THE HERMES WAS fairly quiet; the only sounds to be heard were those coming from the various machines inside the ship, or, more specifically, the machines inside the ship's infirmary.

Maia lay still on one of the two beds in the room, the sound of machinery slowly lulling her awake. Her eyes began to flutter open and immediately she was met with a light, one that prompted her to shy away due to the sudden sensitivity her eyes now seemed to hold. Her head ached tremendously, but she worked through the pain to try and remember exactly how it had come about.

She could remember waiting on Beck to return with the ship's transponders when he had startled her, causing her to release the hold she had on the external railing of the ship; she could remember floating for several seconds before her body struck something hard. That was how the pain had began, but she couldn't remember much of anything after that, which frustrated her greatly.

Maia sat up, squinting her hazel eyes in order to further adjust them to the light. She became lightheaded and a wave of nausea then followed. She hopped down from the mattress she sat on as she realized what was about to happen and hurried over to the nearest trash can, wasting not a single second in dispelling the contents of her stomach. It had done nothing to make her feel better, though, and she struggled to remain upright. There was something wrong with her, that much she knew, but she just couldn't seem to put her finger on it.

Before Maia could hit the ground, however, a warm pair of arms caught her and scooped her up without much warning at all.

"It's okay, Maia," Beck's soft voice could be heard in Maia's ear. "I've got you."

Maia blinked up at him, trying to determine whether or not her mind was playing some sort of joke on her. "Chris?"

"The one and only," he chuckled, sitting her back down onto the mattress she had just jumped from moments ago.

"What happened? Why do I feel so bad?" Maia questioned him. She reached a hand up to rub the exhaustion from her eyes, though it didn't do much to help. She was exhausted for whatever reason and predicted she would be asleep within the next five minutes, if not three.

"I may have over-drugged you in my state of panic," he answered with a sigh. "Your mild concussion may also be another contributing factor as to why you feel bad."

Maia was confused, though it was mostly because her mind was too muddled to try and comprehend his words. "I don't—I don't understand."

Beck chuckled again. "The impact to your head not only resulted in you acquiring a two inch laceration, which, by the way, required stitches, but it also left you with a very mild concussion. Your symptoms should subside in about a week or two if you can take proper care of yourself."

Maia groaned, a peculiar feeling flowing into her tired body. "Big doctor words. . .shhhhh."

"Yeah, I definitely over-drugged you," he sighed. "You poor thing. I'm so sorry."

"S'okay," she assured him as she reached up to scratch at whatever she could feel irritating the side of her head. Beck reached out and pulled her hand away, though, leaving a frown to fall upon the petite girl's face.

"I'd rather you not."

"But my head. . .there's something funky on it," she whined.

Beck shook his head at her in a chastising manner. "Stitches, Maia—I had to give you stitches. That's what's funky."

Maia's mouth pulled into an 'O' shape and she met Beck's eyes. "Can you take them out, please?"

"Maybe in a few days," he answered her.

Maia only pouted. "But I want them out now."

Beck shook his head in slight amusement, the corners of his lips turning up into a soft smile. His blue eyes visibly brightened as he looked down at Maia, which seemed to be one of his many natural bodily responses when it came to her. He didn't know what it was about her that was so enticing to him, but he couldn't bring himself to care. She made him feel things no one else was capable of making him feel, and for some reason that comforted him; it comforted him to know that she was the only one who could elicit such a feeling inside him.

Maia tilted her head as she looked up at him. She was studying him, trying to figure out exactly what it was he was thinking about. She wanted to ask him, but the state of mind she was currently in only seemed care about why he was looking at her the way he was.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Beck let out a soft chuckle. "Because you're cute, Maia."

A small whimper escaped Maia's slightly parted mouth and she fell forward in her weakened state, only for Beck to catch her. He made an attempt to sit her back up, but she refused to allow that to happen. Her head was pounding with an intense ferocity, and Beck's chest was seemingly comfortable, much more comfortable than the mattress she was currently sitting on. She preferred using him as a pillow rather than it.

"I'm a potato," Maia muttered, eliciting yet another chuckle from him.

"I like potatoes."

She grunted and pulled away from him. "Why? Why do you like potatoes so much? Potatoes are boring and stupid and emotional and ugly and just. . .potatoes."

Maia wasn't exactly sure what Beck had given her, but she knew enough about it to know that it was screwing with her brain. Had she not had a bunch of anesthetic eating away at every cognitive and sensual function of her brain, she never would've spoken such words, at least not in the diction she had done so.

"Stop," Beck said seriously. He was slightly perturbed, but that was only because he couldn't stand listening to Maia berate herself, regardless of whether or not it had been done metaphorically. In Beck's eyes, Maia was anything but the words she had spoken.

"Stop what?"

"You're not ugly, Maia," he said to her. "You're far from it, actually. You aren't boring or stupid either. You are a bit emotional, but that's perfectly okay. I like you just the way you are."

"I know," she said. "Beth told me."

"I figured one of them would sooner or later," he murmured, more-so to himself than to Maia.

Maia only shrugged and laid her head back down onto his chest. "She only told me because I'm stupid and oblivious."

"You're not stupid, Maia," he sighed. "I believe we just established this."

Maia only let out a breath and closed her eyes as she leaned further into Beck's chest. Her small body was no match for the anesthetic; it was an internal battle she was destined to lose. She wanted so desperately to sleep, but she also wanted to remain awake and the comforting presence of Christopher Beck. She feared it was something she would be denied, though, as she grew weaker and weaker as the seconds passed.

"Maia," Chris said, placing his hands onto her shoulders.

"Hm?"

"You're falling asleep," he informed her.

"Can you take me to my room?" she asked, holding her arms out to him.

Beck chuckled once more, and before long he was wrapping his strong arms securely around her. Maia wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her head against his chest, listening to the soft beat of his heart as he walked.

The halls of the Hermes were dark as Beck continued on to her room, indicating that the rest of the crew was fast asleep. Beck had stayed up to keep an eye on Maia and for that she was grateful.

Beck soon entered her room and carried her over to her bed. The moment he placed her onto the mattress, she quickly tucked herself in before locking her eyes with his.

"Thank you, Chris," Maia yawned, "For everything."

He smiled that radiant smile of his. "You're more than welcome."

As he turned to leave the room, however, Maia was met with a wave of fear. He was leaving her alone and she didn't want to be alone; she was scared to be alone. For Maia, being alone meant thinking, and thinking meant pain. Her head injury brought her enough pain as it was, and she didn't want anymore.

"Don't go," Maia called out to him.

Beck spun around on his heel, his brow raised in question as he looked at her. "Maia, what do you—"

"Stay with me, please?" Maia said, shocking him slightly. "I don't wanna be alone."

Beck stood for a moment as he contemplated her words, and he nodded before climbing into her bunk with her. Maia let out a sigh of relief and nestled herself into his side, wrapping her arm as tightly as she could over his torso. Even through the anesthetic, she could still feel the overwhelming amount of comfort and safety radiating off of him, and that was something she never wanted to lose. She knew that as long as she had him, though, that she wouldn't, and that was more than okay with Maia.

"Goodnight, Chris," Maia spoke softly to him.

"Goodnight, Maia Moon," he said with a smile, though Maia couldn't see it.

Beck hugged Maia tightly in his arms, his chin resting on top of her head. He had been wanting this for so long, and that was something Maia was able to pick up simply by the way he held her. It didn't take her long at all to realize that she had been wanting it, too.