Time Child

Medical Bay

  The new girl makes a visit to the medical bay.  

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Greta hurried down the corridors of the Waverider, she had waited lying over her bed until she thought it was late enough for everyone to be asleep before she stepped out to head to the medical bay; she had done reckless things all throughout her life, but heading to the medical bay where he now lay unconscious was beyond reckless because it could jeopardize her whole mission.

"You go in and you go out" she whispered as she took a turn to the left "It's just to check if he's fine"

This wasn't the easiest thing she done, she had been on edge ever since the team had brought him back to the Waverider unconscious, she had been unable to concentrate on anything; thank god she was a good liar and had managed to appear focused and interested in what the others were saying.

Feeling as paranoid as never before, Greta looked over her shoulder to check that no one was in the hall with her when she reached the medical bay; the team had started to trust her with each passing day and if anyone saw her doing what she was about to do, they would certainly be demanding answers that she couldn't give them.

The young woman stopped in front of the doors of the medical bay and swiped her hand over the control panel and the door opened, she stepped inside and felt her heart being clenched by an ice hand before it shattered into a million pieces.

On the bed in the pristine room he lay with his eyes closed and a machine hooked to his arm to give him painkillers if he needed any and to control his vitals, there was a digital chart on the wall behind him showing the rate of his heart and his breath and Greta forced herself to walk towards him.

"How is he doing Gideon?" she asked, she looked at the chart before she looked down at his bruised face and her heart broke again.

"He's recovering" answered the AI.

"Has he recovered consciousness?"

"No"

"If I talk to him, do you think he could hear me?" asked the young woman, she grabbed the small chair and dragged it towards the bed.

"He might" answered Gideon as Greta sat down and looked at the man in front of her.

"Hi" she whispered "I really hope you can hear me right now, because otherwise I am making a fool out of myself" she chuckled sadly and looked down at his hand that lay next to his body.

Her gentle fingers brushed over his hand and she sighed heavily as she noticed more cuts over his hand; she wondered if his whole body was full of cuts and bruises from the attack they had suffered that morning.

"Gideon says you are recovering" she continued, softly she scooped up his hand with both of hers and gently caressed it as she looked down at it "I really hope you are" she felt a knot in her throat "I'm so sorry," she whispered "I didn't know this was going to happen, if I had known I would have warned you"

She knew tampering with the time line was something that should never be done, but for him she would make an exception; she always would for the people she loved.

"I can't lose you again" she continued, this time she brought his hand up to her lips and pressed his knuckles against her lips "I need you to know that I won't let anything happen to you, I promise" she closed her eyes and the tears rolled down her face, a few of them crashing over his hand "You've always protected me, this time I'll protect you" she kissed his knuckles once more.

The last thing Martin had ever wished for was to walk into someone having a private moment with a loved one; but when he walked into the medical bay to find Greta holding on to the hand of their injured friend, his mind started to race.

"Is he better?"

Greta dropped his hand and turned around in a flash, her blond hair flying around as she pushed herself up and stared at Martin almost as if she was seeing death itself. Martin looked back at her, she looked petrified, almost as if he had walked in on something he wasn't supposed to see.

"Dr. Stein" she whispered, her voice raspy.

"Greta" he answered back, because in her vague explanations of who she was her name always came without a last name or even an alter ego to call her by. "Is he better?"

"Yes" she whispered "I mean, Gideon said he's recovering"

A silence fell between the Doctor and the mystery new girl on the Waverider, Martin looked around her to find their injured friend still unconscious and then turned to look at Greta.

"Do you know him?" he asked "From the future I mean"

"Yes" she answered even if her instinct told her not to give away anything.

"I'm sorry if I walked in on you having a moment" explained Martin, he cleared his throat "I just wanted to make sure he was ok before I went to sleep"

"Oh" she whispered, she cleaned her tears with the back of her hand "It's fine" but Martin could see it was all but fine.

"I won't tell anyone you were here"

"Thank you"

Martin nodded and Greta nodded back at him, she forced herself to smile before she stepped forward and walked around Martin; she had almost reached the doors when his smooth and control voice spoke once more.

"He must mean a lot to you"

Greta turned around to look at half of Firestorm, Martin was looking at her with a calm expression that she had grown to trust.

"He does" she answered.

"I understand that you people from the future are a bit mysterious" Greta chuckled gently at his words "And you don't let a lot slip from you when you talk about yourself or the future, but I did notice the way you tensed when they brought him back in, even the way you pretended to pay attention at the reunion"

"Well, fuck" thought Greta "I need to remember that Stein is a bit more perceptive than he gives on" she pushed her blond hair behind her shoulder "Don't tell anyone, please"

"I won't" he nodded, he looked at the injured man and then turned to Greta "If you need to talk about anything, I'm always here"

"Thank you" she smiled and before the Doctor could say another word she turned around to the door and stepped out; Martin turning around to his injured friend just as the doors of the medical bay closed behind him.

No one noticed the pair of eyes following Greta as she disappeared and no one noticed the way he clenched his jaw.

"Well"he thought as he pushed himself away from the wall "She clearly is good at lying"${