Secrets and Sins Part 2: Finding Mary

Chapter 44

~Beatrice~

Ava deposited her carefully on one of the hotel room's beds before dumping the bag of drugs and dressings on the other. They had just returned after spending several hours at the local emergency center. Beatrice had required urgent surgery to repair the wound, as well as a blood transfusion.

Somehow, despite the, now dried, blood literally covering the Halo bearer, Ava had managed to coerce the doctor into releasing Beatrice into her care only a couple of hours later, though the younger woman was under strict instruction when it came to wound care and medication administration.

The sister warrior was incredibly grateful, she couldn't think of anything worse than lying in a busy hospital ward feeling like shit. She would much rather be lying in Ava's arms in their hotel room feeling like shit instead.

Beatrice settled into a more comfortable position, observing Ava as she got ready for a shower. The younger woman was pulling the tags off the cheap souvenir shirt and track pants that she had brought from the hospital's gift shop, her own clothes unsalvageable from the blood. The sister warrior herself had been bathed by the nurses while she was still unconscious after surgery.

"I'm going to shower." Her girlfriend mumbled, grabbing a towel.

It was the most words Ava had spoken to her since Beatrice had woken at the hospital. And it worried her. She knew the younger woman had the tendency to blame herself, especially when it came to Beatrice being hurt during a fight. She wanted to say something, to head off the guilt that was sure to be building up inside her girlfriend, but the drugs Beatrice had been given made her head feel like it was stuffed with cotton wool, her thoughts slow and hard to focus on.

"Okay." She replied softly, probably far too long after the other woman's sentence.

Ava's golden ringed eyes found Beatrice's deep brown ones, concern for her plainly evident.

"Will you be okay?" She asked, chewing on her lip, teetering in the middle of the room.

Beatrice nodded, offering the younger woman a small smile. Ava fidgeted for a moment, making no move to head into the bathroom. The sister warrior raised an eyebrow, or tried to, sensing she wanted to say more.

"Can I...would you mind if I left the door open? Ava's voice was very small, "It's okay if not, I just want to be able to see you, to make sure you're...but if you'd rather I didn't..."

"Ava...Darling." Beatrice interrupted, words slow and running together, "It's okay, I want to be able to see too."

The Halo bearer looked immensely relieved, glancing at her one last time before heading into the bathroom and stripping her bloody clothes off. The sister warrior suppressed a muted gasp at seeing the scar between her girlfriend's shoulder blades. It was at least completely healed over, but instead of the perfect circle it used to be, the white tissue was mangled at the edges. It was the only physical evidence of the attempt to extract the Halo, the other lacerations had all healed during Halo's time piloting Ava's body.

Despite the younger woman's outwardly restored appearance Beatrice knew that there was plenty of physiological trauma hidden just below the surface still needing to be worked through.

We will do it together.

The shower started, water pattering against the tiles and Ava's body creating a relaxing white noise to listen to. The drugs began to drag her under, her eyelids growing heavier, she fought off sleep, wanting to wait for Ava. Her blinks got longer, slower.

"Beatrice? Do you need anything?"

The sister warrior opened her eyes a little, Ava was kneeling beside the bed, hair still damp. She looked exhausted, but still searched the taller woman's face carefully for any indications of pain. Beatrice reached out, touching her fingertips to the ring of burned skin around the Halo bearer's throat with a frown. She vaguely wondered why it hadn't healed yet, but couldn't bring herself to ask, that was a conversation for later.