Kick in the Head: (me1)
Shepard wander thru the ship, trying to find someone to talk to keep the nightmares at bay. But of the people up where on duty. So she head for the elevator. Coming out of the elevator she noticed Garrus working on the Mako.
"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" she asked settling on one of the boxes nearby.
"Shouldn't you?" he replied as he straightened up from his work. Shepard just smiled, so Garrus continued, "Unless we have a mission I usually sleep in the second shift."
"Do you mind I just wanted some company?" she asked rubbing her lower chest. Garrus shook his head a turned back to his work. A comfortable silence fell upon them.
"Have you ever fought a thresh maw before yesterday?" Shepard asked breaking the silence. Garrus finished tighten the bolt and turned to her.
"Yes, back when I was with the Hierarchy, my squad took out one. It was a vicious battle. Have you, before yesterday?" he asked seeing the need in her face to talk.
"Sort of," she replied rubbing hard on her chest her eyes far away. Garrus mandible twitched in worry; finally he reached out and pulled her hand away to stop it from rubbing her chest.
"What's wrong Shepard." he asked letting go of her hand. She looked at him closely, and then lifted up the bottom of the tank top she wore to show the greenish stain on her lower chest.
"Is that...it not fresh?" he said after a moment of study. She shook her head and dropped the shirt.
"No, I got it several years ago. On Akuze" Shepard close her eyes and recounted the story.
"Major, I don't think this is a good place to make camp, it's too flat and the rocks will provide cover for invading forces." Lieutenant Shepard survived the area, it was slightly bowl shaped with the occasional outcropping of waist high, flat rocks.
"Thank you for the input Lieutenant, but I think this will be a good spot, we'll look for what took out the colonist in the morning." The major stated, "have the men bed down. You can take second watch." then he spun with military precision and limped away. Shepard bit her lip, "Well isn't that just a kick to the head." she muttered then raising her voice to flag a nearby solider, "Sergeant."
There was a rumble beneath Shepard, she rolled out of her bedroll and grabbed her assault rifle. She was a few steps out of her tent when the ground exploded beneath her. Finding herself flying thru the air, she felt something burn on her chest. Then her arm and shoulder shatter as it took the landing on one of the outcropping of rocks. Then nothing as her head hit the rock.
"I woke up a week later, with a mostly healed arm and shoulder, a funky stain that somehow did not dissolve me. And as the only survivor of my squad. Apparently the rock I landed on kept me safe from it." Shepard finished up, tears slowly falling down her cheeks. Garrus heisted then leaned over and gave Shepard a hug. He had seen humans doing this to console one another. Though his people only used it with mates, it felt right as Shepard leaned in to his chest and silently cried. Garrus was not sure if it was a few minutes or a few hours later, Shepard pulled back and ran an arm across her eyes.
"Sorry. I should not have." Shepard bit her lip then finished in a rush, "Sorry, you had to see that."
"Not at all, it's what friends do right?" Garrus smiled worriedly hoping he would accept his offer of friendship.
"Right. Thank-" Shepard interrupted herself with a yawn, "you. Oh, I guess maybe I should go to bed."
"Will you be all right?" Garrus asked in concern.
"Yes I think I will now." Shepard smiled slightly gently patted Garrus on the shoulder as she left.
'It wouldn't work, humans and turians don't mix.' Garrus kept telling himself as he watched her walk away. Maybe if he said it enough to himself, someday he would start to believe it.
an: so I noticed a lot of people will put what there listen to while writing, even big fully size books authors are. I don't because my playlist is... eclectic. it might be Kelly Clarkson, followed by the Who, Enya, Ninja turtles sound track, Jpop, Fiddling music, Flogging molly, finally 40's big band music (I really like the song, I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire by Ink Spots, most of you have heard this song for the fallout commercials.:)