Every Once in a While

"Cut his shirt off." Elliot said over his shoulder. I walked over to the counter swiftly, reaching up and into one of cupboards. I pulled out the medical kit, fumbling with the small latch. I retrieved a pair of medical scissors, slightly curved at the end for making this certain task much easier. I had seen my fair share of bloody wounds, but Finn's wound was so long and deep and it was way too close to his spine for comfort, I had never seen anything like it. I hated thinking it, but I was surprised that he hadn't bled out already. I took several deep breaths, looking down at my hands as they got less and less shakier. I grabbed a pair of gloves and slipped them on as fast as I could. I held the bottom of his shirt up, snipping away at the material. The faster I got this done, the closer Finn was to getting the treatment he needed. I was cutting carefully, being mindful of the deep gashes. Once I was done, I pulled his shirt off, tearing it right off of him.

"His shoulder." I said softly. "It isn't as deep as the wound on his back." I said, leaning down to get a better look. Elliot was already working on trying to stop the bleeding on Finn's back, his white gloves and turned a dark red color. Elliot turned his head towards the gauze that was set on the table next to him, I reached over to grab a small piece, I inspected the wound for debris or any other foreign object, I applied pressure to his shoulder once it was okay to do so. With my free hand, I gently nudged his face towards me, scanning over his features, focusing on his ears, mouth, and nose. He wasn't bleeding from either body opening, which was good news, he wasn't bleeding internally. He also wasn't coughing or vomiting blood.

"His breathing is stable." I had my index and middle finger pressed onto his jugular, feeling a faint heartbeat.

"This wound is really deep, Isla." I looked back at Elliot, he glanced at me for a second, "I'm not sure about what type of damage was caused to his spine."

"His shoulder has almost stopped bleeding." I applied another piece of gauze.

"Good." Elliot nodded, "I have to take him into the surgical ward." I swallowed hard, looking down at my hand. I knew I wouldn't be much help, but Elliot taking Finn into the surgical ward just made things much too real. Once I gotten Finn's wound to stop bleeding, I applied a new bandage for the time being. I moved out the way as Elliot pushed the hospital bed out of the room, there was at least 4 FX droids waiting outside the room, following Elliot as he made his way into the surgical ward. The door closed slowly, I closed my eyes when I could no longer hear any noise coming from the hallway. I walked over to the sink, slipping the gloves off and discarding of them. I washed my hands thoroughly, I fixed the room back up, making sure it seemed as if nothing had been touched. I was worried of Finn, of course. I couldn't say I wished I was in the surgery room right now, the small period of time that I had treated him was enough to drain me emotionally and physically.

I walked out of the room, stopping in the hall, right before reaching the front desk. I brought my hands up to rub circles into my temple. I heard the sliding doors open and I looked up quickly, expecting to see another patient. It wasn't a patient, it wasn't even someone who was hurt, and that was a huge relief. Poe stood at the entrance, still dressed in all of his pilot gear. I wasn't sure what it was, relief, or if the events from a couple of minutes ago had gotten to me, but I felt tears well in my eyes. There was no use in hiding them, Poe had already started to walk over to me.

"Poe." I stopped him before he got too close, I brought my hands up, running them down his arms, looking him over. "You aren't hurt." I sighed softly. There wasn't a scratch on him. He isn't hurt. I repeated in my head, trying to let it sink in.

"I'm perfectly fine." He grabbed my face in his hands, I blinked, feeling tears run down my face. I attempted to move away, but Poe's grip got tighter.

"Sorry." I wiped my face with the back of my hands, feeling a tiny bit embarrassed but I was sure crying in front of Poe wasn't a very big deal, not this time at least.

"Don't be." His hands moved down to my neck, looking down at me with a soft expression, "I'm okay. I'm back." I nodded, wrapping my arms around him when he pulled me in for a tight hug. I didn't know how long we stood there, embracing each other, I didn't mind one bit. Poe pressed countless kisses onto my forehead, and then onto my cheeks, eventually pressing a long, hearty kiss to my lips. There wasn't words to describe how wonderful it felt to have Poe back, unharmed.

"Hey," Poe's eyebrows furrowed, "Who's blood is this?" He grabbed at the end of my shirt, now displaying small speckles of red. Poe glanced around us quickly, almost worriedly.

"You don't know?" I asked slowly, almost way too quietly, "Finn was hurt."

"Finn?" Poe asked, "Finn?" He repeated. I watched as his features turned hard, "How?"

"We don't know."

"Will he be okay?" He asked quickly.

"He was stable," I explained, "But, Poe....His wound, it's so...deep. " I shook my head, "I was already worried as it is, but when I saw Finn, I wasn't sure how you would turn up. I'm so glad you're okay." Poe gave my hands a squeeze.

"I was worried, too." Poe said softly, "For everyone. But we did it." He nodded firmly, "We destroyed their base." That's what the mission was about, destroying their base? I was so glad he hadn't told me beforehand, the concept sounded crazy. It was almost impossible to believe.

"Jules, she's alright?"

He nodded, "She told me to tell you that she would try and see you before the day ends." I sighed, feeling more than relieved.

"My hearts beating so fast." I said, breathing in deeply.

Poe smiled, "Mine is too. You're a sight for sore eyes, Isla." I returned his smile.

"So are you." I lost count of how many kisses I had planted all over Poe's face, he said he had something to attend to, but I wasn't ready to let him go.

"Can I see you later?" I kissed his cheek.

"Definitely." He kissed my forehead, "Isla...."

"Yes?" I looked up at him, he was staring at me intently and I was wondering if it had just hit him that he had made it back okay.

"I don't know," He shook his head, blushing slightly, "I'll see you later." I nodded, leaning up for one last kiss. I decided to stick around in the med bay, just in case anyone needed to be looked at. I got a couple of people coming in, with minor injuries. The most I had to do was distribute stitches on one of the pilots' legs, his x-wing was hit, sending pieces of metal into his cockpit. There was still no word from Elliot, it was starting to get late and I was sure no one else would come in. I gathered my belongings, heading out. I hadn't been paying much attention to my surroundings, nearly colliding with a girl.

"I'm sorry," I apologized quickly, "Wasn't paying attention." I looked over at her, "Are you heading to the med bay?" We were about the same height, but she obviously younger. Her dark hair was styled in three messy buns, from the looks of it, and the fact that I had never seen her before, told me that she was out helping the Resistance during the mission.

"Are you hurt?" I asked her.

She shook her head, "My friend...He's in there."

"Finn?" I asked. Her eyes lit up, nodding.

"He's being treated as we speak."

"Are you a doctor?" She asked. I was trying to figure out where she was from, I had never heard an accent like hers.

I shook my head, "Nurse. I wish I could tell you more, but I'm not allowed in the surgical unit. He was stable the last I saw him."

"What about his wounds?" She was looking over at the med bay.

"Were you with him?" I asked, "When it happened?" She nodded. I figured it wouldn't be big deal letting her know since she was there when he had received his wounds, "I stopped the bleeding on his shoulder, that wound isn't as deep as the one on his back. At most, he might need a couple stitches, depends. I wasn't able to get a good look at it. I'm not sure about his back....the wound is deep, we're hoping there isn't any serious damage to his spine. I haven't gotten any word, I'm sure he's fine." I wasn't sure of the last part, but it saying it made me feel slightly better.

She nodded once more, focusing her eyes on my face.

"Thank you," She smiled slowly, "I'm Rey."

"I'm Isla." I stuck my hand towards her, she stared down at it for a long moment before reaching up to give me a handshake. "You aren't hurt?"

"No, I'm..fine. I have to head back to the command center. Thank you, for helping Finn."

"No problem." We nodded at each other one last time before heading off in opposite directions. Asking her what had happened seemed a little intrusive, but that didn't stop me from wondering how Finn had gotten hurt, or who had hurt him. Or what happened to Han? He had left with Chewie and Finn but he hadn't returned with them. I didn't know Han, and I didn't really know Finn, but it didn't stop me from feeling dejected.

Seeing Jules made me feel a whole lot better, she wasn't her usual smiley, excited, self and given the circumstances, it didn't surprise me. She gave me a long, tight hug.

"I'm glad you're okay, Jules. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to say bye before you left."

"Yeah," She nodded, "I was pretty upset about that, I wasn't sure if I was going to see you again."

"You're here now." I said slowly, feeling guilty, "I will, next time."

"I hope next time isn't for quite some time. I'm exhausted." She sighed. She had managed to change into her everyday wear, her blonde hair was disheveled, probably due to her pilot's helmet. "I heard Finn got hurt, will he be alright?"

"I hope so. Elliot and the droids are working on him."

"Elliot?"

"The new doctor."

"Oh, right." She nodded, "Why do we have a new doctor again? Did we really have to get rid of one to get another? What's wrong with two doctors?" I shrugged when she looked over at me, Jules was giving me the 'I know you know something' look. At this point, I hadn't thought of Noa since he left, or maybe when Jules had asked what had happened back at the cantina. I had to tell her, she was my best friend, but now I couldn't help but wonder if she would be upset that I hadn't told her straight away. I decided I could dodge the questions for right now, changing the subject quickly.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked.

"About Poe?" She asked, eyebrow raised. I waited for Jules to unlock her door, shaking my head slightly.

"How did you know?"

She let out small chuckle, "By the look on your face." She held the door open, letting me walk in.

"So can I ask you?" I asked, taking a seat at the kitchen counter, looking up at Jules. She was smiling brightly, I could tell she was starting to get excited. I laughed as she took a seat next to me, resting her chin in her hands, looking over at me patiently.

"Go on." She nodded.