus coughed and interjected at her statement as he finished his meal.
"That's not going to help your point; dancing and driving were never your strongest skills."
Shepard turned to him as she stuck the landing and tried to stare daggers at him. "I'll have you know I have been dancing and driving since I was a child, and I have always been a marvelous driver." She left out dancing as one of her marvelous talents as movement and rhythm seem to elude her throughout her life. Even her brother said she had two left feet.
"Explain the Mako then," Garrus said almost as if he was waiting to throw her poor handling of the vehicle back at her.
Shepard grinned and shrugged. "Well, I had to give you something to do back on the SR-1."
"You think you're so funny."
"I am funny." She retorted back.
"Amusing maybe, but funny? Nah," Garrus said without missing a beat.
A small, purposeful cough came from Chakwas. They both directed their attention to the doctor.
"May I continue?" She stated with a frown.
"Yes, sorry," Shepard said and smirked back at Garrus. "Don't think this argument is over Vakarian."
Garrus ducked out. "Of course not. You two talk should talk this over on your own. I'll be in the main battery if you need me."
Shepard called out as he began to walk out the med-bay. "Have fun with your calibrations," and turned back to Chakwas.
She tried to look annoyed at Shepard, but a small grin escaped from the stern frown.
"What?" Shepard asked.
"Oh nothing," Chakwas sighed and continued with her check up. "Now back to what I was saying…"
The constant fevers and urges to vomit had subsisted for Shepard. The shaking in her hands, however, was still very present. But Shepard kept herself steady when watched by Chakwas. Her hands remained stiff and clenched to her side as Chakwas scanned her upgrades for the last, with what seemed like hundredth times.
Chakwas looked her over, focusing on the scars that deeply lined her face.
"I know, I know," Shepard said trying to avoid the lecture. "I need get rid of that aggression and get a positive outlook to keep my face together." She rolled her eyes as she spoke but was careful to remain less animated as she usually talked with her hands. Bringing attention to them wouldn't help.
"Don't worry once I get back out in the field I'll be having plenty of that nice cheery attitude," Shepard said with her hands tied behind her back. She smirked at the doctor and cocked hip out almost to say see, positive attitude.
"I wouldn't expect anything less," Chakwas said as she played along. "Of course we can always get that dermal regeneration equipment. It can also be set to be used for Dextro DNA so Garrus could use it as well."
"Not until after we get to Tuchanka, I still need to see those scars of his in action."
Chakwas gave her a stern look.
"Okay fine, I'll talk it over with him. Although I think with the cost of that equipment he'd rather just get a second Thanix Cannon."
"And in the meantime what are you going to do about your scars?" Chakwas said as she questioned Shepard like a teacher.
"Until then I'll just have to keep at it with the shiny outlooks and what not. You know I did pick up a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy, I'll bring it over some time and we can have a drink. That could sure help."
"You still haven't been cleared yet and already getting ready to drink?" Chakwas smiled and she waved the omni-tool over Shepard.
"You know after I get some actually work done and you've had enough time away from me after being such a hellish patient," Shepard said with a grin.
"Well, I sure have endured over these past week," her omni-tool pinged with the resulting scans of her upgrades. "Alright, everything seems to be in order. You are cleared to go."
Without another word Shepard quickly made her way towards the med-bay doors, she didn't need give the doctor more reason to keep her there. The appearance of EDI's blue orb stopped her in her tracks.
"Shepard, The Illusive Man wishes to speak with you in the briefing room."
Shepard sighed, barely cleared for duty and he already wanted to bug her.
"Tell him I'll be there in shortly, I still need to check up on the rest of the crew, let them know I'm not trapped in the med-bay." Shepard turned back to Chakwas and was met with a look of concern.
"Already back to the grind," Shepard winked at Chakwas as she walked out of the med-bay, ignoring the concerned doctor and feeling almost like her old self.
"Be careful Commander, I don't want you back in here!"
"Yeah, yeah. Not without the drinks at least right?" Shepard waved behind her as she strolled out.