Chapter Thirty-Two: Always You

Waking up on a hard table wasn't the greatest thing in the world.

The wave of nausea that hit me first, before I even opened my eyes, was worse.

I quickly rolled out of instinct, leaned over the side, and retched. I felt a hand on my back as I did so.

"Easy, Coop. Take a breath."

I wanted to tell the voice to fuck off. I'd just emptied my guts on the floor. But then I blinked twice and saw a strategically placed bucket on the ground. Somehow I hadn't missed. Probably thanks to the voice's guidance, I guessed.

"What's - "

"You passed out by the field hospital earlier," the voice said, and this time I picked up on the odd, emotionless tone. "Your blood test came back clean, by the way. You weren't poisoned, and we're not having a kid."

I was still very confused. "Poisoned? Kid?"

My vision finally came into focus and the fuzziness in my brain started to lift. Surprisingly, I found Willis sitting next to me, on what looked like a crate. His hands were interlocked in front of him, elbows resting on his knees as he sat leaning forward beside my table, close yet not facing me. I supposed that meant he was still upset.

But he'd stayed.

"Your brother thought it might've been Laraza's doing," he clarified. "That he'd managed to poison you somehow or make you sick. Reynolds checked though, and that wasn't the case. You're not pregnant, either."

I snorted lightly. "Good. Means the shot's working." I shifted my body on the table. "It's getting tiresome having that come up every time. I think once we get home it might be time to...end my reproductive days more permanently."

"That's your choice," Willis replied stiffly.

"Ours," I corrected, with more than a little bite.

My husband let out a sigh and said nothing. Thankfully, Doc Reynolds chose just that moment to appear.

"Colonel Cooper," he said in surprise. "You're awake."

"Yep." I winced as I moved again. "How long have I been out?"

"About four hours, ma'am. You were dehydrated so we got you on an IV, but it looks like the vomiting is persisting." He glanced over at Willis. "Anymore nosebleed?"

My husband shook his head. "Not yet."

"All right, keep me posted." I heard his datapad buzz then. He pulled it out of his pants pocket and swore. "I'll be right back. Another patient needs me."

That left us alone again, although I wasn't sure that was the best thing for us right now. I tried to change positions a third time but the thin tube going into my arm made it tough, and there was no real way to make a hard surface comfortable. I frowned and was about to complain to Willis when he produced a cold, wet cloth from a water-filled tray at my feet and wiped my face down.

"What are you doing?" I said.

"You still had some blood on your face," he responded. I noticed his tone had changed. There was a bit more warmth now. "Things were...a bit of whirlwind when you came in. Doc cleaned you up as best he could, but it was secondary to trying to figure out what was going on."

"What is wrong with me?" I asked. "You haven't told me yet."

Willis hesitated, placing the now-dirty rag beside the tray and wiping his hands on his pants. "I thought it might be best if Reynolds explained."

"Try."

He scratched his head. "Basically your body isn't used to the atmosphere here. So it's revolting, in whatever way it knows how. Doc said it's not uncommon for symptoms to start slowly, or even not appear for a day or two. But after that - "

I glanced down at myself. "This happens."

"Yeah."

Given the news, I couldn't help but chuckle.

Willis gave me a strange look. "What?"

"After all these years fighting Elites, I find out I'm literally allergic to their damn homeworld."

It sounded absurd, even before I'd said it out loud. I couldn't contain myself. I just started laughing.

Willis grinned a little at first - and soon, he was laughing, too.

It was a rare moment of pure fun and ease between us, after so much conflict and pain. It didn't last, but I was glad to see it was still possible to have that connection with him.

Reynolds reappeared once the laughter had dissipated, and the somber mood returned.

"Sorry about that, ma'am, sir." He looked at me. "Were you informed of what's going on?"

"I got the gist," I replied.

Reynolds nodded. "All right. I'd like to talk about your course of treatment then, Colonel."

"I'm listening."

"We gave you a pill once we realized what was happening to counteract your symptoms," he responded. "You're supposed to take it twice a day to keep them from returning."

"So why is she still throwing up?" Willis asked.

"The med needs about a day to build up in your system, so two doses. You've only taken one so far so the symptoms aren't completely gone yet. But you shouldn't see the nosebleeds return, at least."

I could see Willis wanted to ask another question, but Reynolds went on.

"Unfortunately, you'll have to continue taking the pills until your body gets acclimated to Sanghelios, anywhere between ten and fourteen days. However - " The corpsman frowned. "If you're still vomiting, those won't do you much good. We'll have to give you your doses in an IV or a shot. It won't interact with anything else you're taking; it'll just be more of a hassle and I'd have to administer it here, rather than a pill you could take on your own in the field if you needed to."

"So I need to give my body some time to stop rebelling," I said.

"That about sums it up, yes," Reynolds replied.

"Easier said than done, I think," my husband chimed in as I sat up fast. My stomach was already roiling again, and I leaned over to wait.

"Still feeling it?" Reynolds asked me.

My answer was to hurl into the bucket a second time. Willis's hand was at my back again until I'd finished.

In the meantime, the corpsman signaled an orderly. She brought over a water bottle that Reynolds then handed to me to sip on while the orderly switched out the bucket for a new one.

"Just a few more hours to go, guys," Reynolds said, giving me a sympathetic look. "Don't worry. The nausea should ease up once that second dose is in your system."

I took a gulp of water, spitting it out to rinse my mouth, and laid back down, closing my eyes for a minute. "It's not as bad as morning sickness. I can handle this."

When I opened my eyes again, the corpsman was turning to go.

"Hey, Doc?"

"Yeah?"

"When can I get back to the regiment?"

He smiled faintly. "Let's see how that second dose goes first, Colonel. But likely by tonight."

"Thanks, Doc," Willis said to him.

Reynolds nodded and bowed out.

I could feel the change as soon as the corpsman had left. Willis seemed cut off and distant again, not facing me.

"Where's Mark?" I asked, trying to open some line of communication. I also just wanted to know.

"He went to talk to Sennu about the op tonight," he answered. "He filled me in on what happened at the debrief. He was here for a while though while you were out. We traded shifts after your test came back and Doc told us you'd be fine with some meds."

It was quiet for a moment. I reached down tentatively with my hand and said, "I'm glad you're here."

My husband glanced at me but didn't take it. "I meant what I said before, Natalie. I can't. Not now." He ran a hand over his short hair and sighed. "I'm glad you're okay. I'll stay as long as you need and help you through this. You're my children's mother. I owe you that."

Somehow, his words stung.

"Funny," I replied. I could feel a lump forming in my throat, but I swallowed it down. "I thought you were here for me."

It took a few more hours and another dose, but Reynolds had been right – I finally stopped feeling so queasy and the puking ceased. I hadn't started bleeding again, either. So once I was cleared, it was back to work.

My first order of business was to check in with my XO. Major Delaney reported things had been quiet around the keep during my absence, minus a team of Elites prepping for an outing, and that he was glad I'd returned. I chuckled and said I felt the same.

The only thing to do then was wait. I had some coffee and an energy bar as I looked over logs in the command tent, still not quite up to regular food yet but in need of a boost. Almost an hour later, Mark walked in.

"Colonel, the Sangheili team's returned," he announced.

I nodded and stepped out.

"How are you feeling, Nat?" my brother asked when we were alone. "Really?"

I put my hands on my hips and sighed. "Okay now. Not that any of that was pleasant."

"Yeah, I bet not." He took in a deep breath. "And Willis?"

"He was fine. Stayed with me the whole time you were with Sennu. The rest…didn't go so well." I shook my head sadly. "I don't - "

"Want to talk about it, right?" My big brother gave me a good-natured shoulder bump. "I get it. Gotta stay focused. Let's see what the Elites have to say."

"Let's bring in Cal, too."

"Already done."

We moved to the Sangheili side of the grounds, where we were met up with Lloyd and then got approached by two Elite guards.

"The kaidon's wife has requested to see you in the common room," the larger one said. His armor gleamed a shiny black as he towered over us. "It has been emptied of all but essential personnel so that you may meet in privacy."

I stepped forward and nodded. "We're ready."

At this I grew a little nervous. I was still feeling weak from my ordeal, and we were heading deeper into our former enemy's territory than we had thus far. And while I wore my body armor, I didn't have my helmet, rifle, or gloves with me. I did have my pistol, but I wondered how effective that would be if anything bad went down. Probably not much.

I exchanged a quick glance with Mark and Cal, and they nodded back. Our relations with the locals had been cordial so far, even pleasant at times, but I hadn't survived this long by being easily lulled into a sense of security. Things changed on a dime way too often; I'd known that even before being taken prisoner. We'd have to remain vigilant.

I felt a little relieved when Sennu met us at the entrance.

"Welcome, Lieutenant Colonel," she said to me, then flicked her gaze over to Mark and Lloyd. "Commander. Lieutenant Commander."

They nodded back, and Sennu gestured us inside.

Like others, the spacious building was made of stone and circular, with tall ceilings and what I could only guess was their version of decorations on the wall. There were two abstract paintings and a large, sword-like weapon at the focal point of the room, which appeared to be a crescent-shaped table on the opposite side. The table was molded from the floor like we'd seen around before, which I found an interesting touch.

"Welcome to our common room," Sennu said, gesturing slightly. "We often hold our most…sensitive meetings here. It is more understated than the assembly chamber, where decisions for the keep are made. Here, we may take our time to discuss and assess."

I heard a noise behind us then and turned back. Our two Elite escorts had left. In their place, a whole troop of six armed and armored Sangheili appeared, dispersing to the edges of the room to stand silently by the walls.

Although I made no sudden movements given the present company, it got my hackles up.

"Do not be alarmed. They are here for my protection, as is custom," Sennu assured us.

That didn't make me feel a whole lot better. We were three under-equipped humans in a room full of tall, powerful Sangheili. I'd never felt so small in my life.

I tried my best not to let it show, however. "Shall we start?"

Sennu clicked her mandibles. "Let's. Torran?"

One of the guards closest to us stepped forward, his dark crimson armor looking intimidatingly worn. The sheen was all but gone and there were deep gouges along the chest. Clearly, he'd seen more than a fight or two in his time.

So had I.

"Colonel Cooper, this is Torran 'Vettel. He led our reconnaissance team tonight."

"The territory is as you said, Colonel," he said in a gruff voice, regarding me curiously as he got right down to business. "There is a significant presence of human rebels as well as what you call Prometheans."

"All right," I said, shifting my stance carefully so as not to attract unwanted attention from the guards. Then I turned to face Sennu. "So our deal stands? You'll help us push them out and eliminate the portal?"

Sennu nodded. "Yes. Torran and I will send our warriors in defense of the keep, as promised."

"Excellent. When can you be prepared? The sooner the better for us."

"First, I would like to know if you are well. Commander Cooper told me you were very ill today."

"I was, but I'm doing better now," I assured her. Then I smirked a little. "Apparently Sanghelios doesn't agree with me, but we have medicine to counteract that, thankfully."

"Ah. I wish you a speedy recovery, then."

"Thanks."

Sennu exchanged a glance with Torran. "In that case, I believe we agree with your sentiments. This should be resolved now. If you are able to lead, we can be ready in two days' time."

I nodded. "I am. We'll get it done."

This seemed to conclude our meeting and we were escorted out again, this time led by the guards who'd entered last. I still found it unnerving to be surrounded by so many Elites, but nothing happened, and we were back outside in no time, on our own once more.

Mark, Cal and I formed a small cluster, my brother and I unconsciously folding our arms across our chests at the same time.

"Whew. I feel like I can finally breathe now," Cal said.

I chuckled, and some of the tension lifted. "That...was an interesting experience."

Mark brought us back to the task at hand. "It's good they agreed with your assessment, Nat. Having their help in the fight will be huge." He gave me a pointed look. "Hopefully, things don't go belly-up again."

I sobered then, too. "Yeah. This time, I'll get it right."

There was no other choice than that.