The smaller woman sat bolt upright when the request was given to her, but quickly tried to pass it off as readjusting herself on the edge of the bed. She even managed to keep her tone steady when she asked, “Oh? Why?” Then she added a quieter, “Oh,” as though she were just realizing the reasoning behind Juliette’s request.
“You haven’t got to worry, sweet. I’m all right.” She pushed her fingers through her hair, trying to appear nonchalant. There had to be a good excuse for wearing clothes for cooler weather when on-board a ship, right? Damn it, she should have thought of this beforehand.
But she knew Juliette wasn’t going to let up until she had a look for herself, so she pushed up her right sleeve to show the inside of her wrist. So long as that was all Shepard saw, it would be fine. “See? No cause for concern.”
Juliette snorted at the specialist’s instance that she was fine. She was obviously not. If something was wrong, she needed to know. As a friend and a lover. Taking a deep, steady breath she looked down at the wrist being held out for her inspection.
Frowning, she looked away and back into Sam’s eyes. “And the other?” She asked carefully, unsure if the request she was making would go over well. The commander didn’t stop to ask herself if she was doing the right thing. It felt like the right thing, and that was what mattered right?
Silently she prayed. More than anything, she hoped that she was making a big deal out of nothing and that her fears were nothing more than her overactive imagination.