A/N: Sorry for the long wait. First my iPad broke and it had to be fixed which took a few days and me couldn't type on my phone. Then there was school. I'm now switching to online school which should allow me to update more often, but beac due of it I had to fill out forms and complete a lot of school work. Anyway, this is a short chapter and I apologize but I just wanted to get something out there. All the medical stuff should be done, so that'll help. This will tie into the regular series (using the actual episodes) next chapter. No copyright intended, I don't own Terra Nova or it's characters, I just own Natalie.
Visiting hours at the Infirmary had ended about thirty-minutes ago. Wash exited the building after finishing her discussion with Elisabeth and crossed the dark colony. She needed to update Taylor and preferred to do it in person than over the comm.'s. When she reached the bottom of the steps, she noticed a single light on in the Command Centre, knowing he was there, she climbed the steps to Command. Wash pushed open the doors, and approached the desk he sat at.
Upon her arrival, Taylor sat up in his seat, "Wash." He greeted, with a slight nod.
"Sir." She replied in kind.
"How is she?"
"Awake." Was the only answer, she could come up with.
"She doesn't remember what happened. The last thing she remembers is Lucas leaving her to go to the falls." Wash recounted what she was told by Dr. Shannon. When she had asked Natalie what she last remembered it was leaving her cave to prove something – Wash knew despite what she had learned, she was still protecting Lucas and she most likely always would.
"But she was with him?" It wasn't really a question, more-so a statement and he was looking for confirmation.
Wash nodded, confirming his assumption, "Yes, sir."
"And how are you?" Nathaniel looked generally concerned, he knew this was all taking a wear on her.
"Fine, sir." Alicia replied, rigidly and tiredly.
He gave her a look of disbelief, but didn't press the question.
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"Doctor? Can we talk about treatment? I am bored. I haven't been inside for this long in two years!" She needed to get back OTG. She needed to talk to Lucas and figure out what the truth was. And she needed to find her dinosaurs.
"We can, but you were saying you felt itchy." Elisabeth remarked, watching Natalie as she bushed her wrist against her leg.
"Uh-huh. My right wrist where the cast is and my left hand where the bandage is. It just itches." Natalie explained to the best of her ability. She had never been good at describing how she felt when she was sick or injured.
"That's good."
"It is?" Elisabeth nodded, answering her question. "Then why does it itch?" Natalie asked, placing her hand back beside her since she couldn't get the itch out.
"Because your wounds are healing, and so are your nerves." Elisabeth explained, glad that the healing process was going smoothly. Her itching the wounds wasn't good, as it could effect the healing process.
"What does that mean?
"As soon as your neutrophils return to normal and your neutropenia cycle ends, we'll start surgery. Till then, don't itch your skin."
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"So, how's your daughter doing?" Jim asked, glancing at his friend who looked stressed.
"She's fine." Wash replied.
The tenseness in her voice didn't go missed by him, "You know my wife is her doctor, right?"
"And you know there's a such thing as doctor-patient confidentiality?" She retorted.
"Okay, I'll admit Elisabeth didn't tell me, but I'm a cop, I can tell you're stressed." Shannon was profiling her as they walked.
"If you found your daughter outside the gates, bleeding out, after being OTG for two and a half years and just woke up from a 8 day coma, how would you be?" Wash questioned.
"Worried, stressed, concerned. I'd be with her everyday." Jim stated, seriously. It didn't matter which daughter, or which child, Josh, Maddy or Zoe, he would be there for them. "But I'd know she was safe in Elisabeth's capable hands." His last words were directed towards Wash.
Wash nodded, she didn't disagree that Elisabeth was a capable doctor. "I know. That's not why I'm stressed."
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"So you're starting your treatment tomorrow." Wash stated, trying to start a conversation, something which wasn't easy these days. An argument came naturally to them, fighting seemed to be all they did before she left, it was nearly impossible to have a civilized conversation.
"If my neutrophils go back up."
"We just want to be sure you don't get another infection." The last thing Alicia wanted was for Natalie to get an infection While her immune system was down and have to spend more time then needed in the Infirmary.
"You don't want me to be a burden." Natalie assumed. It was a quick assessment and she seemed to care less about the response.
"That's not it." Wash was quick to correct her.
"Isn't it?" Why can't Lucas be here? She wondered.
"Why are you here, Mom? Really? I know you're disappointed in me, so why aren't you avoiding me like Taylor is?"
"I'm not disappointed in you, I'm disappointed in your actions." Wash told her once again. "And Taylor isn't avoiding you." Wash knew that for a fact. She knew what Taylor was like when he was avoiding someone and this was not; he just needed time to think about everything.
Natalie rose her eyebrows, but didn't comment.
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As Wash entered the infirmary and she spotted Dr. Shannon speaking with a nurse about a patient. When Elisabeth finished their conversation and the nurse left, Wash walked over to her.
"How is she?" She asked.
"Surgery was fine, no complications, we were able to repair the nerve damage. She's under anesthesia and sedation now, she should be awake soon." Elisabeth explained as she turned to the other woman.
"Good." Wash nodded.
"You can go see her if you'd like. She's back in her room."
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Elisabeth was in the middle of her goodbye when she heard her name be called out. After pulling Jim in for a quick kiss, her expression turned serious.
"I got to go, you got the kids tonight?"
"Yes, it'll be fine." Jim assured her. Elisabeth didn't have time to mention last time he said that he forgot to put Zoe in the bath since she needed to attend to the patient.
"Remember: Zoe needs a bath!" Elisabeth called from over her shoulder, as she approached the nurse.
"What's wrong?" She asked when she reached the women, wondering which patient needed her attention.
"Miss. Washington is waking up." The other woman explained.