DIZZY:
"Shh, it's OK," I cooed, gradually untangling the mass of cloth, bush and skin.
"Dizzy, what's wrong?" Rico demanded over the com. link, responding immediately to my call.
"Is there any way you could possibly get down here?" My voice was choked; though I wasn't sure whether it was the rage I could feel welling up inside me, or the fear. "It's - it's not bugs."
There was a startled pause on Rico's end of the link. "Then what is it?"
"It's. . ." I paused to take a deep breath, "Oh man, you're not going to believe this."
"Try me," he replied.
"It's a baby."
"What?!"
"Sh it's going to be OK," I whispered as I moved, cautiously, back up the cliff, with the weeping baby in my arms. As I reached the top Rico helped me over the edge until I could safely get rid of my lizard lines. Slumping down against a tree I looked up at Rico, feeling beyond helpless.
"What do we do?" I asked quietly as the baby began to settle down, too exhausted and weak to cry for very long. Closing my eyes I forced back whatever mixed feelings were exploding inside me, and consequently a tear along with them. "Who could ever do something like this, Johnny?"
"I don't know," He replied gently, still staring at the child in disbelief as he sat down next to me. "What can we do? SICON doesn't exactly train us to deal with this kind of thing, Diz."
"What? Not even when you become an officer?" I joked half-heartedly. After a pause I said, "OK, um, look, we need to get him something warm, this thing he's wearing isn't in fantastic shape after pulling him out of that bush."
"Like what?" Rico replied. "What we're wearing isn't going to be the easiest thing to tare up and wrap around him."
"Well, we ARE on Earth, I could just take some of this stuff off and work with what I'm wearing underneath," I suggested.
"When we're completely surrounded by bugs?" Rico replied incredulously. "And not only that, but its freezing outside of your suit." He glanced at the baby. What it was wearing would have been good enough to keep him warm.ish, while he was stuck down there and it was still in tact, (it had to have been or he wouldn't still be alive,) but now it was all shredded from our struggle with the bush. "Then again. Don't we have thermal blankets or something?"
We exchanged glances and said simultaneously: "Doc."
"Shh, it's OK," I cooed, gradually untangling the mass of cloth, bush and skin.
"Dizzy, what's wrong?" Rico demanded over the com. link, responding immediately to my call.
"Is there any way you could possibly get down here?" My voice was choked; though I wasn't sure whether it was the rage I could feel welling up inside me, or the fear. "It's - it's not bugs."
There was a startled pause on Rico's end of the link. "Then what is it?"
"It's. . ." I paused to take a deep breath, "Oh man, you're not going to believe this."
"Try me," he replied.
"It's a baby."
"What?!"
"Sh it's going to be OK," I whispered as I moved, cautiously, back up the cliff, with the weeping baby in my arms. As I reached the top Rico helped me over the edge until I could safely get rid of my lizard lines. Slumping down against a tree I looked up at Rico, feeling beyond helpless.
"What do we do?" I asked quietly as the baby began to settle down, too exhausted and weak to cry for very long. Closing my eyes I forced back whatever mixed feelings were exploding inside me, and consequently a tear along with them. "Who could ever do something like this, Johnny?"
"I don't know," He replied gently, still staring at the child in disbelief as he sat down next to me. "What can we do? SICON doesn't exactly train us to deal with this kind of thing, Diz."
"What? Not even when you become an officer?" I joked half-heartedly. After a pause I said, "OK, um, look, we need to get him something warm, this thing he's wearing isn't in fantastic shape after pulling him out of that bush."
"Like what?" Rico replied. "What we're wearing isn't going to be the easiest thing to tare up and wrap around him."
"Well, we ARE on Earth, I could just take some of this stuff off and work with what I'm wearing underneath," I suggested.
"When we're completely surrounded by bugs?" Rico replied incredulously. "And not only that, but its freezing outside of your suit." He glanced at the baby. What it was wearing would have been good enough to keep him warm.ish, while he was stuck down there and it was still in tact, (it had to have been or he wouldn't still be alive,) but now it was all shredded from our struggle with the bush. "Then again. Don't we have thermal blankets or something?"
We exchanged glances and said simultaneously: "Doc."