Disclaimer: Sorry that it has been so long since I last updated. Like I said before school has been crazy, the only reason I can write now is because I'm at my friends house and I can only study so much without my textbook. Please enjoy and leave a review containing what you would like to see next, believe it or not but suggestions really would allow me to update faster. Thank you all for your patients.
Chapter 10:
Saren watches her closely as she shifts under the blankets. After the end of Alicia's visit Saren has continued sleeping alongside Abigail in her over-sized country bed. He stands above her holding a cup of green tea, the steam pouring over him despite the cold room. She shifts again against the mattress.
"Abigail" he says softly and sternly all at once. She holds her eyes shut and burrows her face into the pillow. He finds himself repeating her name despite how illogical he finds the situation. "You asked me to awaken you at 400 hours no matter how much resistance you give."
"It's cold" she replies sleepily into her white pillow.
"You have an appointment" he reminds her.
"I'll just cancel it" she mumbles against the fabric.
"It would be illogical to cancel an appointment such as this."
"I'm perfectly healthy, there is no reason for me to go" She argues and shifts again.
"That is a faulty assumption given the circumstances" he watches her and tilts the mug over his bottom lip.
"Plus it's too cold" she says ignoring him and pulling the blankets around her better.
"It would only be cold for a moment as your body adjusts."
"Has your body adjusted?" She asks him, he doesn't reply.
"Put on warm clothing" he walks over to her closet and pulls out an exceptionally warm outfit.
"No, the gain isn't worth the loss, these blankets are so warms" he raises his eyebrow and his lips twitch upwards for a brief moment. He moves effortlessly and unplugs the heating blanket from the wall. She frowns from the sound.
"You wouldn't" she says before opening her eyes and looking at him with surprise.
"Get up" he says firmly and stands calmly above her.
She shakes her head and pulls the blanket fully over her body and clutches strongly at the edge.
"You instructed me to get you to your appointment on time no matter the resistance, this is the only course of action." He moves towards her and she holds onto her blanket using all of her strength. He grabs an edge and pulls ruffly.
"I don't wanna go to the doctor" She says sitting up in an intense game of tug of war.
"It is illogical for you not to go" He says calmly as he pulls the blankets fully off of her and tosses them across the room and out of reach
"Fine" she says uncrossing her arms and grabbing the clothes that are now on the floor. She gets dressed slowly and with an air of defiance. "I hate going to the doctor" she says under her breath and Saren pretends not to hear her.
She's in a better mood when she starts the car, more awake and more willing. "You can come with" She tells him and he steps forward from the doorway. Its cold enough so that when he sits next to her she removes his cowboy hat and places a beanie on his head. The hat is a little tight, which is logical so that it won't easily come off or slip out of place.
Abigail puts in a few bobby pins just to be sure before shifting into gear and turning her attention to the road. "It is illogical to avoid seeing a doctor, especially under the circumstances."
"I know" she says and watches the road carefully "I'm not even afraid of doctors, and I'm not even paranoid something is wrong, I just don't enjoy the experience of going and it just takes up so much time."
He doesn't reply, "I don't have time for this kind of thing, I'm very busy on the ranch, I'm going to be seriously delayed in milking Betty because of this and she's been exceptionally ornery lately." Abigail narrows her eyes.
"It is logical to not wish to waste time" if he was human he may have said something else "but I do not believe that seeing a doctor would be illogical, more so because..." she cuts him off.
"I know" she says turning to him "you already gave me your sooner rather than later speech."
"I do not recall using that phrase."
"I'm paraphrasing."
"I see" he says despite the illogic he finds in the statement, he is not seeing anything, he is hearing and understanding.
Saren stares ahead and clenches his jaw before he realizes that he is doing so. He relaxes his jaw, worrying is an illogical emotion. But still he cannot control himself from looking over her body quickly, an illogical action, he knows that he cannot discern her health from simply looking at her.
When they pull over in front of the small clinic Saren watches Abigail take a deep breath and letting it out slowly before opening her car door. She hesitates a moment before stepping out.
"Come on" she says and he notices that he is still sitting in the car. He unbuckles quickly and steps beside her, matching her pace. He opens the door to the clinic and watches Abigail check in at the front desk.
She directs him to sit down and after he does she sits beside him. She clicks the cheap office pen and writes as legibly as possible. She almost chews on the pen when she finishes before reminding herself that the pen does not belong to her. She carefully places it under the clipboard clamp.
She studies the papers a fourth and fifth time before lifting her head and looking at him. She straightens her back when she finds him watching her. "If I didn't know you better I would think that you were worried" the corner of her mouth inches upwards.
"Worrying is an illogical emotion" He moves his eyes over her body again, more slowly this time.
"I'm sure it is" she tells him the other corner lifting like the first.
"You glean pleasure from my perceived worry, explain."
"It just shows that you care" he arches an eyebrow at her.
"There are more logical ways of caring"
"I'm poking through that Vulcan exterior of yours" she gently pokes the angle of his jaw, her smile rising into her eyes. He looks away, swallowing hard.
He could feel a certain affection through the brief contact, and something else; something faint and small, something his own emotions echoed. Sometimes he's glad this was only a one way channel with her, she couldn't see into the storm of emotions he fought to control when he is in her presence. But now is not the time for that.
He breaths in deeply without breathing in deeply and turns his eyes back to her. Her smile is less and she watches the front desk boredly.
"Berdeaux, Abigail" She turns her eyes lazily to the older nurse and stands up, clutching the board nervously in her hand. Saren makes a move to stand and Abigail places a hand on his shoulder.
"You have to wait here" she tells him and walks through the door behind yellow scrubs.
Saren watches the closed door for a long time before resigning himself to meditate. He closes his eyes and sits up straighter in his chair. He starts to breathe deeply and attempts to clear his mind. He is only partially successful.
A few patients watch him in this state before finding the action unentertaining and returning their attention to the out-dated magazines. He finds it hard to breath in as deeply as he wishes and difficult to keep his eyes closed and away from the door. But he is Vulcan and has a great amount of self control.
The door is a very dark blue, the material almost metallic. He wonders absentmindedly if it would be as cold and smooth as it looks if he were to reach out and touch it.
Abigail sits on the wax paper as the appointment draws to an end. Her nervousness has all melted away by this point and her doctor gives her a clean bill of health before scolding her almost harshly about not having a check-up in over six years. He almost wags his finger at her and advises her to see him again in two years at most.
She puts her head down in pretend shame and assures the doctor that she will be back in a year, a year and half at most. He leaves her to change out of her gown and she does so with a great amount of speed.
"Betty's going to be pissed" Abigail says as greeting to Saren when she enters the waiting room. He notes her speed and follows her out the door. "This took way longer than I wanted" she tells him.
"Are you in good health?" he asks her as she climbs into the driver side.
"Yes, perfect. I told you that this was a complete waist of time" she watches him buckle his seat belt.
"It is logical to check on ones health more often than six years."
"I should never have told you that it's been six years, you totally freaked out." He raises an eyebrow at her.
"Vulcan's do not freak out" this earns him a very wide grin as Abigail shifts into reverse and backs out of her spot.
"Sure they don't" she tells him and turns her head forward as she drives in that direction. "But I'm sure Betty will be freaking out, she hates not being milked on time."
"Your dedication to your animals is admirable" he tells her and watches the corner of her mouth turn upwards. He has started to receive illogical joy from that movement and has found himself time and again trying to encourage it to occur. He finds this as well as praising to be illogical but he also finds himself unwilling to stop.
He watches the road along with her. The light green leaves of the trees bask in the abundant sunlight. The old snow from yesterday reflects the energy and fills the air with a calm he is envious of. The road is long and curved, it turns into hard snow covered dirt very quickly.
He finds himself almost admiring these things so rare on the planet he's from, but at the same time every glance makes him homesick, a rather illogical emotional reaction.
He finds himself best able to repel those emotions in times like these when she is so close to him that all he wishes is that they were touching. That single thought drives the others away, though he is not willing to admit so.
He glances back at her, her face is careful and serious; a common expression whenever she drives. He can't help but wonder why these expressions are not on the faces of others drives he's seen but are so strongly ingrained into the lines of her face.
She pulls in front of the house and pauses a moment facing him before making her way to the barn to milk Betty. The white snow crunches under her feet and Saren watches her back very closely. He stares for a long time before finding the action illogical and turns towards the house and finds more logic in seeing to his own chores.
Disclaimer: thank you all so much for reading this far. This chapter is inspired by yesterday morning when I had to get my friend out of bed so that we could go to the school counselor to figure out our schedules. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please leave a review with what you thought and what you want to see next.