The Cruelty of Hesitation

Chapter Two:

You Owe Me

Shepard stood in front of the empty tank in her private quarters. She let a half smile catch on her lips as she watched the plants behind the glass swirl and flow in the water. It was all so ironic. Hundreds, even thousands of people expected her to keep them alive.

Five fish.

She couldn't even keep five damn fish alive.

She turned her head to the entry as she heard a small buzzing sound. A yellow light blurred over the door. The unenthusiastic smile melted from her lips.

"Shall I open the door, Shepard?" EDI questioned.

"Let him in." Shepard flicked a wrist carelessly toward the door before she resumed her relaxed pose.

"Very well," EDI replied. In an instant the door was sliding open with a soft hiss and sounds of arguing could be heard. EDI disappeared from Shepard's room without another word.

"Yeah, I know. I know," Garrus responded as he let a hand fly behind of his shoulder in dismissal.

"I'm completely serious Garrus," Doctor Chakwas responded with a hint of frustration in her voice as she stooped down to wipe a few blue splatters off the floor. "You're still bleeding. We need to get you back to the infirmary." She poked her head out from behind the turian's form and gave Shepard a look before crossing her arms and melding back in behind of him.

Shepard's brows creased in slight confusion as she looked up at Garrus's bleeding form. "What are you-" Her words were cut off as Samara followed the group in.

"Ah, I see you did find him." The asari's eyes wandered over the back of the doctor and the turian. "I thought you should be notified as he was still bleeding."

"Yes," the doctor said in a weary reply. "…Except I can't get him back in the infirmary to help him."

"Perhaps if you'd-" Samara's words were obscured from a loud sigh that belonged to Garrus.

"You know," he said to Shepard, slight sarcasm dripping from his words, "I wonder why the turian women don't follow me around like this."

"Perhaps it's because of how much you like to bleed everywhere." The snarky reply came from the doctor. "Now, let's get you patched up. I'm sure whatever you have to tell Shepard can wait until we're done."

Shepard had just been standing by watching the whole time. Arms crossed. Feet apart. Shoulders back. Posture straight. Her features remained completely impartial as she watched her friend bleed out in front of her. She had kept silent to try and figure out the situation and what exactly was going on. After all, she had only been expecting Garrus, but not in his current condition.

"Why hasn't he been patched up yet, Doctor?" Shepard asked with a small, curious tilt of her head.

The woman took a step to the side, trying to find space beside the turian's form in the doorway and looked to Shepard with a small and fitful shake of her head. "Because he has refused the rest of his treatment until he spoke with you. Then, after I thought I had talked him into finishing treatment, I left the infirmary to grab a few things and he walked out without me knowing. I only recently caught him on his way here with Samara's help."

Shepard's blue eyes turned on the turian. "I'll talk with you after your wounds have been tended to Garrus. You're risking your health at the moment. If you want to go on the next mission with me, you'll need to be patched and ready. Consider it an order when I tell you to get your ass back to the infirmary."

"All right Shepard, all right." Garrus put his hands up in a defensive manner and began to slide back from the entrance of Shepard's room.

Samara and Chakwas followed suit, and headed for the elevator.

"Thank you Shepard," Chakwas called out as she disappeared from view and into the elevator.

Garrus stepping into the elevator was the last thing Shepard saw before the door to her room closed. She took a breath and shook her head in bewilderment. What in the hell was that about?

Her gaze drifted to the floor. Drops of blue littered the ground around the entrance of the doorway. She would have to find some way to-

Garrus threw himself back into Shepard's room with both Samara and Chakwas on his heels. He leaned over and tapped a few buttons near the entrance of the doorway once he was safely inside and the door slammed down and locked itself.

"Well," Garrus said as he half turned to look at Shepard, a smug and delighted glimmer in his eyes, "That wasn't too hard."

"Garrus!" Shepard hissed, utterly displeased that the bleeding turian was in her quarters once again and on top of that defying her orders.

He decided to open the conversation with a bit of humor. "So. . .with this much bleeding I think you owe me dinner and a vid right?"

There was an awkward silence. Shepard's stare on his back was unforgiving.

"…maybe a drink?" He completely turned around and watched the woman as she stood completely still, her gaze unwavering and on him. "Damnit, Shepard. Don't you humans have any sense of humor?"

"What do you want, Garrus?" She questioned. "There has to be a reason you need to talk to me this badly. There has to be a reason why you're in my room, bleeding all over my floor."

"There are a few reasons, Shepard." The turian said as he shrugged his shoulders coolly. "First, I just wanted to know if you're all right."

She didn't hesitate. "I'm fine, Garrus. I don't know why you feel the need to forgo the infirmary and patching your wounds to ask me that."

"Second, I came to give you this. . ." Garrus took a few steps and closed the distance between them. Her broken visor appeared in his hands. "Got it at the last minute when no one was looking before we scuttled off Aequitas. I was trying to repair it…" He fumbled on words for a moment. "…as a gift of sorts. I know how important something like that can be." He handed the repaired visor over to Shepard as she held out her hands. He let his own hands fall back effortlessly to his sides once the visor was gone from his grip. "I wanted to warn you, Shepard."

Shepard looked up at the turian with a concerned look in her eyes. "Warn me?" She asked.

Garrus bent down slightly and moved forward, closing in most of the space between them. He brushed his cheek gently over hers so he could whisper in her ear. "You're being watched, Shepard. And not just by the cameras that you put in. Someone else wants to see what you see. I did a little research, and I think I know someone I can contact. We'll talk about it later if you're interested in pursuing the lead." In an instant he was standing back up straight, and began to turn to leave the room.

Shepard kept quiet. She was currently dazed by a lot of things and none of them had to do with being watched by unknown eyes. She would show no outward signs of what she was thinking, however. It was a trademark of hers, or so she had been told. The "cold mask of neutrality" a reporter had joked. It had stuck.

"Ah, and one more thing, Shepard?" The turian whirled on her, his face serious and losing its sardonic glow as their eyes locked. "Don't be too hard on yourself. You've saved my ass twice now."

He turned and walked from the room. The door to her cabin opened, revealing Samara and Chakwas. He walked straight past them as they began to spurn him and into the elevator as the door to her room closed once more.

She took a breath.

The floor to her quarters looked like a painter had come in and flicked a brush around carelessly. The shapes and color of the specks of blood were eerily beautiful.

She might just owe him one.