Chapter 7 Clarity and Confusion
Sarah adjusted the compress lying atop Devon's brow. She'd been monitoring his condition nonstop since she'd brought him in and now the fever was 103.2. She was worried and if it didn't lower soon she'd try an ice bath but only as a last resort. She knew it could be dangerous.
"No dad not again no!" The cry had her jumping and then he was flailing around. She then made use of the restraints on the bed. She didn't want hit or for him to get hurt.
"No!" He yelled and his eyes were wide and unseeing as she knew he was rocked by the delirium.
"Devon, listen to me, your ok, and no one will hurt you." She tried too soothe him in a low voice she'd often used with patients back on earth.
"No!" He cried and flinched as if away from a blow. God, what was happening to him? What was his delirium bringing on?
"Shush…" She stroked his hair back off of his brow and found it was surprisingly soft.
"Mom no!" This time his voice sounded weak, like that of a child. At just the sound her blood ran cold, was he trapped in the past? She'd had that happen a time or two when She was sick. She continued to stroke his brow even as he tried to rear up., 'you son of a!"
"Devon, Devon listen to me, you're in the medical bay of the light raider, your mom's not here, and you're safe." She said softly in his ear, maybe if
she could just get some recognition from his she could help calm ho, down.
"No, never be…" he was actually weeping now and her heart went out to him, against all of her training she undid the fastenings and moved to hug him close. If her voice couldn't help maybe contact with another person…
"Shush, Devon please calm down I'm here and I'll protect you."
"Sarah?" His voice was not the one of the child and she felt a hand on her hair, and she knew it had worked, at least for the moment. Good, that was a
start.
"Yes I'm here." She replied and felt his arms close around her, heavens he was big. Even as she'd tended him she'd not realized just how big.
"Safe?" He asked against her hair and she knew she too could wind up sick but it was funny she didn't mind, there was something about him that…
"Yes its ok, just rest." She murmured forcing herself to separate and ease him back to the bed. Now was not the time for any attraction or anything like that.
"He killed her." He mumbled and she found his dark eyes were open and on her face. It was only then she saw the fevered look was gone. She touched his forehead and found it cooler than it had been. It had worked, it had broken the fever.
"I know, I know…" She still soothed, wanting him to rest, it was truly key in a speedy recovery.
"You'll stay?" He asked then catching her hand and she felt a lump lodge in her throat, had he been left a lot? If she thought about his words she had a feeling he had.
"Yes, I'll be here." She managed with a little smile.
"Good, you're safe." He told her, as if more to reassure himself.
"Yes." She nodded.
"No one will hurt you, I won't let them, you're too nice." He mumbled as he was drifting off and she smiled. He was not what she'd thought, not at all, at least when his guard was down. It hit her it would go right back up as soon as he was on his feet again but she didn't mind. She'd finally saw the real Devin Chandler.
***
"what?" Hollie asked as they sat at the table in the galley eating their chosen dinners, she a bowl of chicken gumbo and he a cheese burger and onion rings.
"Nothing." Ryan replied with a shrug. They'd been sitting in silence for some time neither knowing what to say. It had started to feel really weird that they'd lay down together, the whole thing had. Still it was a feeling so new that Hollie didn't know how to act. Was he regretting it? Not that there was anything to regret, they'd just slept, hell they'd not even had a glance. No, there was nothing between them.
Ryan was wondering if the dream he'd had while they'd slept was a sign, hwy else would he dream about Hollie. They were barely even friends. But then
why too had they had no nightmares when they'd lay there together? None of it made sense and yet he had a feeling it should, that it was all a sign of
something.
Gees, why was he looking for signs everywhere? He had grown up with demons but he'd stopped doing that soon after he'd come home, hadn't he?
Hollie finished her soup and moved to dispose of her dishes in the cleaning unit. She wondered what Ryan would say if he knew about her dream, would he be annoyed? Would he think she had a thing for him? She didn't, after she'd gotten over that crush a long time ago, hadn't she?
She was so lost in her thoughts that Hollie never heard anyone come up behind her, so when the dishes were shoved in with hers she jumped.
"You should wake up, being alert is important being careless can…" Ryan began and Hollie moved a little away from him.
"Get me killed. Yeah I know, I was just thinking." She shrugged, she didn that from time to time.
"Deep thoughts?" He asked a golden brow arched as he hit the clean switch.
"Hmm, so what do you need help with?" She asked and he thought a minute.
"It's ok, I'm good, and you can go on and check in with Sarah."
"Right."
***
By the time Hollie entered the medical bay it was nearly eleven and Sarah was once more checking Devon's temperature. That was the first thing Hollie noticed; the black ranger
was sitting up, propped against pillows and eating some sort of soup.
"So he decides to rejoin the land of the living."
"Yeah, being sick is for the birds." Devon muttered and glared at the soup in the bowl.
"I swear men are such babies." the opal starspeed ranger shook her head and once she was finished with his vitals she looked to Hollie.
"How are you feeling?"
"Me? I'm not the one with the flu. "Hollie reminded her.
"Yes but last I saw you you were pretty green."
"That's right, you did hold the bucket." Devon said and Hollie looked at him, he did look better.
"I'm ok, I slept and…"
"You did? How long?" The nurse asked and Hollie sighed.
"What is it with my sleeping habits? " Hollie muttered and Devon smirked at Sarah.
"See I'm not the only bad patient." Devon smirked at the nurse.
"Well you're still the worst. " She smirked right back.
"Right." He muttered rolling his eyes.
"Sounds like you two are just having a blast." Hollie commented a brow raised in amusement.
"Yeah, a real hoot." Devon muttered and took another slurping spoonful of soup.
TBC
***
there it's fixed, finally. Sorry about the time frame confusion. Anyway what did you think?