Disclaimer: I do not own Voltron or any of its characters. If I did, we would have had more romance between K and A. ; - D

Beta: Thanks for hanging in there Dawn!

Rating/Setting: Rating of T. Setting is AU but in the DotU universe.

Chapter Ten: Waiting

By the time that Pidge and Allura got to the cargo bay, Dr. Gorma's team had placed Keith on a gurney and was moving quickly into the castle, running scans as they moved. The med team was very efficient and well-trained with staff calling out readings and making plans for treatment.

Allura was running as fast as she could towards the retreating gurney. She pulled off her helmet and threw it to the side. She saw Lance ahead and planned to run past him, but he stepped in front of her. She was running full speed when she collided with him. They would have both fallen to the ground if Hunk hadn't stepped in behind Lance to brace him.

"Lance, I've got to see him! You've got to let me go!" She struggled in his arms. He wouldn't, he couldn't keep her from Keith!

Lance held her in a bear hug while Hunk was the voice of reason. It was a good thing Hunk was there to talk, because Lance had had the breath knocked out of him. It was all he could do to hold on to the princess, who seemed to possess super-human strength at the moment.

"Princess, we know you're worried! But you've got to give Dr. Gorma a chance to assess him! You can't run in there and be all over him giving him hugs and holding his hand right now." Hunk said this last sentence more slowly and softly.

The absolute compassion in his voice reached her and she crumpled, sobbing in Lance's arms.

She went from struggling like a tiger to a dead weight of sorrow. Lance lowered both of them to the ground. Pidge had come up while Hunk was speaking and they all knelt around the Princess.

Allura looked up at her friends, their concern was obvious. It took a lot to knock Keith out this long. She turned her gaze to Hunk and Lance. "Tell me how he looked. How badly is he injured?"

Lance wasn't sure how to start, but once again Hunk stepped into the breach. "It looked like Keith was able to activate the shoulder restraint for part of the attack which would help minimize his injuries. When we checked him out, there was minimal bleeding. There was some on the side of his head and some from his mouth and nose. There was already some swelling starting on his face. There were no obvious broken bones, but I wouldn't be surprised if he had a couple or some fractures. His breathing was clear and his pulse was strong. That's about all I can tell you Princess."

Lance thought, "That's about all?" Lance was thankful that Hunk was there to tell the princess. There was no way that he would have been able to provide such a detailed description of Keith's condition, and he had been right there with Hunk. Sometimes people underestimated Hunk because of his size or preoccupation with mechanics. They just don't realize how observant the man really was.

Allura nodded her head and then laid it on Lance's chest. "Help me up. I've calmed down now, thanks to you fellas. Thank you. I'll be able to go into the waiting room without being a complete hysterical mess." At this she let out small sigh as Lance helped her up.

"We'll be right there in the waiting room with you, Princess," Pidge said.

Allura put her hand on Pidge's shoulder. "I know and I'm grateful for that." Allura let her hand drop and they began to move towards the medical wing as a team.

When the team walked into the waiting area, they found Coran and Nanny waiting there.

Nanny rushed to Allura and grasped her face in both hands turning her head this way and that. "Are you hurt Princess? Rushing off into battles that can get you injured! These boys keep dragging you into things a princess shouldn't have to do!"

Coran could see Allura draw back in surprise at first and then stiffen at Nanny's words. He had to act fast, there was no way Allura would let that pass. Such words would be inappropriate even if Keith were only a friend and not the love of her life. "Nanny, Princess Allura is fine. We should all be focusing on the commander's condition. He has been injured defending our planet, and we should show his heroism and actions the respect that is due, not ramble on about the Princess, who is fine. She is fine because of what he has done for us. Now stop ranting and start praying that his injuries are minor and will heal quickly."

Every eye in the room turned to Coran and Nanny's mouth hung open.

"Of course Coran! I meant no disrespect to Commander Kogane! I was merely concerned about the princess, but you are correct, this isn't the appropriate time or place for such statements." Nanny truly looked contrite as she said this.

Lance saw that Allura was about to make a comment about the statements not being appropriate at any time or place when Lance gently took her arm and whispered in her ear, "Small steps with Nanny. This is a start. Let her think about it."

Allura merely nodded and began pacing. The men all leaned against the wall. Nanny quietly had a seat. The waiting room had no natural lighting. What it did have was utilitarian furniture and a gloomy air. Allura made a mental note to do something about this room soon. It was not that she wanted to spend any more time in here, but as pilots, she had to expect that someone in the team would be in the facility again sometime. She just didn't want the waiting room to make the mood any more glum that it already would be.

After waiting an hour, Dr. Gorma himself came to update them. They all looked at him expectantly. Dr. Gorma didn't focus on anyone specific as he relayed the information, but would look at each one in turn. "The commander is incredibly lucky. We believe that he did use the shoulder harness for part of the attack; it's the only way to explain why his injuries aren't more severe. His most serious injury is a concussion, but it's a mild one, not severe, thanks to his helmet. He also has four cracked ribs on his right side and severe bruising over the right side of his torso and arm. I'm not sure how he managed not to crack or break anything else. Commander Kogane is still unconscious, but I expect him to wake up on his own in the next few hours." Dr. Gorma could see the relief on all their faces.

Allura was the first to speak up, "When can I, I mean, when can we go in to see him?"

Dr. Gorma turned to the lovely princess, "He should be in his room now. You can accompany me there if you like." He mentally noted the anxiousness in her voice as he said to everyone, "The commander will need to be in the medical facility for 48 hours once he regains consciousness for us to monitor the effects of the concussion. I take it that everyone here will be helpful and encourage him to follow the treatment plan and NOT check himself out early as he has sometimes done in the past. Will you help?" He ended his speech with the question directed at Allura. She was the only one that had a chance of getting Keith to follow medical orders. She had managed to get him to stay in the med facility in the past, and he was counting on her again.

"He will follow whatever orders you give him. I will personally see to it." Allura said this with all the confidence of a monarch and she heard a slight snort from behind her. She looked over her shoulder and glared at Lance. "And what was that snort about Lance?"

Lance rolled his eyes and tilted his head towards Coran and Nanny.

Allura looked over to see the two of them looking at her rather strangely. "Oh!" With a shrug of her shoulders, she sweetly smiled at them and said, "The ball is only two weeks away and if Keith is to attend as part of the security, he will have to follow the medical rules."

Nanny started nodding almost violently. "Yes! Yes! The ball! We have to stay on schedule. The commander will have to follow the medical orders. Princess, I will help you convince him."

Lance couldn't help it; another snort escaped from him as he pushed off from the wall he had been holding up. It earned him a glare from Nanny, but no comments. Maybe she was listening to Allura after all.

Coran was looking thoughtful. "Do you think we should delay the ball? If Keith isn't ready for it…"

"No." Lance voiced with authority. "We can't delay the ball. If you put out a notice that we are delaying the ball, Lotor will know that Keith is out of action and it will invite an attack."

Allura nodded and turned to Dr. Gorma. "I won't do anything to compromise his health. Will he be able to attend the ball in two weeks without causing any harm to his health?"

"With a concussion, every patient is different. He may still be having some headaches and some lethargy in two weeks, but as long as he won't be doing anything more physical than dancing, he should be fine. That is, as long as nothing in my prognosis changes. His cracked ribs will still be painful, but they will take several more weeks to completely heal." Dr. Gorma smiled at the princess, "Shall we go check on the commander now?"

Allura returned his smiled and said, "Lead on Dr. Gorma, you've made us all very happy!"

Dr. Gorma kept the smile on his face as he turned. She seemed to be very concerned about the commander, even more so than her teammates. Perhaps he would monitor the relationship between the princess and the commander during his check-ins. He would treat it as part of his doctor-patient confidentiality. If Princess Allura was enamored by Commander Kogane, he wouldn't divulge it. He had seen the devotion that they had both displayed when either of them was in the medical facility. Keith had come close to death too many times for a young man. He wouldn't begrudge him the affection of the princess; it mattered not to him that the commander was a commoner and an off-worlder.

Allura noted that Dr. Gorma didn't say anything on the short walk to Keith's room, but then, he probably didn't have much to add to what he had already said. And she was very pleased with what he said. Keith's injuries were not as severe as the condition of his Lion had made her think. She was weak with relief and looking forward to sitting down after pacing around tensely for over an hour.

As they reached Keith's door, Dr. Gorma put a hand gently on Allura's arm before tapping on the access pad for the room. "Your Highness, just remember there is a lot of swelling and bruising right now, but all indicators say that he will recover from this quickly." He watched as her eyes searched his face and then she nodded. Even as he tapped the entry pad for the door, he knew that she would still be startled by Keith's appearance. Even though he had been in numerous incidents requiring a stay in the medical facility, it was still always startling to see someone who was so full of life just hours ago, beaten and bruised so badly he had lost consciousness. Yes, he thought to himself as the door opened and he heard the princess draw in a sharp breath, he would never begrudge them any happiness.