#Hospital – September 22, 2015

Halisi enters the shared patient room, wearing her usual doctor's robe and holding a datapad. She stops by Jason, and by the look on her face it's clear she has something to tell him. (Vasquez)

Jason is laying in his bed looking over his datapad. As soon as Halisi gives him a look, he swings his legs over the side and makes his way over towards her. "How's she doing, Doc?" he asks, assuming her information is in regard to Vasquez, "Can I see her?"

Halisi is unable to surpress a slight smile as she nods. "We found it. A chip attached to her neural implant, altering her thought process. It's been removed. I thought it would be best if you were there when she wakes up." (Vasquez)

Ilyna sits up in her bed after hearing Jason speak, and looks around the room. She has woken up a few minutes ago.

Jason claps his hands together loudly. He lets out a deep breath and brings his hand to his forehead before returning his gaze to Halisi. "And she's okay, right...?" he asks, "No long-term damage?"

Pip snoozes quietly in her bed, wrapped up tightly in her duvet.

Halisi 's smile fades. "It's... hard to know. As far as I can tell from the scans, no, but we need her awake for further testing." (Vasquez)

Jason gives a few slow nods. "Right... Right... Alright, let me get dressed." he says, gesturing to the goofy hospital gown, "Not walking around here in this thing with my ass hanging out." He takes a few steps away and turns on his heels to grab his bag of belongings off the table beside his bed, exposing the fact that, yes, indeed, his ass is hanging out.

Halisi covers her face with her palm, then waiting for Jason to get dressed and checking something on her datapad in the meanwhile. (Vasquez)

Jason quickly tugs his clothes on, still showing a little apprehension with his shirt as he slowly pulls it over his cybernetics. Once done, he returns to Halisi's side. "Alright, Doc." he says, running a hand over his shirt to flatten out a few wrinkles, "Let's get moving."

Ilyna looks away after spotting his exposed behind, her cheeks gaining a slight purple shade for a moment, then she lies back down to pretend she's still sleeping.

Halisi nods and turns around, showing Jason down the corridor two doors and then stopping at a closed door. "I'll... give you a chance to talk first." she says with a sympathetic look. "I need to check on some of the others anyway." (Vasquez)

Jason stops beside the door and sucks in a deep breath, suddenly feeling nervous. He glances over at Halisi and gives a couple silent nods. It takes him a few moments to finally reach out and tap the door's panel. As soon as it slides open, he takes a single step inside, remaining near the door.

Pip mumbles in her sleep, absentmindedly scratching her cheek.

Vasquez is lying in a hospital bed in a small one-person recovery room. The room is bathed in a grayish light from the overcast morning outside the window - the ceiling lamp is off. She's wearing one of the aforementioned goofy hospital gowns, and appears asleep. She's hooked up to monitoring equipment, mostly her arm, but there is also a cable that runs right to a port in her implant. Only

Halisi makes her way back to the room with the other patients, taking a look around to see if any of them seem awake. (Vasquez)

Pip is certainly not awake, judging by her even breathing and light snoring.

Ilyna did sit up when she was in her last, but right now she's lying down, but her eyes are open.

Jason takes a few steps into the room and glances around for a chair, but remains quiet as to not disturb her.

Halisi makes her way around to room, performing a quick scan of each patient in succession, and then stopping by Ilyna. "How are you feeling?" she says with a friendly smile, still cradling a datapad. (Vasquez)

Vasquez starts stirring more, her arms moving a bit and a mumble escaping as her eyes slowly open, gaze wandering around the room with a dazed look on her face.

Jason graps a chair by the backrest and lifts it up, setting it down just beside Vasquez' bed. He begins to take a seat as he realizes she's waking up. "Linda...?" he says softly, a smirk crossing his face. A million questions go through his head as he leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees, but all he manages to get out is, "How are you feeling?"

Ilyna sits up, returning the smile. "I'm fine," she says. "I hope the scans agrees with me on that."

Vasquez 's eyes dart around erratically until they manage to locate Jason. She blinks a few times and then sits up in a jerky movement, causing the cable to her implant to detach. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" She tries to scramble away, with limited success as the sedative is still wearing off, and ends up falling off the bed on the side opposite to Jason, hitting the floor with a thump and nearly

Jason quickly jumps to his feet and skirts around the bed, worried she may accidentally hurt herself. "Hey! Calm down, Linda!" he says, putting his hands up, palm outwards as he rounds the bed, "It's okay! I know about the-..." he gestures to his head with a finger, "....the whole... implant.... deal. We got it out. You're gonna be fine. You just need to relax."

Halisi maintains her smile but shakes her head faintly. "Not yet. But you will be. I'd like to keep you here for a few more days. Assuming everything checks out you'll be released soon. You're in good health otherwise, so I'd say once you're out it's going to take about a a few more weeks until you're healed. You'll need to change the medigel coating regularly. You're lucky nothing important was hit - the recovery should be (Vasquez)

Vasquez has tangled herself in the tubes and wires of the monitoring equipment, and is struggling to pull it off her in her seated position on the floor. Her expression remains panicked - it seems she hasn't even heard Jason. "You shouldn't be here! Go away!"

Jason slowly approaches the woman, keeping his hands out in front of him. "Linda. Calm down." he says, crouching down in front of her. "Please... Whatever it was that Cerberus had in you, Halisi removed it. You're gonna be fine. I promise." he says, a pained look on his face.

Ilyna listens to the doctor explan her medical situation, then nods. "I... see," she says with a frown. "I hope I'm not needed by the agency before then, though."

Vasquez slowly stops panicking as she manages to get the monitoring equipment off of her, her breathing starting to slow as she locks eyes with Jason. There's a brief moment where she is almost perfectly still as she process what he's saying, and then she shifts forward, from sitting to on her knees, immediately wrapping her arms around Jason - left arm under his and right arm over - burying

Halisi puts a hand on Ilyna's shoulder. "The Agency can wait, what's important is your health. Especially important to take care of yourself when you're from a long-lived species such as your own. Poorly healed injuries will stack up on your over the years... don't want that." (Vasquez)

Pip mumbles in her sleep, pulling the covers closer to herself.

Jason sucks in a deep breath and instantly wraps his arms around Vasquez in turn. "I missed you so much." he says, turning his head to press his face into her hair. Weeks-worth of emotions just spill out of him as he kisses the side of her head over and over. "You're home now. You're safe..."

Vasquez 's previous panic seems to be completely gone. Utterly unable to contain a multitude of conflicting emotions she starts crying uncontrollably into Jason's t-shirt, still hugging him tightly. Between sobs faint, muffled outbursts of "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." can be heard.

Ilyna frowns, and is quiet for a few seconds followed by a nod. "How about Jason?" she asks. "Is he fit enough to lead the agency in the field?"

Halisi shakes her head. "Not right now, no. He should make a full recovery too though. His side was grazed by a few shots." (Vasquez)

Jason runs his hand up and down across Vasquez' upper back as he presses his forehead against the side of her head. "No. You have nothing to be sorry for." he assures her, tears streaming down the side of his face and into her hair, "You're home and that's all that matters. I love you so much."

Ilyna nods. "I and Jason will have to figure something out, then," she says. "I don't think the agency can afford the break so many of us need right now."

Vasquez is practically shaking by the time her sobbing starst to subside. She lifts her head slightly from Jason's shoulder, tears still rolling down her cheeks as she repeteadly kisses the side of his face until she reaches his lips. She looks at him like she's about to say something, but then just pulls the man back into the hug, placing her chin on his shoulder, tear-filled eyes looking

Halisi removes her hand, nodding faintly. "I suppose not. One of you could always command from a less physically demanding position for a while, leaving squad leadership to someone else?" She makes a dismissive gesture with her hand, chuckling faintly in embarassment. "I-... I'm sorry, I don't have any combat training. You know far better than me what would be best." (Vasquez)

Pip yawns and quietly stirs, turning over to face the direction Ilyna and Halisi are located. She cracks open her eyes, blearily blinking back sleep.

Jason sits back on his ass, content to just sit on the hospital floor with his arms around Vasquez for as long as possible. He sniffs loudly and wipes at his face as he begins to calm down, but wraps his arm right back around the woman. "Of course I did. You didn't leave me a whole lot of choices." he says with a weak, tear-filled chuckle, "The truth is-..." he presses another kiss to the

Ilyna hums thoughtfully. "I'm sure Jason know who we can trust with a squad," she says. "I could use less involvement in the field regardless, to better take care of Li without having her worry about me so often."

Vasquez withdraws slightly, enough to be able to look Jason in the eye, her face a mess but her expression apprehensive. She wipes her face as well before speaking, eyebrows furrowed. "Jason, w-... w-..." She finds herself unable to complete the sentance, instead pulling him back into the hug, her head now on the other side of his. "I love you..." she whipsers, kissing the man's neck once,

Halisi looks a bit curious at this. "I think it's great, what you're doing... how is she?" (Vasquez)

Ilyna considers it for a moment. "She seems to be doing better, but she's still very troubled whenever something reminds her of life before... we were a part of it," she says, then frowns. "I'm not sure if it was the right thing to do, though."

Halisi considers this for a moment. "You think she would have been better of as an orphan? I don't know... that could be hard for someone so young."

Jason shakes his head as his hand continues up and down the woman's back. "No. You said you wanted out of all of this, Linda... If anyone deserves the blame for all of this, it's me. I'm sorry. I want you to be happy, and you need to know that no matter what that requires, I'll do my best to help make it happen." He readjusts his position, scooting up against the wall to prop himself

Vasquez lets go briefly of Jason to sit down next to him, grasping his hand with her own - and then immediately withdraws with a gasp as her fingers brush against the synthetic limb, only now realizing its presence. She looks in horror at the man's arm, pulling her arms away and crawling away a bit until her back hits the bed and she lands on her ass. "Wh-... no..." her hands move to her

Halisi sighs faintly, trying to look reassuring. "I-... it must be hard. But for what it's worth I still think she's better off with someone that she trusts, and that cares about her."

Pip grows tired of eavesdropping on the pair, so closes her eyes and goes back to sleep.

Jason winces, but doesn't even bother moving. He lifts his hand just above his lap and stares down at it. At first he looks pretty hurt by her reaction, but it quickly fades into something a bit more neutral, as if he expected it. "Yeah..." he says with a few nods. Tears well up in his eyes again as he raises his gaze to look towards Vasquez with a shrug, "Had to make a few-... uhh... A

Vasquez buries her face in the palms of her hands for a moment, and then looks up again, staring at Jason's arms. After a short silence she stands up, steadying herself against the hospital bed and looking towards the door. "I-... I have to get out of here. I have to get out."

Jason watches her, holding onto a bit of hope that she'll accept him as he is as she studies his arms. When she fails to respond, he lowers his gaze once more. As she begins to stand up, he climbs back to his feet, using the wall to assist. "Linda..." he sighs, "...you can't. You just went through surgery. Just relax." He gestures towards the bed, "Halisi is just gonna make sure everything

Vasquez shakes her head, her gaze back on Jason's arms as he starts gesturing. "I did that. It's my fault. I shot you!" Her voice carries a great deal of both guilt and confusion, with an undercurrent of anger as she continues. "Why did you come for me?! I SHOT YOU!" She tries to push past him. "You stupid, stupid man!"

Ilyna offers a small smile. "You're right," she says. "I... am thinking about moving home to Thessia with her, but I'm worried about the legal problems. The way I managed to keep her was by retracting her offer of citizenship... or something like that."

Halisi furrows her eyebrows. "That sounds... complicated. Maybe she would be better off in Council space... but things aren't so bad here. Freedom Falls is a safe town, at least... for Aite." She looks a bit awkward as she finishes the sentance.

Ehanis arrives at the hospital along with Li and approaches the VI. She's wearing a black leather jacket (that seems a few inches too short for her) over a blue tank top, and simple gray pants. (Ilyna_T`Rea)

Jason steps firmly in Vasquez' path. He places a hand on each of her shoulders and looks down at her. "You had no choice." he says, speaking deliberately and slowly. "You could've killed me, but you didn't, Linda. If anything, you saved my life." he continues, holding eye contact, "You're home and we're both alive. That's all that matters right now."

Li , remembering her previous encounter with the VI, remains behind Ehanis, eyesing the holoprojector suspiciously.

Ilyna nods. "It's been safe while I've been here," she says, "but what about education? I... don't really know how that works on your worlds."

Vasquez shoves Jason's hands off her shoulders, grasping one of them in both of her own, lifting the cybernetic limb up between them, studying it herself and at the same time showing it to him. "I did this. This is my fault." She shakes the hand around a bit as she speaks. "I didn't save you, I maimed you! You should've just left me!" she yells, as if she's angry at the man for his forgivness.

Ehanis turns towards the receptionist's desk. "I'm looking for Ilyna T'Rea," she says. "Do you know where she is?" (Ilyna_T`Rea)

Halisi looks towards the window, in thought for while. After a bit she returns her gaze to Ilyna. "I could help you out with finding some good extranet resources for that... if you want?"

Ehanis looks a little annoyed. "I'm her sister," she says, before patting Li's shoulder, "and she's her step-daughter." (Ilyna_T`Rea)

Jason narrows his eyes on Vasquez, staring over his cybernetic arm that she's waving about as if it's not even attached to the rest of him. The more she goes on, the more hurt he looks. "Linda, why are you-... What does any of it matter!? Can you take it back? Can you change it? Can you undo this?" he asks, slowly pulling his arm back. He studies her face as he places a hand on each of her

Ilyna smiles. "That would be really appreciated," she says. "She's six years old, though. Isn't that a little early for education?"

Vasquez 's shoulder's drop, her hands sliding up Jason's new arms as she studies them. Her eyes stop on the shoulder where she shot him, unable to bring herself to meet his gaze. "Why...? How do you-... what did I ever do to deserve you?" Her arms have dropped to her side, her expression pained, and ashamed as she continues to stare at the shoulder.

Halisi chuckles slightly. "Actually, that's... that's a pretty normal starting age for humans. Basic stuff, of course."

Jason looks a bit uncomfortable at the attention Vasquez is paying his arm. He gently pulls her right up against him and leans down to plant a soft kiss on her forehead. "Saved my life multple times?" he says, reaching up to place a finger under her chin, urging her to look up at him, "Made the last few years the most fulfilling years of my life?" He gives her a lopsided smirk and shrugs,

Ilyna nods. "I see," she says. "I don't have any experience when it comes to teaching, though, except helping my younger sisters with homework when I was on leave."

Halisi lets out a "Hmh", taking a moment before replying. "There's been a lot of talk about hiring more personnel here at the hospital, and trying to modernize a bit. If that all works out my workload should be less... extreme. I might be able to help out...? I have some experience with teaching homeless kids in my sparetime back in Mombasa."

Vasquez allows her gaze to be moved to Jason's face, and she lets out a soft chuckle, which turns into a sob halfway through. She gently presses her lips against Jason's, and then rests her head against his chest for a moment, her arms wrapping around his back. "You're amazing, Jason. And I love you. I don't know what I'd do without you. I'm so sorry, Jason... I'm so sorry... for all of this."

Ilyna smiles. "Thank you," she says. "Where is Mombasa, if you don't mind me asking?"

Jason lets out a deep sigh, seeming much more relieved now that she's finally calmed down a bit. He sways back and forth in place as he returns the hug, closing his eyes as he finally allows himself to stop worrying about everything. "Construction should be far enough along that, hopefully, we can stay in our own place again. No more Respite." he says.

Li follows after Ehanis - she's not as clingy as with Ilyna though.

Halisi returns the smile. "East Af-..." She trails off, reconsidering her answer. "Earth. One of the bigger cities."

Ehanis arrives at the door and looks inside. "Hi," she says once she sees at least one familiar face among the patients inside. (Ilyna_T`Rea)

Vasquez lets out a few more quiet sobs, content to stand there for a bit before slowly letting go, her arms moving to Jason's sides as she studies him. A brief look of horror crosses her face, but is quickly contained. She stares at him, the instability in her voice barely contained as she asks. "How many? How many did we lose?"

Ilyna nods. "I haven't been to Earth before," she says. "I did sign up for a mercenary job there, though, but I didn't hear anything back about that." She looks at the doorway with a smile. "Hey, you two," she says.

Jason lowers his gaze and shakes his head as a bit of guilt returns to him. "Vaden. Bayani. Fatsani. All lost on Di Yu." he lists off before making eye contact again. "A few more were injured, but they've recovered. None of that was your fault." he says sternly, "You have no idea what we ran into down there, Linda... I'll give you all the details when we get home."

Halisi turns around, raising an eyebrow at the new arival. Any family resemblance is lost on her due to them being alien. "Oh, hello." Upon Ilyna's recongition of her she adds. "Who's this?"

Li is still behind Ehanis, perhaps intimidated by the hospital, and so far unware of Ilyna's presence.

Vasquez goes quiet. Very quiet. She sits down on the edge of the bed, letting go of Jason. After a moment of staring at the floor in silence she asks "Can we go?" without looking up.

Ehanis being her half-sister with neither the same mother nor father makes it hard to tell even for other asari. She glances behind her to see if the girl is still following before entering the room. "I'm Ehanis," she introduces herself. "Redrock Agency's babysitter and errand runner." A smirk follows. (Ilyna_T`Rea)

Jason bites his lower lip as he studies the woman. He resists the urge to just follow her around like a puppy and smother her in hugs. She's been through a lot and needs her space, he reminds himself. "I don't think so, Linda... I can ask Halisi, but you know how she is..."

Li peeks out from behind Ehanis, and as immediately upon noticing Ilyna she runs towards her, yelling out "Mommy!". It's the first time she's used the term, and it seems rather soon all things considered.

Vasquez nods faintly. "I'd just... like to get out of here." she says, quiet, empty.

Ilyna smiles widely and leans out on the side of the bed to help her up, though she did raise her brows for a moment at being called mommy. "I've missed you, Li," she says. "Come here."

Jason gives a nod in turn and takes a few steps towards the door before turning back to face Vasquez. He lets out a sigh, feeling a little guilty for even voicing his concern, "Just... Promise me you're not gonna take off as soon as I walk down this hall." he says, "That's the last thing I need right now, Linda. Besides-..." he continues, smirking once more to try and soften his request,

Vasquez shakes her head faintly. "I'm not going anywhere..."

Halisi chuckles as Li runs up to Ilyna, stepping back a bit to give them some space.

Jason nods awkwardly a couple more times before exiting the room and setting off to find Halisi.

Li climbs into the bed with Ilyna's help, sitting beside her and lying down across the asari's chest to hug her, likely disturbing the gunshot wounds to some degree. A wide smile spreads across the girl's face.

Ehanis looks at their happy reunion for a moment before speaking. "I better get back to work," she says. "Shoot me a message if you need me, or have new orders or whatever." Without waiting for a response, she returns into the hallway and starts walking back to the lobby. Li might remember her telling Kanaya she'll be gone for an hour or two. (Ilyna_T`Rea)

Ilyna winces a bit at the wound being disturbed, but says nothing about it. She moves her arms around her to return the hug. "I hope you've had fun while I was away?" she asks.

Li continues to rest again Ilyna. "I guess... Annis is weird."

Ilyna can't help but chuckle. "Oh?" she asks. "What makes you think that?" Ilyna couldn't agree more, but is curious to know anyway.

Li is quiet for a bit and states: "I dunno..."