I personally headcanon that Zed figured out Beck is the Renegade near the end of No Bounds/the beginning of Terminal. Like yeah his opinion on the Renegade was already changing but he was nowhere near vocal support. He also becomes extremely understanding about Beck's situation. So I really think he figured it out and was like "oh shit. Not only was I wrong, but one of my best friends is in deep in the middle of all of this insanity with possibly no one on his side."
Beck gets a chemical burn and per work policy has to go to the E.R. to get it checked out. He hates hospitals…but the doctor is kind of cute.
The waiting room is sticky with the late July heat. Each time the doors opened, a fiery burst of summer blew in, which seemed like constant furnace. That, Beck decides, has to be worse than his actual reason to be here.
"Are you sure we have to be here?" Beck asks Mara yet again. It has to been over an hour at this point, and he knew from experience it would be longer. "Able can't really afford to be down two mechanics for this long. I can just stop by the pharmacy and pick some stuff up-"
"No." Mara shuts him down with a firm look. "You know the policy: burns warrant a trip to the hospital."
"It's not that bad." A lie, the thing still burns beneath the wet rag wrapped around his arm. "Really."
Mara cocks an eyebrow at his arm. He looks down to realize he's cradling it close to his chest, and makes himself push it away. She crosses her arms. "I know you don't like it here, but either you sit and let someone look at you, or I tell Able to call Tron."
Damn. If Tron found out, he'd just end up here anyways, with the older man insisting he come along. "Okay, fine." He slouches back, starting to cross his arms. The skin stretches around his burn and he winces as he aborts the action.
"Thank you." Mara sighs, and goes back to fanning herself with the stack of papers reception had handed her. Her hair is wrapped up off her neck for once in a messy but short ponytail. It's strange to not see her blue bangs waving off from her forehead.
"Beck Carter!" He looks up to find a man in gray scrubs has pushed open the door. The nurse searches the room for them as Beck pushes to his feet with a sigh, unconsciously cradling his arm again. They find each other's gaze, and the man shoots him a friendly smile, "Right this way, Mr. Carter."
Beck nods, not in the mood to return the smile or to verbally acknowledge him. Mara whispers "Thanks," behind him as the nurse holds the door open.
"First door on the left." The nurse points to the door before either mechanic can be disoriented by the hall that led into a bustling hub of activity. Both turn away and duck into the room.
The nurse follows them in and shuts the door, blocking out the sound from just down the hall. The nurse still smiles at him, "Let's get your vitals real quick."
Beck nods and holds out a finger for the pulse oximeter. It only takes a moment for the readings to come back.
"98%, 75." The nurse nods as he jots this down. "Pretty normal." He notes, before slipping off the oximeter in exchange for the thermometer. "Hold still for me."
Beck obeys through the temperature check and the blood pressure reading. He tries not to fidget during the latter, tries not to let his legs bounce or cross while it works.
"Your blood pressure is a little high," the nurse states as he removes the cuff. "Nothing to worry about, though."
Beck nods quietly. He's sure just being on the hospital premises makes his blood pressure surge like some sort of Pavlovian reaction.
"Okay!" The nurse rises. "Your doctor will be here in a few minutes to check on that burn."
Beck nods, staying quiet as the nurse shuts the door behind him. "You okay?" Mara asks after a moment, voice small in the silence.
He nods again, letting his eyes drift up and around the room as he tries to relax back into the chair. "Fine."
Mara doesn't call him on the lie, especially when the door opens again. This time a woman in black scrubs enters, looking up from her clipboard. Beck doesn't mean to meet gaze with her, but once he does he can't look away. Even with her stern expression, her brown eyes remain soft.
"My name is Dr. Reyes," The doctor starts. She examines him, and something flutters in his gut, "and I'll be taking care of you today, Mr. Carter."
"Hi." He manages, way too feebly in his opinion.
"Hi." She returns, managing a tight smile in his direction before it quickly disappears. She scoots a stool over and sits down. "So, tell me about this burn."
"Oh," he looks down to his rag covered arm. "There was a faulty cap that broke. Sprayed coolant, and I threw up my arm over my face without thinking." After a moment, he hurries to tack on: "I'm a mechanic."
She hums at that, jotting something down before setting the clipboard down. She reaches over and slips on some gloves. Her hands approach his arm. "Mind if I take a look?"
He finds himself nodding before he even thinks it through. He braces himself, but a wince still escapes when the burn is exposed to air. Her hands are gentle on either side of the burn, turning his arm back and forth as she investigates. "Looks like a 2nd degree. No devitalized tissue."
"…Is that good?"
"Yes," she confirms, "means I don't need to remove any skin or tissue." She turns his arm to him, keeping it elevated as she points across the wound. "You're going to see some blisters start popping up. This is normal, but you need to leave them alone. Popped blisters risk infection or scarring." She rises. Some of her hair has fallen in her face so she shakes it out of the way. "I know you've been asked this already, but any allergies?"
"Uh," He shakes his head, "No, none."
"Good. I'll go get some ointment and bandages. I'll be back."
She slips out, her bun his last sight of her before the door shuts. The two mechanics are alone.
"…What was that?" Mara asks. Amusement laces her tone, and when he turns she's smirking.
"What?"
"You won't talk to the nurse, but suddenly are so chatty with…what's her name again?"
"Dr. Reyes." He answers automatically, and feels himself flush as he realizes he walked straight into her trap. Her smirk grows. "It's not like that."
"Like what?" Mara's innocent tone doesn't match her expression. "I didn't say anything." She pulls out her phone and starts rapidly typing.
"Mara, oh my god, it's not like that!" He doesn't even believe himself with how high and tight his voice has gotten. His phone buzzes in his pocket moments after. He groans and covers his face, knowing his phone is about to blow up with their group chat. Bodhi in particular is going to have a field day with it.
"Everything okay in here?" He looks up to find Dr. Reyes has returned with a tray of supplies. She looks between his burning face and Mara's grin with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah." He manages. "Yeah, everything's fine." Mara nods in agreement.
Dr. Reyes obviously doesn't believe them, but doesn't question it as she sits down again. "This might sting a little." She warns him as she opens the ointment. "Hold still."
He nods and obeys, watching her as she gently spreads the cream across the burn.
"Were you wearing face protection?" She asks suddenly, not even looking up.
"What?"
"Did you throw up your arm to protect your face because you weren't wearing face protection? If so, that's dangerous."
"No. I-I mean, I was wearing face protection. Able would have killed me if I wasn't. Just…instinct, I guess."
She hums. "That happens. Able your boss?"
He nods, then remembers she isn't looking at him. "Yeah. He's in charge of the garage just down the road from here."
"You should stop by sometime." Mara pipes up. "If you're ever having car issues, Beck here can get you fixed up."
Dr. Reyes does look up at that, barely missing the death glare Beck sends Mara over the doctor's head. "Oh? I'll keep that in mind." She set down the ointment and placed a bandage over the first half of the wound before beginning to wrap it. Her hand moves smoothly across to the other end of the bandage as she overlaps a new one. Her badge hangs just out of the way of her work, but close enough that Beck could see. Dr. Paige Reyes.
"So," She glances up to him when he speaks, "Have long you have been a doctor?"
She looks back down as she continues to work. "Oh, not long. I just started my residency here about a month ago."
"…Do you like it here?"
"I do. Argon is a beautiful town." She finishes wrapping his arm and fastens it with a sigh. He hears his phone begin to buzz in his pocket but both of them ignore it. "Okay, let me go get your discharge instructions and you'll be good to go."
"Thank you." He says as she rises. This time, she flashes him a smile more genuine. Despite the frigid AC, Beck feels warm at that.
"Could we get your phone number?" Mara asks and Beck instantly grows hot.
Dr. Reyes raises her eyebrows. "Excuse me?"
"Your work number." He blurts. "She meant your work number. In case I need anything."
"Oh." She settles at that, but a frown is still present. "Well, I don't have a work phone. But if you call or come in and ask for me, I'm sure I can fit you in, Mr. Carter."
"You can call me Beck. And, uh, thanks."
She nods and slips out. Beck instantly turns to Mara's grin. "I'm going to kill you."
"You'd miss me." She chuckles. "You're welcome by the way."
Before he can argue with her, the doctor returns. "Okay," she announces, "here are the instructions for the burn. You'll need to change the dressing and reapply the cream here daily. Come back in if it gets infected or it doesn't show improvement in three weeks." She holds out the papers, then pauses as she looks between him and Mara. "Should I give this to your girlfriend…?"
"Not my girlfriend." He says quickly. "Co-worker. I can take those."
Dr. Reyes hands over the papers and ointments. For the briefest moments, their hands touch, and it feels electric.
"You can exit back out this way." Dr. Reyes guides the two of them out of the room and back out the exit. "Please reach out if you need anything, Beck."
He looks back at her at that. His name, he loves hearing it from her. He's not going to be able to get it out of his head. "I will, thank you."
She nods and the two make their way back through the waiting room. Beck decides to ignore Mara's smirk or his buzzing phone until they are far from the hospital.
