Quantum Entanglement: Howzer and Aurelia

36. Relief and Regret

"I can take care of the late arrival. You should go home and rest," Lennox said, touching Aurelia's hand. She was sprawled across the diagnostic bed, face down, propped up with pillows on her top and bottom in a way that allowed her somach to rest on the cushion below and released the constant tension from her back and legs. Things had changed quickly; within a week, the clinic had been officially shut down, and the staff who had decided to join Chuchi's cause were operating under a new protocol that allowed them to continue to utilize the facility without it appearing to be in use. The unorthodox procedures also involved being ready to receive patients at any hour of the day or night, and Aurelia and Lennox were currently waiting for the arrival of a fresh rescue. 

"I can't sleep well anymore, and this is the most comfortable I've been in weeks. Good call with the pillows, although I don't know how I'll ever get up," Aurelia answered, face turned sideways toward his chair. 

"That's what I'm here for," Lennox said, now resting his hand on hers. A slight alarm bell went off in her head, and she slowly moved both her hands underneath her. "Sorry," he offered quietly, dropping his own hand to his side.

"It's okay. I just..."

"It's alright, you don't have to explain. Hey -- Fireball told me an awful joke the other day. Want to hear it?"

Grateful for his intuitive changing of the subject, Aurelia smiled faintly, "With a setup like that, how could I refuse?"

"Okay, so... There's an Ugnaught, an Ithorian, and a Mon Calamari at a cantina..."

A buzz at the door interrupted the thought, and Lennox rose to his feet, offering Aurelia a hand as she struggled to push herself up and off the pillows. It was taking longer than usual, and as another buzz signaled impatience, Lennox touched her shoulder instead, "Here, roll over."

"I'll fall off the side!" 

"No, just roll, and I'll help you up."

Another buzz made it clear that time was of the essence, so Aurelia pushed herself sideways, rolling into his arms and cringing at the lumbering awkwardness of her movement these days. She was also shocked that he was able to hold her up with little struggle, and as he slowly lowered her feet to the ground, one arm still firmly under her shoulders, she felt self-conscious at the unexpected intimacy of the situation. Fortunately, there was no time to dwell on it, as he moved for the back door as soon as she was securely on her feet, leaving her to return the pillows to the storage cabinets. 

"Took you long enough!" came a clone voice from outside, and Aurelia noted the slight stiffness in his tone. It didn't sound familiar, and as she finished clearing the diagnostic bed and made her way into the hall, she was surprised at the sight of two new clones. One had marks from blaster shots on his shoulder, abdomen, and thigh, and the other was one of the most curious clones she'd ever seen. He had distinctly lighter skin, a slightly pallid color, and a relatively gaunt face. His ears were covered by a metal apparatus that wrapped around his bald head, and protruding on his skull above it were some small metal dots as well. He was holding his brother up as they made their way into an exam room, and as he lowered him onto the table, Aurelia was surprised to see that he wielded a scomp link in place of one of his hands. 

Lennox worked quickly, removing armor plates and assessing the damage with a skilled eye. The injured clone remained silent, and his companion backed away to lean against the doorway, watching the proceedings as Aurelia fetched the standard instruments and supplies, laying them across a tray at Lennox's side. 

"Sorry for the late hour," the clone said from the doorway. "We caught some heat on our way out and had to change our route about three times. Ended up getting shot a few more times than we'd hoped, and then the ship's hyperdrive was acting up. I told Rex that we should have... Ah, never mind. We would have been here earlier if things had gone as planned. Sorry bout that."