RELAXING
(Disclaimer: I don't own Halo)
James entered the hospital bay and saw a doctor standing over Menendez checking his vitals. His dark complexion was pale and his dark wavy hair stood out even more than usual. He was still unconscious, so James turned to find Bunker. He was conscious and looked up at James as he approached, wincing slightly as a corpsmen wrapped his ribcage tightly.
"We'll be okay," he said as James approached, his white teeth showing against his black face.
"I know," James said smiling as well. His faintly tanned face turned to concern as he glanced over to Menendez. His crystal blue eyes betraying his worry, as he scratched his light brown hair.
"He'll be fine," Bunker said as the corpsmen finished with his ribs. "He just got hit too hard.
"Yeah," James said quietly taking a seat by Bunkers bed.
They sat quietly watching the doctor treat Menendez. When he was done the doctor turned around to find James sitting there. He approached them looking them both over, pausing to check Bunker's ribs before turning to James.
"Are you their NCO?" he asked and James nodded.
"I'm Corporal Dawn, temporary team leader," he introduced himself. "Can you tell me how he is?" He nodded to Menendez.
"He'll be fine, but he needs a couple days of rest," the doctor said. "He'll need to stay overnight and then three days on light duty status before his follow up. If he's doing good; which I expect him to be fine, he'll be cleared for full duty." James nodded his understanding making a mental note to bring Menendez back.
"And this guy?" James asked thumbing to Bunker.
"A week of no duty after overnight observation," the doctor said eying him, "then light duty for a couple weeks until those ribs are fully healed."
"Good to go, sir," James said rising from his seat. "I'll be back in the morning to pick these guys up. I think they'll need a bath though." He said with a smile causing the doctor to laugh along with Bunker.
He hitched his shotgun back up on his shoulder and picked his sniper rifle up off the floor where he'd set it on its bipod. He walked to straight to the armory and broke down his weapons, punching the bore and wiping down the working parts before reassembly. He turned them in and made his way to the squad bay room his team shared.
He was about to open the door when it opened and out rushed Lieutenant Amy Dawn. Her pale face outlined in black hair showed her worry and then surprise as she ran headlong into James. She jumped him hugging him close for a long minute which made James smile as he returned the hug.
"I'm so glad you're okay," she murmured into his shoulder where her face was buried despite the smell.
"Yeah," he said, "Me too."
She pulled away and punched him lightly on the shoulder before flashing him a grin. "I thought I was going to have to explain this to Aunt Theresa."
"Never," James said returning her grin, "I'm the sniper and we don't die." He was lying through his teeth but he doubted his sister had enough time in the Fleet to know. He didn't tell her that he was the close quarter's expert either. Footsteps approached from behind James and he turned to see Sarah Parker standing behind him.
"You remember Sarah, right?" Amy asked him, "From our high school and we went to college together too."
"Well duh," James said releasing his sister to give Sarah a big hug, "You two caused me no end of problems in school." The truth was that he'd once had a huge crush on the girl, but he was certain that neither of them knew. The only person he'd ever told was dead on Arcadia over two years ago.
"You two both come looking for me?" he asked and they nodded.
"Amy was close to panicking on the bridge," Sarah told him and James rolled his eyes at his sister.
"I've been doing this for over two years," he pointed out, "If anybody should be worried it should be me worrying about my boot sister."
"Well I'm on the ship," she countered, "You're on the planet which tends to get glassed by the Covenant as they leave."
He shrugged as if it was no big deal and made to enter the squad bay, "You two were coming in?"
They followed him inside where Donald and Tyler were already sitting in chairs using a footlocker to hold a card game. A wrapped tray of food had been placed on a desk along with a Styrofoam cup of juice. James paused to look over the squad bay, at all the empty bunks. It was a platoon sized squad bay meant to house upwards of fifty people easy, but recently it had housed twelve men with SSgt McPherson in the Platoon sergeants quarters in the rear of the squad bay. It had rows of bunk beds which were bolted to the floor and had a pair of foot lockers at the foot of each along with their shoe displays underneath, which was nothing more than extra boots with running and civilian shoes. The room was divided in half with twelve bunk beds on each side of a wide walkway in the middle. An open area in the front had chairs and several desk and was used as a common area until the space was needed for extra bunks. All the occupied bunks were in the front toward the common area where Tyler and Donald sat playing cards.
James walked to the front where he claimed a chair at the desk and took a deep whiff of the plate on it. "Mine right?" he asked them.
"Yes," Donald said distractedly, "You always forget to eat until we remind you, so I just brought it here this time." James nodded his thanks and fell on the food devouring it in his hunger.
Amy took a chair nearby and laughed at him. "Slow down, James it's not going anywhere."
"I haven't eaten all day," he told her as he paused to try the juice.
Both Donald and Tyler, he saw were eying Amy and Sarah in sidelong glances in between turns. Donald knew about Amy but hadn't seen her before and neither knew about Sarah.
"How're Menendez and Bunker doing," Donald asked looking up at James as Tyler dealt the next hand.
"Overnight observation and then a couple days light duty for Menendez," he said, "Bunkers going on no duty status for a while and then light duty until his ribs are healed."
"Would be like him," Donald said, "To skate out of work. Menendez is gonna pick up on his bad habits." James laughed along with Amy who had heard enough from James to know it was true, but also knew that James had been the same way.
"Who cares," James said, "Between me and Sergeant Kerner we kept all you guys off shit details. You guys spend most days sleeping."
"Yeah," Donald said slowly, "But since you're the only one with rank now we're gonna be in trouble."
James shrugged, "There are only five of us now and we don't do half the stuff the shipboard detachment does anyways so they'll leave us alone."
"Gunny Schuler already stopped by," Donald warned him. Gunny Schuler had been an ODST dropout a few years back and tried to cause them trouble every chance he got.
"What'd he want?" James asked carefully.
"Something about us reporting to him every morning for accountability and work details since we don't have a staff NCO now," Donald told him. James made a face.
"Did someone send him or did he come on his own?" James asked.
"Considering we just got back," Donald started, "Probably came on his own looking to take charge and shine. Fucking, ass kissing bastard that he is."
James grinned at the last part. "Yeah you're probably right.
"Who is Gunny Schuler?" Amy asked and James told her all about him. "He's been out to get us since we got on this ship. Now he's found a way."
She frowned and then spoke after a moment, "Its true he outranks you guys but you have a different mission then he does so ultimate responsibility would go to you as the senior man of the team."
"I know," James said, "but he's one of those that likes the power and likes to look good. If he can claim that he lead an ODST team most will look on that as a good sign of leadership, which he sucks at. He makes stupid decisions and then yells at his NCO's after the officers yell at him for his decisions. He's like a retard banging his head on the wall even after he finds out it hurts, doesn't learn."
"Well you should probably nip that one in the bud," Donald advised and James nodded, "We will later when I go see Captain McNair. All of our affairs are funneled through his Headquarters section, he'll probably have us report to a Lieutenant for accountability each morning and then we'll do the same as we always do."
"I hope so," Donald replied, "I really hate that guy."
They sat for almost an hour just relaxing and talking with Amy and Sarah. James catching up with his sister. Donald and Tyler glad to see females after a day full of near death experiences. James left the four of them to go shower and changed into a pair of fresh grey fatigues without name tapes and propped his feet up on a foot locker to air them. It had been a long day.
He was enjoying the conversation and close to dozing off when the door to the squad bay opened and Captain Ambrose's aide entered the room. He looked to James spotting him by his rank insignia as the only Corporal present.
"Corporal Dawn?" he asked and receiving a nod he continued, "Captain Ambrose wants to see you in his quarters. Captain McNair will be present as well; looks like you guys are going planet side again." He turned and left and James let out a huge groan as he shook off the sleep that had been gripping him.
"Fuck us," Donald said throwing down his cards and walking to his bunk to check his suit over before laying it out to await orders. "We'll be ready. We'll look over your suit too to save time." James nodded and pulled on a pair of boots from under his rack before storming out of the room pulling his pistol belt on. Amy and Sarah left right behind him; they had to get some sleep before their next shifts.
"He can't send them out again so soon," Amy contended to Sarah, "They've been up all day."
"I'm sure they're just getting orders tonight and planning," Sarah reassured her friend, "They probably won't go until morning." Amy sighed and crossed her fingers in a silent prayer. The two friends parted ways at Amy's room and she fell into her bed unable to sleep from worry.