Chapter 6
Jet carefully laid the fragile girl in the bathtub, and she whimpered, locked in a fever-induced hallucination. He washed clean all of her wounds, then propped her up and washed the grease and dirt from her hair. He rinsed her skin and long hair, then took the softest towel they had, and wrapped her in it. For all the gentleness he showed his precious bonsai trees, it was nothing compared to the tenderness Jet showed in his care of Obsidian.
He walked to his room, leaving her torn and bloody clothes behind, discarded on the floor. Once inside he laid her down on his bed and dried her the rest of the way off. She never woke through the whole process, staying in blissful ignorance of the world around her. He pulled out a clean red T-shirt from his drawer, and softly put it on her. The shirt hung down like a dress on her slender frame as Jet probed carefully at her bruised and swollen knee. Slowly and deliberately, he bandaged her knee.
Jet sat on the edge of the bed, waiting, his head in his hands as he remembered. Every reason he ever had for being a cop was lying on the bed behind him, whimpering softly and crying silent tears in her sleep. He had wanted to protect people, to take down the ones that made a living hurting and using others, to make things change for the better. He hadn't wanted glory or recognition, he had just wanted to make a difference, even in a small way. He was just too damned eager to make the changes, he hadn't played it safe. Thinking that the badge would protect him, as if it actually meant something more than the piece of metal that it was stamped out of, like he was invincible when he wore it.
He knew now that he wasn't, his cybernetic arm proved that fact and he kept it around as a reminder. Jet sighed and tried to put those thoughts behind him as he got up and retrieved a cool damp cloth from the bathroom. When he returned to his room, Ed was there kneeling beside the bed, peeking over the top of it at the sleeping girl.
"Ed, what are you doing in here?" Jet asked quietly, no trace of his earlier anger in his voice, lest he scare Ed.
"She's broken, like Spike-person." Ed whispered as she turned and looked at Jet, "She's got pictures on her neck."
"Ed, those are bruises, not pictures." Jet said as he picked up the wiry pre-teen.
"No, no, the red in her hair."
"Ed what are you talking about? Her hair isn't red."
"Inside her hair is the red picture, on the back, lookie lookie!" Ed slid out of his arms and skipped out the door.
Jet was curious as he let his fingers brush aside the hair the hung around her neck. He saw the edge of a tattoo, something in red, and lifted her up slightly to get a better look. He could clearly see the mark of the Red Dragon Syndicate on the back of her neck and carefully laid her back down.
"Well I'll be damned." He walked to the door and stuck his head into the hall. "Spike get over here quick!"
Ed was sitting with her back to the wall and her knees tucked up to her chin. "Spike-person went to go get the Doc-person. All gone gone. Jet? Can Ed come in the room if she promises to be really quietlike? Ed doesn't want to be alone."
"Sure Ed, come on in. It's OK." He looked at her and smiled a bit. "Are you OK Ed?"
"What happened? Only Spike-Spike ever comes home that ouchie." Ed looked worried, and Jet realized that it probably had never occurred to the carefree girl that someone would ever hurt a child deliberately.
"I don't know Ed, we'll just have to wait for her to wake up so we can ask her." Jet said calmly.
"Is she gonna die?"
Jet shook his head. "No, I wouldn't allow that. Nobody dies on my ship unless I say so."
Ed seemed to relax a bit after hearing that, and crawled up onto Jet's bed. Jet sat down again on the edge of the bed and leaned his back to the wall. Ed circled the same spot over and over until she finally curled up into a ball like a cat and relaxed completely. Before too long, Jet heard the familiar whine and scratching at the door of Ein wanting to come in. He stood up and opened the door, allowing the small Welsh Corgi to enter the room. It seemed more comfortable with Ed and Ein in there with him than sitting alone and counting the seconds until Spike showed back up with the Doc. Jet took his place back on the edge of the bed as Ein jumped up and curled up next to his constant companion.
**
Obsidian flashed between different memories, locked in her hallucinations. Vivid happy scenes with Vicious floated through her mind and she relived each precious and treasured vision happily. She murmured as she tossed and turned, remembering numerous training sessions and an equal number of pleasant outings. The private moments they shared were only broken by the sharp sense of loss with his leaving again.
"No! Don't go!" She cried out at one point.
Jet to startled, then reached over and tucked his arm underneath her, drawing her close to his side, and she calmed immediately in her sleep. The door slid open and the Doc walked in, Spike right on his heels.
"Jet, I brought the Doc." Spike said, words trailing off as he got his first good look at the girl.
"Alright, all of you out. There's not enough room with all of you in here crowding me," Doc huffed. "And don't think you don't owe me big for this one."
Jet nodded and laid her back down alone as he stood. He reached over and picked up the sleeping form of Ed, then quietly exited the room with Ein following close behind. Spike just stood there, staring and shaking slightly.
"Spike, You heard the Doc, out." Jet growled as he walked into the living room.
**
Two hours later, Doc exited Jet's bedroom. He walked in and sat down on the faded yellow chair, looked at his hands then up at the worried faces before him. Jet leaned against the metal stairs and seemed to have been pacing around, while Spike was sitting on the couch more tense then Jet had ever seen him. Ed rolled around the floor being chased by Ein, who yipped at her occasionally in a playful way.
"Well, do you want the good news or the bad news."
"Give me the bad news Doc." Jet stated flatly as Spike just continued to stare unfocused at his hands.
"She's got some broken ribs, about four of them, her knee is sprained, her left shoulder was out of the socket, she's got a tooth knocked out, but I think it might have been a baby tooth, and..." Doc paused and looked deliberately at Ed then up at Jet.
"And what?" Ed asked, still as naïve as ever.
"Ed, did you put all the groceries away?" Jet asked quickly changing the subject.
"Uh huh! Ed sure did." She said, beaming up at Jet from the floor.
"Well, go give Ein a bath, it looks like he needs one."
Jet's only answer before Ed blew into a flurry of motion was Ein whining momentarily as if in protest. Ed scampered across the floor and grabbed up the Corgi before he could escape. Twirling maniacally, she tossed him in the air, caught him, and ran from the room.
"Go on Doc." Jet said, not wanting to hear the rest.
Doc took a deep breath then continued, "There was also tearing and bleeding consistent in rape victims. Judging by the amount of scarring I found, this wasn't the first time either."
Jet's cybernetic fist impacted with the wall hard enough to leave a dent, silencing Doc immediately. He shook slightly with rage as he stood there, fist still in the dent that he had made. Spike dropped his face into his hands, making the first movement he had made in the last two hours. Doc waited, eyes wide, he had never seen Jet or Spike loose the cool that he had come to expect from them. Doc himself was only able to stay detached after years of dealing with medical emergencies, having to emotionally distance himself from his patient's circumstances.
"What's the good news?" Jet growled out after a few moments.
"Her fever has started to come down and she should be awake sometime tomorrow. She seems to have been malnourished, so she will need to adhere to a dietary plan that I will leave with you. Other than that, keep her off her feet for the next week, I don't want her moving around and messing up all the work I've done like you two always do." Doc stood up. "I've given her some antibiotics, so keep her drinking juice with vitamin C in it."
Jet merely nodded, barely acknowledging that he had heard Doc speak. Spike didn't move an inch as Doc walked up the small set of stairs and opened the door, but before he could step out, Jet spoke.
"We owe you Doc, thank you."
Doc paused long enough to look over his shoulder and say, "Just catch the bastard who did this. That's all I ask."
Jet carefully laid the fragile girl in the bathtub, and she whimpered, locked in a fever-induced hallucination. He washed clean all of her wounds, then propped her up and washed the grease and dirt from her hair. He rinsed her skin and long hair, then took the softest towel they had, and wrapped her in it. For all the gentleness he showed his precious bonsai trees, it was nothing compared to the tenderness Jet showed in his care of Obsidian.
He walked to his room, leaving her torn and bloody clothes behind, discarded on the floor. Once inside he laid her down on his bed and dried her the rest of the way off. She never woke through the whole process, staying in blissful ignorance of the world around her. He pulled out a clean red T-shirt from his drawer, and softly put it on her. The shirt hung down like a dress on her slender frame as Jet probed carefully at her bruised and swollen knee. Slowly and deliberately, he bandaged her knee.
Jet sat on the edge of the bed, waiting, his head in his hands as he remembered. Every reason he ever had for being a cop was lying on the bed behind him, whimpering softly and crying silent tears in her sleep. He had wanted to protect people, to take down the ones that made a living hurting and using others, to make things change for the better. He hadn't wanted glory or recognition, he had just wanted to make a difference, even in a small way. He was just too damned eager to make the changes, he hadn't played it safe. Thinking that the badge would protect him, as if it actually meant something more than the piece of metal that it was stamped out of, like he was invincible when he wore it.
He knew now that he wasn't, his cybernetic arm proved that fact and he kept it around as a reminder. Jet sighed and tried to put those thoughts behind him as he got up and retrieved a cool damp cloth from the bathroom. When he returned to his room, Ed was there kneeling beside the bed, peeking over the top of it at the sleeping girl.
"Ed, what are you doing in here?" Jet asked quietly, no trace of his earlier anger in his voice, lest he scare Ed.
"She's broken, like Spike-person." Ed whispered as she turned and looked at Jet, "She's got pictures on her neck."
"Ed, those are bruises, not pictures." Jet said as he picked up the wiry pre-teen.
"No, no, the red in her hair."
"Ed what are you talking about? Her hair isn't red."
"Inside her hair is the red picture, on the back, lookie lookie!" Ed slid out of his arms and skipped out the door.
Jet was curious as he let his fingers brush aside the hair the hung around her neck. He saw the edge of a tattoo, something in red, and lifted her up slightly to get a better look. He could clearly see the mark of the Red Dragon Syndicate on the back of her neck and carefully laid her back down.
"Well I'll be damned." He walked to the door and stuck his head into the hall. "Spike get over here quick!"
Ed was sitting with her back to the wall and her knees tucked up to her chin. "Spike-person went to go get the Doc-person. All gone gone. Jet? Can Ed come in the room if she promises to be really quietlike? Ed doesn't want to be alone."
"Sure Ed, come on in. It's OK." He looked at her and smiled a bit. "Are you OK Ed?"
"What happened? Only Spike-Spike ever comes home that ouchie." Ed looked worried, and Jet realized that it probably had never occurred to the carefree girl that someone would ever hurt a child deliberately.
"I don't know Ed, we'll just have to wait for her to wake up so we can ask her." Jet said calmly.
"Is she gonna die?"
Jet shook his head. "No, I wouldn't allow that. Nobody dies on my ship unless I say so."
Ed seemed to relax a bit after hearing that, and crawled up onto Jet's bed. Jet sat down again on the edge of the bed and leaned his back to the wall. Ed circled the same spot over and over until she finally curled up into a ball like a cat and relaxed completely. Before too long, Jet heard the familiar whine and scratching at the door of Ein wanting to come in. He stood up and opened the door, allowing the small Welsh Corgi to enter the room. It seemed more comfortable with Ed and Ein in there with him than sitting alone and counting the seconds until Spike showed back up with the Doc. Jet took his place back on the edge of the bed as Ein jumped up and curled up next to his constant companion.
**
Obsidian flashed between different memories, locked in her hallucinations. Vivid happy scenes with Vicious floated through her mind and she relived each precious and treasured vision happily. She murmured as she tossed and turned, remembering numerous training sessions and an equal number of pleasant outings. The private moments they shared were only broken by the sharp sense of loss with his leaving again.
"No! Don't go!" She cried out at one point.
Jet to startled, then reached over and tucked his arm underneath her, drawing her close to his side, and she calmed immediately in her sleep. The door slid open and the Doc walked in, Spike right on his heels.
"Jet, I brought the Doc." Spike said, words trailing off as he got his first good look at the girl.
"Alright, all of you out. There's not enough room with all of you in here crowding me," Doc huffed. "And don't think you don't owe me big for this one."
Jet nodded and laid her back down alone as he stood. He reached over and picked up the sleeping form of Ed, then quietly exited the room with Ein following close behind. Spike just stood there, staring and shaking slightly.
"Spike, You heard the Doc, out." Jet growled as he walked into the living room.
**
Two hours later, Doc exited Jet's bedroom. He walked in and sat down on the faded yellow chair, looked at his hands then up at the worried faces before him. Jet leaned against the metal stairs and seemed to have been pacing around, while Spike was sitting on the couch more tense then Jet had ever seen him. Ed rolled around the floor being chased by Ein, who yipped at her occasionally in a playful way.
"Well, do you want the good news or the bad news."
"Give me the bad news Doc." Jet stated flatly as Spike just continued to stare unfocused at his hands.
"She's got some broken ribs, about four of them, her knee is sprained, her left shoulder was out of the socket, she's got a tooth knocked out, but I think it might have been a baby tooth, and..." Doc paused and looked deliberately at Ed then up at Jet.
"And what?" Ed asked, still as naïve as ever.
"Ed, did you put all the groceries away?" Jet asked quickly changing the subject.
"Uh huh! Ed sure did." She said, beaming up at Jet from the floor.
"Well, go give Ein a bath, it looks like he needs one."
Jet's only answer before Ed blew into a flurry of motion was Ein whining momentarily as if in protest. Ed scampered across the floor and grabbed up the Corgi before he could escape. Twirling maniacally, she tossed him in the air, caught him, and ran from the room.
"Go on Doc." Jet said, not wanting to hear the rest.
Doc took a deep breath then continued, "There was also tearing and bleeding consistent in rape victims. Judging by the amount of scarring I found, this wasn't the first time either."
Jet's cybernetic fist impacted with the wall hard enough to leave a dent, silencing Doc immediately. He shook slightly with rage as he stood there, fist still in the dent that he had made. Spike dropped his face into his hands, making the first movement he had made in the last two hours. Doc waited, eyes wide, he had never seen Jet or Spike loose the cool that he had come to expect from them. Doc himself was only able to stay detached after years of dealing with medical emergencies, having to emotionally distance himself from his patient's circumstances.
"What's the good news?" Jet growled out after a few moments.
"Her fever has started to come down and she should be awake sometime tomorrow. She seems to have been malnourished, so she will need to adhere to a dietary plan that I will leave with you. Other than that, keep her off her feet for the next week, I don't want her moving around and messing up all the work I've done like you two always do." Doc stood up. "I've given her some antibiotics, so keep her drinking juice with vitamin C in it."
Jet merely nodded, barely acknowledging that he had heard Doc speak. Spike didn't move an inch as Doc walked up the small set of stairs and opened the door, but before he could step out, Jet spoke.
"We owe you Doc, thank you."
Doc paused long enough to look over his shoulder and say, "Just catch the bastard who did this. That's all I ask."
