Falling

Chapter XVI

"You're so stupid."

Cal smirked, adjusting his grip on her arm. "Right. I'm the stupid one."

"I had it handled."

"Uh-huh." He shifted his hand on her waist and fixed her more upright, holding her up so she could limp more easily down the passageway.

Today was not her day, he'd admit that. First, her boot got caught and torn. Then she dropped one of her tools and lost it to the abyss below. Then she found that her glove had a hole after burning her hand. And not too long ago, she slipped in the rain and fell a few levels. Thankfully, she caught hold of a cable and was able to slow her fall to a point. Still, she twisted her ankle as a result, and when Cal came down and found her, he insisted on taking her into his care.

The two slowly made their way to the camps, Cal being just as patient as he always was. Once they made it into Nima's dwelling, he helped her settle into her chair.

Nima released a heavy sigh, letting her head fall back and groaning. "Why me?"

Cal chuckled as he kneeled by her side, slowly removing her boot. His heart panged every time she made any indication of pain, whether a wince or a clenching hand. Once he finally got it off, he carefully set her swollen foot on the small table. "There. That should help."

Nima sent him a pained grin. "Sure. Thanks."

He returned a smile and left to retrieve the first aid, setting a hand on her shoulder as he went.

That wasn't her real smile, he knew that. She just gave him that so he wouldn't worry. Her real smile was a rare sight. It was soft yet bright and lit up a room. It gave him that funny feeling in his stomach, that weird fluttery stirring.

Not that she didn't give him that feeling often. It actually happened more than he'd like to admit. He should be accustomed to it by now, really. And yet it never failed to sneak up on him.

Cal returned to Nima's side and proceeded to take off her sock, trying not to grimace at the reddish-purple bruises already forming around her ankle. He opened the aid kit and grabbed the elastic bandage, holding it up for her to see. "This'll be uncomfortable."

She shrugged. "I can take it."

He couldn't help but chuckle at her typical answer as he carefully and cautiously wrapped the bandage around the arch of her foot. "I'm just saying, I have to make it tight enough to help with the swelling."

"Oh, come on, it's not that bad."

He gave her a doubtful glance but said nothing. He wished she wouldn't do that. She didn't have to be tough all the time. It was okay to be vulnerable around him. She knew that, didn't she? She had to. So why was it always so rare?

The sound of fingers snapping yanked him out of his thoughts.

Nima smirked and cocked her head. "You okay?"

He nodded, realizing he had finished binding her ankle. How long had he been done for? He quickly snipped and taped the bandage down, setting the access aside and grabbing the small vial of bacta spray. "Give me your hand."

She did so without hesitation, and he held it gingerly, spraying the burn on the back of it and watching the tissue heal and reform. Then he turned it palm up and stared at the rope burns on her fingers, the awful peeled layers and tender pink skin exposed underneath.

"You could've died."

The words slipped out of his mouth before he realized they were there. Once said, though, he knew he was right. Things could have gone very differently. There had been a moment there, hearing her scream and watching her body disappear from view, where he wondered if she would make it. He had witnessed other coworkers go the same way before. She was lucky to be alive.

Nima shrugged. "I didn't though."

"But you could have." He met her gaze. "I almost lost you."

He saw guilt flash in her eyes. "I'm fine, Red. Everything worked out."

"It almost didn't."

"Cal." She squeezed his hand. "Relax, okay? I'm fine. Everything is fine." Her eyes fell to his chest. "I appreciate your concern. Really, thank you. But you don't have to worry about me."

But he was going to worry. He was going to worry no matter what. He was going to worry when she was hurt and when she wasn't, when she was vulnerable and when not. Because he cared about her. He would always care.

"Cal?"

He peeked up at her and watched her look away before meeting his gaze.

"Thank you for taking care of me."

He let out a sigh and took her other hand in his, running his thumb over her knuckles. "Yeah... you're welcome."

She smiled at him.

His stomach felt funny.