Niko wiped it away, smearing blood all over himself. He gagged, only just able
to see what was going on inside the room before him as everyone rushed about.
The door opened again behind him, and Niko turned to look their pilot in the
eyes.
First Airman Canlas moved to his side. "Hands," she said softly.
Niko couldn't…. They shook too much.
"You've done everything you could," Canlas said and took hold of one of them,
gently tugging him towards a seat.
Niko fell into it. "I—"
"You've done everything you could," she said and pulled wipes from her
pocket.
He still shook his head.
"Breathe," she said. Carefully, and very gently she wiped the blood from his
hands, then threw the wipes into a bin.
Niko sucked in breath after breath. "I've never had one that close."
"I know," she replied. "You've saved his life though."
"Not yet, I haven't."
Canlas took hold of his other hand and gave him a fresh wipe. "Your face."
Niko took it and wiped over his face. "Thanks."
"What kind of pilot would I be if I didn't look after my team?"
"Your— your team?" He didn't understand.
Silence stretched over them both, and he could only stare at the ensuing
mayhem inside the operating room before him.
A nurse appeared, standing before them. "You can take a shower if you want?"
Niko looked up at him. Nodded. "That would be good."
"To your right," the nurse said and pointed as well. "The bunks are for anyone
needing rest; should be spare uniform there too."
Niko could only nod, and he stood.
"I'll be here, waiting." Canlas's voice was soft. "Come sit with me afterwards.
We'll wait together, okay?"
The door to the right led off to a set of bunks, and there was a shower room.
Niko located the clean uniforms, and he picked one up in his size. Moving to the
showers, he stripped off and hit comms for the only person he really needed right
now, his girlfriend.
"Niko," Lacy answered and fast. "What time is it?"
"It's late," he said his voice shaking. "I'm sorry."
"Hey, hey don't be. What's going on?"
Niko pushed the shower on, the standard two-minute timing flashed up, and he
stepped into the jet stream, his whole body shaking.
"Talk to me," Lacy said. "I'm right here with you."
"I almost lost him," he said.
"Who?"
"Chief Master Sergeant Drust. Vota attack out at Shore farm."
Lacy gasped. "We've not seen those in months."
"They came in hard. He did the best he could."
"Badly injured?"
"We're at Rise now." Niko stuck his head in the run of water.
Blood Detected - You may choose the following
Call for Medical? - Y/N
Niko clicked the N. It wasn't his blood.
Extra wash off - Extra time allowed will be noted in your logs.
Would you like extra time? - Y/N
Niko clicked the Y.
More time was a good thing. He didn't realize how much blood had soaked
through his uniform. Red rivers ran down the shower unit, covering everything.
Niko leaned over and vomited.
"Talk to me." Lacy begged.
"It… it was awful."
"Tell me what you did," she said, finally getting through to him as he stood,
letting the blood and vomit wash away. "Please."
Niko recounted his exact decisions, his orders, everything in those four
minutes. It was what he needed to get it straight in his head.
"You did everything right," Lacy said. "Everything."
"I know," he replied. "I wouldn't have done anything different."
"Then stop worrying. You're more than a good medic. If you hadn't done what
you did. He would have crashed a lot sooner, and he never would have made it to
Rise."
"Then how come it feels so bad?" Niko's voice was shaky, his emotions raw
and exposed.
"Every trauma we face is bad," Lacy explained, her voice soft but stern.
"Sometimes one just hits harder than the other. We could be in a low mood, or had
an argument with a friend… anything and everything affects us. We forget none
of them."