<div align="center"><strong>-=Vincent Kincaid - Beyond happy to see Mae conscious - The Gamble, Med Bay=-</strong></div><br/><em>"I promise she'll be fine.  You're not to blame, Vincent.  You got her back here in one piece, and that's all that matters.  I'm going to take good care of her.  And you.  Fang xin, hao?"</em>Vincent gave Dani a meek thankful smile but could not hold it long before his head lowered with guilt.<em>Of course it was my fault.  The only reason she got hurt was because she was in between me and my comeuppance.</em>That notion weighed heavily upon his shoulders and could swear there was an actual physical burden upon them.  He wanted desperately to open the floodgates and let all of his thoughts, fears, and past flood out of his mouth.  Anything to ease the pressure that was building in his mind.<em>"Now, how about that massage I promised?"</em>Dani, one of the most kindhearted people Vincent has ever had the pleasure of knowing.  He couldn't place the weight of that knowledge on her, she already had her own demons to deal with and didn't need any of his.  "I--"<br/><br/><em>“Ai ya! Did anyone see that stampede that trampled my ass? Yeh Su, someone shoot me and put me out of my misery.”</em><br/><br/>Vincent's head whipped around so quickly that his shoulders and chest elicited a formal protest in the form of lightning bolts.  By the time he suppressed the squeal of fleeting agony, Dani had already set about examining Mae.  His chest now grew tight with emotion on top of the blunt trauma.  Elation, hope, doubt, and guilt all warred in his mind for dominance.  In the end, it was his desire to be close to Mae that tilted the scales in the favor of hope and elation.  It took him a moment to ensure his voice wouldn't revert to a croak before he attempted to speak.<br/><br/><em>"Shhh Mei-Mei, lie still and let me check you, and then I'll get you something for your headache."</em><br/><br/>"See it?  Love, I retaliated by hitting it with a bus.  Three busses.  And a low-flying transport ship.  All full of kittens and puppies.  Why kittens and puppies?  Because it is impossible to sound tough whenever you get your ass kicked by something so adorable.  And no, they did not get the plates of the vehicles that hit them."<br/><br/>The moment he saw Dani retrieve the syringe, all the color drained from the co-pilot's face.  Despite the fact that he knew that needle wasn't intended for him, it did nothing to ebb his phobia.  He diverted his gaze before he could see the needle pierce skin, the thought alone was enough to cause his vision to darken at the peripheries forcing him to fight off a blackout.  Some portion of him was faintly aware that Dani was talking, but all he could make out was muffled sounds as a light sweat began to form on his brow.  The sudden presence of a cool cloth on his forehead helped his building anxiety to recede until he no longer needed to exert his willpower to remain conscious.  His expression became thankful, though the color had not yet entirely returned to his face just yet.<br/><br/><em>"I know it's old fashioned, but it really does help.  Now...you two had better get comfortable.  You'll both be here overnight at least.  Perhaps longer.  And I hate to say it, but no flying for either of you for a bit."</em>Vincent shot her a look that would have been very similar to the one that would have come with witnessing her kicking a priest in the groin.  At least if you were to take out the humor aspect to it.<em>"No, no arguments.  Doctors orders!  Neither of you are in any condition to be in the cockpit. No, Mae, I'll inform Griff immediately that he's going to have to play pilot for a little while."</em><br/><br/><em>Oh.  Good.  Yet another thing Griff will yell at me about.  They're going to have a burn ward named in my honor once he gets done scolding me.</em><br/><br/><em>"I'll be back in a few minutes.  You're both to stay right where you are, do you understand?  Vincent, I'm trusting you to make sure Mae obeys orders, hao?"</em>A grin spread across Vincent's face, unable to resist the setup.  "I'll keep her here even if it means I have to lay on top of her to do it."<br/><br/>Once Dani disappeared into the hallway, Vincent turned his head to meet Mae's gaze.  He could only imagine how unattractive he looked and wondered how many new colors adorned his complexion.  She hadn't gone running out of the room in terror, so it wasn't as bad as it felt at least.  Yielding to an earlier impulse, Vincent reached out a hand not caring that a whole third of it was wrapped in bandages to help his bloodied knuckles heal.  "How are you feeling?"  Vincent's heart raced.  Hoping.  Praying that she would take his offered hand in hers.  Between how much of a mess he was and the mess he had gotten her in to, he had to know whether their moment had been one of the victims left behind in that darkened alley.