Rex's eyes darted from side to side as he observed the doctors in the medical bay examining Six's X-rays. He exhaled with relief upon seeing that the bullet had broken apart, due to his muscular build, preventing it from moving and becoming lodged without causing damage to any organs or breaking any arteries that could result in significant internal bleeding. It was clear that his excellent physical condition gave him a strong chance of survival.
The teen sighed at the thought of Six complaining about how much he hated being drugged because it interfered with his reflexes and made him say things he later regretted, even though it seemed like he still had to undergo surgery.
Throughout the entire trip, he had been calling for Holiday without really even knowing what he was saying.
After the procedure, Rex calmly waited outside the medical bay to ensure Six was stable enough to return to his bedroom with Bobo and get some rest. Rex had no idea how difficult it would be for the doctors to even find out his secret blood type to give him a transfusion and replace the blood he had lost on the way back to Providence.
Even though Six's pain wasn't as severe as it was after being shot, it was still intense enough to make him fall back onto the pillows beneath his head. He woke up in a flash and attempted to sit up. His words were just a jumble of nonsensical letters. He attempted to curse the person who had given him any kind of anesthesia since he hated the feeling of drowsiness and numbness in his head.
Though he didn't think he could report the full number of soldiers killed or injured and with the fact that Captain Calan was now holed up in the enemy's hideout, White Knight needed to know exactly what had happened during the mission. Even admitting that him being shot was just a reckless accident.
Six quickly went back to sleep, clearly dreaming of something else. In a dream, he told Holiday that she was finally able to leave that awful place, after he had opened that repulsive door of her confinement room for the final time.
Finally, all was normal again, obviously, excluding their relationship.
That was permanently altered.
"White?" Even though his voice still sounded quite sleepy, eventually he was able to connect two and two in his brain.
"You ended up in the medical bay, I heard. It sounds like you needed a powerful anesthetic to get through it."
Six grimaced, rubbed his face, and tried to sit while trying to find his glasses because he could hear the smile in White's voice. "You would have one less member in your team if I weren't a fair person."
"In any case, it was necessary to extract the bullet that remained lodged in your abdomen. If not, the pain could have sent you into shock and increased your blood loss."
Alright, whatever. For one thing, the effect was wearing off, and all he had to do to see Holiday again was eat something and get a decent night of sleep.
"Captain Calan is currently hiding on their base." Six spoke while trying to sit down by holding his stomach with the other hand.
"Good. We will make a decision soon to ensure that Captain Calan's safety is not compromised. He should report back to us shortly with the information he has gathered about their hiding place. Now, get some rest." White finished.
After his surgery, it took him hours to finally sit in the cafeteria and eat something light as his stomach was still adjusting to eating and drinking. Rex appeared relieved that he was still alive but knew that Holiday would not be pleased with the mission's outcome.
Bobo assumed the responsibility for entertaining Holiday while Six slept in his bedroom because his body continued to demand that he lay down and replenish energy even after the effects of the anesthesia subsided. Rex steered clear of her, merely out of concern that she might inquire about Six's whereabouts and require an explanation of everything that had happened.
Finally, he slept soundly enough to be able to move around without holding his abdomen too tightly. He was startled out of sleep by his thoughts, which made him wonder if she was still asleep or if she at least ate everything he had made for her before leaving.
Holiday unlocked and opened the door before his hand could even input the door code in the database, which surprised him as he greeted her. Her arms were crossed and one of her eyebrows lifted as he entered, as if she had been waiting for him.
"Could someone please explain to me what happened? I haven't been filled in and now I have to endure Bobo's bad jokes?" Holiday asked as he entered the room. "I didn't even see Rex yesterday. Is he injured? Are you...?" Holiday shook her head firmly. "You don't seem to be ok."
Although he was aware that Holiday wouldn't be pleased, he wasn't sure if he could tolerate her whining about him being shot. He wasn't weak; neither was it specifically about being worn out or in pain.
It was more about the idea of his death and leaving her to deal with everything by herself. The idea that she might have to deal with what he had to repay to save her life if he died for whatever reason.
While she was still complaining, his hands deftly maneuvered around her waist. He then proceeded to press their lips together, hoping to silence both her and his thoughts. His mind was practically yelling for him to touch her, to make sure he wasn't dreaming anymore. If she was genuine and if he could finally rescue her from the shadows that seemed to be engulfing her in his dreams at all times.
When their lips finally made contact, Six heard her yelp. He assumed that she would continue to nag him and then begin to push him away because he was trying to entice her into submission so he wouldn't have to listen to everything she had to say. But her hands went to his arms to hold him against her, so she didn't.
The man led her to sit with him in her bed, taking his glasses off, and her body shivered at the thought of it. Six steadied her with his hands at her waist and then sucked gently on her bottom lip to get her to open her mouth fully to him.
It was difficult for her to resist and stop him if that was what he wanted. She had missed the contact, because of the way she quickly blushed as soon as their tongues touched softly.
While they kissed each other repeatedly, they only paused a few times in between each kiss to breathe just enough to continue. Holiday lost all sense of time. Her hands went to his belt immediately, struggling against his white shirt to pry it open just enough to sneak out one of her hands and feel his warm skin.
Her hand found his lower abdomen, but then she felt something else, which caused Six to stop abruptly and give a soft grunt. Her fingertips were slightly damp as they moved around on what felt like a bandage.
She glanced down and saw that her fingers were smeared with tiny droplets of blood and his lower abdomen was indeed completely bandaged.
"Six... what happened?" Frustrated, Holiday moved slightly to examine his wound properly; the man was mentally cursing himself for having to explain everything.
"I stumbled as I dodged bombers and gunfire—a bullet was lodged in my abdomen. Rex is ok. We..." He paused to think about what to say next. "To finally put an end to this, Captain Calan is inside their hideout and should report soon with more clues."
"You shouldn't be moving at all! The exertion is causing you to bleed again. Why did you leave the medical bay? Six, do you realize the danger you're putting yourself in? Your wound could reopen!" He gently held her face in his hands, trying to make her look at him.
"Stop." She obeyed, her green eyes meeting his with a mix of fear, anger, and sadness. The joyful and determined Holiday he had fallen in love with, was gone. Six couldn't blame her though. Being physically confined in that dreary makeshift space allowed her to experience any emotion she wanted. "This cannot be done in any other way. Before they could even injure Rex, we must stop them." Six spoke with a serious tone. "I had to visit you. I had to make sure you were getting enough food and rest. That you remained secure."
"I am not a child, Six. It isn't healthy for you to reopen your wound just so you can come here every day. Rex could also..."
"I never thought of you as a child," he answered. Why was it so hard for him to admit that he loved her? After all, Rex was just a teenager. If he could easily pursue every girl he met, why couldn't he, as a grown man, do the same with her?
He decided to get up and sit on her couch, supporting his stomach as much as he could while the woman stood up as well, and walked over to him, bending to open his shirt's buttons a little and look at the wound.
She then concluded that she needed to examine it more closely, so without making a sound, Holiday began to replace the bandages by unsnapping them and cleaning his wound.
"You're just too obstinate to take a break." Holiday said as he winced every time she touched the delicate skin, checking to make sure the stitches were still in place. She was being a little too aggressive with her cleaning, and he could sense it in her touch.
"I don't have time to lie in bed all day and hope it gets better. Captain Calan may be in danger of losing his life. Additionally, you ought to be training."
"Sure, because I can kick your butt in the state you're in right now." She said that mockingly, so he chose to tackle it from a different direction.
"Indeed, you could. Then you might be among the few who have been able to successfully knock me out." Six smirked.
"You know, you should just stop talking," Holiday said, his grin widening. "Before I use one of my fingers to stab your wound." Not even looking up at him.
It was clear that she needed her own space to process everything.
As usual.
While he was admiring the woman's work, Rex's voice came through his earpiece as something quite unexpected and intrusive.
"Six, dude, sorry for interrupting, but we need you in the laboratory right now. There's a situation that requires your presence." Holiday stopped what she was doing and Six quickly got up from his seat. He winced for a moment and avoided making eye contact with the woman, who was trying to read his expression, as he turned around looking for his glasses. He grabbed them from her bed and turned to face her. His eyes were behind where they belonged to.
"I'm going to return for lunch."
"You have no business going at all! You're still recovering after surgery! Although I acknowledge your strength, this is absurd!"
"When I get back, I'll bring Rex to watch you while I pass out on your couch."
"Go now." Not finding it nearly as funny as the man seemed to, she shook her head.
Six nodded and walked towards the door, which shut forcefully behind him as if Holiday wanted to physically slap him. However, if Captain Calan was indeed reporting, there was no time for that.