(no subject)

[imthepilot]

The medical team moved Bodhi into the room opposite Galen two days later. Still groggy from painkillers, Bodhi sprawls naked across the weirdly wide bed. Officer's quarters. Much bigger beds that the barracks.

Made Bodhi wonder if they were lonelier too.

Strange things like that occur to him at strange times. Probably something to do with the drugs.

At least his back didn't hurt so much any more. And he only needed the oxy if he moved around too much.

But he was here, so near to Galen. And Galen would come see him soon enough. In the mean time, maybe some more sleep was a good idea.

Comments

[imthepilot]

"Thank you. I don't know I could do this on my own." He presses his hand to the plexi again. His lips form the words he dare not say aloud. I love you.

[galen_erso]

Galen echoes the words, just as silently.

"I am here for you," he says. "You heard the lady. You're my pilot now."

[imthepilot]

Bodhi smiles that sad, sweet smile. "Your pilot."

The medic makes a point of walking heavily so they hear her. "Aright, Rook. Time to sleep. When you wake up, we'll start the procedure."

She adds the gas to his mix. "Count backwards from ten." Bodhi's out before he reaches six.

The medic watches him drift off, monitoring his bios. "Chief Erso, I'd like a word with you in my office before you go."

[galen_erso]

Galen nods silently, and follows her to her office.

[imthepilot]

She leans against her desk, arms crossed. "How long have you and that young man been in a relationship?" He asks without preamble.

[galen_erso]

"Since his last visit here," Galen says, deciding to trust her. "Why?"

[imthepilot]

She nods. "Good. I'm glad you didn't try to lie to me about this. You know I could your lives a living hell? I'm not going to. I just need to remind you that anyone who knew could."

She taps her foot. "Rook is technically imperial fleet, which means he's not in your direct chain of command. As such I have no legal requirement to report you." She tilts her. "And I don't believe you're taking advantage of him. But under any sign that you are-" the threat lingers in the air between them.

[galen_erso]

"As I'm not his direct superior, it's not illegal, just rather inadvisable," Galen says. "Because of what you say, yes."

Pause.

"Thank you. For everything. And it seems love isn't always advisable. We will keep as quiet as possible about it, as we don't need anybody on our case about it. It would be worse for him than me."

Apart from the part where Galen would give the Empire a whole new hostage for his continued cooperation, and that would make things hell for them both.

[imthepilot]

"Damn straight." She agrees. "You mix with dangerous people, Chief Erso. Don't mix him with them."

"I'll help you both as best I can. But if I think you're at risk of hurting him, you'll know about it. Believe me when I say, I'm not someone you want as an enemy."

She nods to the door. "Now get back to work. I'll comm. you when we're ready to move forward with the treatment."

[galen_erso]

"Thank you," he simply says. Any argument or attempt at clarification would be pointless and unnecessary.

He nods, and leaves. Work is waiting in ample amounts.

[imthepilot]

She comms him some hours later to come down to the med bay as soon as he's free.

Bodhi's still in the tank but with the lid off, sitting up and now dressed in a small pair of shorts that hide the mechanics of a catheter. He looks a little nervous as the medic fits a fluid line in his arm.

She glances over as Galen comes in, sending the other medics away leaving only herself and a droid. "You can speak freely in front of D05, he understands this is confidential."

She steps back with the chamber, adjusting something at a bench. "You're going to be in and out over the next couple of days. I'll keep you in twilight sedation, bring you up every few hours to assess your condition. You won't be able to talk with the nebuliser in but there'll be a datapad under your right hand, an emergency call button under your left. DO5 will be monitoring you constantly. Any sign of problems, we'll disconnect the nebuliser and get you out."

She looks to Galen. "You've got five minutes."

Bodhi reaches out a hand to Galen, pulling him close. "She said she knows. And that she'll help us."

[galen_erso]

"She read me the riot act," Galen says, pulling him close,"threatening me with living hell not otherwise specified should she get the impression I am taking advantage of you or get you mixed up with dangerous people. Barring that, she is on our side."

[imthepilot]

"How would you be taking advantage of me?" Bodhi frowns, stroking Galen's cheek, genuinely not understanding. It's strangely thrilling to be able to touch Galen in front of someone. Even if the medic is making a sterling effort of not watching

[galen_erso]

"I don't really know," Galen says, "but that might be my own inexperience talking. I suppose I could try and ask nasty stuff to which you might not be able to say no, simply because of my rank."

It sounds inane to him, but he guesses that with the likes of Orson Krennic, this might be a concern.

[imthepilot]

Bodhi laughs and kisses Galen softly. "Nasty stuff? I don't think that's an issue." Given how Galen can barely bring himself to say anything nasty.

[galen_erso]

"I don't want to do anything specific," Galen says softly,"just make love with you because you are so special to me, and I love you."

With the last bit, his voice descends to a whisper against Bodhi's cheek.

[imthepilot]

Those words make Bodhi's heart clench, clinging tight to Galen. "As I love you. Stars, Galen! So very much."

The medic clears her throat, nodding to Bodhi's bio-monitor, his heart rate currently somewhat elevated and his breathing quickening. "Enough of that for now. There's be time enough later when you're recovering. Even if this works, I'm still grounding you for a month."

Bodhi steals another long kiss. "Soon, I promise."

[galen_erso]

Oddly enough, this feels natural to Galen. There shouldn't be anything furtive about love, and there wouldn't be about this one, either, except for considerations of Orson Krennic using it against them.

They need a plan to get rid of all that, but that can wait until after Bodhi's treatment.

So, a loving kiss back, and then Galen reluctantly let's go.

[imthepilot]

The medic steps up, fitting Bodhi with a mask that covers most of his face, hooking it up to the sensor band around Bodhi's neck.

"Lay back and try to breathe evenly." The liquid in the chamber is deeper this time and tinted blue, it covers Bodhi, showing only his face above the liquid. "Okay, counting back from ten."

Bodhi offers Galen one last warm look before his eyes close.

The medic leans back in her heels, checking the read outs. "Looks good. A couple of days of this and his lungs should be good as new."

She offers Galen a small smile and hands him a small data pad. "Peace offering. And so you're not underfoot all day." It's a secure video link to a camera over the chamber, a basic bio-read out in the bottom corner.

[galen_erso]

Galen pockets it and looks at her with gratitude. "I will be back when it's quiet -- erm, less busy, I mean."

He remembers being told that medics are very wary of the Q word.

"And when he comes to."

[imthepilot]

The medic gives him a look like he just passed a test and will be allowed to continue breathing. "I'll chime you when it comes time to bring him back up."

In the chamber, the blue fluid dulling his hearing, Bodhi dreams. Of Jedha at first. At all the little hidey holes he and his siblings played in, of the games of childhood - hiding and running and building forts.

Of Jedha rains. Those torrential storms that happened maybe once or twice in a lifetime. And this one falling on his name day. Like it was raining just for him.

He twitches in his REM sleep, the faithful medic droid watching on.

[galen_erso]

Galen watches him for a while, then quietly leaves.

[imthepilot]

The medic chimes him much later that afternoon, letting him know to join them if he can. And if not, to let her know so she can go on without him.

[galen_erso]

Of course Galen can -- he is in the med station as soon as technically feasible.

[imthepilot]

"Welcome back, chief." She greets, moving from one read out to another. "Everything is looking positive so far. We've had zero rejection and his O2/CO2 balances have been good. I'm ready to bring him up."

"What I need you to do is talk to him. Tell him something new, something he doesn't already know. Your favourite food, your first pet. Tell him a story. The next time we wake him, we'll test how well he's retained that information. The privacy shields will be on and nothing will be recorded but his bios."