SIMMED WITH VICKIE AS HOBBIE, SHELONEI AS DOC

*

Anreson's wrist-chrono beeped softly and she woke quickly. After slapping the alarm off, she stood and stretched. She looked over to see Janson still asleep where she'd left him. She shook her head and grabbed the medkit up to redress the girl's wounds.

Hobbie lay on the bench awake, thinking. He heard a chrono beep, and looked into the other room. Getting up, he moved to the doorway and saw Anreson. He stood in the doorway simply watching her.

She felt eyes on her and looked up. "Oh, you're awake," she stated simply before going back to what she was doing.

He nodded, "Can't sleep."

"Well, don't talk from the door, you'll wake the others," she told him quietly without looking up.

He moved to her side, "Is she okay?"

The doctor nodded. "As okay as she can be." She looked up, "Can you hand me another clensing pad?" she nodded to the medkit.

He got one and handed it to her. "What about him?" he asked, nodding to Janson.

"Oh, I gave him a sedative and took care of him. It should have worn off quite a few hours ago though, I'm surprised he's still asleep."

"I'm not, he's stressed out."

"Rightfully so," Anreson finished cleaning the bicep wound and redressed it.

"What about you?"

"I'm alright."

"Aren't you tired in the least?" he prompted.

"I just had a nap. I'm alright."

"...And stubborn as always," he muttered.

She looked up and raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"Nothing." He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked around. "I guess I'll head back to the other room."

She shrugged. "Alright then," she said quietly.

"You know, when you finish there you could come and keep me company, if you're still awake."

"Or you can keep me company here while I work."

He looked around for a place to sit, and then just flopped on the floor. "Okay."

She shook her head. "So, what do you want to talk about?" she asked as she moved to Siee's leg.

Hobbie watched her carefully. "I don't know."

"Oh," she pulled off the bandages and packing, and began to redress the wound.

"How about.... Us."

"Us?" she raised an eyebrow without looking at him.

"Well, I think there's an 'us'."

Anreson blushed noticeably. "Well, I kind of hoped so...."

"You do?"

"Yes," she said quietly.

He got up and went to her then and, leaning over, he kissed her cheek. "You have no idea how happy that makes me," he whispered in her ear as he smiled.

"I might," she chuckled as a shiver ran through her body, caused by his warm breath. She nudged him away, "Get outta my light."

He barely stopped the hiss of breath from escaping his lips as she accidently caught his wounded hip. He moved behind her and gently kissed her neck.

"I can't concentrate on Siee when you do that, Major."

He leaned his chin on her shoulder. "How much longer do you have?"

She shrugged him off. "I got things cleaned outright earlier, so I'm just changing the dressings. I've got her foot, then her, stomach, neck, hips, and lip, and then I'll be done," she finished working on Siee's knee, and moved to her shattered shin.

"Anything I can do to help?"

"You can stop breathing down my neck and stay out of my way..." she chuckled. "I feel like I'm back in med-school."

He frowned and backed up against the bulkhead.

"Don't be so depressed about it, Derek."

"I'm not depressed," he replied quickly.

"Good," she finished and moved down to Siee's foot.

He watched her, paying attention to every move she made. She was so graceful, and so beautiful.

After a much shorter time working on the girl's foot, she moved up to Siee's torso and began to redress it, tossing a towel over the girl's chest. Hobbie kept watching, hoping to learn how to take care of things, should he need to.

Carefully, she pulled off the used patches, revealing the terrible gash across the girl's stomach. She cleaned out the puss that had gathered along the edges.

"Sith," Hobbie muttered. "How...."

"Torture," Anreson said simply as she put on some more salve and new bacta-patches.

"But..." he shook his head sadly.

"A sickle shaped tool, with a jagged inside edge," her voice was deathly cold in her anger.

He closed his eyes, "Monster."

"Dead monster, thank gods," she whispered. She finished cleaning and bandaging Siee's hips, then moved to take off the bandages around the girl's neck.

"Took Wes long enough," he muttered.

"I hope Belin suffered." She lifted the rest of the patches away and went to get the clensing pads, the girl's torc-like wound an angry red.

Hobbie swallowed hard. "How do you know it was Belin?" he asked.

"Does it matter?" Anreson growled as she began cleaning the wound. Because I saw it....

The menace in her voice took him aback. "I guess not. I just care about you, Amanda."

She nodded silently as she applied new patches, and then treated Siee's split lip, slipping a piece of synthflesh over it so it would heal with minimal scarring. She quirked half a smile at how their lips now bore twin markings.

Hobbie winced as he realized Siee's lip was split in the same place Anreson's had been. "Amanda," he said quietly.

She finished and gathered the multiple used patches and moved to the trash to dispose of them. "What?" she asked blankly as she dropped in the used patches and pads.

He crossed the space between them in a few quick steps, then wrapped her in his arms, holding her tightly.

She let him hold her and simply leaned against him. Tears would not fall for the horrors she had seen. "I wasn't there.... If I was, I could have stopped them...."

He gently ran a hand up and down her back in a comfourting motion. His other hand carressed her neck softly. "Are you sure? Something could have happened to you."

"They wouldn't have known I was there until it was too late," she stated simply.

"I'm glad you have such confidence in yourself."

"Always have," she pulled away and covered a yawn with the back of her hand.

"Come on, you need some sleep." He moved towards where he had been lying earlier.

She nodded, "I should try. I don't know when I'll sleep again when we get to Coruscant, it all depends on how well the stages of surgery go."

He sat and patted the bench beside him. "Here, use my lap as a pillow."

She did not protest as she lay down. "Thank you, Derek."

He brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "Anything for you, Love," he leaned down and gave her a kiss.

A sigh escaped her lips as they parted, and her eyes remained closed. "Goodnight," she whispered.

He leaned back with a smile. "Goodnight."

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