Chapter Twenty
"How bad is it?" Hudson asked, turning worried eyes to Kristen.
"She'll be fine," she reassured him gently. "She has a concussion, and she's lost a fair amount of blood from the laceration on her temple. However, once I stop the bleeding, close the wound and replace the lost fluids, with proper rest she should be as good as new."
Hudson nodded numbly as he turned his attention back to Lex.
"One of us is going to have to tell Lucas," Kristen said quietly.
Bridger nodded, sighing deeply. "I will."
"What the Hell was she doing in Marcronesia?" Hudson asked with a scowl.
"Stopping the Third World War," Sean said as he entered the room, Dorion and Reuban close behind.
Kristen pointed to Dorion, who still wore his ruined shirt. "You're next."
"I beg your pardon?" he asked, one brow arched.
"I saw your back when you came on board. You need medical attention."
"I can assure you, doctor, I in no way need your ministrations," he purred with a smile. Kristen merely scowled at him as she spun him around, gasping when she saw the now flawless skin of his back.
"How is that possible?" Wendy asked in awe.
Sean leaned against a nearby bed. "Vampires have remarkable healing abilities."
"Among others," Dorion replied smoothly, his amber eyes fixed intently on Wendy.
"I have over two hundred people on this ship." Hudson glared.
"I would have thought your military trained mind would have raised you above the bad movies they play between infomercials at three in the morning." Dorion's eyes cooled considerably before they turned to Hudson.
"I can assure you, Oliver, your crew is perfectly safe," Sean assured him. "Dorion gave up preying on humans centuries ago. If we can retire to another room, I'll explain our mission objectives."
"Were you at least successful?" Bridger asked.
Sean turned pale grey eyes toward Lex's sleeping form. "One can only hope."
"Lucas," Tim said, looking up from his console, "Captain Bridger wants you to meet him in MedBay."
Lucas frowned lightly before he spoke. "Thanks, Tim." He stood and left the bridge.
A few moments later, he spotted Bridger standing in the hallway. "What do you need, Captain?"
Bridger looked up from his examination of the floor grating. "Nothing, Lucas."
"Then why did you call me here?"
"I need to tell you about one of our guests."
Lucas squinted his blue eyes, crossing his arms before he leaned into the wall. "Is it really the Viper Team?"
Bridger smiled. "I hope you didn't put money down on it," he said, referring to the pool Ben Kreig had started.
"I stopped falling into Ben's schemes when I was seventeen," Lucas grinned, "but I still don't see what this has to do with me."
Bridger nodded sagely. "There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just spill it out. The injured member of the Viper Team we picked up?"
"Yeah?" Lucas felt himself tensing at the gravity in Bridger's eyes.
"Lucas, it's Lex."
Lucas felt his heart stumble then begin to race. "What?"
"I have no more information other than that. I don't know how she came to be on the team, or what they were doing when she got hurt. All I can tell you is that she banged her head badly, but will recover."
Lucas straightened from the wall, his eyes turning to the window of MedBay. "Excuse me, sir," he said as he strode to the door.
Lucas was surprised to find Captain Hudson standing by the bed, a gentle expression on his face.
"Ensign," he acknowledged Lucas without looking up.
"Captain," Lucas replied.
As the silence grew, Lucas carefully examined the adult Lex. Though her body was covered by blankets, he could tell her figure was lithe, her legs long and her stomach flat. The hands laying on top of the blankets were thin, long fingers ending in nails free of paint and trimmed short. As if saving the best for last, Lucas' eyes drifted up to her face.
Her right temple was heavily bruised, butterfly bandages closing a nasty looking gash. Her long, dark lashes stood out in stark contrast to the paleness of her face, and her long auburn hair was pulled back in the braid she still seemed to favour. The face Lucas had seen in dreams for seven years was still as beautiful as the day he'd first seen it.
"Well, Wolenczek? Should we handcuff her to the bed, seal off the docking bay and assign her twenty-four hour security?"
Lucas couldn't help but smile. "Doesn't seem like there's much point. It would only slow her down, not stop her."
Hudson grinned in response, pride shining in his eyes. Lucas was momentarily taken aback by the rare camaraderie they had just shared, looking at Lex.
Hudson sighed, seeming to shake himself back to his usual self. "We've got a meeting to attend, Ensign," he said, leaving the beside. He paused at the door. "She won't wake up for a few hours yet, son. We've got plenty of time to get some answers later."
Lucas cast one last glance at the sleeping Lex before joining his captain as they walked briskly to the Ward Room.
"How bad is it?" Hudson asked, turning worried eyes to Kristen.
"She'll be fine," she reassured him gently. "She has a concussion, and she's lost a fair amount of blood from the laceration on her temple. However, once I stop the bleeding, close the wound and replace the lost fluids, with proper rest she should be as good as new."
Hudson nodded numbly as he turned his attention back to Lex.
"One of us is going to have to tell Lucas," Kristen said quietly.
Bridger nodded, sighing deeply. "I will."
"What the Hell was she doing in Marcronesia?" Hudson asked with a scowl.
"Stopping the Third World War," Sean said as he entered the room, Dorion and Reuban close behind.
Kristen pointed to Dorion, who still wore his ruined shirt. "You're next."
"I beg your pardon?" he asked, one brow arched.
"I saw your back when you came on board. You need medical attention."
"I can assure you, doctor, I in no way need your ministrations," he purred with a smile. Kristen merely scowled at him as she spun him around, gasping when she saw the now flawless skin of his back.
"How is that possible?" Wendy asked in awe.
Sean leaned against a nearby bed. "Vampires have remarkable healing abilities."
"Among others," Dorion replied smoothly, his amber eyes fixed intently on Wendy.
"I have over two hundred people on this ship." Hudson glared.
"I would have thought your military trained mind would have raised you above the bad movies they play between infomercials at three in the morning." Dorion's eyes cooled considerably before they turned to Hudson.
"I can assure you, Oliver, your crew is perfectly safe," Sean assured him. "Dorion gave up preying on humans centuries ago. If we can retire to another room, I'll explain our mission objectives."
"Were you at least successful?" Bridger asked.
Sean turned pale grey eyes toward Lex's sleeping form. "One can only hope."
"Lucas," Tim said, looking up from his console, "Captain Bridger wants you to meet him in MedBay."
Lucas frowned lightly before he spoke. "Thanks, Tim." He stood and left the bridge.
A few moments later, he spotted Bridger standing in the hallway. "What do you need, Captain?"
Bridger looked up from his examination of the floor grating. "Nothing, Lucas."
"Then why did you call me here?"
"I need to tell you about one of our guests."
Lucas squinted his blue eyes, crossing his arms before he leaned into the wall. "Is it really the Viper Team?"
Bridger smiled. "I hope you didn't put money down on it," he said, referring to the pool Ben Kreig had started.
"I stopped falling into Ben's schemes when I was seventeen," Lucas grinned, "but I still don't see what this has to do with me."
Bridger nodded sagely. "There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just spill it out. The injured member of the Viper Team we picked up?"
"Yeah?" Lucas felt himself tensing at the gravity in Bridger's eyes.
"Lucas, it's Lex."
Lucas felt his heart stumble then begin to race. "What?"
"I have no more information other than that. I don't know how she came to be on the team, or what they were doing when she got hurt. All I can tell you is that she banged her head badly, but will recover."
Lucas straightened from the wall, his eyes turning to the window of MedBay. "Excuse me, sir," he said as he strode to the door.
Lucas was surprised to find Captain Hudson standing by the bed, a gentle expression on his face.
"Ensign," he acknowledged Lucas without looking up.
"Captain," Lucas replied.
As the silence grew, Lucas carefully examined the adult Lex. Though her body was covered by blankets, he could tell her figure was lithe, her legs long and her stomach flat. The hands laying on top of the blankets were thin, long fingers ending in nails free of paint and trimmed short. As if saving the best for last, Lucas' eyes drifted up to her face.
Her right temple was heavily bruised, butterfly bandages closing a nasty looking gash. Her long, dark lashes stood out in stark contrast to the paleness of her face, and her long auburn hair was pulled back in the braid she still seemed to favour. The face Lucas had seen in dreams for seven years was still as beautiful as the day he'd first seen it.
"Well, Wolenczek? Should we handcuff her to the bed, seal off the docking bay and assign her twenty-four hour security?"
Lucas couldn't help but smile. "Doesn't seem like there's much point. It would only slow her down, not stop her."
Hudson grinned in response, pride shining in his eyes. Lucas was momentarily taken aback by the rare camaraderie they had just shared, looking at Lex.
Hudson sighed, seeming to shake himself back to his usual self. "We've got a meeting to attend, Ensign," he said, leaving the beside. He paused at the door. "She won't wake up for a few hours yet, son. We've got plenty of time to get some answers later."
Lucas cast one last glance at the sleeping Lex before joining his captain as they walked briskly to the Ward Room.