OK, so I have no real excuse. I mean, new school, stressful AP classes, moving families, yeah. It's been a while.

Keith's POV

I heard Lance chuckling under his breath at my retort, but it was true. Pain-wise, I am not having a great time. I felt the pressure of his hands on my head move down to my neck and was surprised to find that it hurt. I don't recall anything that would result in bruises on my neck, though I was unconscious for a while. Anything could have happened during that time.

Lance's hands continued their journey from my neck to my shoulders. The white-hot burst of pain when he toughed my right shoulder was less of a surprise. Lance pulled back at my hiss of pain. Peering at the wound, he asked "Do you remember what happened here?" "Kind of fuzzy?" I mumbled "'m pretty sure that was one of the times that he stabbed me." The stabbing pain was in a way helpful in that it cleared some of the clouds from my mind. I was feeling a bit less disoriented than when I first woke. "Looks like it. I think it might also be dislocated. How long?" Lance murmured in response. "Two or three days, maybe?" He grimaced. "Probably already started healing then. I'll let a real doctor handle that. I don't want to make it worse."

He continued his examination, hands ghosting carefully over broken ribs and bruised muscle, only pausing to ask about injuries, or tell jokes, whatever it took to keep me awake. Despite the brief clarity and his efforts, I could feel myself slowly drifting. On one hand, the pain faded a bit, but I knew the dangers of sleep with a head injury, which considering the pain, was there. At least, that is what I was trying to convince my body. Come on, Kogane. Mind over matter. A fruitless sentiment as the painless dark soon overtook my vision.

Lance's POV

I watch as Keith's eyes flutter shut just as Hunk stumbles through the doorway. He takes in the scene; from Lotor still chained, bleeding, to the wall, to the Princess and I kneeling by Keith's still form. Eyeing Lotor, he makes his way across the stained stony surface to crouch beside us. "I got your transmission Princess," he says, uncharacteristically soft ", What's priority?".

It was then that the circumstance dawned on me. We had originally planned to get in, get Keith, and get out. We didn't have room to transport both Keith and a prisoner. If we let Lotor go, there was no telling if we'd ever get the opportunity to bring him in again. If we waited for Coran to bring a second shuttle, not only would we put Keith in further danger, but we'd also probably catch the attention of the other guards. Almost immediately I had made the decision. "Keith is," I said firmly, "Send a message to Coran. Have him get the med bay ready, and a team waiting to take him when we land. Did you bring a stretcher?"

As he began to get the collapsible stretcher ready, I eyed Lotor. His clothes were drenched in blood from his shoulder, but I knew the wound wouldn't kill him. Despite his scraggly appearance, his focus was still on Keith, hatred burning from yellow eyes. I knew that this wouldn't deter him. Lotor wouldn't stop until the ground Arus of ran red with blood.

Still sorry about that wait! Have a wonderful day.