In Time Gone By...

~ 14 ~

A droid cleaned up her arm in the infirmary, dabbing the wound with alcohol which stung a little. She flinched as Grace scolded her, troopers being treated all around them; nurses and droids rushed about, pushing some on beds and supporting others. The whole place was buzzing with chaos. 

Ren also sat nearby, swatting away medical help while clutching a bruised abdomen, insistent that he would sort himself out. 

"Thank you..." Bailee said when the droid patched it up with a black dressing, whizzing off somewhere else. 

"Stars, Bails, are you mad?" Grace continued, looking over the grazes and bruises all over her. "I'm not saying I don't kind of respect it, but look at you!"

"I know, it was stupid...I wanted to help though." Bailee muttered in response, pushing back the wisps of hair frizzed up against her forehead. 

"You're such an idiot. But I'm glad you're okay..."

"Thank you, G. I didn't mean to worry you." 

"You always do." Grace said as the general entered across the crowds, slightly panicked and seemingly in a rush. He looked about through all the mayhem, pushing through them all to get to her when he eventually spotted her. 

Grace shuffled away a little, swapping places with Bailee who stood while she sat, giving them a moment. 

"Latt." He seemed relieved when he reached her, even more so when he pulled her into a hug suddenly, weary of her injury. 

She was taken aback to say the least. She returned it, happy to know that he, well...cared for her, but nevertheless confused at this contact. He wasn't exactly the touchy type, but this brief moment, her head on his shoulder, it felt so good... Such a wonderful feeling. 

It didn't last long. 

He pulled away, arms dropping to his sides awkwardly. "Forgive me." 

He had not intended to do that. He had meant to say, when he saw her: "What the hell do you think you were doing, Lieutenant?" 

"I'm glad to see you, also..." she muttered, having not quite caught up and still a little in shock.  

"You blatantly disobeyed my command-"

"Hang on," she said, snapping back to reality. "You gave me no orders." 

"A lack of orders means the same thing as me telling you to not run directly onto an active battlefield, alter my commands and potentially get yourself killed!"

"I did what I needed to do to help my cause. To help you!"

"You did no such thing." he muttered, eyeing her darkly. 

Ren piped up, having relented to someone actually helping him. "It was actually me... all my idea. Bailee just got dragged along, couldn't help it." 

"I don't want to hear anything from you, you know I don't believe a word of it." Hux replied, hardly looking at him. 

Ren gave Bailee an apologetic look and a shrug. "I tried."

"Without me," she continued, practically ignoring that whole interaction. "You'd be bitching to me about our lost territories to the Rebels, all these troopers would be dead and I'd be the one clearing up the mess, doing your paperwork." 

"You dare talk back to your superior?"

"I do. I did what I knew was right. How could you expect me to just stand there and watch?"

"Because that's your job, Latt! You watch and listen and do as your told!" A few people had caught on by now, listening in while trying to make it look like they were minding their own business, particularly Grace who swung her legs over the edge of the hospital bed and bit her lip. "No one asked for your input, no one asked for your help."