Okay, I know this chapter is a bit longer than usual, but there was no way I could cut it in the middle without making it awkward, sorry!
The story is now taking a big turn, major revelations about Willis' past and all, but much more is coming, so stay tuned!
Thanks a lot to the new followers and those who review this story regularly, it's really appreciated!
Chapter 7
'Huh, Chakwas, I think she wants to throw up,' Shepard said, feeling her body contorting under her.
'God,' the doctor muttered, still occupied with the second wound. 'Okay, you're going to do this quickly, Shepard. Take off the mask, turn her head on the side and push your fingers in her mouth.'
'What? This is…'
'Shepard, just do what I tell you to do for God's sake!' Chakwas blurted out angrily. 'You've almost killed her, that's the least you can do! Vomiting is very dangerous for her right now, it's going to weaken her, and the stomach contractions might very well make that last wound much worse than it already is, and the longer you wait, the more threatening the contractions are. Just put your goddamned pride on the shelf and do it!'
Shepard swallowed hard, realizing this had to be the first time she heard Chakwas sound so angry with her. She shook her head, and with trembling hands she lifted the mask away from Willis' face, then turned her head on the side with a gentle move. She locked her neck in a firm grip, then pushed two fingers down her mouth until she hit the back of her throat. She felt her whole body convulse under her and a series of cough escaped her lips, her fingers now clutching Shepard's calves forcefully. The Commander repeated the operation and finally, Willis emptied the contents of her stomach while Shepard looked away and was quick to wipe her fingers on her shirt, positively disgusted.
'Has she vomited blood?' Chakwas asked, doing her best to control the sudden flow of blood oozing from the wound closest to the stomach.
'Because you want me to analyze her puke too?' Shepard grunted against herself, doing her best to ignore the rancid smell invading her nostril.
'Okay, this is it, Shepard,' the doctor gave up with an angry growl. 'Get out of here. Dewitt?'
'There is, doctor,' the officer informed her with a nod as the Commander walked away with a scowl. 'Not much, though.'
'Not much is bad enough. Thank you, now please exchange places with Reno.'
Chakwas sighed and got back to work, finally taking care of the last wound. Willis stopped struggling, her head lulling around weakly, her fingers somehow managing to find the doctor's wrist. Her face had returned to a pale grey, wet strand of hair stuck randomly on her cheeks and forehead, her blue eyes filled with tears that threatened to fall at anytime. The blood that had dried in the cuts on her brow and cheekbones had spread around because of the sweat, the pillow was stained with red because of her bleeding ears, the condensation in the mask had turned scarlet because of her bleeding nose. Chakwas gave her a compassionate look with a gentle pat on the shoulder to try and reassure her, then focused back on the task at hand.
'It hurts,' Willis let out in strained sobs, closing her eyes forcefully, a cascade of tears finally rolling down her cheeks. 'Usually… I… Hurts… So much.'
'I know, Admiral,' Chakwas answered softly, pressing a set of compress to absorb the blood. 'It's almost over, less than a minute. It's going to be okay, I promise. Just stay with me for a while longer.'
Willis slowly nodded her head, biting her lips tightly to try and suppress the sobs rising in her throat, though the doctor could still hear high-pitched complaints and sniffles filter through the mask. Chakwas tried to ignore how bad she felt for the Admiral, and at the same time how angry she felt toward Shepard. She really appreciated the Commander, and had even come to consider her as one of her closest friend. But the reaction she'd had was just horribly wrong, and that was a brand new side of her she wished she'd never witnessed. The Admiral had done nothing to deserve this, and if it was anyone's fault, it was Shepard's, whether she liked to admit or not. Disobeying orders and shooting an Admiral was one thing, but not even trying to help her when her life was hanging in the balance was another. Chakwas wondered what could have led the Commander to behave like that. She hoped it wasn't because of Willis' reputation, or because she thought herself superiors to others given her recent exploits on the Citadel. She shook her head as she cauterized the last inch of bleeding flesh, making sure every vessel was sealed and that the wounds weren't bleeding anymore. Once satisfied, she washed her abdomen with a humid cloth and attached clean compresses where needed.
'Let's move her into Liara's room until I clean this mess up,' Chakwas sighed, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. 'Reno, get some help, please.'
'Sure thing, doc,' the young officer saluted before disappearing in the mess hall.
He came back a minute later with three strong-looking men, and they carefully lifted her body. Dewitt, who was still attached to her via the transfusion tube, followed them, while Chakwas strutted behind with the whole oxygen machinery. She put the equipment on the bedside table as Dewitt sat in an armchair, and Reno laid Willis down gently on the bed with the help of the others. Chakwas fetched a basin full of hot water and a sponge, and asked Dewitt to look away as she removed the Admiral's pants. She washed her legs, her hands and her face rapidly, the water turning red just after a few dips of the sponge, then dried her with a clean cloth. She tucked her in a comfortable and warm comforter and made sure the oxygen mask was tightly attached and the IV was working.
'Alright,' Chakwas breathed, suddenly feeling tired. 'Dewitt, whenever you start feeling weak, call me.
'I will,' he nodded, leaning back in the armchair. 'Do you think she's going to be okay?'
'For Shepard's sake, I hope so.'
She shook her head with a sigh, then headed back to the med bay, sighing even louder when she realized how much work she still had to do. She shrugged a little, thinking that could wait a bit, until she had a glass of water and an energy bar, at least.
In the meantime, Liara had reached the little gunship docked at bay E-47, worrying about what was happening in the Normandy while she was arguing vehemently with a C-Sec agent who didn't trust her to be Alliance, but who finally let her board the ship after he made sure her ID was valid. Once she stepped foot in the airlock, a small drone appeared, floating around her in rapid circles.
'Asari, but not Shora,' it announced with a typical electronic voice. 'Too old to be Elya, too young to be Vilmaena. Who are you, Asari?'
'Liara T'Soni, Alliance, ID 4295-68,' Liara said rapidly, knowing she had to get back to the Normandy as soon as possible, and that she didn't have the time to converse with a VI.
'Loading data,' the drone informed her, spinning around. 'Identification confirmed. What is the purpose of your visit, Dr. T'Soni?'
'I need Medigel, it's urgent, please,' the Asari almost begged, cursing all those damned virtual intelligences who obviously didn't understand the meaning of 'urgent'.
'Medigel can be found in many shops on the Citadel, your purpose is not valid.'
'By the Goddess, I need Willis' Medigel because it's special, stupid drone!', Liara exclaimed, feeling the irrepressible desire to slap her forehead. 'I do not intend to use it for myself, Willis is injured and I need this Medigel to help her.'
'That is a valid purpose,' Snack acknowledged, eventually granting her access. 'You will find what you are looking for on your right. Due to the size of this ship, it does not have a med bay, but medical supplies can be found next to the desk in the office. Enjoy your stay.'
The drone disappeared and Liara was finally able to enter the small ship, and realized how huge the Normandy was compared to this flying shoebox. Right on the left was the pilot seat and a reduced control panel – obviously designed for non-professional pilots – and a glass case filled with guns, ammo and grenades. Attached to the wall was a row of other medals, mostly Purple Hearts like the one Willis always attached to her suit, with a framed picture of Willis herself shaking a tall man's hand dressed in Alliance whites just above it. Apart from this photograph and despite the fact that Willis lived alone on this ship, there didn't seem to be much personal things on display. She slowly made her way to the right, not wasting any time trying to decipher all the plans, photos and maps pinned to a wall, that probably were related to her missions. On the far end of the corridor, she could see a bedroom, and right next to it a second room with two bunk beds on the right, and a bathroom on the left. She easily deduced that the office was the remaining room on the right, and she almost hesitantly stepped in, knowing she was somehow entering a private territory. She approached the desk and finally noticed some kind of pharmacy attached to the wall, that she was quick to open. She gathered four tubes of Medigel – that indeed looked quite different from the ones they had back on the Normandy – and was about to leave when her eyes fell on another photograph.
She smiled fondly as she looked at the picture, knowing the man with his arm rolled around Willis' shoulders must have been her best friend. They truly looked happy, and Liara had to admit, she'd have enjoyed seeing Willis smile at her like this. She felt relieved to have proof that that Toni wasn't a lie – with all those humans despising her, it wasn't too far-fetched to believe a human best friend was very unlikely. He seemed to be a very nice man, and she was just happy Willis still had someone she could count on. Yet, her smile slowly disappeared from her face when she noticed a second photograph, almost hidden in the corner of the desk. She took the frame with trembling hands, her heart suddenly beating a bit too fast in her chest, unable to accept the obvious truth. The picture showed another joyful Willis, a few years younger, but this time it wasn't her best friend who seemed to make her smile. She was standing proudly on the left, a little Asari, that mustn't have been more than two years old when the photo had been taken, safely tucked in her loving embrace. On the right was another Asari, possibly in her matron stage, who had an arm wrapped around Willis waist, and her other hand cradling the little Asari's head. The two of them were smiling so brightly, they looked so disgustingly happy, Liara felt almost sick. Willis had a family after all… She remembered what the drone had said when she had arrived. Shora, Elya… Those were Asari names. Their names. Shora probably was her bondmate, and the little one, Elya, their daughter. That made sense. Willis hadn't lied when she had said she wasn't married, but she had obviously forgotten to mention she was bonded nonetheless. She gave a hateful look at the Asari on the picture when she realized how beautiful she was – her skin was a light blue that almost matched the color of the Admiral's eyes, her crest was dotted with pretty silver scales, her face markings were discreet and elegant, and made her cute dimples more prominent. Liara has always considered herself pretty enough, but that was before she started questioning her looks, and before she started comparing herself with other Asari. And that particular Asari definitely was one of the kind she just couldn't compete with.
She had been so stupid to believe Willis was single. After all, only humans despised her and there was no reason for other species to avoid any contact with her. She was kind, helpful, beautiful, it only seemed fair that she had another beautiful someone to share her life with. But then, what if she was imagining things once again? What if these two Asari weren't her family, just a close friend, and Willis was just the godmother of the baby, or anything like that? It wouldn't be the first time she made up a whole movie and believed it more than she believed truth itself.
'Snack?' she called out to the drone, needing confirmation before she left.
'At your service, Dr T'Soni,' Snack said in his boring tone, appearing out of thin air.
'Who is Shora?' she asked, her breath suddenly trapped in her lungs as she waited for the answer.
'Shora T'Vuin is the Asari whom my master refers to as bondmate.'
'And Elya?' she continued, feeling her heart free-falling into her chest.
'Elya T'Vuin-Willis is the result of my master and her bondmate getting involved in a process of organic reproduction. They refer to her as daughter. I owe her my name.'
'That… Right. That'll be all,' Liara breathed out lowly.
Without really knowing why, she removed the photograph from its glass frame and shoved it in her pocket. She swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked away the tears that threatened to fall, thinking it would have been better to not know at all. She mustered as much dignity and courage as she could and gathered the tubes of Medigel before leaving the ship. She headed toward the elevator with rapid strides, wondering in what state she would find Willis when she would get back on the Normandy. She hoped she would be fine despite the gravity of the situation – she simply refused to condemn her because of futile emotional deceptions, and she would do her best to support her, whatever it took. Once she stepped into the Normandy, she instantly knew something was a bit off. She took a second to analyze her surroundings, when she realized Joker wasn't in his seat. She frowned a little, but ignored the strangeness of the situation and quickly made her way to the CIC. She gulped down with difficulty when she saw the pool of blood near the desk, the red substance smeared around in a rather large perimeter. She followed the trail, red dots splashed on the floor every few feet, and as she walked down the stairs, she heard what seemed to be a ferocious argument.
'No, that was unacceptable, Commander!' she heard Chakwas scold angrily, and when Liara finally turned around the corner, she saw the doctor point a threatening finger at Shepard.
'The fact that she put my whole crew in danger, that's unacceptable!' Shepard countered, waving around with erratic moves. 'She comes here and an hour later we got mercs taking hostages and walking freely round my ship, that's unacceptable!'
'That is no reason to behave like that, Shepard! You disobeyed a direct order in the first place, and you almost killed her,' the doctor stated the facts coldly, crossing her arms on her chest. 'If it weren't for Reno and Dewitt she'd be dead by now, that would have been on your conscience, not mine.'
'Yeah, well, still glad I wasn't stupid enough to waste my blood for her,' the Commander commented, putting the emphasis on her last word.
'Wait, you're… You're O negative, Shepard!' Chakwas suddenly blurted out, as if struck by an epiphany. 'That's… I don't know what got to you, Commander, but Admiral Anderson and the Alliance board will hear about this, believe me!'
'Right, right,' Shepard shrugged in a sickening hand-off way. 'Everyone gets back to their duties.'
Shepard dismissed the crew that had gathered to watch the brawl with a disinterested wave and walked past Liara and Joker without even acknowledging their presence. Liara watched her leave in awe, unable to believe what she had just witnessed. She quickly got back to her senses and slowly approached the doctor who was now leaning against the window of the med bay, a hand covering her eyes.
'Doctor Chakwas?' Liara said softly and hesitantly. 'What happened?'
'Nothing to be proud of, I'm afraid,' she answered with a shake of the head.
'Where is Willis? I have her Medigel.'
'We put her in your bed. I had to cauterize the wounds, we couldn't wait for you. She has a condition that can only be found in biotics. A chance I took a look at her medical file, otherwise she'd be dead.'
'A condition?'
'When she loses too much blood, or is too weak, her body can't cope with the power of her biotics. The energy makes her tissues too fragile and after a while they just break. It starts with soft tissues, like the thin skin inside the nose or ears, the walls of certain organs… Thankfully we reacted fast enough and two crewmembers were reasonable enough to give their blood.'
'Is she safe, now?' Liara asked anxiously, fiddling with the tubes in her hands.
'Safe is a big word,' Chakwas sighed, straightening a little. 'She's very weak and we mustn't exclude the risk that her body won't produce enough blood to avoid any other tissue ruptures. I'll send her to Huerta tomorrow morning, they're much better equipped that I am in case the worse should happen. You can go see her if you want. Not sure she'll be aware of your presence, though.'
Liara nodded softly and headed to the med bay, a bit bothered by her tubes now that she didn't need them anymore. When the door opened, she took a step back with a shriek, cringing when an awful smell attacked her nostrils. She took a few seconds to get used to it and slowly walked inside, taking in the horrible scenery offered to her sight. One of the beds was covered in blood, drops still falling regularly from its edge, a glistening pool nested in a small valley where Willis' hips must have rested minutes ago. A bunch of stained cloths was piled up on a trail, along with tatters of a grey shirt, a pair of surgical gloves and a pale green sheet pierced with holes. She felt bile rise up her throat when she noticed the pool of vomit splashed on the floor, and quickly walked toward her room, unable to stand the sight nor the smell anymore. She sighed of relief when fresh air filled her lungs, and she almost was tempted to let herself fall on her bed. But then her eyes fell on Willis. Liara swallowed hard, taking notice of the equipment on the bedside table, following the tube that led to an oxygen mask, and finally saw the pale face looking so fragile under the mask and the little pieces of white tape holding the sutures together on her brow and cheekbone. A small bandage was rolled around her right arm, and Liara was sure another thick one was probably hidden under the covers. She approached her desk chair slowly, as close as possible, and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.
'Hey Willis,' Liara said softly, rubbing her thumb in circles on the cold skin. 'I've got your Medigel. I do not think you need it anymore, however. Chakwas said she had to cauterize those wounds. I'm glad I wasn't there to see this, it must have been extremely painful. I am sorry Shepard did not help you. It is very unlike her, you know. Helping people is what she does best, usually. I think it's because she was scared, and she blamed herself. She didn't want to make it worse. I am quite certain you will be fine, Willis. You're strong, three shots can't get you killed, right?'
Liara smiled bitterly as she watched her face, pushing a strand of blond hair that had fallen on her right eye away. She bit her lower lip as Willis shifted a little in the bed, and she turned her head on the side a little. The Admiral looked awfully distraught, and if it weren't for the steady heave of her chest under the covers, Liara might have believed she was actually dead. Her cheeks were gaunt, her eyes were underlined by large, dark circles, and the rest of her face was so pale that it seemed as if it would never get back to its original color. Willis took a breath a bit longer than the others and her eyes fluttered half-open, struggling against the bright light of the room. She reached with a feeble arm for Liara's hand and tugged on it lightly, trying to get her attention.
'Have you seen,' she started in a ragged breath. 'My Purple Heart.'
'Goddess, you're a lost cause, you know that?' Liara sighed with a smile, pressing her fingers against her shoulders. 'It must be in the med bay, I'll be back in a minute.'
She quickly got to her feet and stepped carefully in the med bay, breathing out in relief when she realized someone had finally cleaned the pool of vomit. She put on a pair of gloves, and picked the Alliance shirt in the pile of dirty cloths, knowing that if the precious medal was where it was supposed to be, she'd find it attached to this piece of rag. She examined what was left of the garment, and bit her lip when she finally saw the decoration. She carefully detached the pin and realized that she couldn't give it back to Willis in such a pitiful state. The ribbon was stained with blood and its edges were a little used, purple strings flying out in every direction. She hid it carefully in her pocket, planning on restoring it later, and got back to Willis with a sheepish look.
'I'm sorry, I did not find it,' she apologized softly, sitting back down next to her. 'I'm sure we will later, don't worry.'
'Okay,' Willis nodded slowly, closing her eyes once again.
'We're taking you to Huerta Memorial tomorrow, you need a more thorough medical attention.'
'I want… Doctor Andrews.'
'Okay, I'll inform Chakwas. I will let you rest now. I will probably visit you during your stay at the hospital. I wish you well, Admiral.'
Liara forgot just for a moment about hierarchy, about Willis' family, about the fact that this would probably be the last physical contact she ever shared with her. She slowly bent forward and pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead, her hand finding the way to her cheek and resting there with a feathery touch. Her lips lingered for a moment despite the coldness of her skin, and finally said a last goodbye before heading out of her own room. It had been a long day, overall an awful day, but at least she could now proudly say she had met Admiral Willis.
