Unexpected

chapter twenty-four: elapse

Fives is woken hours later by a slight change in the steady beeps emitted from the heart monitor. He sits up in the chair and glances over to find Elara stirring on the bed beside him. A muffled groan reaches Fives's ears and he pushes himself to his feet before hovering over Elara.

"Elara." His eyes scan her face. "Hey, you're okay." He pulls the oxygen mask off of her face and she takes a deep breath.

As her eyes meet Fives's, her heart rate returns to its normal, consistent beep on the monitor. "Fives." She sighs, still very weak. She moves to sit up, biting her lip due to the pressure on her wrists.

Fives notices her struggling and helps her sit up before adjusting the bed for her. She looks down at her wrists to find bandages wrapped around them and furrows her eyebrows.

"She's awake?" Kix asks as he walks into the room. "I told you to come get me if anything changed."

"She just woke up." Fives defends.

Kix sighs as he looks down at Elara. He gives her a sympathetic smile before turning to Fives. "Go get Rex and Echo."

Fives furrows his eyebrows. Before he can protest, Kix pushes him out of the medbay and swiftly returns to Elara's side.

"How're you feeling?" Kix asks, taking her temperature to find a slight fever—as expected.

"Like a big, slimy Hutt." Elara sighs, eliciting a slight chuckle from Kix.

"Not a great mental picture." He teases, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm going to undress your wounds, it might hurt a little bit."

Elara nods and sits still as Kix carefully unwraps the gauze around her right wrist. His hand holds hers up as his fingers cautiously work the bandage away from the scarred skin.

A few winces slip from Elara and Kix continuously apologizes as he unwraps her other wrist. Once the wounds are open to the air, he gently inspects the marks.

"It looks like the punctures are starting to heal." Kix hums. "With the help of a few bacta pads they'll be good as new by tomorrow."

Elara watches as he carefully disinfects the injuries, biting back her cries of pain at the intense stinging sensation. The sound of hurried footsteps approaching distracts her as Kix cleans the next wound.

"Elara." Rex sighs in relief when he sees her. "Thank the stars you're okay."

"Thanks to you, Commander." She winks at Rex. Elara notices Echo standing behind him, beside Fives, and smiles. "You too, pilot."

Echo smiles at her from beside Rex. "You scared us half to death, Ellie." He admits.

"Sorry.. That wasn't exactly.. Part of the plan." She fights back another wince as Kix works. The medic quickly apologizes again.

"Did you find out what those pirates did to her?" Rex asks.

Fives glances down at Elara to find a slightly pained look on her face and gently tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She looks up at him and smiles faintly.

"I've run multiple tests on her blood samples." Kix begins, earning both Fives's and Elara's attention. "There's good news, and there's bad news."

"Well give us the good news first." Echo says.

"There doesn't seem to be anything abnormal in her bloodstream." Kix states. "I believe her weakened state is purely an outcome of her starved condition and loss of blood."

The three men sigh in relief but Elara's eyes remain on the medic.

"What's the bad news?" She asks.

Kix sighs, looking at the woman in front of him. "You'll need to stay off of your feet until you get your strength back." He explains. "Until then, I recommend she remains under my care."