Chapter 8

"So that's Davin's dad?" Vara asked, watching Erik as he bought food from the hospitals cafeteria. Erik nodded, looking grim, and went to a table, Vara following him. She was tempted to take her mask off and try the food humans eat to see if she would get sick. But she was still keeping how well her tests were going from Davin, and a Quarian taking off her mask and eating food would get everyone's attention. She sighed, deciding to tell him as soon as he calms down from meeting his dad.

She frowned, remembering the look on Davin's face. It was a look she wasn't used to; no anger, no sadness, just a numb look, as if he was a statue. It was unusual for her to see Davin like that. He's the kind of guy to take charge of the situation and face it head on. But with his dad, it was like he just escaped inside himself, ignoring all the emotions he had to be feeling.

"Let's not take to long." Erik said, pulling Vara from her thoughts. She was also not used to seeing Erik mad. "I don't want to leave Davin alone with his dad for too long."

"Why?" She said, curious. "What do you think would happen?"

"Who knows? Davin hasn't seen his dad in years, and he has changed a lot in those years. He could forgive his father, but I highly doubt that; a lot of pent up rage there. Most likely his dad will say something to piss Davin off, and Davin will strangle him right then and there. When you know a bomb is ticking, you don't sit around to see how long it takes to go off."

Vara nodded. Then she laughed, making Erik look confused. "What?"

"You said that we shouldn't take too long to eat our food."

"And?"

Instead of words, she simply tapped her mask, and Erik caught it, laughing at himself. She almost sighed out loud in relief; they had all been through too much recently, and it was nice to relax. They stood up, Erik dumping his leftover food into the trash bin before they headed back towards Davin's room. Vara's mind was racing as they headed back. Did Davin tell his dad about her? They didn't seem to get along, so she doubted it. How would his dad react? Like hers? She was so caught up in her thoughts she didn't hear Erik yell at he to stop, and ran face first into a glass door, her whole face ramming against her mask. She fell back on her butt, wishing she could rub her nose at least.

She got really upset as Erik helped her up. This damn suit does nothing but impede me. How could my entire race just accept this fate and not try to change it? I want to feel the air on my face whenever there is a breeze!

"Everything ok Vara?" She heard Erik say. She nodded, standing up and gaining her composure. She wanted to be calm and clear headed when talking to Davin's dad; she didn't know much about him, and didn't know what he would say or do.

Before they even reached the room they could hear Davin and his dad arguing. Looks like Erik was right; Davin's dad pissed him off. They looked at each other, knowing this couldn't end well. Erik shrugged and opened the door, entering the room with Vara right behind him.

"-Did it for your own damn good! You were too attached to your mother, and had become soft. You can't be soft in this world!" Davin's dad yelled, though Vara noticed his face was surprisingly calm. How someone can yell and be calm at the same time was beyond her.

"And?" Davin responded, and Vara could almost read his mind; he wanted to stand up and get in his dads face. "So that gave you the right to decide my entire life for me? You thing being sent out to slaughter innocent people and children toughened me up?" Davin went to get out of bed, but was quickly stopped by Vara and Erik; well, mostly Erik. Vara didn't have the strength to stop Davin on her own, even in his current state.

"Davin, try to remember you have no legs man." Erik said, his face a statue. Davin glared at them for a second, and then sighed, sitting back.

"It's been awhile Walkman. I see you are doing well." Davin's dad said. Erik looked at him. "Nice of you to notice Harold."

His name is Harold huh. She felt Davin grab her hand, surprising her. She looked down at him, and his face spelled one word; tired. He looked this exhausted just dealing with his father. She felt a pang of anger and decided to take control of the situation herself.

"Davin, it seems you are upset. Do you want me to get everyone out of the room?" She said, very loud and clear, making Erik and Harold turn their heads. Erik smiled; Harold looked wary.

Davin looked up at her and smiled, squeezing her hand. "Everyone except you for right now."

That was all she needed to hear; she turned towards Erik and Harold, crossing her arms. Erik chuckled, putting his hands up in false defeat and leaving the room. Harold, on the other hand, didn't.

"I'm sorry, we haven't been introduced yet. I'm Harold, and as Davin's dad-"

"I know who you are." She said, cutting him off. Her voice was as cold as ice, and he was visibly surprised by it. "You are Davin's father, Harold Kecker. That's good to know. But as of right know, my man just lost his legs, and you seem to only be stressing him out, something he obviously doesn't need right know. So, I will say this one more time; leave."

He gaped, not knowing how to respond, and he made the smart choice; he turned around and left. The instant he was out of ear shot she sighed in relief, plopping down on the bed next to Davin, who gently rubbed her shoulder.

"Well, it was awesome to see you go commander on my dad; kind of hot too." He said, winking. She giggled, placing her hand over his. She didn't know if she would ever get used to how tiny and fragile human hands looked and felt, but she felt happy at the fact that Davin lived; she had all the time in the world to get used to it.

"Yes, but I like it better when you do it; I don't look nearly as threatening as you do."

"You say that, but I've never shut my dad up like that; in fact, no one has since my mother passed away. You woman are scary."

She smiled at that. Her smile disappeared as she remembered that she had to tell Davin about her research. She looked down, playing with his hand, and to no surprise Davin noticed right away.

"While that is cute, it means you have something to say. What is it?" He said, his bright blue eyes staring at her glowing ones. His eyes always felt like they would burn a hole in her mask, making her feel vulnerable.

"I…have not been completely honest with you Dav." She said, trying to find the right way to word this, her heart doing flips in her chest. "My researched…is way past what we have been studying together. To be honest, I'm already in the final stages, and will soon have a finalized product. I have also been testing it on myself, and the results are exactly what I expected; my immune system is already twice as strong as it was before. A couple more doses and my immune system will be just as powerful as yours."

She looked away, not wanting to see his face; scared of what she would see. "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. I was scared that if your government knew how close I am to finishing this, they would take you away from me. I'm selfish, and-"She stopped in surprise as she heard Davin chuckle. She finally looked up at him, and saw him smiling at her.

He placed his hand on top of her head. "Silly woman, I figured that out awhile ago. I was just waiting for you to tell me."

She blinked a few times, trying to process this. "You…knew? And you're not mad?"

He shook his head. "Why would I be? You ended up telling me; that's all that matters."

She felt heat rush to her face and placed her hands over her mask, even though he couldn't see her face anyway. "How long have you known?" She asked, feeling like an embarrassed fool.

I figured it out when we visited your family." He said, grinning. "It was hard not to notice when I had a rash over most of my thighs and all you got was the sniffles."

She groaned, feeling more foolish by the second; here she thought she was doing such a good job hiding it when he knew all along and was playing along for her. She lifted her head, smiling a little; this turned out better than she thought it would.

"Well, since you know, time for a test." She said, seeing Davin raise an eyebrow. Then she saw his eyes widen as she started undoing the straps and hoses to her mask. She grunted as the main hose in the back seems stuck, and was surprised when she felt Davin's hands over hers. She looked at him, smiling. "Let me take it off."

A Quarian taking off her mask for someone was the most intimate thing she can do; it exposes her to risk of infection, so a Quarian will only take their mask off for people very close to them. She had never heard of anyone, Quarian or alien, asking to take the mask off for them. She blushed very heavily and nodded, turning her head to make it easier for him. His hands grasped the tube and gently wiggled it out of place, the hose making a loud hissing nose as the air went no where. Then she felt him grasp the mask and gently lift up. The mask was pressurized, so it didn't just pop off, but Davin managed it, and as he lifted she felt the air hit her skin, and almost laughed out loud when it didn't burn or sting. As always, the smells overwhelmed her nose, and the lights hurt her eyes, so she had to sit there until she got used to it.

She felt his hand caress her cheek, and she smiled, feeling electricity from his touch; Skin on skin contact was one of the best feelings in the world to her, and she looked forwards to as much contact with him as she could. She looked at him, breathing a little heavy but healthy.

"It seems to have been working." He said, grinning. "But let's just have the mask off today. And be cautious of course; watch what you touch, wash your hands, generally avoid other peo-"He never got to finish as she laughed, pulling his face towards hers and kissing him hard. To her surprise he kissed her back just as fierce, running his hands through her thick hair and tugging on it, making her his and bit his lip.

They would have gone at it for hours, but she heard a cough from behind her. They both pulled apart and turned around to see his entire team standing at the door, along with Harold and a few nurses. She instantly felt heat rise to her face, and blushed even more when she realized they could see her blush. He hid her face as they all started laughing, except for Harold, Davin even joining along, blushing a little himself.

"Can't even get a little make out time with my woman." Davin said after they had all quieted down. The whole team was looking at Vara, making sure her blush didn't go away.

"So this is what you look like Vara." Adam said, tugging on his stub of a beard. Debra laughed loudly again. "Well damn, you're fucking beautiful Vara. Maybe I need a Quarian woman."

They chuckled, Vara included. They were going to continue when the door opened and Davin's doctor walked in, causing them to go silent. The doctor smiled, stopping at the foot of the bed and looking at his omni-tool.

"Davin Kecker." He said, still looking at the omni-tool. "As of right know you are completely stable. No infections, no internal damage; besides your legs, your as healthy as a horse." He looked up when he said this, and blinked when he saw Vara. She thought he would freak out, but the doctor simply smiled. "When I joined medicine, I always wondered when I'd get to see a Quarian without their mask on. Most doctors are eager to help, but what the Quarian race hadn't figured out for centuries would be impossible for us to do it. It's good to know you are making progress." He looked around. "Any questions so far?

Vara raised her hand. "What do you mean as healthy as a horse? Is that a good thing?"

No one said anything for awhile, and then everyone but her started laughing, making her more confused; what was so special about this 'horse'?

.

.

"Now let's talk about recovery options." The doctor said after everyone explained what a horse was. It still didn't look like she completely understood it, but she got that a horse was an animal. Davin just looked at her face, smiling; it was so odd to see her facial expressions, which were always hidden until now. He blushed a bit, remembering the first facial expression he ever saw on her face; he didn't know how to describe it, so he simply left it as a 'very lustful expression'.

The doctor continued as he was lost in his thoughts. "I now have to ask everyone who isn't family or a significant other to leave the room for the moment."

Davin heard almost his entire team groan. "We just got back." Adam grumbled as they all headed out, Erik winking at Jack on the way out. Davin shook his head, still unable to believe they were watched the entire time; he didn't mind much, but it was still embarrassing.

Davin glared in his father's direction, not understanding why he had to be here; Davin was old enough to make his own decisions, and was in a clear state of mind. He waited to see what the doctor said.

"Well Davin, we have a couple of options available to you. The military has promised to pay for whatever you want, so don't worry about price." He then brought up a couple of files, sending them to Davin's omni-tool. Davin swiped through them, amazed at all the artificial legs he could choose from; he could chose one that would make it look like nothing happened, or go all out and get a specialized leg with designs and such. He had no idea what to choose from, so he asked one question.

"Which of these is suited for combat?"

The doctor was speechless at first, and even Vara had surprised written all over her face; only his dad had no change of expression. He shouldn't; it was him that sent Davin down this path

The doctor coughed. "Well, we have three models. I'll send them to you and answer any questions you have."

The doctor swiped a few pages, and Davin's omni-tool received three more files. One looked like actual legs made of metal; looks good for speed, but it also looked like they could be damage easier than the others, so he went on to the next one.

The next one looked more like Vara's legs than a human; they were curved, and as he read the information, they were amazing for bursts of speed and jumping great heights. He liked this one better than the last, but he wanted to see the third option before making a decision.

He swiped to the last one. Out of the three, these were the least flattering, blocky and robot like. But as he read the information he liked this one the most; they were the most durable, able to handle missiles and stay intact, and he could control the speed they work at. They needed a little more maintenance, but they also were the easiest to fix if broken. He smiled, and sent the third file back to the doctor.

"I want this one."

The doctor bit his lip. "Out of the three, this is the only one made to where you won't be able to feel your legs; kind of like sitting on your legs too long and trying to walk. This is an older model, and I usually don't recommend it, as it also needs a good amount of care and can be short circuited by electricity, unlike the other models."

Before the doctor could continue, Vara touched her wrists to the doctors, and in the blink of an eye had copied the file and was reading it herself. The doctor was going to protest but Davin held a hand up, interested. Her face was cute when she was focused, but that's not why he waited. She was with him, and she was also a genius, so he wanted her input.

After reading all of it, Vara looked up, her face the definition of determination. "I could take care of the maintenance on them. It looks pretty simple; not my specialty, but their isn't anything I can't learn."

Davin smiled at her, but his smile vanished when his father spoke up. "I think the second model would be the better choice. Sure, you would need to come back in to have it repaired and such, but this model is just too old and outdated."

"Glad to know old man." Davin said, and then turned back to the doctor. "My decision remains the same."

Davin's father stood up, and to her surprise he said, "Vara, may I speak to you alone for a moment?"

"You sure as hell can't-"Davin began, but Vara laid a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her, seeing her smile. "I won't be long Dav." And got up, leaving him to speak with his father.

.

.

"You want me to what?" Vara said, appalled at what she was hearing. Harold shifted his feet, looking uncomfortable.

"I don't think Davin is making the right decision here. If you care about him, which is apparent that you do, then you should join me in getting him to go with a different model.

"And what if he still says no?" She replied, getting very pissed and not caring that he could see it. "You have decided his whole life for him so far, and you want me to join you in this? He hated that he didn't get to decide what to do with his life."

"Ya, but-"

"No buts. You listen to me Harold." She said her voice going cold again and her eyes glowing like angry suns. "I will not let you run his life anymore. I'm sticking by him and his decision. It doesn't matter what you think is best for him; he is a grown man, and he can decide what is best for himself."

To her surprise, anger spread across his face. "Do not speak about stuff you know nothing about. I did what needed to be done, what he didn't have the courage to do. And it was the right decision."

"Right decision? He just lost his fucking legs you bosh'tet! How was this the right decision?"
"He will be fine. He can still join a mercenary group if he wants to. He isn't crippled by any means."

She just gaped at him, not able to understand his thought process. Then he said something that crossed the line.

"The only decision he made by himself was you, and look how that turned out."

Shocked and blinded by anger, she smacked him, hard. A normal human slap would have hurt; with her thicker bones and bigger hands, it was more like being clubbed, sending him down to the ground. She kneeled next to him, trying to glare a hole sending him down to the ground. She kneeled next to him, trying to glare a hole through his head.

"I see that you will only hold him back and do your best to ruin his life. If you care about him at all, you will leave and never come back." With that she walked back into the room, trying to wipe away the tears at the corner of her eyes before Davin saw them, but of course he did.

"What's wrong?" He said, sitting up. She shook her head, smiling as best as she could. "Nothing Dav. We just-"

"Please don't lie to me Vara." He said, cutting her off. "You don't have your mask anymore; I can plainly see that you are upset." He turned towards the doctor. "If I am unable to make any decisions at all, I leave them to Vara and Erik. I don't want my father to have any say in anything. Am I clear?"

The doctor simply nodded. "Good." Davin continued, grabbing Vara's hand and pulling her closer. "Then my decision is final."

The doctor nodded, standing up and smiling. "Alright, I will go set up the surgery. It will be extensive and recovery will be painful, but you two will be fine. I will let you know when anything is determined." With that the doctor left. Vara pressed her face into Davin's chest and he held her, smiling and looking sleepy.

Harold was no where to be found.