Catch the Stars ||Keith Kogane||

61

"Just one more day?" Haylie had been begging for the past hour.

Trip rolls her shoulders back, latching on the straps for her sword sheath around her body, "Two days is long enough," she argues, "I have to get back out there."

"But the doctors said they wouldn't recommend combat for at least another two weeks!" her sister repeats the same point she'd had for everything Trip said, "and if something happens while you're out there, you're too far for them to get to you!"

"The castle has healing tech better than this place," Trip says, reaching for the red cape that was draped across her empty bed, "if I'm near death again, there's no better place to be."

The cape falls over her back heavily, and she strains for a moment at the weight it put on her shoulders and chest, "This isn't a joke, Trip!"

"I know," she says without missing a beat, "but if we want to finish this, then we need to keep working with Voltron as closely as possible. Pidge has intel about freedom fighters out there. I could get them to join and add to our numbers if we make contact."

Haylie groans from across the room, "you're not even listening to me."

She'd been idle for two days. Sitting in her room with doctors doting on her and shoving water bottles in her face. Even with two people in Haron's trusted hands, she couldn't let everyone else do the rest of the work without her. She'd decided this morning that she'd had enough of doing nothing. The paladins and Allura were going back to the castle with her, Coran had gone ahead to "prepare" as he'd put it.

"I am," Trip gives her a tired look, "but I'm the commander, Haylie. I don't have the luxury of recovery time."

Haylie frowns, knowing she was right. Even Litarra gave himself a day between injuries to get back in front of the people. And Trip always followed his example. They were lucky to have gotten an extra day out of her. So Haylie said nothing else.

Trip looks up, noticing the lack of spirit Hayile now had about her. She hated having to put things above herself, but the time for that was nearly over. The war was almost done, they'd almost made it out alive.

"How do I look?" Trip asks as she secures her cape, "like I was just stabbed?"

Haylie looks up, her eyes going over Trip sadly, "no," she says sadly, "you look good."

It was silent. Something Haylie wasn't known for. Trip frowned and approached her, her leather boots echoing in the empty room. The furs had been cleared from the bed, the machines turned off. She was about to jump back out there. But not before she gave her sister a hug.

When she does, Haylie clings to her. As tightly as she could without causing any pain to the healing wound.

"We'll make it," Trip assures her, "it's almost over."

"I know," Haylie groans, sniffling against Trip's chest before gently pushing her away, "I expect regular calls to me, not just Harron."

Trip laughs, turning to grab the door handle that would lead them to the hall, where the others were waiting, "yes, mother."

The guards had finally left their post, but were now stationed in front of Braut's room on her orders. Doctors had been going in and out regularly. It was only the paladins and Harron outside, with Ella sitting on Lance's hip as he spoke to her in a language Trip didn't understand. She'd gathered that was his mother tongue. Everyone looks up when she arrives with Haylie behind her.

"You look back to normal," says Pidge with a grin.

Hunk nods, "as scary as ever."

Trip smirks, "thanks," she says and Ella lets out a yelp when she sees her.