Blinking the sleep away Garrus wakes slowly, smacking his mouth which is far too dry. "Finally… welcome to my ship." He chuckles and opens the car door, stepping out slowly on wobbly legs, a grin on his face, happy to be back here again. "Come… come in. We need to go."
Jane jumps out of her side and rushes over to him, looping an arm around his waist. "Let me help." When he nods and leans against her, she guides him up the slight slope as rocks crunch beneath their feet. "Just a bit more." Her eyes widen immediately at the sight of hard edges, sleek metal, and dim lights. "Is… that your ship?" She whispers.
He takes slow steps, leaning onto Jane as they close in on the ship. Garrus nods in response and hums. "Yep, welcome to the Autem." They stop in front of the ship, the grey hull shimmering in the moonlight, the crash leaving visible marks on the hull. Let's hope it still works…
"Is it safe?" Her eyes scan the massive - at least to her - ship until she sees movement. Gasping in fear, she presses closer to Garrus as a form begins to approach. It's a robot, she realizes with shock as the form takes shape, gleaming and red 'eyes' shining threatening. "Garrus," she whispers, gripping his side tighter.
"Don't worry, Jane. That's EDI… she's my AI." Garrus pulls her closer as he walks towards the LOKI mech, chuckling softly. "Good to see your robot ass again, EDI. Been too long. This is Jane… I wouldn't be here without her… but let's keep the meet and greet till later…" One of his hands finds the wound on his hide. "First I need a transfusion… help me to the medbay, EDI."
EDI nods her head and closes the gap, taking the weight of Garrus' body off Jane. She can't help but notice how the mech whirs and clicks as its robotic legs move her friend towards the broken ship, but Jane keeps quiet, feeling like an intruder now in the presence of something so unfamiliar.
Entering the ship reveals more sharp edges and darkly lit halls. Even without knowing anything beyond what she's seen in movies, she can tell there is a cockpit to the left of their position and a long hall leading back into a large room on their right. It's towards that room that EDI helps Garrus towards.
"Can you help him?" She asks the AI, trying to keep up and feeling useless with a seemingly strong-man robot taking control. "Can I do anything?"
If Jane isn't mistaken, EDI's tone sounds friendly and hopeful as the robotic body nods. "Yes."
Instead of questioning which question that answer is for, the red head hurries to follow as EDI navigates Garrus through the large room - now noticed as a Mess Hall if the large table and far counter with something that looks like a futuristic stove is anything to go by. The two figures turn to the left door and enter an obvious medical lab.
"Home sweet home." Huffing, Garrus flops down on the table, sighing contently. "EDI, prepare the infusion? Jane, do you want to help me out of my armor?" He rumbles and starts to open the latches.
Jane nods as the mech heads to the sleek cabinets and comes to him. She doesn't really know how to help, but, by watching his hands looking to seek out the closers, she can figure out how to open them. Each piece is heavy to heft off and onto the floor, but the relief in his eyes growing as he's strips helps ease her guilt of aiding in putting him in this situation. As EDI approaches with a bag of blue blood and tubing to begin, Jane looks between the two. "Can I help?"
"EDI, let Jane do this… just get us all off this planet as soon as possible. We need to reach a comm buoy and contact the Council." The air feels refreshingly cool against his plates after his armor is completely removed and his mandibles flick excitedly.
After she hands over the transfusion equipment, EDI nods and looks to Jane. "May I disassemble your transport to repair the Autem?" At Jane's confused eye blink and slack jaw, the robot's head tilts and turns to Garrus as he lays. "I had to divert energy from the cooling units to the core in preparation. I believe, though less advanced, that the tech within the transport can be repurposed to replace the cooling unit's power source."
"It's not my car…" He chuckles and looks at Jane with a raised browplate. "Your decision, Jane."
"But, how will I get back?" She frowns and glances at the tubing for the IV, pushing the nozzle into the blood bag with a grunt.
"Back? Jane… you can't go back. You killed a soldier and helped me escape…"
"I…" She swallows and looks into his blue eyes. "I don't know if I can. I… I'm scared," she whispers.
His thumb strokes over her cheek, a soft purr in his throat. "I know you're scared… I know… but I will keep you safe. I can't let them arrest you. You saved my life. Now I will save yours… "
Jane smiles softly and leans into his hand, covering it with her own. "I… I'll try…" Letting out a deep breath, she pulls his hand off her cheek and lays it down on the bed. "Are you left or right handed?"
He can't the chuckle at the quick change of topics, but he understands she needs it to clear her head from her nerves. "Right… I'm right handed. But what's more important, can EDI take your car apart?"
"Yeah." She nods and looks to EDI, reiterating, "Yes. Do it."
"As you wish," EDI says with a curtly dip of her head and steps from the MedBay and leaving the two of them alone.
It's then that Jane realizes Garrus is completely nude with his undersuit shut apart back at the military base and armor now laying on the floor. She blushes, trying to hide the gesture with a ducked head towards her work, and feels around Garrus' arm for a vein. Luckily, she is able to find one in the same relative position as a human and wipes it with a disinfecting swap. "This will only be a slight pinch."
"You're seriously worried about hurting me with a needle like that? Don't you remember how you just stitched me back up in your car? How I was walking around with a cut open waist?" Her worries actually make him feel… STOP! NO FEELS NOW! "Don't worry, Jane."
She flinches at the reminder of his horrific surgery and stares at his arm in effort not to look in his eyes to let him see her crippling guilt. "Yeah… okay…" Her words are soft as she takes the needle in her hand and slaps his vein to make it pump up with what little blood he has left.
Slowly, she slides the needle in, wiggling it gently as she forces it to follow the curve of the vein. When the blue of blood enters the tube, she stops and presses the button to make the actual needle retract while leaving the thin IV tube within his hide. A few pieces of tape keeps it in place and she lifts the blood to hook on the top of the bed so gravity can do its work when she opens the valve and lets the transfusion begin.
"Mhm… this is definitely the best now." He chuckles as he looks up, winking at her. "Nothing beats the taste of a fresh bag of artificial blood." It's just now that he realises that Jane is fully covered in his actual blood. "Hmm… we need to get you new clothes. EDI, order Asari clothes to the closest pick up point."
"Very well," the AI's voice says over the intercom of the ship as Jane looks down at her stained clothes.
"I… Thank you." Looking at her feet for a moment, her eyes begin to burn and hands tremble. With the stress of the entire day keeping her sane - at least sane enough to function and get the two of them out - she is now left empty, willpower draining as reality hits. "I… I…"
Suddenly, knowing what is building, Jane shakes her head and leaves Garrus' side to collapse on the floor, back to the opposite wall with her head in her hands. Sobs wrack her body as she lets the entire day of terror, stress, fear, and guilt drown her. What have I done? What have I become? What's going to happen to me?
His eyes widen in shock watching Jane collapse like that, sobbing and crying. It doesn't take him long, yet longer that he wants, to get up and drag his IV to be next to her. With his hand on her shoulder, he nuzzles her face and holds her through her breakdown. "I'll take care of you… I'll protect you, Jane. I…" SAY IT! NOW, IDIOT!
"I'm not like you," she whispers against him, holding onto him as she trembles. "I'm not strong like you… I can't do this… I'm a coward and so afraid…" Gasping sobs, Jane buries her head in his cowl, tears hot against his hide. "Oh god, Garrus…"
"That's not true, Jane. You're strong… you're not a coward. Just look at what you did to get me here. That takes balls and you definitely have a quad bigger than Wrex… Jane, you can do this. And I will be by your side every second…" Three fingers run through her red hair, his chest rumbling to calm her. "Have trust, Jane. And believe in yourself."
Hiccuping, she gasps and climbs up to curl in his lap. Despite his encouragements, she fears what will happen to her, to him for bringing her off Earth, and she can't find the strength to force them away. Jane knows she's weak - nothing but a child as Dr Lawson always called her - and she has no illusions she could ever keep her will to live through even a fraction of what her own people put Garrus through.
What's more, she fears that, once he returns to his people, she will have nothing. In leaving her world behind, she is opening herself to the unknown and it's unfair for her to ever force him to be her protector. Not after being involved isn't he very torture that's brought him here, needing blood and weak.