[dated to the week of Jan 31-Feb 4]

[poison_lipstick]

Saffron couldn't remember the last time she'd been so bad off. She'd been injured twice before on the island - once during that freak snowstorm, when she'd been rescued by Brad, and once on Halloween more than three years ago, when she'd fought Reavers with River and gotten stitched up by Simon - and neither had been as bad as this. She was stuck

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[captainjack]

Jack had hit the wall and hit his head but in the larger scheme of things he hadn't gotten hurt at all. It hadn't even left a bump, just a tender spot. It was nothing compared to Helen. Worse than his head was the bumps and bruises he'd gotten from Logan. Still, they didn't compare.

Jack offered to sit with her so Xander could get a bite or shower and he wasn't surprised or put off when it seemed the man wasn't going to leave.

"Hey, bao bei," Jack said gently as he took her hand. She looked like hell and he hid his worry behind a cheeky smile. "How are you feeling? Not up to dancing tonight?"

[poison_lipstick]

Saffron mustered up a smile for Jack, though it was a shadow of the usual bright one she had for him most other days.

"Good thing it's Monday," she replied hoarsely, joking right back. She squeezed Jack's hand. "How are you, honey? Did you get banged up at all?"

[captainjack]

"I hit my head. So, you know, I'm fine," he replied, grinning a little more brightly.

"You're in here for a while, right? Tell me they're forcing you to take it easy. And that you're not making life too hard on Xander."

[poison_lipstick]

"Course you are, that gorram hard head of yours," she said, starting to chuckle a little and then wincing as pain blossomed in her side. She had to stop for a moment, take a breath, something that was still difficult for her.

Talking was difficult as well, her normally soft and feminine voice now scratchy and brittle, and she had to take pauses now and then to give her throat a break from the pain. "Whole week," Saffron confirmed. "I'm taking it - very easy. And I keep telling Xander he should - go and get some proper rest but he's - not having it."

[sluttylyingliar]

Xander had told her he'd be back in a few minutes before scampering off for coffee and food. He looked...like shit.

She's guessing Helen looks worse.

"You know," she murmurs, voice just a little tight as she leans one hip against the doorframe. "If you wanted to get out of work, there are probably easier ways to do it.

[poison_lipstick]

Saffron let her eyes fall shut as Xander left, and she hoped he took some time to rest, instead of just inhaling his food and rushing right back.

She opened them again when she heard Rachel. "Damn, and here I was - going about it the - hard way," she said haltingly, her voice hoarse, lips quirking into a small, wry smile.

[sluttylyingliar]

"Well, you look pretty good for being completely busted up," Rachel comments, moving just to the side of the bed. She's not sure what to do. Sick and hurt people aren't really her area of expertise. Plus, it's Helen.

"So, heard you were being all brave and shit. You should do what I do and run away from danger."

[poison_lipstick]

"Liar," Saffron replied. "Yeah, I reckon this - isn't much of an argument for bravery, is it?"

[math_boy_eli]

Hobbling around on crutches kind of sucked, but any self-pity Eli felt disappeared when he hobbled his way to see Saffron. It was a punch to the gut to see her so banged up. She'd kicked so much ass on the space station - she'd saved his life, she'd had a gun and the ability to defend herself - it didn't seem right that he'd gotten out with just the leg and she was here like this.

He stopped well short of the bed, hesitating - maybe she wasn't up for visitors, or him, or whatever. “Hey,” he greeted her quietly. “I heard you'd gotten banged up, and I... wanted to see how you were doing.”

[poison_lipstick]

Xander had finally fallen asleep, leaning forward in his chair with his head pillowed in his arms on the side of Saffron's bed. She was awake, sitting quietly and threading her fingers idly through his hair, and looked up when Eli came in.

"Hi, Eli," she said, barely above a whisper, though her damaged voice wasn't letting her talk much louder than that anyhow. "I'm hanging in there. Come on in."

[math_boy_eli]

He maneuvered his way forward, still a little clumsy on the crutches but thankfully able to not fall down with them. Only when he was close to the bed did he spare half a glance for the guy sleeping next to Saffron. The fact that it was Xander was mildly surprising, but it wasn't worth commenting on. Not when Eli's eyes went right back to Saffron and her bruises and the fact that she was in a hospital bed, for crying out loud.

“You look like --” he began without thinking, then cleared his throat and amended what came next, “like... things got bad after I saw you. What happened?” He kept his voice low, trying not to disturb the sleeping man.

[poison_lipstick]

"Like hell, I know," Saffron finished for him with a wry smile. "It's not as - bad as it looks. Well...maybe it is."

She glanced down at Xander, who was still sleeping away, thankfully. He needed it. "I found Lex," she explained hoarsely, having to take frequent pauses to get a breath and rest her throat momentarily. "He was - being attacked by those - zombie things. We fought them, but they - well, did this. Lex got me back out the portal."

[capable_of]

The next morning, Lex had shown up at the clinic bright and early. While Lex Luthor wasn't one to hide from anything, he knew that if he didn't do this now, he'd put it off forever and Helen deserved better then that.

One would think, after all the times Lex had needed rescuing in his life, which was more then he'd like to admit, he'd know the words to say. But anything and everything stuck in his throat as he stood in the doorway of the clinic, watching Helen and Harris. He guessed he'd gotten used to his rescuers being indestructible because the feeling of her broken in his arms because she'd come back for him would join his rotation of nightmares for a long time.

Lex Luthor was not a coward. But his guilt was making it very hard to take a step closer into that room.

[poison_lipstick]

She'd been talking quietly with Xander, their hands wrapped together in familiar intimacy, but when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye Saffron looked towards the door. And when she saw who was standing there, she smiled.

"Lex," she said hoarsely, beckoning with her free hand. "Come in."

Turning towards Xander, she squeezed his hand briefly and forced herself not to wince as she took a slow breath. "Baby, can you give us a minute? Please?" she asked him.

[capable_of]

It was her invitation that made him finally move into the room, despite the glare Harris gave him as he shoved past him out the door. He knew Harris would protest to him seeing Helen but certainly even he would let Lex have the chance to apologize.

Slowly, Lex took Xander's seat and moved to take Helen's hand but stopped at the last moment. "Helen," He paused, licking his lips as the unfamiliar words fought their way out, "I'm so sorry."

[poison_lipstick]

She went the rest of the way for him, reaching out to catch hold of his hand. "Oh, honey," she whispered, shaking her head. "You don't need to - apologize for anything."

[whoneedsadream]

Anatoly had his own fair share of bruises thanks to his duel at Fight Club, but he was not going to let that keep him from visiting Helen. If she asked, all he had to say was that he'd had a run-in with Freddie. He wouldn't even get in trouble for violating the primal law - their hatred of each other was such common knowledge that it was completely believable that they would have hit each other just for breathing rather than because of some club.

"Hello, Helen." Anatoly said softly as he entered the room. "How are you feeling?"

[poison_lipstick]

"On the mend, slowly but surely," Saffron replied; her voice was raw and scratchy, but she had a fond smile for Anatoly. Her eyebrows lifted as she took in his appearance. "Let me guess - Freddie?"

[whoneedsadream]

Anatoly leaned over to kiss Helen's forehead, squeezing her hand gently. He'd heard a little from Lex what had happened at the space station and he was profoundly grateful for what she'd done to save him.

"I tried to avoid him," he answered lightly. "But he insisted on being himself and - well. At least the chess board was left safe this time."

[poison_lipstick]

She returned the squeeze, then tugged on his hand a little to get him to sit down - on the side of the bed or the chair, it didn't matter to her. "Well, once I'm mended I'm kicking his ass," she said, though the threat didn't hold much water on account of her weakened state and pitifully hoarse voice. "You're all right, aren't you?"