Elle critically examined the bruising on X's face again and then turned going into the living room, coming back a moment later with some ice wrapped in a washcloth she had snatched from the bathroom on her way out.

"Here. This should help with that eye. Maybe get rid of some of the bruising," she muttered as she sat down beside him and pressed the cloth against his face. 'You'll have to wait awhile before I can do anything about your neck. You're really lucky you didn't do permenant damage. What in the world were you thinking?!"

"I thought that I killed you," X whispered as he tried to sit up and hug her again but she pushed him back down onto the bed. "I didn't want you to be alone. I killed you. Joining you seemed like the least that I could do."

"Well, if I had been dead, you would have been only a few minutes away from joining me," Elle said as she checked his neck, prodding the bruises. "If the lighting fixture hadn't given some.... X, I never would have wanted you to do something like that, no matter what happened to me!"

"I'm sorry," he whispered. He had really done it this time. He had tried to end things so he wouldn't loose his only friend and now he was going to anyway. He rolled over in bed, his body burning from pain as he did so. He couldn't bear to look at her. He was sure that she must hate him now. Tears started to roll down his cheeks again as he realized that.

"Oh, for.... Don't you turn your back on me!" Elle said as she moved to the other side of the bed and grabbed him to keep him from turning away again. As soon as she had trapped him, she started working again, rubbing his arms and hands to get the circulation going and to hopefully get him to calm down. She just couldn't make herself yell at him right now, with how sad he looked. "So what if I'm mad at you? I've been constantly mad at you ever since Zed stuck me with you for a partner and it never bothered you before."

"We weren't friends before," X murmured. He really wished she would let him go and go away. He didn't want her to see him like this.

"X, we're still friends," she sad. "Honestly! Just because I'm mad, and very justifiably so, I might add, doesn't mean that I'm not going to be your friend anymore! You know, maybe I ought to have them come back and lag you back to the lab for tests. I think that you might have some damage from the oxygen deprivation after all!" She chuckled at that.

"I upset you," X said.

"X, you've constantly upset me for months. This is just another thing to add to the list. Granted, it's going to replace trying to feed me to an alien at the top but...."

"Your own fault about that," X said with a small laugh. "You told me to protect and serve. I was just trying to do what you said."

"You just have to take things to the extreme, don't you?" Elle muttered. At least he didn't seem as upset anymore. She carefully reached behind him, adjusting the pillows a bit. "So, do you want to watch a video or something? We never did finish all of those movies, you know, and I made Jay lag the tv in here before I kicked him out. I figured it was the least that he could do."

"Fine," X said as he settled back. "I suppose you better pick. Goodness knows how you'll complain if you don't get to."

"Well, I see you're beginning to feel better. That charming attitude is starting to come back," Elle said with a laugh as she stuck a tape in and then went back to the bed.

"You might want to check the back of that gown too," X said. "I think they forgot to fasten a few things when you were down in the infirmery."

"What?!!" Elle cried as she reached behind her back and felt for the ties on the hospital gown. The entire thing was wide open and.... Elle's hands slipped lower, moving down to her hips as she felt and found that she was missing a rather essential undergarment. "I'm going to kill Zeeltor!" She quickly pulled the gown closed and jumped onto the bed next to X. "Looks like you're stuck with me for a little bit longer, Cowboy, because I am not going anywhere until I get someone to bring me some decent clothes!"

THE END