Authors Notes: Happy Holidays! I didn't do authors notes on my first chapter, but I'll do it on this one. First off, hi. I'm glad you guys are enjoying my story. Second, I want to apologize for any typos or grammar mistakes, I'm writing this on my iPad and I'm still in school. I want to forewarn you that I have a lot of medical issues so while I do have more time on my hands, I have homework to make up, doctors to visit and pain to deal with. I got back from the hospital today so I'm updating this late (or at least it is for me), but I really wanted to update.

Story takes place post-Bylaw, but pre-Nightfall.

Sorry if it's too short, I'll update sooner (I hope).

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Alicia was concerned. She'd seen the gash on Natalie's head before they'd moved her and brought her back to Terra Nova and it wasn't good. Her hair was soaked in her blood, but once Wash moved it away she saw the open cut with the deformed bone. Being a medic and having seen her fair share of injuries, Wash knew the severity of head injuries, she also knew what skull fracture was. The damage to her head was extensive and even with their advanced technology, an open fracture can be fatal. If not, it could cause infections and with her that will certainly slow down her recovery and could make it fatal.

Dr. Shannon took her into surgery, no words except for her condition were exchanged. Since that moment three minutes ago, Wash has stood patiently, her back pressed against the wall as she stared at the wall part of the room Dr. Shannon took Natalie into.

"Wash, you alright?" Jim asked, looking at the visibly tense lieutenant. When they were going back to the colony, Wash radioed for Dr. Shannon, when she mentioned a girl being OTG, Jim quickly decided to come.

"I'm fine." She bit out, her eyes not leaving the room throughout the sentence.

It wasn't until several seconds later the door opened and the commander walked in. He marched straight to Wash, "She's back?"

Wash's conversation with Taylor over the comm.'s involved more detail, such as the victim being found was her missing daughter.

Alicia turned her head slightly and barely met his eyes, "Yes, sir." It was more of a breath than a firm confirmation, but he still got his answer.

"Where is she?" Nathaniel heard she was injured but she wasn't in any of the bio-beds, at least he hadn't seen her in any of them.

"Surgery. Doc took her back three minutes ago. She was non-responsive."

"Any idea who dropped her off?"

"The sixers." Wash answered, remembering the day the sixers left, was the same day her daughter left too. Part of Wash hoped she was taken, just so she could kick someone's ass and not have to deal with knowing her daughter left her.

"Or..." The second option was left hanging, the suggestion not being said out loud for Taylor's sake.

But Nathaniel knew, "Lucas." He stated, it was a realization, a cold-hard fact he knew for sure. Wash knew it too, and when Natalie woke up, she would tell them the same thing.

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Dr. Shannon looked at the datapad in her hands showing the scans then turned her attention back to the unconscious bruised girl. The surgery had been completed, the bone was put back in it's place and the open wound was sewed up. Scans had already been run, a few more they were still waiting on to finish and a couple wouldn't be done until she woke up. The ones that had been done were just showing up problems asking for more tests, more surgery, more medicine and stitches.

Elisabeth exited the patient's room after verifying she was stable. She had all the tests results needed, it was time to inform the Commander and Lieutenant about her status, she'd been notified they were waiting with Jim. They were most likely exhausted from being stopped from going to bed and waiting several hours for the surgery to finish.

When she entered the room they were waiting in, Wash and Taylor were sitting next to each other finishing the work they were working on prior to Wash being called OTG, Wash was distracted, though. Next to them Jim sat, tuning them out.

"I finished the surgery." Elisabeth announced getting their attention.

"How is she?" Wash asked, concern and worry etched on her face.

"She has a compound fracture to her skull, we stitched up the gash and placed the bone back in it's place but the internal damage it caused we can't know. She also comminuted her wrist, we repaired the damage to the fractured ulna and distal radius bone, she should be able to use her wrist in a few weeks. Her eleventh and twelfth rib are cracked. There were some lacerations we had to stitch up – all of the deep lacerations had fragments of rocks in the openings."

"But she'll be alright?" Despite everything, Nathaniel still cared for her. Even if he didn't, he cared for Wash and Wash cared for Natalie.

Before Elisabeth could reply, Alicia asked, "What else?"

"She had a contusion and slipped into a coma."

Those words send Alicia's world crippling down. She'd just found her daughter again, and now she'd lost her once more.

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Wash looked at her frail and broken daughter. She was pale. Her eyes were closed, her head was bandaged and she had a ventilator on. Her body was covered with a hospital gown, despite it, you could see her ribs from not having enough to eat. Her bony, yet muscular arms laid lifeless beside her. The wrist she had fractured was bandaged and in a cast. The cuts marring her legs from her accident were covered up, by both bandages and her gown, but they were still visible.

"She'll wake up." Taylor spoke from behind her.

"And if she doesn't?" Alicia's voice carried much emotion despite her attempt to keep her military facade. When it came to Nathaniel though, she could let her guard down.

"She's a stubborn girl." Nathaniel met the unguarded brown eyes of Alicia, full of love and care for her daughter. "She gets that from you."

Wash smiled slightly, but it disappeared quickly, "She has to want to be saved."

"Wash, I've watched you blame yourself for two years. Natalie made her own choices, she chose to leave. Can't blame yourself for doing what you thought was best. It was a difficult situation. You didn't leave her behind, she got sick."

"She still left."

"And said hateful things in the process." Wash gave him a slightly insubordinate look, along the lines of a sarcastic 'thanks', but they were off the clock– he wouldn't call her on it.

Nathaniel rested his hand on her shoulder in a confronting way, "You'll fix your relationship."

"Now, get some sleep, soldier." Taylor ordered. "You got dawn patrol in a few hours."

In light of everything, Wash cracked a smile.

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Author's Notes: Not so much of giving a full backstory for Natalie, but I will. I wrote a scene (I think that's what these parts are called) with more details about her past and it was more emotional, seemed OOC for Wash and I just didn't like it as much. It had some Wash/Taylor in it but it was like two lines at the end and I felt I needed to add more even if it was them talking about Natalie. I will have just Wash/Taylor scenes where Natalie isn't involved later but right now I can't do that.

Anyway, I'm glad I finished this. I'll be starting on the next chapter soon, I already have it planned out (and the rest of the story). I have other stories in my head but I think I'm gonna try and focus on this since I can't stick with my main one, or at least get it to make sense.