Breaking Bones

Chapter 16: Grief and Love

As if Talia wasn't already in a state of shock, the chaos that suddenly surrounded her and Leonard as the pair walked into the med bay did nothing to calm her state of mind. The sounds of scanners beeping, nurses and doctors screaming, and patients groaning in pain was enough to send Talia into a panic attack. Noticing her distressed state, Leonard moved through the med bay faster in search for an open exam bed. Unable to find one unoccupied at the moment, Leonard turned to move towards his office, being sure to keep Tali close to him as he did so. The instant that the couple had stepped through the doors, Talia fell to the ground and allowed herself to come completely undone. Leonard was quick to fall beside her and enveloped her into his arms. He chose not to speak, knowing that all Tali needed right now was to grieve openly. Talia would never let herself breakdown in front of a crowd, but behind closed doors, she was a lot more emotional than most people would expect. As Talia's breathing began to slow, Leonard took the opportunity to speak softly to the woman in his arms. 

"Hey darlin. I know that there's nothing I can say right now to make you feel better. But whatever you need from me, I'm here. I'm right here, alright, I'm not going anywhere. We can sit in here as long as you need to, okay? We can sleep here tonight if you want, I don't care. Whatever you need right now, I'm here. I'm here, Tali." 

Talia didn't respond with any words. To acknowledge that she had heard and understood him, Talia curled more so into Leonard's side and nodded her head slightly against his chest as he pulled her in closer and placed soft kisses now and again atop her head. After about an hour, Talia fell asleep in Leonard's arms, and true to his word, Leonard never left her side. 

Leonard wasn't sure how much time had passed when the door to his office suddenly slid open, revealing Nurse Chapel in an exhausted state. She went to speak but stopped as Leonard motioned to Talia in his arms. Understanding his meaning, Christine lowered herself to their level so as not to disturb Talia too terribly. 

"How bad was it, Christine?" 

"Honestly, not as bad as it looked. Four major injuries in recovery, only two dead. Everyone else was fine. Your girl did a good job. There were over twenty officers in the room tonight. She and her team did one hell of a job." 

"That's good. Although I'm not sure Tali will see it that way." 

"No loss is easy. But she saved a lot of lives tonight. It'll pass." Leonard nodded in agreement, but knowing Tali's stubbornness, he knew it would take quite a bit of time before her guilt from tonight passed. 

"Thanks Christine." 

"Of course. Make sure you get some sleep too, Doc." 

"Yeah, I will. Have a good night, Christine." As Nurse Chapel exited the office, Leonard turned his attention back to Talia in his arms. If someone had told Leonard almost four years ago that he'd be so sickeningly in love with a woman who loved him just as much, he'd have laughed in their face. Leonard wasn't quite sure when or how, but somewhere along the line, Tali had completely shattered all of Leonard's walls and taught him how to trust again. How to believe in love again. The call he received tonight about the attack on the council meeting had put everything into perspective for him. Just the thought of losing Tali absolutely destroyed him. He couldn't even imagine what it would be like to have actually lost her tonight. 

In the midst of his thoughts, Anatalia had begun to stir slightly which Leonard took as a good time to suggest a change in location. 

"Hey darlin. The med bay is all cleared out now. You want to switch over to an exam bed for the night?" Unfortunately, the question only seemed to send Talia into a panic as tears began to well up in her eyes again and she grasped Leonard more firmly.