The next morning, Nova got up early and went to work just as she planned to do. She still hadn't heard from Robin or her parents since she left the hospital the day prior and she decided to leave them alone for the day to give them all a chance to work out what was going to happen next.
Robin was not exactly forgiven yet in Nova's eyes and Nova knew it was going to be a long time before she was. She knew that she did the right thing by getting her to the hospital and waiting for her parents to arrive but Robin's mishap was not enough for Nova to completely forget what she had done to her. There was a lot of damage she caused and Nova was not going to go the extra mile for her anytime soon.
Between what she did to her and Q and the hurtful voicemails, Robin was going to be on her shit list for a while. Nova knew that she had a lot of issues that Robin had to work out and she did wish her the best as far as her recovery went, but that was about as far as her good wishes were going to go.
Nova arrived to the skydive center in the travel van with the rest of the crew. Today, according to Allison, they were going to be filming a punishment that Murray had to do. Little to his knowledge, he was going to be jumping out of a plane today and Murr had no clue about it!
He was going to be under the impression that he and the guys were going to be teaching a skydiving class, and not actually part taking in the event itself. The guys were going to surprise him when they were in the middle of doing their intro, and go from there.
Nova could not wait to see his reaction when he found out!
They all drove up to the entrance and together, they started bringing in all the equipment. Geoff led the way and gave a low down of how he wanted everything set up and everyone went to work on it. Even though she hadn't been with the crew for long, Nova was starting to catch on to the routine and how they did things. She had always been a fast learner and did well being thrown into things.
Nova was in the middle of running cords when Sal and Brian showed up. This was one of the few shoots where they didn't have to show up later, being that they had the whole place rented out for the day and outside access to the place being limited. They didn't have to worry about strangers coming up and getting in the way during set up, trying to get close to the Jokers.
"Hey" Brian said as he walked up to Nova who was on her hands and knees taping down a cord.
"What's up" Nova said casually as she looked up to see him.
"Nothing much, how did last night go?" Brian asked, referring to Robin.
"Eh, I don't know. I haven't spoken to anyone...I'm not exactly going out of my way to do so, so I guess I'll know whats going on when Robin is well enough to come around and tell me herself" Nova said dully.
"Yeah? Well that has got to be frustrating, Do you know when she's getting out of the hospital?" Brian asked.
"Not a clue" Nova said as she stood up and stretched with the roll of tape in her hands. She didn't really want to talk about it anymore.
"So, Does Murr still not have a clue what's going on today?" Nova asked, trying to change the subject.
"Nope...No idea! He should be arriving soon with Joe, I think Joe wanted to give him a ride so that he won't try to leave. He's going to flip! I can't wait to see how everything translates to film, I know for a fact he HATES heights."
"Hahaha yeah, you don't get much higher than that" Nova replied as they began walking back to base.
"Welllll....figuratively speaking, I would have to disagree with you" Q said, looking at Nova out of the corner of his eye.
When his joke fully registered in her mind, Nova made a face and playfully slapped him in the arm as he laughed and made a goofy smile. He was definitely something else, she was happy that the two of them were able to maintain a friendship after everything they had been through.
When they arrived back to base, Nova got started on getting the GoPro cameras set up like how Allison showed her and Q helped. He was able to show her a few more settings on them that she didn't know about and a few tricks to help set the white balance. Soon enough, Joe and Murr arrived and then they were able to get started.
After saying hello to Joe and getting her usual hug from him, Nova quickly set her DSL camera to where it needed to be and stood behind the camera crew, ready to capture the sequence of when they told Murr exactly what they were going to be doing.
First, they had to shoot a mini intro with just Brian, Joe, and Sal while Murr was getting ready in the gear that he needed for the so called "class" to explain to the audience how this was really going to play out. As far as Murr knew, this was not even a punishment, but a challenge that they were all suppose to part take in.
Murr was all chipper with smiles when they were helping him into his suit and Nova could tell he really had no clue what they were about to hit him with.
After a quick rehearsal, they guys lined up with the biggest smiles on their faces and then they began.
"Today we are teaming up at SkyDive Long Island in Calverton, teaching people how to jump out of planes" Murray began.
All the sudden Joe, Sal and Q's grins grew wider on their faces in preparation for what they were about to tell their dear sweet friend Murr.
"Welllllllllllll....." They all said in unison and it was then that Murr knew he was about to be in deep shit. Nova was able to perfectly capture the smile slowly leaving his face as the reality sunk in of what they were about to make him do and she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.
"Maybe we are not Murr" Joe said in a fit of laughter accompanied by the other two who knew they were going to be safe.
"...Maybe it is your punishment..." Q said as Sal clapped his hands together from the humor of what they just pulled off.
That was when James Murray lost his shit.
Right away he started to tear off the Sky diving suit they put him in while screaming "No no no no NO! NO IT IS NOT!"
At this point it was even hard for Nova to contain her laughter, these guys were just too much sometimes.
"So Murr thought we were coming here to teach classes today, but little did he know it was his punishment" Joe said, trying to compose himself to narrate for the camera as Murr bolted, still trying to rip out of his suit while still screaming that he was not going to be doing this.
"I am not jumping! No way!" Murr screamed before he took off.
After they stopped filming, they decided to give Murr a few minutes to process what happened and to hopefully come to terms with it. The rest of the Jokers and the crew were still in a fit of hysterics, they also needed a moment just to get a hold of themselves.
Nova had tears coming out of her eyes from the energy of it all and right away she started thumbing through the all the pictures she got. She was really happy with how she was able to capture the sequence, with just a little bit of editing, her photos could really tell the whole story of what just happened.
"Where did he go?" Nova asked, not seeing where he ran off too.
"Who know's but that was great!" Sal screeched as he clapped Q on the back to prevent himself from doubling over in laughter. They were all so happy that they pulled the whole thing off, they knew that this was going to make a hell of an episode once it aired. They all agreed that it was one of the best things they shot so far this season.
"I don't know where he think's he is going, I was the one who drove his ass here" Joe said as they began walking back to the base to see if they could find him.
"Hell if it were me, I'd walk back if I had to" Sal joked.
They arrived back to base and Allison said that she saw Murray run out to one of the vans and that he seemed really upset. They all figured he would be, that was the point, but they went to look for him with a limited camera crew to talk him down.
They knew that this was going to be a tough one to get him to do and they didn't blame him for his reaction one bit, but this was for the show and they all had a pact amongst the four of them that refusal on anything was simply not an option.
"He is going to be fine, we already spoke to the guide and he said there is nothing to worry about, he will be strapped to a trained professional who has done this a thousand times, he needs to just man up and do it" Sal said out of annoyance as if Murray's reaction was an inconvenience to him.
Nova was in no place to say, but she felt like Sal was being a little harsh.
"Ehh let's just go talk to him. I'm sure he will do it, he just needs a moment to digest what we just threw at him" Q explained.
"Well I know one thing for sure, I sure am happy to be on this side of things this time" Sal said with a laugh.
"Hmmm...Well I know what we are doing for Sal's next punishment" Joe said with a mischievous smirk on his face.
When they arrived at the vans where James was hiding out at, Nova could see he was really in a state of panic. He was demanding for the keys of the van while repeating over and over on how he was not doing this. Nova knew that the network had already laid out a big chunk of money just to be there and it would be an awful waste if they had to all pack up and go home. She did not know much about how the network operated but she wasn't sure if they would be so forgiving if they did not get any usable footage out of today.
"Just man up and do it!" Joe said as he threw Murray's suit back at him. Murr threw it back and Sal sincerely reminded him about the pact that they had made in the beginning about not refusing anything punishment related.
Murr was a shaking mess and Joe added "Well if it make's you feel any better, we are going up with you...We are just coming down a different way."
Everyone busted out into a fit of giggles, except Murr who said "Fuck this...I don't care, I'll quit the show. I'm not doing it."
He ran back into the van and locked the door before anyone could say a word. Once they all composed themselves and realized that Murr was being serious, Sal threw down the suit and stormed away, all pissed off that Murr was acting like this.
"Fine, if he wants to quit the show, then let him fucking quit the show!"
Nova had been standing on the side lines watching the series of events unfold before her eyes, and she couldn't help but shake her head on how Sal was handling this.
Sure it was frustrating that Murr was not exactly being compliant, but she didn't blame the guy. This was a scary thing for some people and Murr really had it in his head that he was not going to get out of this alive. On screen, sure it was cool to point fingers and laugh but off screen they were all still friends and Nova felt like they should have taken a gentler approach and talked to him a little more.
No one had explained to him the process, no one had explained to him that he was going to going down with a professional, and no one explained that he was going to be fine.
Nova sighed and watched as Joe trailed after Sal. Q was standing there with wide eyes, not knowing what to do. He knew just as well as Nova did that Murr had to do this punishment, but he didn't know how to make it happen or what the right thing was to do in this scenario.
Finally Nova rolled her eyes. She dramatically walked over to Q and handed him her camera. You guys go back to base, I'll meet you there in a bit" Nova instructed, taking the reins on the situation.
"Where are you going?" Q asked as he quirked an eye brow at Nova.
"I'm going to talk to Murr."
After Q left with the rest of the camera crew, now it was just Nova and Murr. Murr had locked his door on the driver's side of the van, but he failed to lock the passenger door that Nova climbed in through.
The moment the door opened Nova could see that Murray was a real mess. Right away he started to yell at her "No! No no NO! I am not doing this. You can tell everyone to go home! I don't care if they are mad at me. This is too much!"
He was really breaking down.
"Shhh shh shh, okay okay, calm down. I come in peace, chill out" Nova said, holding her hands up to show that she was not a threat. Murr was still shaking and he had tears running down his face. He threw his head back and looked up at the roof of the van and Nova took that as her sign to move forward. She climbed in the van and shut her door, giving him a moment to try and get a grip on himself.
He was hyperventilating and on the verge of a panic attack. Nova knew that she didn't have long before she lost him.
She let another moment of silence pass before she spoke.
"I have been skydiving before...Twice in fact" Nova started in a calm voice.
She watched him out of the corner of her eye and she could see him pause a bit, letting her know that he heard her.
"Not gonna lie, the first time was so scary. I made the mistake of mentioning it to my brother that I wouldn't mind trying it so for my 21st birthday he got us both passes to do it. Man, I sure put my money where my mouth was that day" Nova said smiling at the memory.
Murr still refused to look at her and he didn't say anything so Nova continued.
"I thought he was crazy, I mean it was cool to talk about at first but man, the moment he presented me with those passes, whew! I will never forget the feeling I had. I was scared to death and seeing those passes made it real. Luckily we went the same day because I probably would have lost sleep over it. I think my brother planned it that way so I couldn't fake sick to get out of it" Nova said with a little laugh.
"The whole time in my head I felt like I wanted to run, but there was no way I could show my older brother that I was scared. There had always been a thing about our relationship where I always had to be tough and never show him weakness. Anyway, outside I was excited and ready to take it on, but inside here" Nova said pointing at her temple and facing Murr.
"I had on the emergency breaks" she said, raising her eyebrows to make her point.
Murr slowly turned to face her and he sniffled. "So what happened?" He said through a horse voice.
"What happened? Well I jumped out of a freaking plane! That's what happened!" Nova said with a laugh.
"I had the directer explain to me the whole process and I kept telling myself if my brother can do it, I can do it."
"In the end, I found out from him that he was just as scared as I was" she added.
Nova shifted in her seat so she was now facing Murr.
"You see, the hardest part of the whole thing is jumping out of that plane. That is it. The actual jump takes about two seconds and then you have about sixty seconds of free fall and I got to tell you, it is not that bad. Being on a drop on a roller coaster is actually worse than the free fall. You see when you are on a roller coaster, you have a moment where you pause, and then it drops you like 100 miles an hour which makes your stomach feel like it is about to explode. When you are on a plane, you are already moving and when you jump, you gradually pick up speed as you go down. Before you can process any fear, your guide triggers the parachute and then you just slowly sail down."
Nova now had Jame's attention so she continued.
"And oh my God, the view! The view is so incredible, you completely forget to be afraid. The view is what makes the whole experience worth it. You literally feel like you are flying and it feels so amazing! After you skydive, you feel like you can do anything, I actually went twice because I wanted to process it all again while knowing what to expect. I felt like it made me get a better of experience what it was like."
Murr took a deep breath and then paused for a moment.
"You know...I don't think I could go a second time. I think one will be enough for me"
Nova's eyes lit up when he said that. She took that statement as if that meant he was going to do it and she was thrilled that she was able to coax him through, but she tried to hold back on reacting as if it would scare him away again.
"Okay, okay well you don't have to do it twice but even one time will give you bragging rights...I'm sure none of the other guys have done this before...Before I went, I didn't know anyone who had went sky diving, I had so many people asking me what it was like and honestly, it kinda made me feel like a bad ass when they said that they could never do what I did"
Murr let her words play in his head and finally he let out a shaky sigh and he smiled. "Wow...I guess I am going to be jumping out of a freaking plane today...Holy shit" He said as a pair of fresh tears streamed down his face from the reality of what he was facing. He had went through so many powerful emotions in a short time, Nova did not blame him.
She grabbed his hand, which was still shaking, and cheered him on, letting him know again that he would be just fine.
Before Nova could say anything, Murr just had to take things too far.
He looked her in the eyes and said "Will you go with me?"
"Yeah sure, I'll go up in the plane with you" Nova said sweetly.
"No, I mean like will you jump with me?"
"...Wait what?"
Nova was hoping that she didn't hear him right.
"I know I'm asking a lot but I think if I have someone go with me, it will be easier than just being by myself" Murr said, starting to come out of his panic.
"Uhhh...I don't think it's in the budget for me to go too, I don't think they will pay for-"
"Don't worry about it, I'll pay for it...I don't think I can do this alone and you are the only one who has done it before...Maybe you can talk me through it...Just please Nova...Please go with me" Murr begged while he started getting teary eyed again.
The look in his eyes were pulling on her heart strings big time. She realized just how much of a sap she was.
"Uhh...Okay...Okay, I'll go with you" Nova said, cringing internally at what she was agreeing to.
"Oh my God! Thank you! Thank you so much!" Murr cried while grabbing her hand to show his gratitude. "You have no idea what this means to me! I owe you big time!"
"Uhh...Yes you do" Nova said nervously, wondering why the hell she agreed to do this. Sure she had done it before but both times, she had plenty of time to mentally prepare herself, as one should before jumping out of a plane.
Now she was the one who felt like crying.
Murr told Nova that he had a few people that he was going to call and then he would be right in, and asked for some time alone. Nova happily agreed and exited the van to give him some privacy. As she was walking back to base, Joe, Sal, and Brian were walking towards her. She approached them with her head down.
"Well, what did he say?" Sal asked immediately.
Nova stood before them, bouncing back on her feet a little, apprehensive to answer his question.
"Welllll....I managed to get him to agree to do it..." She started. Right away she got big "yes's" from the guys who were excited that he was going to go along with it.
"But" Nova continued. "He wants me to go with him."
They guys all had a confused look on their faces. "What like go up in the plane with us?" Brian asked, trying to get some clarification.
"Not exactly" Nova squeaked out.
Sal and Joe just looked surprised while Nova watched Q's face go from surprised to angry.
"Oh hell no! No no no NO! MURRAY, GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE AND FACE YOUR PUNISHMENT! THERE IS NO WAY YOU ARE DRAGGING NOVA DOWN WITH YOU, THAT IS NOT HOW THIS WORKS AND YOU KNOW IT!"
Brian was raging.
"Well just hang on a sec, before he wouldn't even do it, now-" Sal began, trying to reason with Brian but he didn't want to hear it.
"NO! This is bullshit! He can't bring someone else with him just because he is scared! That is not right and you know it!"
"Brian...It is okay, really! I don't mind. I have been skydiving before, I will be okay" Nova said calmly, stepping forward.
"Nova, you didn't have messed up knee last time you jumped out of a fucking plane, did you? I am not going to allow him to manipulate you just because he is too much of a wuss to do it by himself!" Brian said angrily, looking back at the van where Murr was.
Nova took a deep breath, now trying to control her own anger. As far as she was concerned, there was never a time where she let anyone tell her what she could and couldn't do and she sure as hell was not going to start now.
She took a step forward, getting in his face and said "Bull shit you aren't going to allow me! Last time I checked I am my own women and I decide what is right for me and what is not, even if you did have any power to order me around, you gave up that right a loooong time ago SIR!"
The attitude in her statement was enough to make Joe now intervene.
Nova and Q began to argue and before things could get anymore heated, Joe gave Sal a look.
"Okay okay okay, come on sweetie, come with me" Joe said gently, putting an arm around Nova's shoulders and began to steer her away. Sal did the same thing to Q, pulling him off into the field to cool down.
"Can you fucking believe him? Who does he think he is trying to order me around like that?! And Murr did not force me to do anything! I could have told him no if I wanted to, he should be grateful that I want to help the show and jump out of a freaking plane for you guys!" Nova began to vent to Joe.
"I know I know, It's okay, just calm down for a second killer and breathe...He is just worried about ya that's all....He just cares sweetie" Joe said, trying to calm Nova down.
"Ugh! And then to bring up my injury! Like why the hell would he even go there?!" Nova continued.
"Because, like I said he is just worried about you sweetheart, that's all. Honestly I am too, are you sure you are really up for this? I mean if you want to do it, far be it from me to stop you but I think you really need to think if this is the right thing to do. I know Murr wasn't thinking when he asked you but I just don't want you to get hurt" Joe said, trying to pick his words carefully.
"Yeah, I should be fine, I mean I've been going to physical therapy and my knee gets stronger and stronger every day. I'm starting to be able to run on it again and it doesn't really hurt as much anymore, it just gets stiff every now and then" Nova explained, feeling guilty.
Now that she was thinking about it, maybe Q wasn't as out of line as she thought he was.
"Look, Murr will be fine. He doesn't need you to jump with him. We will get him to do it one way or another, I don't want you to sacrifice yourself for the show, especially if it means you getting hurt, that is not what it is about" Joe said chauvinistically
Nova hesitated a bit before she answered.
"Look, I told you I'm fine, I'll be fine. Like I said I have down this before, twice in fact. I know what to expect and how to land. I'll wear my knee brace to give me support, it will be okay" Nova tried to convince Joe.
Joe eyed her as if he didn't fully buy it, but he knew that in the end, this was going to be her decision, and hers only.
"Okay kid...I just hope you know what you're doing"
So eventually Murray came out and after a few more strong words from Q and a few arguments from everyone in the group, they had it settled that Nova was going to jump with Murr. Well not exactly with Murr, but before him.
For TV appearances, they spoke to Geoff about what they wanted to do and they came up with a plan. They were all going to go up in the same plane together and Nova was going to hang out in the back of the plane, that way when the camera was rolling, it would look like Murr was doing it solo and then Nova would jump with her guide first and then Murr. This way Nova would not be seen on the camera and then she would clear the way for Murr.
She had to sign a bunch of paper work and wavers, basically starting that if anything were to happen, she could not sue the network for damages, since it was never in the plans for her to go in the first place.
Murr wasn't exactly thrilled about the plan, but it was either this or he goes by himself.
After her and Murr were dressed and ready to go, they all started to head towards the plane together. Nova was beginning to get the jitters as she approached the entrance and she felt nervous. Murr was definitely going to owe her big time after this! She still didn't know what the hell she was doing or why she volunteered as tribute. The only thing she kept thinking was "The show must go on."
As Nova put a hand on the staircase to board the plane, she felt someone place a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see it was Q. She looked at him as if she was ready to brace herself for another fight.
"Look, I just wanted to say I am sorry about how I yelled at you earlier. I didn't mean to upset you, I'm just really concerned about your knee. That is all. I think it is really cool of you to want to help Murr with this and the show and even though I still don't 100% agree with it, it is your choice and I won't give you anymore shit for it."
Nova's cold expression grew warm and she smiled. "Thank you Q, I appreciate you saying that...I'm still gonna do it but I'm happy your not mad at me."
Q made a face as if what she was saying was crazy. "Mad at you? Nawww, I could never be mad at you. I guess I'll see you at the finish line huh?"
Nova nodded her head confidently and Q outstretched his arms for a hug, which Nova gladly reciprocated. She could have sworn she felt him place a kiss on top of her head.
Once they were all loaded in the plane, Nova and Murr's guides began the process of strapping themselves to their backs. She quickly introduced herself to hers, which she learned was named Paul, just so things weren't so awkward. After he was fully strapped to her, he began to explain the whole process of what she was about to go through.
"I have actually done this before so I kinda know what to expect, though it has been quite a few years since I have went so thank you for the refresher." Nova said to him.
"Ohh cool, I got a veteran on my hands" He said, sounding relieved that his job was going to be a little easier, knowing that Nova knew what was going to happen.
Soon enough, it was time to open up the plane. Nova felt like her stomach was being squeezed from her nerves before, and when that door opened it just made things all that much more real.
"Ohh Shit" she said, knowing that no one else would be able to hear her. She felt a cold rush of wind enter the plane, giving her goosebumps down her neck, and the guys screamed in unison from the excitement that was about to take place. Her guide tapped her on the shoulder, letting her know it was her time to shine and Nova's heart started to pound in her chest.
She stood up with him and slowly they began to walk towards the exit of the plane. Everything in Nova's body was screaming at her not to do this, just as she expected it would. She knew that no average person in their right mind would ever be fully comfortable jumping out of a plane and that her nerves were just part of the experience .
She could see the guys talking amongst themselves, but she couldn't hear what they were saying, being how loud the outside wind entering the plane was. For a moment, she locked eyes with Q, and he was able to see right through her to everything she had been hiding since she agreed to do this thing. She knew he did too, and she looked away in embarrassment.
Maybe he was right, maybe she shouldn't have done this?
Knowing that she was scared, he reached out and grabbed her hand, running his thumb over her knuckles as a last effort to provide her some comfort. She looked back into his eyes sincerely and mouthed out "Thank you", and he nodded.
She looked over at Murr who looked like he was about to cry again. As her and Paul scooted past him, she offered him one last fist bump, hoping to boost his confidence even a little.
It was now or never.
Nova continued to feel her heart pumping in her ears as Paul turned them around so that she was facing the guys one last time. Hanging off the edge of the plane, she flashed a smile and help up a peace sign as Paul slowly guided them off of the plane, and then she was gone.
Now it was just Nova and Paul on this journey. Nova felt the familiar sensation of falling and she couldn't help the scream that escaped her mouth. Those 60 seconds of free fall always felt like they were never going to end and Nova felt like her stomach was going to go right up in her throat. She felt the force of the wind pick up making her cheeks ripple and she could have sworn she saw the curvature of the Earth.
She screamed one more time and soon after, she felt her body jerk up in the air as Paul pulled the cord for the parachute. Now was the fun part.
"Whew!" Nova breathed out loudly, trying to catch her breath.
"Are you okay? You good?" She heard Paul ask from behind her.
"Yeah...Yeah I'm great!" Nova said cheerfully as she took in the view of the world below her. There was something about the air from all the way up where she was that made it so nice to breath in. It felt cool and fresh as it hit her lungs and it made her feel free. All the lots around the skydive building looked like little green squares of many shades, it made her wonder what it was like to be a bird and have this view whenever she chose.
She continued to watch as everything became bigger and more distinguishable and she started to see the spot where they were going to land. It was surrounded by crew members and the staff of the skydive company and they all cheered her on as her and Paul came swooping down. She gave a thumbs up before they hit the ground, and then Nova did exactly what she promised Q and Joe she wouldn't do.
When they landed, Nova forgot to pick up her feet from the initial impact and she felt a pop in her knee as they touched the surface. She winced, but it was hard to give it her full attention from everything that was going on. Not to mention, her adrenaline was still maxed out so the pain did not really effect her.
Once they stopped moving, she heard a round of applause around her and she looked up to see that Murr had finally jumped out of the plane. Smiling at the fact that he actually went through with it, Nova walked over to the side line's with Paul still attached to her and another staff member came over and started to help unbind them from each other.
She shook hands with Paul and thanked him for everything and received some more back pats from her crew as she walked over to a nearby bench to sit down and try to get her nerves back under control from the whole experience. She let out a shaky breath and a few moments went by and she saw Murr land with his guide. She smiled at his reaction when he was finally back on land and took the moment to examine her knee when all the attention was on him.
She knew she fucked up bad the moment when she heard that popping sound. She also knew that Q couldn't have been more right when he told her that she shouldn't have done it.
She rolled up her pant leg and sure enough her knee was starting to swell already. Using two fingers, she gradually applied pressure in various area's to see where exactly the pain was coming from. Now that she was coming down off of the adrenaline, she was starting to feel it. Luckily, everyone was still occupied with Murr to notice the state she was in.
Soon enough, the plane landed and out came Joe, Sal, and Q. After doing a few more things on camera, they were done filming and it was time to wrap up. Nova was still seated on the bench where she was. She was in a lot of pain and she knew standing was out of the question. She kept lying to herself that if she stayed just a few more minutes, it would be enough to give her the gusto to be able to help finish the day and pack up.
It wasn't long before Q came looking for her.
"Hey" He said casually as he approached her.
Nova gave him a weary smile, feeling uneasy about being around him right now.
"So how'd it go?" He asked, taking a seat next to her.
Nova was as tense as she lied and said "Great! It was a lot of fun. It's been a while since I've did this...How's Murr?"
"Murr? He's doing good. He's a little pissed but he will get over it...How's your knee?" He asked, getting right to what she didn't want to talk about.
"Oh...It's good...Just a little sore but it's good" She lied again. She felt embarrassed to tell him how much it really hurt.
"You sure?" He said, cocking an eyebrow at her.
Nova hesitated to answer this time. "No" She said under her breath.
"What?" Q said as his head snapped to look at her.
Nova shifted in her seat and looked away from him. Q let out a sigh and stood up. He walked in front of her and said "Alright, give me your hands."
Nova looked up at him and said "Q stop, it's fine, I just got to rest it a few more minutes and I'll be-" Nova started but was cut off by him.
"No, Give me your hands" Q said more firmly this time.
Nova let out a shaky breath and placed her hands in his. He pulled her up, trying to get her to stand and noticed how she wobbled in his arms. She stumbled into him a bit and hissed in pain when she tried to put pressure on it.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Okay, we gotta get you checked out, are you able to walk?" Q asked.
"I...I think so" Nova said, hoping that it was not as bad as she thought it was. Q held onto her and she took a step. She let out a cry and nearly fell to the ground but Q caught her before she could. She was in a lot of pain and every time she moved it felt like a lightning bolt was striking her in the knee cap.
"Okay okay, come here" Q said, and before Nova could protest, Q lifted her up off the ground. Tears were running down Nova's face as she wrapped her arms around Brian's neck for support and she couldn't tell if it was from the pain, or from the embarrassment that she got hurt.
Looking back on it now, it was a stupid idea and Nova hated to admit that Brian was right. She should have never done this and she was scared to see what shape her knee was in.
"We gotta get you to a hospital" Brian said. He felt a ping of sadness when he looked down and saw her crying. He felt really bad that she got hurt and he wished that he would have been wrong from the start and she would have been just fine.
But Nova was Nova, the same headstrong girl she always had been and the same girl her still had feelings for. There was no telling her what to do, and even though she only had herself to blame, he still loved her all the same.
He just couldn't admit it yet....