Chapter Text
Your communicator springs to life with a voice you've never heard before.
“Is this… ‘the Commander’?” it asks.
“Yes,” you reply, a little irked from the strange interruption, “Who is this?”
“I'm calling from the Kaineng medical center,” the voice says, and you feel your stomach drop, “You're the emergency contact of one… Gorrik. No surname.”
&"§$%.
You stop what you’ve been doing, and with a hasty “I'll be there,” you're on your way.
When you arrive, you spot Taimi in the waiting room, arguing with a nurse.
You stride up to them with an urgent “I'm the Commander!” for the nurse.
Taimi turns to greet you in surprise.
“Ah, good,” the nurse says, “Then I don't have to explain this twice.”
She begins to lay down medical terms that you have never heard before but you see Taimi's ears perk with an alarmed “No…”
“Wait…”
Gorrik had warned you of this. But the incident in his lab had been so long ago!
With time, you’ve let him convince yourself that it was a one-time hiccup, that he'd not slept enough and had just been running on fumes and coffee. When nothing else had come of it, you had hoped - really hoped - that he was right and it would just… stay that way.
“Is this about the… it broke out?”
Taimi looks at you with eyes like saucers.
“You knew?”
You know you really shouldn't be surprised, but the hurt in her voice takes you off guard anyway.
“He said he was planning to tell you eventually. It wasn't my place to say.”
You see Taimi's eyes pinch together in frustration, struggling to hold back tears.
“But I'm supposed to be open about my condition?! That's not fair! What happened to no longer keeping secrets?!”
“I can hear you, you know…”
Gorrik's voice cuts through Taimi's indignation. He approaches you in the waiting hall with crossed arms. He seems to walk easily, so the sight is a relief.
“Shouldn't you be in bed?” You ask regardless, which has Taimi perk up with an angry “Yes!”
“No,” Gorrik counters, without further elaboration. Beside you, Taimi is fuming.
“Okay,” you acknowledge Gorrik's response before she blows up, “How are you?”
Surely Gorrik can defuse this situation by giving more information.
He sighs as if dreading to answer.
“I'm fine,” he drawls, “I had one little episode and they adjusted my medicine. I've seen Blish deal with these for years. They're not pretty, but I'll live.”
You can't help but frown at his explanation. It's a far cry from when he'd pulled you aside to talk privately months ago.
“Gorrik!” Taimi exclaims, still furious. There are tears beading in her eyes.
“You should have told me!”
His posture shifts into something more defensive.
“I was going to. Eventually. Like the Commander said.” Then he avoids his gaze rather pointedly, “I figured there was no point in worrying you, as long as it didn't show symptoms.”
“Blish would have choice words for you!” Taimi bellows and Gorrik's mouth immediately pulls into a thin line.
Well, that attempt to de-escalate didn't work…
“Gorrik,” you try to weigh in, “Rama said it was pretty bad.”
He scowls.
“But I trust you have more experience with this. If not first hand.”
His ears perk up at you in gratitude, and you see his posture shift to stand a little less guarded.
“Yeah…” he replies quietly, before turning his attention to Taimi.
“It can be medicated. I got time,” he tries to reassure her, “I just… had a bad cough. That's all.”
He reaches for her hands as a peace offering, “I will not let this get worse.”
Taimi's lip wobbles, but you can see the resolve start to settle in her eyes.
“Is that true?”
Gorrik nods.
“Then promise!”
Gorrik leans in to press his forehead against the back of Taimi's hands.
“I promise.”
You offer both of them a wry smile, an “I'll leave you to it”, and remove yourself.
You sit at a local Café. Rama approaches with two fresh cups of coffee and sits down across from you. In silence. It's pressing.
You sigh.
“You wouldn't call a medic over ‘a bad cough’,” you say, and see Rama's brow arch up.
“Is that what he said this was?”
“Taimi was there.”
Rama makes a sound of acknowledgement and brings the cup to his lips.
“What happened really?” you ask.
He casts you a look, his expression hidden behind the cup and the rim of his hat.
Then he puts down the cup.
And scoffs, the sound a bitter, hollow chuckle.
“It was a bad cough,” he answers. You straighten your back, about to object when Rama raises his his hand to stop you in your track.
“He was doing forensics for a case. Gorrik had already been sluggish all day, had some trouble moving about.”
You silently nod. Rama's expression pinches into a frown.
“I heard him drop a vial that he failed to pick back up again. It would just… keep slipping from his hands. Then he collapsed and was… choking. I thought whatever was in that vial might have been toxic.”
You frown and sit back down as you run the new information through your mind.
“What has he told you about Blish?”
“More than I care to know,” Rama admits, “Gorrik talks a lot. About everything and nothing and bugs. Not everything seems relevant. Especially not to the respective cases. I should have paid more attention in retrospect.”
Despite the situation, you can't help a soft smile from slipping through, but it falls from your face when you see Rama stare down his coffee with a pensive glare.
Then he scoffs and shakes his head.
“A bad cough…”
“Rama…?”
“I feared he might not make it till the medics arrived…”
…
“Thank you for being honest with me.”