Abigail ran quickly to Fiona's side and knelt down beside her. "You are the most stubborn, most foolish woman I have ever met, surat. Are you alright?"

        Fiona gritted her teeth through the pain. "What do you think?"

        Abigail laughed softly to fight back tears. "You should not have done that surat. You did not have to."

        Fiona reached out with her good arm and struggled to get the words out. "I did...missed you...couldn't let her....between us."

        Abigail squeezed her hand. "Do not say anymore. Not right now. You are slipping into contractions. That, and you are going into shock. The medics will be here soon, but do not worry, I will take care of you, surat."

        She glanced down at her friend. Blood was still pouring from her broken nose, and her once white Jade Falcon tank top was now soaked deep red with blood. Abigail quickly stripped off her own tank top and pushed it as gently as she could to Fiona's face to stop the bleeding without inflicting too much more pain. She could tell from the bulge at her left shoulder that Fiona's shoulder was severely dislocated.

        "How touching. Tending to your wounded lover like a nurse. Pathetic. I was right about you, you are weak." Joanna stood over the pair of them.

        Abigail looked up at her with rage in her eyes. "Be glad I care more about her wellbeing than revenge on you, old hag. Go gloat somewhere else before I decide I am in error and tear you limb from limb." Her rage was joined by a small sense of pride when she looked at Joanna and saw the extent of her own injuries. Her lower lip was bloody and split open, and she would have a nasty black eye for a few days. At least Abigail's training had been of some use to Fiona.

        Joanna looked down scornfully before walking away. "Do not worry, weak little eyas. I am sure she will recover quickly and you can resume coupling like Inner Sphere harlots in love."

        Just then, the medics arrived. They quickly took over, tending to Fiona's wounds and administering a fast-acting painkiller. Fiona was unconscious by the time they put her on a stretcher and carried her off to the medbay.

        Abigail stayed with her the entire time, eventually commandeering a blanket to wrap around herself to combat the chill of the medbay given that she was clad only in leggings and a sports bra. She curled up in an uncomfortable chair, took Fiona's good hand in hers, and eventually fell asleep.

        Sometime later, she was awakened with a start and noticed someone standing at the foot of the bed. She blinked away the fatigue, and noticed it was Star Colonel Pryde. She quickly distangled her hand from Fiona's and cast the blanket off, coming to a respectful stance in front of her commander. "My apologies, Star Colonel. I did not expect that Fiona would have any visitors. I apologize also for my attire, I did not have time to return to my quarters."

        Aidan waved her concerns away. "It is alright, Mechwarrior. This is not really an official visit. I witnessed what happened earlier and wanted to check on Mechwarrior Fiona's condition. She fought bravely and quite well, especially for a freebirth."

        "A freeborn, commander. I make a point of not using the term freebirth in her presence. She has made every effort to adapt in the time since she was made a bondsman, and I try to respect that."

        Aidan nodded. "I understand, Abigail. I do much the same with my comrade, Mechwarrior Horse. They will never be trueborn, but they are warriors nonetheless, quiaff?"

        Abigail glanced down at her friend. Her eyes were closed, and her nose was bandaged. They had generally reset the nose, but they would do simple surgery on it later, and given clan medicine, you would not notice it had been severely broken. She was not sure why that mattered to her, any other time cosmetics would mean little to her. But there was something she cherished about the...well...beauty of her friend that she was glad would not be marred by this incident. Her left arm was immobilized, and Abigail knew that under the blanket covering her, Fiona's chest was tightly bandaged to help facilitate the healing of a cracked rib. Again, clan medicine meant that the process would be swift.

        "Aff, Star Colonel. I have had the privilege of training her in our ways, and I assure you, she has as much the heart of a warrior as you or I, no matter the accident of her birth,"

        He glanced down at her and nodded. "I understand your sentiment, Abigail. If I had any doubts about her assignment to the Falcon Guards, they are gone after her display today."

        "I am glad you understand, sir. Not many would."

        He sighed. "Not many have my colorful background either, Abigail." He paused for a moment, considering her words. "Joanna told me you swore vengeance for this. I understand your position. But I would ask you to let it go. Fiona and Joanna have buried the hatchet. I will speak to Joanna about it. For the unit, this must end. We are all misfits in a way here in the new Falcon Guards. But we must overcome it if we are to become a unit."

        Abigail scoffed. "That seems unlikely, sir."

        Aidan shook his head. "It must happen." He paused again for a moment, then faced her. "This is not common knowledge, and you must keep it to yourself until it is announced to the unit at large. The ilKhan has bid for a proxy battle for Terra. It will take place at the beginning of May. Yes, that is only a few months away. In that battle, we will face the combined forces of ComStar for the right to possess Terra. I am told it is a virtual certainty that the Falcon Guards will be bid in this fight. We must rally, we must put aside our bickering, and we must become a unit if we are to lead our clan to victory. That means putting aside personal vendettas for the betterment of the clan. I need warriors like you....and Fiona...and Joanna, ALL of you, for this fight, and all of you together. We must prevail."

        She paused, the excitement of the announcement overcoming her for a moment. "I understand, Star Colonel. I promise, we will be ready. I will be ready. And Fiona will be ready."