Wait (Keith Kogane X OC)

Chapter 17

By the time she arrived at the hospital wing of the Atlas and found Allura's room, Sarah's tears had dried and there were no signs that she'd been crying. She was grateful for that when she saw Coran sitting on the floor next to a door with his head in his hands.

"How is she doing?" Sarah asked as she got closer. "Is she alright?"

Coran nodded and looked up. The rims of his eyes were red and his jaw clenched. Sarah's heart clenched. Coran was never that emotional and it almost hurt to see him so close to crying. "Where are the Paladins?"

"I sent them to go shower and change. I thought it would help Allura feel more at ease when she wakes up and sees everyone." Sarah clasped her hands behind her back and stopped in front of Coran's feet.

"Thank you." Coran pushed himself to his feet and leaned against the wall. His weary gaze focused on Sarah. "I never had a family of my own, you know," he said softly. "But Alfor was like my brother. I promised him I'd take care of Allura. And now she's hurt because I allowed her to go find Honerva."

Sarah had always noticed how close the two were. Their relationship was very similar to one of a father and daughter. She'd never heard their relationship expressed in words before, though, and now that she had it made everything more serious. With Sarah's family gone, she understood why Allura was especially close with Coran. If any of her family friends had survived, and Sarah doubted they had, she would be really close to them as well.

"It was her decision, though," Sarah said. "I don't think she's really hurt, either. Tracking down Honerva probably took a lot out of her. She'll wake up soon." She stood next to him and leaned against the wall as well. Was that the sort of thing you were supposed to say to comfort someone when someone they loved was in the hospital?

Coran didn't respond, so the two stood in silence. Sarah was concerned too, of course, but there was nothing she could do. Comforting everyone else seemed to be her only option, because just standing there talking about how worried she was really wasn't going to get anything done.

In their silence, Sarah thought about her argument with Keith. She didn't even know why she got so frustrated. He was being reasonable, but they both exploded. Thinking back on it though, she was still frustrated with him. Well, maybe not with him, but with the way he went about asking his question. Asking the same question over and over again, just changing the wording slightly was not the way to talk about something so important. At the same time though, Sarah truly didn't care what they did. She just wanted to be by his side, supporting him. She didn't want to work for the Garrison anymore; now that she'd had a taste of the freedom of exploring, the strict lifestyle she'd been experiencing didn't seem so great.

What she'd experienced over the last few years was beyond amazing, and she wanted to keep her adventure going with her favorite person.

The doctor exited Allura's room. Sarah and Coran stood at attention, ready for news. "She's ready for you now," he said to Coran. "She's not awake at the moment, but she should be in a few hours." He nodded to Sarah, and left, probably to go back to his office.

Sarah touched Coran's arm. "You go in," she said. "I'll tell everyone what's going on. Are you okay with the others coming in to see her, or should I tell them to wait?"

"They can come visit." Coran slinked around through the entrance to Allura's room, the door sliding shut smoothly behind him.

Sarah leaned back against the wall. She sent a message the the Paladins - they always had their electronic pads with them, so they would see that they were okay to come visit - What if... What if she and Keith didn't get a chance to talk again and their last words to each other were harsh? With the kind of life they led, never knowing when their next battle was going to come or when Honerva was going to show herself, that was a very possible reality.