Chapter Six
Rest and Recovery
"Got any threes?" Debbie asked as she looked across the table at Eliza.
"Go fish." Eliza replied as she looked at her cards. Debbie sighed as ahe grabbed a card from the pile between them. "Got any aces?" Eliza asked as she looked up at Debbie, who grumbled before handing Eliza a card. They both jumped when a portal suddenly appeared behind Debbie, but they both sighed with relief as everyone started exiting it.
"Finally, I thought you'd never get back. It's actually dark out, you've all been gone for..." Debbie started to say, until she noticed that Ahsoka was being carried by Europa.
"Ahsoka?!" Naru shouted as she leapt up from the chair she was lounging in and rushed towards the group. "What happened to her?" Naru asked as she stared at Ahsoka's unconscious body.
"Three G.S.W's, all in various locations. Buttercup was able to stabilize her, but she's gonna be feeling it when she wakes up." Europa answered as she started carrying Ahsoka into ComVee.
"Can somebody explain that to me in English please?" Debbie asked as Europa disappeared inside the ComVee.
"That was in English." Ami giggled as she walked over to Debbie.
"I meant common English, not jargon." Debbie grumbled in response.
"What she's saying is that Ahsoka was shot three times in three different parts of her body. Buttercup kept her alive with her powers, but Ahsoka's likely going to be in pain when she wakes up." Ami clarified as she sat down next to Debbie.
"She got shot?!" Debbie shouted as she and Eliza stared at Ami with horrified expressions.
"Yes, but like I said, she's okay. She'll just be in some pain when she gets up." Ami calmly replied with a straight face.
Debbie and Eliza both looked at each other before rushing into the ComVee to see Ahsoka for themselves. When they arrived inside, Europa was checking Ahsoka over once more to make sure that she was stable. "Well?" Naru asked as she looked at Europa, who turned her visor off and smiled.
"She's stable and resting comfortably, I should clean out the wounds while she's still out, spare her some discomfort." Europa replied as she summoned her bag, then she dug some disinfectant and cotton swabs out of it.
"Good idea, I'll give you space to work, but hollar if you need any help." Naru instructed as she turned to leave, stopping when she saw Debbie and Eliza in the doorway. "Oh, hey you two. Did you come to check on Ahsoka?" Naru asked with a soft smile.
"Yeah, how is she? Does she need anything? Is she in a lot of pain or anything?" Debbie asked as she stared at Naru, who's smile widened a bit a she approached the two sisters.
"She's fine, she's unconscious right now and Kaede's cleaning her wounds. She'll be okay, but I think the best thing we can do right now is let Kaede work and let Ahsoka rest. She'll be okay, she's strong." Naru encouraged as she put a hand on Debbie's shoulder.
Debbie let out a soft sigh before nodding in understanding, then she and Eliza reluctantly went outside with Naru. "Your new friend's worried about you, we all are. You hang in there Ahsoka, you're gonna be just fine." Europa quielty said as she gently rubbed Ahsoka's forehead before sending her bag away and leaving the ComVee.
About an hour passed before anything of interest happened. Everyone was lazing around the camp, playing board games and roasting marshmallows over a fire Mars had made for everyone. "Hello everyone, sorry we were gone for so long, but boy, did we get some incredible footage of the tortoises." Nigel said with a smile as he and Marianne walked into camp.
"Jeez, don't everyone act too excited to see us, we were only gone for the entire day." Marianne said with a chuckle as she sat down next to Eliza.
"Woo! Ya ya ya!" Donnie cheered as he rushed over to Marianne and climbed onto her lap.
"That's more like it." Marianne giggled as she hugged Donnie.
"I do say, you all look quite tired. Long day of exploring the Galapagos?" Nigel asked with a chuckle as he looked at everyone.
"I wish. Instead of exploring the Galapagos though, we were raiding a terrorist house with the S.A.S. We got the bastards though. Sorry, bad guys. I can't be swearing in front of children now." Mako answered with a chuckle.
"Yeah! They went in there and they kriffed up the bad guys real good!" Buttercup yelled with enthusiasm.
"Buttercup! Push-ups, twenty of 'em, now!" Sarah ordered as she glared at Buttercup.
"But aunty..." Buttercup started to protest, until Sarah cut her off.
"No buts. If y're gonna swear like a sailor then y're gonna work like a sailor, drop and give me twenty, that's an order." Sarah snapped as she pointed at the ground.
"Yes ma'am." Buttercup replied with a sigh before starting her push-ups.
"Wow, can you teach me how to do that?" Mako asked with chuckle as she watched Buttercup do her push-ups.
"The heck are you laughin' at? She ain't learing these words from the professor, and y're the one that swore in front of her in the first place. Ya oughta be right down there with her." Sarah replied with a stern expression.
"Wow, and I here I thought you were a corporal, not a drill sergeant." Mako said with a grin as she looked at Sarah, shrinking a bit when she noticed Sarah's stern gaze had yet to vanish. "Eh, yes ma'am." Mako replied in a nervous tone before droping into a push-up position.
"Wow, I didn't think anyone but Ami mommy could intimidate Mako mommy." Bubbles whispered to Blossom, who chuckled at the comment.
"Wait a second. One, two, three... Where's Ahsoka?" Marianne suddenly asked when she noticed Ahsoka's absence.
"She's resting in the Com-Vee, she took a few bad hits during the raid. She's stable, just unconscious right now; at least she was last time we checked." Kaede answered in a calm tone.
Bubbles looked towards the Com-Vee and narrowed her eyes for a second. "She's up." Bubbles informed in a calm tone. Everyone looked towards the Com-Vee, then Europa started heading towards it, but some clanging sounds caused her to stop for a moment.
"Uh. Darn it, blasted clankers." Ahsoka's voice echoed from the Com-Vee just as she stumbled her way to the door. "I think...I knocked a bunch of your pots over, I'm sorry." Ahsoka goraned as she stumbled down the step and onto the ground.
"How are you feeling?" Naru asked as she rushed to Ahsoka's side.
"Better." Ahsoka replied before a sickly expression crossed her face. "Better get a bucket." Ahsoka answered with a breath.
"Good one Ahsoka, I love that old video." Nigel chuckled. Ahsoka just looked at him with a confused expression. "Oh you're serious. Um, alright then, I'll be right back." Nigel informed as he rushed into the Com-Vee. "Good heavens, it's like a twister came through here and went straight for the pots and pans!" Nigel yelled from inside.
"I warned him." Ahsoka groaned as she slowly laid on her side in the dirt.
"Come on, let's get you into a chair." Europa said as she and Naru slowly helped Ahsoka to her feet, then walked her to a chair.
"Thank you." Ahsoka quielty said as she closed her eyes.
"Here you are Ahsoka, just in case." Nigel said as he walked outside with a plastic tub and handed it to Ahsoka.
"Thank you." Ahsoka quietly thanked as she took the tub and set it on her lap. "How long was I out?" Ahsoka asked as she looked at Kaede.
"About an hour. How are you feeling other than the nausea?" Europa asked with a smile.
"My head is pounding, it feels like my temples are being bombarded by an artillery barrage. Not to mention the nausea." Ahsoka answered before dry heaving a couple times.
"Easy Ahsoka, it's okay, we're here." Europa said as she gently lifted Ahsoka's lekku so she wouldn't puke on them.
"Thank you Kaede, I think I'm okay though." Ahsoka quietly said as she slowly leaned back in her chair.
"Is the fire okay? It's not too bright for you?" Usagi asked in a concerned tone.
"It's fine, thank you. It actually feels really nice, I'm so cold for some reason." Ahsoka answered as she gently rubbed her arms.
"You lost a lot of blood, Buttercup was able to stablize you, but that doesn't mean your blood cell count is back to normal. It might take some time to replenish all the blood you lost, that's likely why you're so cold." Europa explained as she pulled a blanket out of her bag and drapped it over Ahsoka.
Ahsoka curled into the blanket and let out a gentle breath, happy to be wrapped in its soft warmth. "Thanks Kaede." Ahsoka thanked as she slowly closed her eyes.
"You hungry at all?" Marianne asked with a small smile.
"A little bit." Ahsoka answered as she pulled the blanket a little tighter around herself.
"Ya know, this would be a great time for some s'mores." Debbie suggested as she stood up.
"Oh yeah, that's a great idea!" Minako yelled with enthusiasm, causing Ahsoka to flinch at the sudden increase in volume.
"Quiet Mina, Ahsoka has a concussion, remember." Rei quietly scolded.
"Right, sorry Ahsoka." Minako apologized in a much quieter tone.
"I'm okay. Thanks Minako." Ahsoka quietly thanked with a small smile.
"I'll get the s'mores stuff." Nigel quietly informed as he walked into the Com-Vee. Europa looked at Ahsoka for a moment, activating her visor to give her a quick scan before letting down her transformation.
"Your scan looks normal, thankfully. I'll check you over again before bed, you need to get plenty of rest in order to nurse that concussion of yours back to health." Kaede informed with a smile.
"You don't have to tell me twice. I'm so tired, but I'm also hungry; and to be honest I just don't wanna be alone right now. I hate to sound so needy, but I need a hug." Ahsoka said with pitiful expression as she looked at the group.
"Oh Ahsoka." Usagi quietly said as she walked over to Ahsoka and hugged her. "When it comes to needing some love, there's no such thing as too much or too needy. You can ask for a hug anytime you need it." Usagi informed as she held Ahsoka in a gentle embrace.
Ahsoka leaned into the hug and let out a content sigh, feeling especially safe in Usagi's strong and loving arms. "Thank you Usagi, I love you guys." Ahsoka whispered as she nuzzled Usagi with her cheek.
"We love you too Ahsoka." Usagi replied before placing a gentle kiss on Ahsoka's forehead and letting her go.
"Here we go, lots of s'more's ingredients." Nigel said as he carried a large bag of marshmallows outside, as well as a large bag of chocolate, and two big boxes of graham crackers.
"How do you make them?" Ahsoka asked as Nigel set the ingredients on the table.
"Here Ahsoka, I'll make one for you." Debbie replied as she grabbed a marshmallow from the bag and pierced it with a stick, then she started toatsing it in the fire. Ahsoka waited patiently as Debbie toasted the marshmallows to a beautiful golden brown, closing her eyes to rest as she waited. "There we go, all put together and ready to eat." Debbie informed as she held the s'more out to Ahsoka, who slowly opened her eyes and looked at the strange dessert item in her hand.
"Mmm. Looks good, thank you." Ahsoka quietly thanked as she took the smore and bit into it. She immediately spit it out however when she noticed a familiarly sweet taste.
"Jeez, was it really that bad?" Debbie asked with a somewhat hurt expression.
"I'm sorry Debbie, I actually really liked it, but I didn't know there was chocolate in it. I'm extremely allergic to chocolate, my whole species is actually allergic to chocolate. I really did like the gooey thing though." Ahsoka apologized in a sad tone.
"Oh! No one told me that you couldn't eat chocolate. Here, I'll make you one without chocolate." Debbie replied as she toasted another marshmallow.
"I can't believe we forgot that Ahsoka's allergic to chocolate." Ami whispered to Mako, who nodded in agreement.
"Try this one." Debbie instructed as she handed Ahsoka another s'more, this time without chocolate. Ahsoka gently took the s'more and bit into it, immediately smiling at the warm and gooey feeling in her mouth.
"Mmm. It's delicious, I really like that gooey thing. It's crunchy on the outside, yet soft and gooey on the inside." Ahsoka said as she savored the flavor of the marshmallow.
"I'm glad that you like it, and that gooey thing is called a marshmallow. Here, you can roast them and eat 'em plain, people do it all the time." Debbie informed as she handed Ahsoka a stick and a marshmallow.
Ahsoka took the marshmallow and pierced it with the stick, then she shoved it into the fire and waited a few seconds. "Oh no, I think I ruined it." Ahsoka said as she pulled her now flaming marshmallow out of the fire. Everyone giggled as they watched her blow on her fireball of a marshmallow.
"It's still edible, it just might have a smokier flavor to it. If you want it to come out golden brown, you have to hold it close to the fire, but not so close that it catches fire. It takes a little bit longer, but it's worth it, at least to me it is." Eliza informed as she stuck a marshmallow on a stick and began lightly toasting it.
Ahsoka looked at her blackened marshmallow and shrugged, then she pulled it off the stick and ate it. "Oo, I kind of like that charred flavor, reminds me of mom's oven fried thimmer." Ahsoka replied as she repeated the process with another marshmallow.
"Oven fried thimiar? I've never heard of that dish before." Marriane replied as she made her own s'more.
"It's a small rodent from my home planet of shili, it's one of my species' primary food sources. Padmé makes the best oven fried thimmer." Ahsoka explained with a smile as she pulled another blackened marshmallow out of the flames and extinguished it with a blow.
"That sounds quite interesting, what does it taste like?" Nigel asked as he crafted a s'more.
"I don't know how to describe it, but Buttercup once said that it tasted like chicken. Whatever that is." Ahsoka replied as she ate her marshmallow. "These are so good. Bubbles, don't let me eat a million of these, I don't wanna get fat. Or fatter I should say." Ahsoka instructed as she looked down at her stomach.
"Don't even think about your looks, you're not fat Ahsoka." Ami said as she looked at Ahsoka.
"Yeah, you're not fat. You're adorably doughy, and like I say, every girl needs some meat on her bones." Minako said with a smile, which earned her a quick and firm slap upside her head from Rei. "OW! What was that for?!" Minako asked as she rubbed the back of her her head.
"For being stupid! Did you even hear what you just said, let alone consider who you were saying it too?!" Rei snapped as she stared at Minako, who continued rubbing the back of her head as she tried to understand why Rei was so upset.
"Do you really think I'm doughy?" Ahsoka quietly asked as she poked her stomach.
"Of course we don't, you're beautiful Ahsoka, just the way you are." Kaede answered as she gently placed her hand on Ahsoka's shoulder.
"Thanks Kaede." Ahsoka quielty thanked with a yawn. "I'm really tired, and my head's starting to hurt more. Would anyone mind if I went to bed?" Ahsoka asked as she looked at everyone.
"Of course not, you get as much sleep as you need, and hollar if you need us." Debbie replied as she ate another s'more.
"Thanks." Ahsoka thanked as she slowly stood up, taking a moment to let everything stop spinning.
"Ya need help inside?" Sarah asked as she stood up.
"Yes please, and you're sure it's okay if I steal your bed again Eliza?" Ahsoka asked in a shy tone.
"Of course, I love sleeping under the stars on nice nights like tonight." Eliza answered as she unrolled a sleeping bag.
"Thank you." Ahsoka thanked as Sarah started helping her inside. Ami waited a few minutes to make sure Ahsoka was settled into bed, then she shot Minako a furious gaze before starting to scold her.
"What the hell Minako?! Have you lost your kriffing mind? Ahsoka's a recovering anorexic, you can't say things like that to her!" Ami quietly yelled as she continued to glare at Minako.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it as a bad thing. I mean come on, we've all gotten a little doughy in these times of peace. I didn't mean it as an insult, her condition just slipped my mind. She's been doing so well that I'd almost forgotten that she had those problems in the first place." Minako replied in a defensive tone.
"I know that she's been doing well, but it's only been a few months. She could relapse if we're not careful. The physical battle may be over for her, but the mental one is still in an uneasy ceasefire. Sometimes all it takes is one bad day, or even one bad comment to send anyone with a condition like anorexia or a recovering addict spiraling. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" Ami explained and asked in a calm tone.
"Yes, I understand. I'm sorry, she's just been doing so well over the past few months that I don't even think about that version of her anymore. I don't like to think about her like that, I like to think of her as she is now." Minako replied in a sad tone.
"It's okay to think of her as she is Minako, but you can't forget who she was. Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it." Usagi said in a firm tone as she stared at Minako.
"I understand Usagi, and I'm sorry." Minako apologized as she bowed her head to Usagi.
"That's okay. Now pick your head up and eat some more s'mores, can't let all these ingredients go to waste." Usagi said with a smile as she lightly toasted another Marshmallow. Minako smiled at her before doing the same thing.
As everyone talked and ate s'mores, Ahsoka was slowly falling asleep on Eliza's bed. "Uh, my head. I should've brought that bucket up with me." Ahsoka said to herself as she closed her eyes, falling asleep before she even realized it.
A couple of hours passed before everyone else started to get tired and decided to call it a night. "I'm gonna check on Ahsoka and then head to bed for the night, I'm beat." Kaede informed as she took her guardian form before walking into the ComVee. Europa climbed the ladder and found Ahsoka sleeping like a rock. "Poor girl's exhausted." Europa whispered to herself as she activated her visor and scanned Ahsoka, finding no anomalies in her brain activity or its physical state. "Good, she's stable. Goodnight Ahsoka, sweet dreams." Europa whispered before climbing back down the ladder to go to sleep herself.
Kaede stepped outside and laid down next to Sarah. "She okay?" Sarah asked with a smile as she covered herself and Kaede with a blanket.
"Yep, she's stable and sleeping soundly." Kaede answered as she cuddled closer to Sarah.
"Good ta hear, goodnight darlin'." Sarah whispered before falling asleep.
"Goodnight Sarah." Kaede whispered before closing her own eyes for the night.