4. Fostering #3
Reyna was there before the installer's supervisor had even finished calling for medical on comms. Upon reviewing the afternoon and filing her report, she realized she didn't even remember deciding to move in the first place.
Her mind could only trace that one moment when she was reviewing the environmental schematics at her portable console on the same deck, readying herself for the next day's installation, and the next, she was on the deck beside the woman, Reyna's hand applying steady pressure to the gash with the hem of her own uniform sleeve while the other held the woman's other hand.
"Look at me," Reyna said, tapping into the voice she used to remain calm in emergency situations. The woman's eyes fluttered, but she did look up at her. "What's your name?"
"V-Vessi. Vessi Orath," the woman replied hoarsely. Her eyelids fluttered again, causing Reyna to squeeze her hand tighter.
"Vessi, stay with me. You're going to be fine, okay? Medical is on their way. Two minutes, max. But I need you to keep your eyes on me, okay? Don't go to sleep. Don't close your eyes. And try to breathe slowly. Can you do that for me, Vessi?"
Vessi nodded, her eyelids continuing to flutter, but Reyna saw she was giving it her all to keep her eyes open and stay alert. The grip on Reyna's hand was tight, but Reyna only held on tighter, brushing her thumb across the back of the woman's hand to try and soothe her wherever possible.
Reyna recognized immediately that Vessi was Kaelari when she approached, but only now, she noticed belatedly that Vessi's markings, a soft amber pattern that ran in clean, geometric lines, flickered once, then steadied.
Only seconds later, it happened again, and Reyna realized she was trying to suppress.
This poor girl was injured and embarrassed and was still trying to hold her composure in front of a member of Emberkind's leadership. Reyna would have none of that.
"Don't," Reyna said, quietly enough though so only Vessi could hear.
Reyna scooted closer to the woman, using her body to block Vessi's face from any prying eyes in the hold.
"It's okay. I understand the pain you're feeling is making it difficult to stay steadied.
" Reyna watched as Vessi's eyes began to tear, her markings flickering again, but no longer steadying.
Reyna smiled softly at the girl. "You don't have to hold them for me. "
At this, Vessi's markings shifted in a release.
The amber brightened, and Reyna saw the pain underneath push through in light.
Reyna held Vessi's hand tightly, hoping the installer felt some ease at not having to worry and could instead focus on staying awake.
At the continued sight of the distress, Reyna held her own markings level. It took more than it should have.
Reyna stayed until the medical team arrived, giving them an exact timestamped summary of the incident, including the fall, subsequent snapping of the cord, and Vessi's injuries that Reyna could surmise from when she first approached.
Once the team had her in a medical transport pod, the med tech treating her wounds before they even left the cargo hold, Reyna went back to her console.
She pulled up the scaffolding safety specs she had been working on before the injury and had new anchor protocols drafted and distributed to every work crew within the hour.
At dinner later, Elena confronted her about the incident while reviewing the protocols Reyna had drafted. "I heard about the fall."
Reyna nodded. "Turned out to be a broken wrist and a nasty third-degree abrasion.
" Elena turned to look over at her. "The medical team thinks she may have had a mild concussion as well but couldn't confirm.
They're treating her as though she did, just to keep her safe.
But she should be back on duty in a week. "
"Good," Elena said, turning away from Reyna and studying the drafted protocols again. "I also heard you were holding her hand."
Reyna paused, but just briefly. "I was applying pressure to a wound."
Elena looked back at Reyna, right into her eyes. "With one hand, yes. But the other?" Elena questioned, her voice suddenly taking on a light teasing. "I heard the other was holding her uninjured hand."
Reyna turned to her console, avoiding Elena's gaze. But she could see out of the corner of her eye that Elena was still looking at her and, was that a smirk? Reyna turned back to Elena. "Is there a question here, Captain?"
Elena smiled, this time it was the real one, the same one that had practically voluntold Reyna to take the very position where she served under Elena as Captain.
"No, no. No question at all, Officer," Elena replied, lifting her hands in surrender.
Reyna rolled her eyes, returning to her console and her work.
It was just that she was suddenly having trouble remembering what she was in the middle of...
Later that night, Reyna stood in the hold alone, the lights low and surrounded by the bones of the mission they were building into the Emberkind.
Reyna suddenly felt a sense of pride so unexpected it almost overwhelmed her.
She was staring at the real manifestation of Elena's dream and hers and Jere's mutual passion.
They were going to safely secure the animals of the universe at times when they were forgotten, overlooked, or in need.
But the whole build, the logistics and the timelines and all the systems humming to life exactly on schedule, she would always remind herself that those were hers.
Exactly one week later, Jere arrived on a supply transport to Concordia, carrying nothing but a pack slung over one shoulder and one of his smiles that could be seen clear across the docking bay.
Reyna spotted him first, before Elena did.
Reyna had made sure to position herself a few steps behind the Captain, standing instead just outside the airlock, with her arms crossed and making every attempt to control her expression, attempting to not clue the entire crew in on how excited she was to see her old friend.
After all, she was here in an official capacity, with many of her subordinates surrounding her and Elena in the dock.
The fact that she was almost straining herself to contain her excitement at seeing Jere for the first time in entirely too long needed to remain irrelevant.
But, at last, he was finally here. It didn't take any convincing or recruiting to get permission to bring him on board the Emberkind for its new purpose.
Jere had been a part of this redesign since that first comm call when Elena's voice had come crackling across such a vast distance, saying "I figured it out" and he'd immediately responded with "Tell me everything.
" Reyna recalled how the three of them had talked until Reyna had to cut in to inform them both that they'd been on comms for four hours.
"Permission to come aboard, Captain?" Jere said as he stepped off the transport and walked up to Elena.
The grin on his face was everything. Suddenly, it was painfully obvious how long it had been since they'd stood in the same room together, let alone the same ship.
Suddenly, the time spent walking corridors without one another, having meals at tables where chairs were always missing, or just the feeling of missing someone so much.
Reyna recalled how almost every comm call ended with dead air, adding to the feeling and reminding her just how far apart they'd been.
"You look like a smuggler who completely forgot to eat," Elena said, smirking at Jere as he stood there before her.
But before a moment could go by for Jere to look down at himself and offer a defensive comeback, Elena rushed him and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him and holding him close.
Jere's retort died on his lips as he hugged Elena back tightly.
Before long, they separated, but Elena kept her hands on Jere's shoulders.
"Get on the ship, Jere," Elena said, her smirk still there as she patted his shoulder.
He walked away from Elena and her embrace, stepping through the airlock.
His eyes locked on Reyna, but he stayed where he was.
He didn't rush and instead looked at her with his loving, patient warmth he'd been directing at her since that first night at a mess hall table, as if he had all the time in the universe for her, and would happily spend it waiting for her to decide when she was ready.
"Rey," he said gently.
"Jere," she returned, hearing the emotion pouring out of her voice. She was trying so hard to hold it in.
A beat passed, then two. Reyna kept her arms crossed to try and hold in her emotions, her jaw set and her markings stayed gold and steady.
I'm the Operations Officer of the CMS Emberkind, dammit.
I do not sprint across docking bays or cry in front of the entire crew, or do anything of the sort that could be described as emotional in a professional—
She uncrossed her arms, ran forward, and wrapped herself around Jere so completely that his pack slid off his shoulder and hit the deck.
"There's my girl," Jere whispered into her hair.
"You're late," she said into his chest.
He laughed softly. "But I'm here," he said. And he held on to her so tight, Reyna had a fleeting moment of believing there was nothing wrong in the entire universe.
She allowed herself to be enveloped in his embrace.
Everything about him was still there, all the same.
This was still the same person who, two minutes into knowing her, believed wholeheartedly that she was worth sitting next to, not to mention changed her life from that moment on.
The man still smelled slightly of whatever research station he'd been living on.
But he made her feel like the ground had just stabilized beneath her feet for the first time in months.
Elena and Jere and Reyna, back together again.