Chapter 17
Kaidan touched the cut on his forearm as the skin tightening and pulling together. It sealed under the numbing coolness of medigel. He looked up at the brightening dawn through the paned windows.
Shepard set the medigel injector on the counter in Miranda's office. The folding chair squeaked as she hunched over her ankle. She rested it across the other knee and rolled her pants' leg up. The seal on the door hissed, and Shepard's head swung to it as it opened. Her slender fingers paused grazing the tapered curve of calf above the ankle. Kaidan blinked, heart pounding, and snapped his attention back to the window.
"This is it for now," Miranda's voice said.
Kaidan tilted his head just in time to catch a tube of medigel just before it hit his chest. Shepard snatched hers out of the air and smiled down at it in her open fist.
"Keep the ones you have too," Miranda said. "You don't know what I had to do for them."
"Thanks, Miranda," Shepard said grabbing the other injector and stuffing them both in a pocket. "You always come through."
"So far, Shepard. Keep that Medigel on you. Don't inject it in your Omni-Tool and let it go bad. We still haven't been able to compound it. Stock is sparing."
"I know," Shepard said.
Squeaking came from the the plexiglass cages lined up on the counter. Miranda saw him looking.
"I've been using that poison's formula you sent me," she said. "Working on a monoclonal binding protein to neutralize it a victim's system."
"Didn't work for the rabbit?" Kaidan asked.
Miranda's head turned to the first cage in the row. She walked over and tapped the glass with the back of her knuckles, then frowned.
"Guess not."
"Mice look perky," Shepard said.
"Haven't introduced the poison yet."
Kaidan fisted the medigel injectors and crossed to the office door. "Thanks, Miranda."
"Where you going?" Shepard frowned.
"I'm meeting with Lieutenant Kophki in an hour."
"Pretty early meeting," Shepard said.
"He's in Tokyo." Kaidan stopped at the door. "I'll catch you later, Shepard. I'll send the codes to the Spectre offices so you can access audio off those bugs."
"Thanks. Hey though." She stood up. "You going to that Alliance shindig tonight?"
"The outlook presentation with the lawn reception?" he asked with a sigh. "Told to be there. I think Hackett's saving me a seat right between himself and General Dolan."
"Cushy." Shepard smiled.
Kaidan pressed his lips with a shrug and turned.
"And Kaidan," Shepard said. Kaidan paused at the open door. "It was good working with you. Felt like old times."
Kaidan glanced back at Miranda, who'd turned to the window with her datapad. He glanced over at Shepard briefly forcing a weak smile and moved away.
"Good to see you too, Shepard."
He hurried down the hospital hallway and navigated his way to the skycar terminal outside. The air rolled in cool and foggy off the ocean. He breathed it in as he waited watching the weak morning light in the east. He'd dreaded this – spending time together again, working together – but it had been fine. It should only get easier here on out. A new normal. The memories, the feelings, the loss would fade and burn away like fog in the morning. Maybe it was too much to hope he'd feel nothing, but to control it, instead of it controlling him – he could get there. He'd taken the first step.