Smugglers Cove (Love2write and Silence)

Killian lowered his gaze and shook his head. "If you can stick with me through this...." The captain adjusted how he laid in the bed and cringed slightly. The shoulder was starting to get sore. "I want you to be my girl permanently. You're still the only one I need." Reaching up he rubbed at his chin. "How come I have to do this whenever I've had a few days without shaving?" It finally occurred to Killian that he had impeccably bad timing.
 
"Are...are you finally asking me to marry you, Killian?" Star asked in bewilderment, then chuckles awkwardly. "I know you're terrible at romance but typically you tell the person you love them first."
 
The captain almost held his breath in suspense. How was she going to take this. Her halting response only made his heart beat faster and then he gulped loudly. "W-w-w..." Killian's mouth gaped and then he shut it. "M-marry?" Blinking a few times he looked at the woman and frowned. "I uh...I didn't think I proposed. Not that I would object just...Well you're in a hurry."
 
Star flushed brightly at the awkward turn this conversation had taken. "Killian...you just said permanently. In my mind...that means you want to marry me. And I thought it did for you too. I mean, you had that ring in your top drawer back on the alliance ship."
Her hands clenched in her lap. "Unless permanently for you just means until one of us doesn't love the other anymore..."
 
The conversation only got stranger. Killian's eyes gradually grew wider. "A ring?" By now his voice cracked and it got worse. "No I meant permanently but...What ring?" He could have sworn that his vest had pushed up and was squeezing his neck. Pulling at the cloth around his neck he found that it was just a hospital gown. It was getting oddly hot in the room. Clearing his throat he swallowed again and gaped. "I-I...Where did you find that ring again?"
 
Star looked just as uncomfortable as he did. "In the top drawer of the...former Captain...in the alliance ship." She lowered her head and rubbed her forehead. "God...I'm so stupid. I saw it and automatically thought it was yours, and...I've been waiting all this time for you to say something. And now you have but...wow, I'm...an idiot." She'd never felt more idiotic or embarresed in all her life. All this time...at it hadn't even been his.
 
The captain almost breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh well..." Reaching out for her hand he grinned. "I wouldn't say its stupid. Kinda funny actually." He would have proposed on the spot except he didn't have a ring and then there was the challenge that he wouldn't be leaving the hospital for a few days. "Don't be too embarrassed to come back and see me." A mischievous grin came to his face. "Or you know they make this beds big enough that you could sit up here with me for a few. Now I'll just know that you snoop in my stuff. Gonna have to sneaky about something like that if I decide to propose."
 
Star's face was still red but slowly resuming her natural color. "I would." She takes his hand. "But right now Timo needs me more than you. I promise to visit frequently though and keep you company." She almost leaned over to kiss him but hesitated, her expression becoming serious again. "Killian...are you sure about this...about me? Even knowing that I'm going to grow old in the next 50 years. Are you really, honestly willing to commit to me, till the day I die?" It was her biggest fear in this moment aside from Killian dying prematurely. That he would abandon her when she was too old to continue on with him. "You still haven't even told me you love me yet..."
 
It was almost disappointing that Star was going to be leaving but, he could understand that Timo needed her. Oddly enough she seemed almost as nervous about this as he was and then after all this waiting for a ring she was questioning him? Then again it kind of made sense. Killian smirked. "It wouldn't have made you feel any better if I was already 125?" Maybe it would get her to see his point and she still stayed serious even with the love thing.

Why people were now pushing for him to say that he was getting a little nervous. "I uh...Star I would stay with you for as long as you live. We just need time. Saying that is a big deal. I've never told anyone that before." While it wasn't quite on the same level as marriage it felt like it was darn near it.

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The next morning Killian couldn't figure out why he felt so drowsy. Rubbing his eyes he peered at the nurse who seemed to be hovering over him anxiously. "What?"

"We've been doing our best and we're watching everyone from the location. I'll need to ask you a few questions now that you're awake." The woman stuck a little probe into his ear and stared at the temperature. It was high for a Chippequoti. "Hmm....98.4." Typically they ran around 93.7 and it wasn't good to see the temperature so high. "Your head hurt?"

"Mmmhmmm." Almost dozing off again he felt the woman nudge him. "What?" It was getting annoying that she was trying to keep him up like this. She wanted to know what some of the other symptoms were so he told her a few of them. "Head hurts, vision is blurry, bones hurt, got some bad cramping in my back."

Finally she smiled. "Oooh then its nothing to worry about with the others. At least I hope not. I know what to do now." Going over to the cabinet she mixed up a nasty grayish looking chunky drink. "You just drink this and I'll make another one in a few hours. It should take the fever down. You had a seizure early this morning. We'll do a small scan of your brain too just to make sure there wasn't any damage under that thick skull of yours."

Killian almost dropped the drink when she told him he had a seizure. "That's kind of a big deal isn't it?"

Shrugging she looked at him. "Well it can happen with high temperatures and you got infected with something that raged for days before we got to you. The night nurse forgot to check your temperature so it raised significantly before this morning. You'll just need to be careful and probably your visitors too."

Being sick was a terrifying prospect. There wasn't whole lot to do about it. Killian sunk into the bed and gagged almost every sip he took of the gray chunky stuff. If it would cure him he was going to drink the whole thing as often as she would give it to him. Still he didn't like it. Part way through the drink he set it aside and shuddered. Killian forced himself to grab the drink an resume sipping on it. Hopefully he would have it done before Star came in. She always made fun of him for his complaints about this kind of stuff. It also made him glad she hadn't kissed him. What if it was infectious though the nurse didn't seem as concerned about that as she had been that Killian wouldn't get anything else at the same time.
 
Star went to bed with mixed emotions. Excitement, nervousness, worry, but mostly happiness. The moment she laid down next Timo (whose leg was now propped up in a cast) she fell asleep. The sleep was short lived, however. She woke to Timo clinging to her, his eyes wide with fright and a cold sweat soaking his pajamas. "Timo!" She sat up, holding him as he sobbed into her arms. "Hey. You're alright. You're alright." She stroked his hair. "It was just a dream." Timo shook his head. It had been more than a dream. It had been a horrible memory-induced nightmare, where Killian was the monster.
"Shh...." Star held him until he calmed down. It took nearly two hours but she finally managed to lull him back to sleep. By this time, it was morning. She considered laying down for a few more hours of sleep but she knew that she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep just yet. She'd have to settle for a nap later in the afternoon.

She looked up from Timo on her lap as Kato approached the bed. "Hey, can you sit with Timo?" She whispers to him. "I want to check on Killian."
"Actually, I have some news about that." Kato whispers back. "I just went to check on him. The nurse said he had a small seizure this morning."
"WHAT!?" She whispered harshly, already trying to ease Timo off her lap to go see him.
"Its not anything to worry about." Kato tried to assure her. "His fever got too high last night. It happens, especially with chips apparently. Point is, he's being watched closely, but they are asking we minimize our visits with him as much as possible."
Star was already sliding out of bed and pulling on socks and a jacket. "Is it contagious? Is Timo alright?"
"Sounds like he picked up a bug that's been going around the city before they even left. I'll be watching Timo closely anyhow."
"Thanks, Kato." She pats his arm and hurries down to the medical area where Killian was resting. A nurse stopped her at the door. "Hey, I want to see him."
"He's resting right now." The nurse replies.
"He's going to be resting non-stop for the next several days...now let me in."
The nurse grumbles something about the annoying stubborness of humans and forces her to wash her hands and put on a mask. Finally, she's let into the room, feeling like a doctor herself.

Star sits on the stool next to Killian's bed. He looked like he was sleeping so she avoided waking him up. She just needed to see him breathing and alive. It felt like this was becoming to much of an occurrence. Sitting next to Killian as he was recovering from one thing or another. Too think, it only took one bullet to nearly kill her. But he took multiple beatings, stabbings, even a bullet to the head and he didn't die. Chippequotis were damn near indestructible. But then...all he needed to get was one little virus and here he was again.
 
By the time Killian finished the drink he about ready to puke it all right back up. How they thought he could drink 3 of those a day he didn't know. Maybe next time he would try to drink it faster.

"Usually your kind doesn't get sick but, when they do its bad." The nurse stirred up another drink for him. "Well get these first three down and then we'll try some of the sound therapy. Just a little platelet that we'll put at the base of your skull. Basically it sends signal to the little receptor in the brain that controls body temperature. We just need to get it down first cause that one takes a while longer to work." Turning around she noticed that he was already asleep. Putting a cover over the drink she set it on the tray near his bed. When he woke up she was sure that he would be sucking it down. Providing he didn't sleep too long. They needed him to drink again in a few hours.

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Turning over in his bed Killian ignored the slight pull on his shoulder. Reaching over himself he grabbed the blanket and pulled it over his injured shoulder. It kept getting cold. Then that sense that someone was watching crept over him and slowly opened his eyes. "Hey." At first he was more than pleased to see that she'd come to visit. That was until he saw the mask. "What's up with that?"

Killian almost rolled his eyes. "Its just a little infection and they got that kicked with the antibiotics and that thing." Pointing to the gray glass he almost shuddered. "Do you know how gross it is? I'll let you have a sip first." She always looked so worried and he wasn't upset about it. "You know I'll be back up and running in a few days. At the rate I'm improving probably 2 days more and I can leave this room." Star was still looking like she wasn't quite convinced. Maybe she was worried about something else. "What is it? Timo alright?"
 
Star sat up as he woke up. Then smirked as he questioned her mask. "The bippens insisted I wear it. She wouldn't let me in without it." Star glances over her shoulder to make sure the nurse wasn't watching then pulls it off as he talks about the drink. "Yeah, no thanks. I'm good. You'd better drink it though. All of it." She points a finger at him playfully though she can't help the expression of worry that seemed to constantly be on her face these days. "Timo is...I don't know...honestly. He woke up from a night terror early this morning. It was bad. It took me two hours to get him back to sleep." She rubbed her eyes. Sleep was one thing she hadn't gotten much of the last few days. But, uh, Kato is checking him out to make sure he doesn't have what you've got. I'll update you later tonight."

Star got off the stool and sat beside him on the bed, her hand resting his hand which rested on his chest. She smirks at him lightly. "The mighty Killian, taken down by a little bug. And what a bugger. Who knew it was something microscopic that would be your biggest weakness? Guess Chippequoti bones can't really help you there."
 
Wrinkling his nose he gave a little growl. "I don't usually get sick. The infection was what made it worse." There were plenty of excuses he could think of. She'd seen him with an infection before and never thought anything of it when he complained for days on end. "Bones help sometimes. You know that's where the cell production area is. Mine produce faster than yours." These were little things he was learning. "So I can make white blood cells a little bit faster as long as it isn't super aggressive virus or bacteria. If it was that bad you'd be in trouble too though." Pushing up on his good elbow he thought about leaning forward get closer but, his balance wasn't real good with one arm strapped to the front of himself.

"If you get a chance you should tell the nurse to pull this tubes out of my shoulder. One of them is starting to itch and I don't think it's draining anymore." Somehow he didn't think that he would like the tubes, but they had turned out to be alright. "We should use some of this stuff when we leave." Catching her eye he tilted his head to the side slightly. "You don't want to go exploring outside of this place?"
 
Star nodded, impressed with his new found knowledge about the chippequoti's bone structure. "Well, I don't know what the tubes are for but I'm sure she'll remove them when the time is right." When he mentioned leaving she looked away. "Its not that, its just...why would we want to leave? We have a chance to build a life here, Killian. A good life. A peaceful life." She squeezed his hand, emphasizing how important that was to her. "No more near-death experiences, getting chased across the galaxy, nearly eaten by cannibals or scrapping by on just a few credits. Maybe...maybe we could just, settle for a bit. Then maybe we can get a ship when Timo is older and go exploring again...but for now, I think we've all had enough excitement and near-death experiences to last 20 years."
 
Giving up the exploring was almost too much. Killian almost wanted to bawl on the spot. It had to be drugs they had him on. Normally he wouldn't have felt that way. It might have been a mixture of irritation and frustration. Instead he stared at her with his green eyes for a long moment. "It's not about almost getting killed. I-I like to see something different and go places. What do you do if you sit in the same place?" He'd never been one to sit around in one place. Killian almost believed some of the stories told about folk that had a roaming wind in their blood. In many ways it was difficult to explain the sudden feeling that you had to move. To go somewhere besides where you were currently at. "Star don't you ever get the urge to leave? Don't you want to go out and discover more than what you see here? I've never found anything so exciting in my life till we started exploring other planets." Maybe reminding her what it was like to see other beings was enough to get her mind going. "We can talk more about this when Timo is better. For now..." Killian rubbed his chin to show that he'd recently shaved. "I could think about other things. Maybe I'll have to ask you something like uh..." He could see she was getting a very expectant look on her face. "Would you like to have ice cream with me when I finish drinking the shake?"
 
Star had to smile as he talked about the wanderlust. She knew what he meant, and had often got herself. But at this moment, it the last thing she wanted. "Yeah, after Timo gets better. And you too." He strokes his newly shaved chin and she laughs, waiting for the question. "Icecream...really? That's the best thing you can think to ask..." She shoved his face away from her playfully then moved to stand up and leave. "Everyone knows sugar lowers your immune system's body to fight off infection. Maybe after you're better."

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Blood. Screams. Wailing. Cries of agony. More blood. The whistling of a cruel blade. The sound of it cutting into flesh. "LET GO OF ME!" Timo screamed at the person who held him tightly, refusing to let go. A face turned to him. Killian, eyes blood-red, blood dripping off his face and from his mouth. Timo woke up screaming. Partially due to the dream and partially because he'd thrashed so much his broken leg had twisted. "Easy, Timo." The boy just now notices Kato at his side, trying to help him. "Look at me, Timo. That's it. Just breathe. You're alright." Kato helped the boy lay back down, readjusting his leg back on the pillows then feeling his damp forehead. He frowned. The boy was running a fever. But whether it was from the trauma or whatever bug Killian had, he couldn't tell. "Here, drink this. It'll help you feel better." It was water with a mild sedative and vitamins to help him relax. He looked up as Mike charged into the room, most likely having heard the screaming. Half the building had probably heard it.
"He's alright, just a bad dream. You're safe, Timo." He smiles at the boy encouragingly. "Continue to drink that. I'll be right back." Timo nodded.

Kato pulled Mike to the side. "Someone needs to be with him 24/7. You, Me, Star or Andy. We need to keep him calm, make sure he feels safe. Star is with Killian right now. Can you stay with him while I get some things? I'll be back momentarily."
 
It was disappointing that Star had to say sugar was bad for him right now. Killian wanted sugar so badly. He was craving anything and everything sweet. "What?" Making a face he leaned back in the bed. "Maybe dinner then? I'll see if they let me dress up in something besides this stupid thing."

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Mike could hear the boy screaming. All the hair on the back of his neck stood up and he charged out of the room he was working in. Racing through the halls he nearly toppled a few of the Bippens and forgot apologizing for the moment. Throwing the door open he saw the boy was huddled on the bed and Kato looked like he was worried. "What is it?" The older man nodded and sat down.

Pulling Timo onto his lap he gazed into the boy's face. "What is it?" He wanted to know what was going on. It didn't sound good and he reached up to feel the boy's forehead. He seemed to be awfully hot and sweaty. Sometimes bad dreams would get a person's blood pumping like that and other times it was something else entirely. "Hey tell me about the dream. I used to tell my dad all my bad dreams. Once in a while you have to talk about them so that your mind can forget. If you keep it all locked up inside there's no place for it to go. Just spins around in your mind. If you tell me it might not stay in there as long eh?" Patiently he waited to see if Timo would say anything to him at all about what was going on. Perhaps if someone knew what was bothering him they could help.
 
Timo held to Mike tightly, his eyes rushing about the room as if searching for an invisible enemy. What words were there to describe his terror? What explination could desribe the horror of his dreams. Only one word came to mind that he could utter. A word that would explain everything without requiring him to reiterate the memory. "Killian." He whimpered. He said the name with the same level of terror one might use when describing their worst fears.

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"Dinner it is then." Star grins. She places a kiss on his lips then pulls away suddenly with a disgusted look. "Oh god, that stuff does taste nasty." She grabbed a tissue spitting into it the offending taste.
 
Mike's eyes almost popped but, he managed to keep a semi-normal looking expression. "Ah I see." There wasn't much he could do about that. Seeing someone go on a rampage was frightening enough and something to that scale was terrifying. As much as he wanted to tell the boy that it was a good thing Mike didn't think it would help the situation. What was supposed to be only a few minutes seemed to turn into hours. Mike looked down at Timo after a moment. "What if I got you some crutches? Would you want to come down to the engines and help me work on a few of them?" Hopefully Kato would come back in a short while. Looking behind himself he started to wonder if the doctor was actually coming back.

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For once Killian was glad that he had just taken a sip of the drink. Star's reaction was perfect. "Now you know why I want everything I shouldn't." Chuckling he watched her leave and then started gagging the rest of the drink down.

When it came time for dinner he had managed to get into some of his regular clothes on. At least he was allowed to sit up and they had removed all but one tube in his shoulder. To get his shirt on he had to lay the tube along his arm and feed it out the sleeve which was short and easy to handle. Sitting on the edge of the bed he waited for her and winked when Star came into the door. "Hey. You look tired."
 
Kato met Star on the stairs as she exited Killian's room. He looked angrier than she'd seen him in a long time. "Whoa, Kato. What's wrong?" She stops him at the door.
"That man!" He gestured to Killian harshly. "What was he thinking!? Slaughtering dozens of people with a boy in his arms, watching the entire thing!"
"He was thinking about saving them!" She replies sternly. "Both of them. From man-eating cannibals remember!? Where is this coming from anyway?"
"Timo...he's traumatized...I don't say that lightly. His nightmares are the sort that'll last for weeks, perhaps longer. He's worried himself sick. Literally, sick. And all because of the brutality of that...monster!"
A sharp slap sounded. Kato stared at Star in shock, her hand hanging mid-air for a moment before it turned into a pointed finger. "Talk about him like that again and I'll make sure you are no longer welcome on this crew." She growls at him. "You have no right to judge him when you weren't there. You wern't in that situation about to be eaten by cannibals trying to protect a little boy who just had his leg broken by them. If anyone is the monster, its those cannibals."
"How can you defend him when you see Timo suffering the way he is!?"
"Because I love him, and I know that he loves this crew and is doing he best he can to protect it."
"Love is blinding you to what he truly is. You saw the chippequoti as well as I. How brutal a race they are. That's him, deep down, under all the facade." Kato replied lowly. "He has a history of killing those who oppose him in his crew. He's murdered countless people. He has no boundaries."
Star glares at him. "He's learning boundaries, but I'm very close to stepping over one." She curled her fist. "What are you doing down here anyway."
"I'm getting supplies, for the boy." He pushed past Star to the medical cabinet that he'd been given access too for the crew and pulled out what he needed. He was silent as he packed his medical bag then began back up the stairs. "I sincerely hope you truly know him, Star. I don't want to see him breaking your heart...or worse."
Star glares at him as he hurries away then leans on the table, suddenly tired. In truth, he was saying all the fears she'd reasoned herself out of. As mad at him as she was, part of her wondered, if Love was truly blinding her.
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Timo didn't want to get out of the comfort of the bed. But with Mike's and Kato's prompting they got him to the baths to wash off the sweat, dressed him in clean clothes and helped fit the crutches to his height. An hour later he sitting beside Mike as the older man worked on the Bippen's engines. Every now and again Mike would call out an item he needed and Timo would hand it to him from the stack. Otherwise, the boy simply watched listlessly, not saying anything.
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Star returned to Killian's room later that evening with two plates of warm food in hand. She looked up at him as he winked at her, wearing a clean shirt and pants. She'd intended to dress up herself but had been distracted by Kato and then checking on Timo and watching him while trying to prepare lesson plans for the following day. Despite her attempts to look upbeat and cheerful, he had picked up on her tiredness. "I'm fine." She replies. "Timo's resting with Mike and Andy is off doing her own thing." She set his plate on his lap and took the seat provided for her on the bed beside him. She didn't mention her run in with Kato. It would just make him angry and he needed to rest. "How are you feeling? You look better."
 
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