A Wounded Body, A Breaking Heart

Posted on Sat Feb 2nd, 2019 @ 3:21pm by
Edited on on Sat Feb 2nd, 2019 @ 3:21pm

1,143 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: The Emerald Road
Location: Sickbay

Frantic blue eyes calmed minutely as Acacia entered the pristine calm of Sickbay proper. It was all she could do just to keep herself breathing without hyperventilating. Uniform liberally splattered with blood she cut a striking if a bit morbid, image. The doors closed behind her and she simply took a shaky breath.

Xavier had just finished with radiation treatments and fixing up a rather nasty cut on the thigh of a marine. This was not his first boarding action after medical but they never got easier, seeing the wounded and dead, the fighting his teams did to save lives only to see them snatched away. The ships Counsellor would be busy for sure because losing patients was never easy and he knew from service records, for some, this would be a first. He wished that he could say that it would get easier but he knew it was a lie, it never did, or would. Some saw it as the price of being a healer, the harsh fate that not every life could be saved despite best efforts. He pulled off his red medical gown and pushed it into a bin for disposal, his brow wet, sweat felt down his spine, today would be one he wouldn't forget any time soon.

The adrenaline dump was very real for Acacia, and the shock of having Jack so badly injured he required her expertise. As a trauma surgeon her patients never affected her immediately, but she kept seeing his pale face, and watching him lose consciousness was affecting her deeply. She almost cried when she saw him, and now again she was on the brink of tears, burning in her eyes and prickling her sinuses. Chewing her lip, her eyes searching the staff looking for the chief.

"Hey, what's happened?" Xavier asked. Asking her if she was ok seemed silly considering what had just happened, she was not the only one of his staff upset but she did seem visibly shaken. Standing next to her, his back to the others as if trying to afford her some measure of dignity in his question.

"I need you to do something for me" she whispered, her voice shaky and quiet, a tone hed likely never heard from him.

"What is it?" He asked giving the briefest look around before turning his attention back to her.

She tapped her left forearm over the location of her birth control implant. "Take it out. Right now. I...please?" she bit her lip to stem the flow of words.

A rather unusual request. "Are you sure?" This wasn't something taken lightly and he knew not something asked of easily. There were injections that could be administered instead of the implant but Acacia seemed to be wanting off the preventative treatment.

Her lips quivered and she nodded. "Hes...in critical condition Xavier. Most...of this is his." She plucked at her uniform. "Ive....been the last hour...inside his chest in the exact position i begged. Begged him never to put me in." Her voice broke under the strain and she sniffled.

"Hes a marine though, would you stop being what you are good at if he asked?" Xavier asked as he lead her into his office, scooping up a med kit from a work bench.

"No." She whispered. "I need him alive. But i also need to not know what he looks like a hairsbreath from death. Thats....im going to see that forever..."

"Well, lets get that implant out and you two can go from there." Placing the kit on his desk he opened it up, he prepared a hypo, pulled on some gloves. "Lift your sleeve."

Something like relief coursed through her, and something else raced through her veins...the possibility. Eagerly she yanked up her sleeve. "He almost died on me Xavier. How would you cope if it was BJ?"

"I try not to think about what might be, in our line of work that will only distract us, make us second guess the choices we make." He began to work extracting with implant, it was a simple thing, practically pain free too. "Focus on the now."

"Now....hes got to deal with me." She growled, swiping her hand over her eyes which were wet with tears.

"Might want to go easy on him for a bit." Xavier said as he finished up, the implant placed in a small vial and sealed. "There, all done."

"Thank you." The redhead whispered raising blue eyes to meet his.

"It will take a while for the effects of the implant to wear off out of your system, ideal time for you to go easy on Jack while he recovers." Xavier spoke as he closed the kit up again. "Don't be too hard on him, he was doing what he was trained to do, can't fault him for it."

"Wont fault him for being a marine. Its one of many things that I love about him. When he heals im going to slap him silly for scaring me to death." Giving a wet chuckle Acacia bowed her head. "Today was...really bad."

"Yeah." He replied. "Yeah it was." He was not looking forward to writing up the official medical reports and signing off on the certificates of death, part of the job he hated, even more so now he was the Chief Medical Officer.

"I feel like I failed them." Came the quiet comment, full of regret.

"Failing would be no trying a tall, as medics its in our nature to try because we care and want to do something to put it right. Right now though Jack needs you, so you should go to him." Xavier spoke, understanding what she was meaning because sometimes, more often than he'd ever admit to, he'd feel the same in some measure or another.

Not trying at all was unthinkable and acacia sighed gently. "Aye." Reaching over she clasped his shoulder gently. "Id best change so I dont scare people."

"Probably for the best. Why not something nice for Jack. Make you feel better and I'm sure he would appreciate it when he comes to." Xavier replied giving her a smile.

"I do believe ill do that. You wont mind having me in the intensive care area all dressed up?" Acacias trademark smile was back and bright.

"I'm sure you are close to being off shift anyway, besides l think a shower, make up, dress up will do you a re-refreshing world of good, make you feel better and more yourself." Xavier replied with a smile seeing her brighten up.

A wry chuckle answered his comment about it making her feel better. "Might not be a dress...but aye sir."

"I'll check in later on him." Xavier spoke. He patted her on the shoulder then with a smile walked out to resume his work.

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