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Mass Effect Andromeda - Sara Ryder/Harry Carlyle
Harry settled the last piece of armor onto Sara's back, checking the seals to make sure it was properly in place. There was a lot of frantic back and forth as the Hyperion's inhabitants ran this way and that, scrambling for makeshift weapons, or just looking for a place to bunker down. The Ark's security system blared an alarm, warning everyone on the ship that they were being boarded.
Sara was calm and collected as she focused her attention on checking the phalanx she held, literally theonly gun they'd been able to find.
Harry's eyes strayed to the mission locker that held his own armor. It was probably dusty from lack of use, but he felt like kicking himself for not thinking to go for it sooner. He reached a hand toward the lock's interface, ready to key in the code.
"You need to get to safety." Sara said, and turning abruptly, she led the way out the door. They moved briskly down a darkened hallway. She walked with purposeful steps, ready to meet the kett that were no doubt on their way explicitly to take her into custody.
"I'm not going to leave you," he replied firmly. It was out of the question.
She stopped her advance, turning to face him, her voice rising a notch. "Harry, they'll kill you. I still have a chance. SAM says the Archon needs me alive."
He couldn't help himself. Reaching out to her, he cupped her cheek, his gloved thumb rubbing over her lips.
She didn't register shock, as she had every right to. He'd never touched her in such an unprofessional way. Instead, her eyes slid closed for just the briefest of moments before they opened, meeting his eyes with a desperate intensity. "Please," she whispered. "I can't watch something awful happen to you before I'm captured."
He felt like he was going to be sick. "Alright. I..." It was stupid, but it was all he could say, "Be careful." His grip on her soft skin tightened. "I will see you soon," he said with conviction.
She squeezed his arm right beneath the hand that touched her face, then turned to leave without saying more.
All he could do was watch her go.
*
It wasn't until after the Archon was defeated that Lexi brought Sara back to the medical bay on the grounded Hyperion, limping and dazed. Harry helped settle her into a hospital bed before she promptly lost consciousness. The diagnosis was grim, but while the brain hemorrhage she'd suffered at the hands of her captors was serious, they'd managed to stop the swelling in time to keep cell loss to a minimum.
Scott was suffering similar effects, although to a lesser degree.
The medical team was being split, supplemented by staff added via second wave stasis revival. Those not needed on Meridian would be integrated into the Nexus's medical team to accommodate its growing capacity. As Sara continued to recover without waking, Harry met with Scott to discuss the future.
"What are your plans, Harry?" he asked, blue eyes steady and direct.
Harry cleared his throat, giving himself an extra beat of time to formulate his answer into a more confident-sounding one. "I was going to wait and see what your sister decides. There's no shortage of physicians ready to settle here, so I'm sure I can find a place on the station if that's what she chooses."
Scott nodded. "You know I'm planning to turn on the charm, and try to get her to join my team, right? She's got a SAM implant, and more experience interfacing with Remnant tech than anyone, now, aside from myself. It only makes sense for her to end up on the Tempest."
Harry felt like laughing bitterly at that. And to think he'd abdicated his position to Lexi simply so he could stay with Sara in the first place.
"Lexi can look after her," Scott added, and Harry wondered if perhaps he wasn't being as subtle as he wished. Scott sighed, looking down at his sister as she lay sleeping. "I'll stick around until she wakes up, see what she's got planned." He gave a chuckle as he continued. "I kind of envy her ability to do what she wants."
As the younger man left the medbay, Harry watched him until he no longer could, wondering what he was going to do with himself if Scott got his way.
"Doctor?" He was pulled from his thoughts by a technician waiting at his elbow. Giving himself a mental shake, Harry got back to work.
A few days later, he was making notations in a patient chart when a member of his staff got his attention. "Sara Ryder is awake."
He sent a notification off to Scott as he made his way to her bedside. "Well, good morning."
"Harry," the smile she gave him was warm and sweet as she came up on her elbows in the bed.
"How are you feeling?"
"Tired, believe it or not. You ever sleep for six hundred years, go into a coma for another six months, then nap for a week? It's exhausting."
He laughed, grateful to see her sense of humor make an appearance. "Your brother's on his way. Anything you'd like me to catch you up on before he gets here?"
"Hmm, not really," she said almost absently. Her expression became serious. "I'm really glad you're alright, Harry."
His chest felt tight. "I'm glad you are, too."
Scott arrived and plans were made. Sara was going to check with Initiative leadership about the possibility of field work outside of Scott's team, perhaps with one of the other Pathfinders or with a squad of her own.
Harry realized that what he felt was a growing mix of excitement and terror. For the very first time since they'd arrived in Heleus, and as soon as she was fit enough to be released, Sara was no longer going to be his patient.
He needed to decide what he was going to do with that.

Description

Mass Effect Andromeda - Sara Ryder/Harry Carlyle
Harry settled the last piece of armor onto Sara's back, checking the seals to make sure it was properly in place. There was a lot of frantic back and forth as the Hyperion's inhabitants ran this way and that, scrambling for makeshift weapons, or just looking for a place to bunker down. The Ark's security system blared an alarm, warning everyone on the ship that they were being boarded.
Sara was calm and collected as she focused her attention on checking the phalanx she held, literally theonly gun they'd been able to find.
Harry's eyes strayed to the mission locker that held his own armor. It was probably dusty from lack of use, but he felt like kicking himself for not thinking to go for it sooner. He reached a hand toward the lock's interface, ready to key in the code.
"You need to get to safety." Sara said, and turning abruptly, she led the way out the door. They moved briskly down a darkened hallway. She walked with purposeful steps, ready to meet the kett that were no doubt on their way explicitly to take her into custody.
"I'm not going to leave you," he replied firmly. It was out of the question.
She stopped her advance, turning to face him, her voice rising a notch. "Harry, they'll kill you. I still have a chance. SAM says the Archon needs me alive."
He couldn't help himself. Reaching out to her, he cupped her cheek, his gloved thumb rubbing over her lips.
She didn't register shock, as she had every right to. He'd never touched her in such an unprofessional way. Instead, her eyes slid closed for just the briefest of moments before they opened, meeting his eyes with a desperate intensity. "Please," she whispered. "I can't watch something awful happen to you before I'm captured."
He felt like he was going to be sick. "Alright. I..." It was stupid, but it was all he could say, "Be careful." His grip on her soft skin tightened. "I will see you soon," he said with conviction.
She squeezed his arm right beneath the hand that touched her face, then turned to leave without saying more.
All he could do was watch her go.
*
It wasn't until after the Archon was defeated that Lexi brought Sara back to the medical bay on the grounded Hyperion, limping and dazed. Harry helped settle her into a hospital bed before she promptly lost consciousness. The diagnosis was grim, but while the brain hemorrhage she'd suffered at the hands of her captors was serious, they'd managed to stop the swelling in time to keep cell loss to a minimum.
Scott was suffering similar effects, although to a lesser degree.
The medical team was being split, supplemented by staff added via second wave stasis revival. Those not needed on Meridian would be integrated into the Nexus's medical team to accommodate its growing capacity. As Sara continued to recover without waking, Harry met with Scott to discuss the future.
"What are your plans, Harry?" he asked, blue eyes steady and direct.
Harry cleared his throat, giving himself an extra beat of time to formulate his answer into a more confident-sounding one. "I was going to wait and see what your sister decides. There's no shortage of physicians ready to settle here, so I'm sure I can find a place on the station if that's what she chooses."
Scott nodded. "You know I'm planning to turn on the charm, and try to get her to join my team, right? She's got a SAM implant, and more experience interfacing with Remnant tech than anyone, now, aside from myself. It only makes sense for her to end up on the Tempest."
Harry felt like laughing bitterly at that. And to think he'd abdicated his position to Lexi simply so he could stay with Sara in the first place.
"Lexi can look after her," Scott added, and Harry wondered if perhaps he wasn't being as subtle as he wished. Scott sighed, looking down at his sister as she lay sleeping. "I'll stick around until she wakes up, see what she's got planned." He gave a chuckle as he continued. "I kind of envy her ability to do what she wants."
As the younger man left the medbay, Harry watched him until he no longer could, wondering what he was going to do with himself if Scott got his way.
"Doctor?" He was pulled from his thoughts by a technician waiting at his elbow. Giving himself a mental shake, Harry got back to work.
A few days later, he was making notations in a patient chart when a member of his staff got his attention. "Sara Ryder is awake."
He sent a notification off to Scott as he made his way to her bedside. "Well, good morning."
"Harry," the smile she gave him was warm and sweet as she came up on her elbows in the bed.
"How are you feeling?"
"Tired, believe it or not. You ever sleep for six hundred years, go into a coma for another six months, then nap for a week? It's exhausting."
He laughed, grateful to see her sense of humor make an appearance. "Your brother's on his way. Anything you'd like me to catch you up on before he gets here?"
"Hmm, not really," she said almost absently. Her expression became serious. "I'm really glad you're alright, Harry."
His chest felt tight. "I'm glad you are, too."
Scott arrived and plans were made. Sara was going to check with Initiative leadership about the possibility of field work outside of Scott's team, perhaps with one of the other Pathfinders or with a squad of her own.
Harry realized that what he felt was a growing mix of excitement and terror. For the very first time since they'd arrived in Heleus, and as soon as she was fit enough to be released, Sara was no longer going to be his patient.
He needed to decide what he was going to do with that.