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marmolady · 12 days ago

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Fever: Part Two (Estela x F!MC)

This was originally going to be a one-shot, then it became two chapters, now it's three!

Book/Series: Endless Summer

Main Pairings: Estela x MC/Taylor (f)

Summary: Post-ending (Endless Ending) Safe in its protective bubble from the fiery destruction beyond, La Huerta still has some cruel tricks up its sleeve for those who might make it a home. PART ONE

Word Count: 2804

Warnings: Coarse language.

Comments and reblogs are hugely appreciated! Honestly, I just love geeking out about these characters, so if anyone ever wants to just do that with me....

AO3

___________________________

“That you, Red?”

It had to be her, to be real. Quinn. Because those other faces were there to taunt him, and Quinn? She couldn��t haunt a man if she tried. Not without help from Vaanu, anyway.

“Jake!”

Her voice sounded… right. Natural. Even Mike, when he’d talked to him, there was something off. Aside from the fact that he was a dead man talking.

Quinn rushed over, sat beside him on the cool tiles. He’d sprawled on his back, getting some relief from the heat of his own skin. So much for making it to the bar. He couldn’t tell how long he’d been down there… he almost certainly hadn’t been awake for some of it.

“I’m so sorry-- we couldn’t find you! Last thing anyone knew you were in your room… then you must have gone out of sight of the cameras….”

“All this time on the run,” he slurred, “…shoulda known I could give ya the slip….”

He coughed. Thankfully, that was all, this time. If his friends wanted to find him, he was pretty sure there’d be a trail of vomit to follow. It was small wonder he was gagging for a drink now… even just water.

She put her hand to his forehead and frowned. “We have something you can take,” she said, calmer than her worried face had him expect. “You’ve probably been seeing things-- but it’ll be over soon, I promise.”

Too exhausted to worry too much about how Quinn knew that, Jake just closed his eyes. These ghosts were his own guilty conscience, his penance for failing his brother for a second time. No medicine was curing that.

___________________________

Finally, everyone was together-- save for the three presently under the supervision of the healing team. Raj had put on a big lunch, feeling that a pick-me-up would be necessary.

As they sat around the tables, Michelle gave an update.

“Okay, first things first, we know this isn’t contagious, and we know this is something the Vaanti healers are familiar with and confident they can treat easily.”

There was a slight shift in the energy around the room, as the most pressing fears were put to rest.

Taylor was quiet, still shaken from her earlier experience with Estela, frustrated that there didn’t seem to be a thing she could do to help. Somehow, she’d have to let that go. Quinn gave her knee a squeeze, understanding, and Taylor offered a half-smile of thanks.

We’re in this together. That’s always made the difference.

“It’s a plant they would have encountered yesterday,” Michelle continued. “Its defence mechanism is to poison anything that comes in contact with its leaves, and induce nightmare-like hallucinations so that the affected individual-- in theory-- runs away, associating the area with danger.”

Grace was taking notes. “That’s fascinating. I wonder if that method also assists with pollen or seed dispersal.”

Taylor, in her bad mood, almost snapped that the intricacies of plant reproduction was hardly a priority right now but had a quick realisation. “So, these stupid things could start popping up around here? We should check their clothes for seeds, right?”

“It would certainly be prudent,” Aleister agreed darkly. “If I wanted my mind turned into a hallucinated hellscape I would ask Raj.”

“Hey, I only deal in good vibes, bro, you know that!” Raj’s face, though, quickly sobered. “But seriously, coming down from a trip, they’re gonna want to keep their hydration up-- and have a really good meal to wake up to. A bad trip is a rough ride; my buddies are gonna want some serious TLC.”

“And they’ll have it,” Michelle said resolutely. “Estela and Jake seem to have been affected more severely, we think because Sean is physically larger and maybe had proportionally less contact with the leaves. The remedy given will keep them asleep while the worst symptoms subside, and the healers are staying with them just to be safe-- we don’t really know if humans respond to the plant or the treatment the same way Vaanti do.”

That was what scared Taylor. Though she tucked into her plate of food, Estela didn’t leave her mind for even a second. But what could she do? Hurrying through lunch, she was quickly back up on her feet and heading for the infirmary, Grace and Aleister a little way behind her.

“I would put my head around the door to check in on Estela,” Aleister mumbled, “but I wouldn’t want to risk…. I know I am on shaky ground with her at the best of times.”

“Probably wise,” Taylor sighed. “I mean, she’s asleep now. Still, with how she’s been… I’m honestly too scared of accidentally making things worse myself. This is really hard. Anyway, at least with the guys, I don’t feel like I might hurt them.”

Grace took Taylor’s hand and held it tight. “I was hoping to talk to one of the healers. If they can describe the plant to us, I’m hoping I can draw up something helpful for identification in the future-- or even see if Iris has images saved to her archives. The more we can learn, the better.”

The small medical bay had two beds, now occupied, and was being monitored by the less experienced of the two visiting Vaanti healers, a handsome, somewhat lanky young man who went by the name of Nesh. Nesh was instantly enthusiastic about assisting with the identification of the plant, which in Vaanti was called ‘nijti’.

“You will notice it does not grow near to Elyys’tel-- it has been a long, ongoing fight, but our gardeners have perfected a poison that prevents its growth. I had the screaming fever as a small child, before we had such success; I was young, but I remember it still for how I felt so ill. Back in those days, it was very common, now not so-- though children who have not yet learned to recognise the patterns on the leaves are vulnerable as they play in the forest.”

Looking on as Grace kept taking notes, Taylor probed the young healer further. “Are there other plants we need to be especially wary of? Obviously, we’re not going to try eating anything growing here without checking first, but anything like this that’s dangerous even to touch?”

Over the next half hour, Grace’s papers were filled with drawings and diagrams; the grasping sea weeds that Taylor recognised as having almost drowned Quinn-- which apparently also served as hunting grounds for a deadly snake--, a tree with sap that caused paralysis, and several shrubs, vines and bushes known for stinging and leaving victims with severe rashes.

“That really is helpful,” Taylor said. “Thank you!” At least we’re learning…. It was a shame it had to be the hard way… but we’re learning….

A little while later, Quinn joined them, Furball trotting at her heels. “How’s everyone going?” she asked, sitting down.

“They are resting well,” Nesh replied cheerfully. “We are waiting for Lupus to have further decrease in temperature, but he is progressing with no concern.”

Furball pricked up his ears, hopped down from Quinn’s lap, bounded across the room and leaped onto the far bed, nestling himself down over Jake’s forehead.

“Well, that’s just the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” Taylor said, helpless but to grin. “Always doing your bit to help, aren’t you, little guy?”

“I think he’s been worried,” Quinn commented. “He can tell when something’s up.”

They sat for a little while, quietly watching their friends sleep. Furball’s efforts paid off, with Jake’s temperature soon entering the normal range.

“This all has me thinking,” Quinn said, “it really might be better for us all if we find a way of moving closer to Elyys’tel. I know I’d been hesitant-- this place has come to feel like the closest thing to home I have-- but if La Huerta is home now, we can’t just shut ourselves away from it.”

Grace nodded. “We’ll have to all talk about it some more once everyone’s back on their feet. But I do keep thinking, somewhere along the coastal trail; we would have the best of both worlds, and we’d be making something all our own.”

“Every time I think I’ve removed the last image of his blasted face…,” Aleister scoffed. “It is truly amazing how much a person can enjoy the sight of themselves. I would turn my back on this place in a heartbeat.”

Taylor knew it was an inevitability. It was just time… for everyone to be ready to truly embrace what a life on La Huerta could be, to be ready to accept the permanence of their situation. A hotel could never be home forever.

“The more we belong here, the safer we’ll be,” she agreed. “This place is like Rourke… it’s fighting La Huerta, trying to tame something too far beyond us. We can’t thrive hiding behind a tall metal fence, expecting the danger to never creep in. We need to learn from the Vaanti, and that’s not happening here.”

“If I may say,” said Nesh, who’d just been checking his patients for signs of dehydration, “you will be welcomed well. It is far to walk here from Elyys’tel, and it is a shame for those of us who have enjoyed Centaurus’ ‘Grandma’ dishes.” A twinkle came to his golden eyes. “I would be very happy to exchange medical advice for ‘Grandma’ recipes.”

Maybe something like this really wouldn’t have to happen again. Maybe, Taylor considered, they just needed the wake-up call. Just as Diego and Varyyn having to incessantly back-and-forth between their two bases wasn’t working, neither was shutting themselves away from a society that welcomed them, embraced them, and genuinely wanted to see them find their feet.

Why do we always have to learn things the hard way?

___________________________

Sitting back in the couch, it was easy to get swept away by the gentle classical music and soft light… when one had been through the kind of day Michelle had, to give in and nap was a temptation.

Adjusting the fluid drip she was putting Estela on, Ravyya looked upon Michelle with a small smile. She hadn’t much experience with humans, but she’d already grown fond of Pavo. The Catalyst had fire in her eyes and a thirst for knowledge. If the Catalysts were to survive on Vaanu long-term, Ravyya was certain that Michelle’s drive to find success as a healer was vital.

“You look tired, Pavo,” the old healer commented. “It is harder, of course, when it is family.”

Family. Yes, Michelle couldn’t deny that one. She remembered back to that dreadful phone call they’d all made, leaving messages to loved ones back home. Her bridges burned, she’d had nothing to say. But Taylor had held her, loving her like a sister, and all of them-- Quinn, Estela, Craig, Zahra, Jake, Diego, Raj, and despite everything, Sean-- they’d all been there for her. When they’d been separated during the escape from MASADA, she’d grieved far more than she ever let on, though she guessed Raj had felt her tears against his shoulder that first night. This was her family, and for all she grieved the life, future, the world that had been lost, the people she was with made it bearable. It wasn’t just for herself that she wanted to become the closest thing she could to an actual doctor; now it was for them. Enough had been lost-- that the twelve of them would make it was non-negotiable.

She glanced to the bed, to Estela with her pallid skin soaked with sweat. She thought of Jake, the tortured look in his eyes… he’d said not to bother trying to cure him. And Sean….

If she lost him now, there was no way she could bear it.

“Nothing feels like enough,” she said quietly. “I liked the idea of caring for people-- and it came with prestige. My mother raised me alone; she’d be able to shove it in the faces of anyone who’d ever doubted her.”

Somewhere along the line, she’d lost her mother. It was all her fault….

“Now,” she said with a bitter laugh, “it’s just us staying alive, and sometimes it feels like it’s all on me. Maybe… maybe I can go after a semblance of my dream, and maybe it’ll be enough, but right now, I’m just… drowning.”

Ravyya’s expression was sombre but sympathetic. It was difficult to fathom the scope of what the Catalysts were grieving, though it was far beyond offering comfort. There was little else, though, to give.

“From the stories I have heard, the twelve of you have survived great adversity… and you will survive now. It should be said, though…,” she paused, looking Michelle straight in the eye. “You are not alone.”

Michelle was quiet for a long while, as thoughts tumbled through her troubled mind. A best way forward had become clear to her, but it was only with the blessing of the healers of Elyys’tel that it had a chance.

“Ravyya,” she ventured at last, “I’ve been meaning to propose something to you.”

The old healer lifted her chin, listening.

“I want,” Michelle said, “to build a medical centre of sorts, one that combines human knowledge and technology with Vaanti medicine. I’m not prepared to give up my study, even if it’s not what I expected it to be. I have a wealth of medical textbooks available to me here, and Iris is willing to guide me. Rourke-- er, the Hydra-- left behind cutting-edge equipment that could be utilised for the good of the Vaanti people. And,” she faltered, knowing how much she was asking of Ravyya, “I would love for you to train me as you’re doing with Nesh.”

Ravyya frowned. The very mention of the Hydra’s name had made her lip curl, but she caught herself, aware that emotion could so easily cloud her best judgement. “I will need to carefully consider your request, Pavo,” she said slowly. “This clinic-- would you be stationing yourself in Elyys’tel? Healing care must follow the greatest need; that would not be here, where most Vaanti would not dream of venturing.”

“Yes, in Elyys’tel,” Michelle confirmed. “Assuming Varyyn approved, of course. Honestly, I don’t think… I don’t think we can stay where we are forever. We’re closed off here, and overwhelmed by the scale of what has to be maintained. I think something’s going to have to change.”

Considering the Catalyst quietly, Ravyya stroked her chin. “Let me sit with it.”

Michelle dared feel heartened, hopeful. The closest she’d felt to imagining her future self and feeling it to be her. She nodded her thanks.

There was a knock on the door, and Taylor came in, Furball perched upon her shoulder.

“Hi,” she said softly, weakly smiling her thanks to Michelle and Ravyya before her attention turned to Estela. “Do you think it’s safe for me to be here now?”

Ravyya stood up. “When she wakes, her mind will be clear. You may tend to her overnight if you wish; I will be in the next room should you need assistance.” Her expression softened a little. “I have no reason to believe you will; everything is progressing as we would expect. Goodnight, Catalysts.”

Michelle walked over to Taylor and hugged her. It had been a long, hard day. “Did you eat dinner?” she asked.

“I didn’t eat much, but it was something. Quinn said she was going to bring you something up?”

“Yeah, she did. I’ll probably go downstairs and sit with Sean and Jake for a little while before bed.”

This time, Taylor initiated the hug, squeezing Michelle tightly. “Just make sure you’re taking care of you as well. Thanks for everything, Meech.”

Then, Taylor was alone with Estela again.

It’s different now.

She wasn’t sure she’d believe it until she saw it for herself.

“It’s me, sweetheart,” she whispered. “Just me.”

To be safe, dreading Estela waking up to being trapped with a threat, Taylor resolved to sleep on the sofa-- it was comfortable enough, and she could keep an eye on her wife without risking making things worse. Ravyya had said it was fine, but…. She couldn’t know. Taylor’s need to be close to Estela had caused enough pain; she wouldn’t be selfish again.

She leaned in and softly kissed the top of Estela’s head. “Sleep well… I love you.”

Then, she settled herself down on the sofa with a spare blanket and closed her eyes. Sleep, she imagined, would not come easily.

“Mrrrp?” came the chittering of a tired fox.

“Come up here, Furball,” Taylor called gently. “I guess you figured I needed a cuddle, didn’t you?”

Furball snuggled in over her chest and under her arm, his little body pleasantly cool in the stuffy tropical night. Taylor tickled his soft belly, appreciating the company.

“G’dnight….”

#endless summer #playchoices #estela montoya #estela x mc #estela x taylor #michelle nguyen #jake mckenzie #quinn kelly

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