Shepard had been unconscious for two days now, but Mordin didn't seem worried. Apparently the biotic field had hit him hard into a wall, which had rattled around his Cerberus upgrades. Mordin said that he'd fixed it so it shouldn't happen again, but that Shepard just needed a few days to recover. And this is why Casey found herself, for the second day in a row, sitting at Shepard's bedside. She wasn't supposed to do anything in particular, Mordin just asked her to keep Shepard under observation. Casey couldn't help but feel like she was being punished. A couple of days ago she had come into Mordin's lab with her arms full of equipment, and not looking where she was going, had managed to trip over her own feet and fall into Mordin's prized 'DNA collection'. If Casey had met anyone else who collected test tubes of blood, she would've thought they were psychotic...but Mordin wasn't like other people, and so this seemed perfectly normal. After she'd helped clean up the multi-coloured puddle, and asked Mordin about the tube labelled 'Casey' (only to be met with a shifty expression and a stuttered "someone else"), she'd been bumped down to observation duty.

If there was one perk to this job, other than counting how many times she could catch Doctor Chakwas playing Turian Tetris on her omni-tool, it was getting to watch the crew as they visited Shepard. Jacob and James were pretty much the same as ever, cracking jokes and saying things like "you'll be on your feet in no time soldier". It was only when James told a particularly smutty joke about why there were no Asari men, and Jacob started getting misty eyed about his father that Casey hinted Shepard needed rest. It was Miranda who shocked her, she seemed devastated about Shepard's injuries, even though she knew he'd be awake in a few days. Casey might've even thought she'd caught Miranda crying, though on reflection that didn't seem right: to cry you'd have to have some kind of heart.

Grunt had arrived a few hours ago, clutching a potted plant he'd picked up from the Citadel (where they'd docked this morning). He'd obviously heard that humans traditionally brought flowers to those who were sick, and had thought it best to oblige...however Grunt was from Tuchunka, and unfortunately, so was the plant. After thanking Grunt, wrestling her finger out of the jaws of the plant, thanking Grunt again, and wiping the blood on her shirt, Casey had watched as the plant broke free of its pot and ran for the air duct. Grunt had left the room with one of his signature laughs, muttering "little tyke," and so Casey had had to ask Ken from engineering to try and catch it for her. He'd laughed, and promised he'd get hold of "the wee weed".

A couple of hours later, after wrapping up Ken's savaged hand, Casey found herself alone in the med bay. She looked at the clock, midday. She was starving, and anxious to stretch her legs. At that moment Mordin came in. "Ah, Casey, how is the patient?"

"No change Doctor," Casey replied.

"Didn't expect so, still, no reason to worry, as I said, just got a bit rattled, rest good for Shepard, doubt he sleeps much, never in quarters..."

Casey felt her eyes glaze over slightly and watched through the window to the mess hall as Ken Donnelly approached Mess Sergeant Gardner and seemed to be arguing about something. Eventually Gardner shrugged his shoulders and passed Donnelly a large knife. Donnelly held it in the air like a sword, and disappeared.

"...and so thought you would appreciate it." Mordin finished with a smile, and looked at Casey expectantly.

Shit. She couldn't tell him she hadn't been listening, otherwise he might take back whatever he was offering. Time for a gamble.

"Umm...thanks..." Casey replied.

Mordin smiled. "Chop chop, won't be docked here forever."

He was giving her the day off! She could go for lunch on the Citadel, a place she hadn't been for years, the place she'd told Mordin she desperately wanted to visit again!

"You're the best Doctor Solus!" She cried, kissing him on his cheek, before practically skipping out of the door. As she quickly got changed she hoped he wasn't too embarrassed, Salarians weren't big on displays of affection like that. Hopefully he didn't think she was propositioning him!

As Casey left the ship she noticed Garrus and Miranda up ahead. She could hear fragments of their conversation.

"What if she won't come with us?" Garrus asked. The hairs on Casey's arms stood on end, what was it about his voice that always seemed to do that? Was it all Turians? She hadn't noticed it before.

"We'll make her. She agreed to the terms when the Illusive Man contacted her," Miranda replied.

"She agreed to come with Shepard, Shepard isn't here. She won't trust Cerberus," Garrus continued.

"Don't colour her with your opinions of us Vakarian. Goto agreed, now let's get moving."

The two of them disappeared down an alleyway, and Casey continued alone. So they were recruiting someone new? Casey had finally pieced together their mission now: they were going after the Collectors, and alien species which had been abducting human colonists in the Terminus systems. Casey had only ever seen the Collectors in cheap horror movies: she thought they were a myth, cooked up to try and keep humans in council space. But Shepard said they were real, and who was she to argue?

Casey found herself in a little cafe in the Presidium commons. She'd been here before with her parents. Every few years they liked to leave Earth and visit the Citadel: they thought it was good for Casey to see lots of different species as she grew up, and Earth was so humanly populated that they had to come here. Casey had loved these trips: her parents were so busy working back on Earth that it had been the only real time they'd been able to spend together. After the Asari took her order, Casey drank to her parents memory.

It was only after she'd finished her first glass that she got the feeling she was being watched. She looked around: the place was crowded, but other than the Batarian at the bar who appeared to be winking at her, no one was specifically watching her. When Casey turned back to her seat, however, she was surprised to find another woman sitting at the table. She wore a hood, so low Casey could barely see her eyes.

"Hello," the woman said, a smile playing on her lips.

"Hi," Casey replied.

"Kasumi Goto," the woman held out her hand, and Casey shook it.

"You're from Shepard's ship."

It wasn't so much a question, as a statement, but Casey nodded anyway. "You're the person who's coming to work with us?"

Goto's smile flickered, "Well that depends. I was promised I'd be working with the great Commander Shepard, not Cerberus. Yet it's not Shepard I see leaving the ship: but some smug looking Cerberus woman a Turian, and you."

Casey couldn't help but smile at Goto's description of Miranda, but she tried to look professional. "Shepard's injured. Nothing critical, but he couldn't come to meet you."

"Injured? That doesn't fill me with confidence."

"Like I said, nothing critical, and it was an issue with some of his implants. It's been fixed now."

Goto looked like she was thinking for a few moments. "What's your name?"

"Casey."

"What do you do on the Normandy?"

Oh come on, why don't you ask me an easy question?! Like, "what's the meaning of life?" or "How does Miranda manage to pour herself into that suit?" As Casey watched Ken Donnelly leave the nearest shop carrying what appeared to be a rocket launcher, she thought of the last thing she'd actually done on the ship, and Mordin's test tubes flickered in her mind.

"I spill blood..."

Goto shifted in her seat, "You're a soldier?"

Casey laughed. "No, just clumsy. I'm kind of a nurse."

Goto seemed to relax. "Can I ask you another question Casey?"

Casey nodded.

"Are you Shepard's friend?"

Casey thought for a few moments, before answering truthfully. "No."

"Do you trust him?"

Casey didn't need to think about that one. "Yes."

"You think he'll keep you safe?"

"Absolutely."

"Do you think he'll be true to his word? The Illusive Man promised Shepard would help me with something, something important."

Casey nodded, "If Shepard said he'd do it. He'll do it."

Goto smiled. "Well then, let's see your ship."

Kasumi had decided to travel to the Normandy cloaked, that is, she could make herself invisible. "Just a precaution," she whispered to Casey as they walked. "The Council may notice that missing piece of tech any moment now."

Casey giggled, then realised how odd she would look, walking alone and giggling to herself.

When they reached the Normandy, Casey could hear Miranda's raised voice.

"I knew we couldn't trust a sodding thief!"

Garrus was there too, and his tone was as calm as it always was. "She agreed to travel with Shepard, and Shepard wasn't there. We'll just have to hope he wakes up soon enough that she'll still be here."

"No bloody way, I'm going to get the Illusive Man to terminate her contract, we don't need to waste our time with amateurs."

At that moment Kasumi appeared at Casey's side. "I can just tell we're going to be best friends," she said, a wicked grin on her face.

"Goto?" Miranda looked both confused and furious, eyeing both Kasumi and Casey suspiciously.

"Miss Goto, if you don't mind. Casey was just getting me up to speed. Now, where are my quarters?"

Miranda looked momentarily shocked, before regaining her usual self-importance. "This way," she said through gritted teeth.

Casey felt a smile crawl across her lips, and tried to hide it. She caught sight of Joker, who was grinning wickedly. "That was awesome," he laughed, turning back to the controls. "EDI, save the security footage, I wanna see the look on Miranda's face again."

Casey turned to Garrus, who also seemed to be smiling, though looking at Casey curiously. "Nice work," he said.

"Throblem." She replied, before feeling her face burn. "I mean...I meant to say thanks, then I tried to say no problem, and it kind of ran together..."

Garrus' smile widened, but he didn't say anything, and Casey scuttled out of sight.

That night, Casey was back on observation duty. Which gave her the wonderful opportunity to think about the "throblem" moment over and over again. She heard the med bay door open, and turned to see the last person she wanted to see, Garrus Vakarian. His lips twitched at the sight of her, which made her blush even more.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi-low" he replied. "See, I tried to say hi and hello at the same time, but, well, you know."

Casey laughed, "Very good."

"Been working on it all evening," he replied, sitting at the seat next to her. "How's Shepard?"

"Same as usual, though Mordin thinks he'll wake up tomorrow."

"Good..." Garrus seemed to be thinking. "I don't like seeing him like this. Reminds me of the last time he got hurt. Well...less hurt...more...dead."

Casey nodded, remembering how she hadn't seen Garrus visit Shepard since he was brought in.

"Turians aren't good with sickness," Garrus continued. "When we get hurt in battle, we get up or die. Not much room in the middle." He paused, then hurriedly added, "not that I want Shepard to die! I just...uh..."

Casey smiled, "I know what you meant. I'm not good with this kind of thing either. My parents...they were killed by slavers. I sat with them for hours after it happened, in a hospital room. This kind of reminds me of back then." It wasn't something that had crossed her mind until she just said it, but it all came rushing back: the cold walls, the glaring white lights, her parent's clothes, soaked in blood.

She felt Garrus put his hand on hers. "We'll keep each other company for a while then, and not think about it."

His hand was strong, so strong she was certain he could break hers with just a grasp of his fingers. But he held her hand gently, and it made her feel safe. The hairs on her arms stood on end again, and she felt something stirring between her legs.

"GOT IT!"

Garrus dropped her hand, and they both turned to see Ken Donnelly enter. He was filthy, covered in what looked like a mixture of blood, dirt, engine oil, and some kind of green liquid. He was limping, but held up Grunt's plant, now devoid of any leaves and clearly dead like a trophy.

Casey had never wanted to kill anyone before. But at that moment, she felt pretty damn close.