life's blood

[warpfairy]

They're not near Cardassian Union space.

But then, they're not near Federation space either. This ship has as much right to be in this system as they do.

It makes Isabella nervous, anyway, and she's just about to suggest leaving and coming back another time, when the Prometheus is hailed.

They're armed. She can't warp inside a solar system.

She answers the hail.

"Hello, Federation vessel," says one of the three visible Cardassians in bad but intelligible English. "What're you doing out here alone?"

Isabella swallows. "This is the deep space survey vessel Prometheus," she begins.

The computer lets her know that they're charging weapons.

"We have no hostile intention," she says.

Comments

[dream_me_up]

He doesn't ask if she's okay. The answer is too obvious.

He does ask: "Can you move? Can you talk?"

[warpfairy]

"I can speak," she says with the kind of excess care that suggests that she runs the risk of worsening an injury in so doing. "Possibly I could roll onto my back. I cannot walk."

[dream_me_up]

"You're not going to get much help from a Cardassian sickbay," he says, "and you know what the Prometheus is like on that score. But as usual, I've got a trick up my - lack of a sleeve." (He's still naked.) "My blood has restorative properties, and I happen to know it works on both your parent species, not that I have any idea how. If I give you some, it should help. Okay?"

[warpfairy]

"Yes."

[dream_me_up]

"Okay. I love you," he murmurs.

It doesn't take very long to draw enough blood; it takes a little longer to get it into Isabella. Some amount of pain is unavoidable, with her injuries, but he tries to minimize it. (The long raw streak of a burn along his side is already healing, and it itches more than it hurts; he ignores both.)

[warpfairy]

Isabella is completely silent throughout the procedure.

Her face doesn't even twitch with discomfort.

[dream_me_up]

And now comes the even less fun part.

"I have to straighten out your broken bones so they'll heal right," he says softly.

[warpfairy]

"Yes."

[dream_me_up]

It's not the kind of thing where gentleness helps. But he can be quick, and he can be efficient. She doesn't have to hurt any more than absolutely necessary.

By the time he moves away, some of her bruises have already vanished. The burn in his side is long gone, without even leaving a scar.

[warpfairy]

Isabella is cooperative and quiet and still.

[dream_me_up]

Now all they have to do is wait.

[warpfairy]

Isabella looks like she could wait forever, unmoving, unfeeling.

[dream_me_up]

"Do you want me to bring you some water?"

[warpfairy]

"Yes."

[dream_me_up]

He goes and fetches some water.

[warpfairy]

Isabella drinks it, sip by careful sip.

[dream_me_up]

Lalita watches.

[warpfairy]

Eventually she is done.

[dream_me_up]

"Do you need anything else?"

[warpfairy]

"Rest, merely."

[dream_me_up]

"All right."

[warpfairy]

[dream_me_up]

"I'm going to go take care of a few things," he says. "I'll be back soon."

[warpfairy]

"Very well."

[dream_me_up]

He leaves.

It takes some calculation, but he gets the bodies of the two dead Cardassians disposed of, on a trajectory that will drop them into a gravity well instead of leaving them as space debris eternally circling the nearest planet. Then he finds his clothes and puts them on.

Then he goes to check on Kelvok.

He doesn't bring a weapon; he doesn't need one.