Every Once in a While

Elliot was the kind of person who took going into detail to a whole other level. He didn't even give me the chance to respond, not that I had anything to say. I was trying really hard to follow along due to the fact that Elliot was speaking rather quickly. He finally slowed down, looking over at me.

"Are you listening?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

Elliot laughed, "I was sort of hoping you weren't. Staring at this screen is making me a bit sick." He rubbed a hand over his face. I decided that was enough of using Elliot for a distraction. I didn't want to make him feel more sick than he already was.

"Please." Elliot frowned, closing his eyes and contorting his face to express pain.

"Fine." I sighed. Elliot beamed down at me, I gave one last sigh before heading out. Elliot had spent the last couple of minutes practically begging me to bring him some tea, I wasn't sure if it would make him feel any better but if it got him to shut up then it was worth a shot. The base wasn't ever exceptionally loud, not unless you were lucky enough to be out while the pilots pulled off, the engines were quite noisy. But as I walked to my room I couldn't help but notice how quiet it was. It was a little too quiet, if I didn't know any better I could have thought that I was all alone on the base. I shook my head as to rid myself of the thoughts that were beginning to buzz around in my mind.

Poe and Jules are fine, they'll be back in a couple of hours.

I walked into my room, repeating to myself that Poe and Jules were fine. Feeling slightly defeated when I checked the my bedside table for my clock, one whole hour had passed. I knew they wouldn't be back so quick but I could hope. I finished up in my room as quickly as possible, I found that being by myself only lead to being completely consumed by my worrisome thoughts.

Elliot was smiling bright as I walked back into the med bay, I handed him the small thermos. He popped the lid open immediately, taking a big gulp of the beverage.

"Elliot, it's hot." I warned, smiling slightly as he pulled away, tongue out, flushed face.

"I just want to feel better."

"How do you know tea will make you feel better?"

"I've drank 8 glasses of water," Elliot stopped, cautiously taking another gulp, "You drank tea, and you don't feel crappy, it's worth a shot."

When lunch rolled around, Elliot was feeling much better. We were sitting outside in my usual spot, right on the side of the med bay. I still couldn't get over how quiet it was, but I was glad Elliot had decided to join me, I thoroughly enjoyed his company.

"Is it always hard for you when they have to leave?" Elliot asked.

"Uh, well no. This is the first time I've ever had to deal with them leaving." Elliot shot me a confused look.

"Because it's a big mission?" He asked.

"That and Jules only recently became a pilot, I've been around when Poe's gone on solo missions but this is a little different.

"So," Elliot linked his fingers behind his neck, looking up at the clear blue sky, "Have you and Poe been together for a while?" He glanced over at me.

"Is that what it looks like, like we've been together for a while?" I asked.

"I guess so." Elliot nodded, "I haven't been around you two often, but you got the whole 'in love' thing going on." I stayed quiet for a couple of seconds, the word 'love' had caught me off guard. Now, I was wondering whether everyone saw us the way Elliot did.

"Just a little over a month." I finally responded. A month? That's it? A month was such a short time, but I had felt as if I had been with Poe for much longer.

If Elliot thought I had the whole 'in love' thing down, did that mean that I was moving way too quickly with the relationship? Not that I loved Poe, not yet at least. Saying that I didn't love Poe sounded a bit harsh in my opinion. I liked Poe very much, and I could see myself loving him but it was all too soon for that, right? What was considered too soon? Poe definitely made me feel things I had never felt for anyone else, is that considered love? I don't like when he has to leave because I worry about him so much, but does that mean I loved him? Poe was extremely sweet, I can't even think of one negative thing to say about Poe. I thought my relationship was moving at a normal pace, but I wasn't entirely sure I couldn't even remember the last time I was in a relationship before Poe. I didn't really have anything to compare my current relationship to.

"Really?" Elliot sat up, leaning over to grab hold of his sandwich, "I thought you were going to say a couple of years." Now I was sitting here, freaking out over whether or not our relationship was moving too fast. If it was, Poe would have said something, right?

Great, now I definitely needed to discuss this with Jules.

I was an adult now, did I really need to stress over whatever pace my relationship was taking? Had all my relationships moved at this pace? Well one thing was for sure, Elliot sure did know how to distract me from thinking about Poe, now I was trying to think back to my previous relationships. I hadn't had many, when I was younger I couldn't be bothered with having a boyfriend, I also wasn't a very happy teenager after what had happened with my mom. Once I had started studying nursing there wasn't very much men around. I had my fair share of flings, but I was mainly focused on trying to remember my latest relationship.

It definitely wasn't a good thing that I couldn't remember. That just showed how long ago it must have been.

Alright, think, think, think.

I toyed around with my own lunch, choosing to eat my orange first. Peeling away at the skin as I racked my mind for any kind of information. I stared down at the freshly peeled fruit, tearing it apart. I had almost clapped my hands together and let out a squeal of victory once I had finally figured it out, I luckily stopped myself, remembering that Elliot was still sitting next to me. I frowned down at my food, feeling a bit lame at the fact that the last time I had been in a relationship had been almost 5 years ago. I could hear Elliot talking but I was too wrapped up in my thoughts. My previous relationship had moved much quicker than my relationship with Poe, but I had also dragged it out longer than intended. Was I just the type of girl who moved quickly?

Shut up. It's fine. You are not moving quickly.

Oh, I seriously couldn't wait for Jules to get back, I needed to vent. I already knew I was overreacting, but it was far too late to do anything about it. After a good conversation with Jules, I was sure I would be put at ease about the whole thing.

"Are you listening?"

"Uh-sorry. Got lost in my thoughts," I shot Elliot a weak smile, "Can you start over?"

"I was talking about my girlfriend-" Elliot's lips formed into a tight line, huffing loudly through his nose, "I mean ex-girlfriend." He took one last bite of his sandwich, finishing it off.

"We broke up a couple of months ago, but I don't know. I feel like something is missing, do you ever feel like that?"

"Can't say I do. Most of my relationships have ended because I got fed up and for good reasons. So, I've never felt as if something or someone was missing, mostly because I knew I was better off without them."

Elliot laughed, loudly, almost startling me, "I wish I felt that way." Elliot didn't need to know that I had felt as if something was missing right at this moment. I sighed inwardly, Poe hadn't even been gone for a whole day and I was starting to turn all mushy.

"Sorry," It was Elliot's turn to shoot me a weak smile, "After a night of drinking, I usually end up thinking about things I haven't thought of in a while." He chuckled lowly, "You're my buddy, though. You shouldn't mind."

"I don't mind." I laughed softly.

After lunch we spent the rest of the day in the back room, transferring files from our tablets onto the main medical system. I, of course still needed assistance, even if Elliot had spent a good chunk of the morning going over various details pertaining the small device. Elliot had suggested playing games so that the time would go by quicker,

"Is this what you usually do at work, play games?" I teased.

"Only when I'm not saving lives." He grinned.

I knew he had only suggested it because he had figured out that I was worrying over everyone coming back. I had been sitting next to him, foot bouncing impatiently and glancing at the clock every couple of minutes. Elliot had asked me if I was okay, and I had replied with a 'maybe'. Elliot had began with asking me 10 random questions, from what my favorite color was to my most embarrassing memory. When it was finally turn, I couldn't think of any good questions, I had practically copied Elliot's questions. Once we were done with that, Elliot decided to teach how to play something called Dejarik. I was terrible at it, and once Elliot had beat me for the fourth time in a row, I decided to put an end to our game playing.

"Fun, huh?" Elliot was smiling victoriously.

"Let's just go the front desk." I laughed, glaring playfully. The sun was beginning to set outside, sending bright rays of sunshine through the glass doors of the med bay.

"Should we stick around? I'm sure someone will need medical-" Elliot stopped when I gave him a warning glance.

"Yeah," I shook my head hesitantly, as much as I wanted to everyone to come back in one piece, I knew the chances of it were pretty slim, "We should stay." Elliot and I talked aimlessly, trying to keep one another alert just in case something were to happen.

"I'm getting drowsy." Elliot yawned. I nodded, sinking into my chair, placing my elbows onto the counter, proceeding to bury my face into my palms.

"The cantina wasn't a very smart idea, huh?" Elliot let out another yawn. I shook my head in response. Both and Elliot and I jumped in surprise as his tablet let out a series of loud chirps. Elliot's eyes scanned over his screen,

"Uh, we gotta go," He set the tablet down, "General Organa got word from....Finn is hurt." Elliot said quickly. We sprung out of our chairs at the same time, sending the papers on the front desk flying onto the floor.

"Finn?" I asked slowly, "How hurt?" I jogged after Elliot who was already out the door. I followed after him as he walked towards the back of the med bay, I knew exactly where he was going and it had only sent a wave of dread through my body.

"Do we really need that thing?" I asked, watching as Elliot swiped his key card.

"Unfortunately."

I walked behind Elliot, flicking on the light in the small garage. Elliot walked over to the small medical vehicle as I reached up onto one of the shelves to grab our emergency medical bag. I sat next to Elliot, gripping the bag tightly. The medical vehicle was never fast to begin with, but I felt as if it were taking us ages to reach the hangar. If we had to drive over to the hangar, it meant that Finn wasn't able to walk in whatever condition he was in. I was just hoping he was stable and that we could fix whatever had gone wrong. Both Elliot and I sprung out of our seats as we reached the hangar, I followed Elliot, who was called over by Chewie. I gave myself a moment to glance around, the Falcon seemed to be one of many ships that had gotten back. Not every ship was back on the hangar but overhead I could head the faint buzzing of engines getting ready to land. I couldn't wait around to see if Poe and Jules had made it back, I was mainly worried about Finn at the moment. We walked into the Falcon, being lead by Chewie. When I had finally spotted Finn, I took an involuntary step back. I also couldn't stop the small gasp that left my mouth.

Finn was lying on his stomach, I watched him closely to see if he was breathing. The back of his shirt was torn, exposing the deep cut that splayed down his entire back.

"Will you help me bring him down?" Elliot asked Chewie. The wookie nodded solemnly, I glanced around us quickly. Expecting to catch a glimpse of Han.

"Are you hurt?" I asked Chewie, following behind him. He shook his head. I hadn't known Chewie for long, but something about him seemed off. The wookie seemed sad and defeated.

"What about the others? Is H-" I shot Elliot a mean look, shutting him right up. It didn't sound as if anyone else was on the ship, and it would definitely explain why Chewie seemed so down. Chewie helped us with Finn and then retreated back to the Falcon.

"It's good to see you, Chewie." I called after him. He let out a low growl, nodding as he walked back up the ramp. The hangar had become a bit overwhelming, there was an array of people running about. Pilots, mechanics, and droids. There was so many people that I knew I wouldn't be able to spot Jules or Poe in this crowd.

"Isla, I'm gonna stay back here with Finn. Drive us back." Elliot reached over to take medical bag from my hands. Fishing around in is pocket for the keys, throwing them over to me once he found them.

I lingered by the side of vehicle, glancing down at Finn, "He'll be okay, right?" I didn't know the severity of Finn's injuries, and I wasn't exactly sure if I could help him. So that's why I had to ask Elliot, because I knew he was capable of helping.

"I'm sure we can fix him up."