David walked back down the corridor with both a tray with the food on offer, a glass of water, and the hunted out bag of popcorn. He looked rather pleased with the fact that for one: he was no longer alone, and that two: that there might be actual luck getting Alma to eat, especially if she was bribed with popcorn. Who didn't like popcorn, after all? He listened to the muted swish of the door opening and looked up from the tray, only to dart forwards with wide eyes. Placing the tray down on the table as he passed he shook Alma by the shoulder. She was simply laying on her side on the bed, she had not changed, and he guessed considering she was still within the simple underwear she woke in she hadn't bathed either.

"Alma," David continued to shake her gently, she was laid out looking rather lifeless. It worried him hugely. He registered that she seemed a little distant, more so in comparison since the last time she woke up. But considering the fact that she evidently almost flatlined, he presumed her body was not coping and recovering well. With or without the MedPod's help. "Alma, you must open your eyes." He continued sounding more urgent by the second. She was coherent enough to mumble something and briefly open her eyes, only to slide them shut again. He was certain more was going on than what appeared. "Hold on, we shall get this all sorted." David picked her up, she didn't even register being moved, her head limply lulled to the side and he held onto her tighter as he turned and walked quickly out of the room.

Not being able to tire meant that David had no trouble whatsoever in walking briskly down the corridors, turning corners and continuing in an almost sprinting pace. He was not returning to the MedPod, though it probably would have been the go to, he instead made his way into a room which was basically a treatment med-bay. A simple bed stood in the middle of the room, the scanner attached hung overhead on metallic cables and poles and whatever else stabilised it and allowed it to move. Standing to one side was a small computer unit, it fed straight into the scanner. It would allow David to see immediately what was wrong, if anything. He was still dubious with something being physically wrong with her. That wasn't to say she wasn't unwell, or at least something wasn't right with her; yet he still believed that it was the aftereffects of waking up again, but in a more dramatic sense.

Regardless, he placed her down on the bed and stepped back to type away at the computer. The scanner whirred quietly into life, the dull thrum of it was all that could be heard accompanying David and his rather frantic typing. He sat down and leaned back and watched it go to work, he checked back to look at the screen and frowned. The system wasn't finding anything out of the ordinary. He didn't quite know why he didn't feel relieved at that. Maybe if there was something literally wrong with her, if he could see something then he could find a way of helping her out here. But as it is, everything was mentally wrong with her, and David could not help with the healing of her mind and brain. For that she and she alone could do it.

Maybe sleep is what she needed? Maybe her flaking out was her body's way of healing? David ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it slightly as he did so only to go back and smooth the blonde strands down again. The human body, through all his knowledge of it, was still a very confusing thing. "Alma?" He wheeled the stool closer to the bed, the light underneath shone up and caused her skin to look slightly pale and opaque. "Can you hear me?" Her head slowly nodded, "Can you tell me how I can help you?"

Her head tilted as she looked to him, her eyes were barely open. "There's nothing wrong with me though...is there?" She asked, "I'm just tired, David. Really, really tired."

"I'll take you back to your room then." He stood and picked her up gently. "I bought you something to eat, but it can wait."

Alma nodded slowly at that. "Maybe food might perk me up?"

"But if you need to sleep, then you should sleep. There is no point in ignoring what your body wants." David said simply while walking back to her room in a slower pace. He didn't want the rushing pace to bounce her around in his arms as much as it did when he rushed down the corridor.

"I also need to change." She stated after a moment of silence.

David pressed his lips into a thin line. "The more you move around the more likely you are to wake up."

"And that's bad?" Alma asked with a raised eyebrow. She felt herself already waking up more.

David stopped and looked down at her. "Not necessarily, it isn't. But in this instance I believe you need sleep."

"Wasn't I asleep anyway and you moved me?"

David tensed and frowned down at her. "Not the point." He said stiffly while picking up walking again. Though she was ultimately right there, he couldn't help but have a moment of panic as he saw her just lying there. She looked so lifeless, so dead. It had frightened him. He didn't quite like fear.

"So...I'm okay?"

"I'm uncertain."

"David, what do you mean?" Alma tried to pull herself up in his arms. David didn't allow her much movement and kept his hold tight. She just about managed to put her hands to his chest and push herself away slightly. Even that small amount of space caused him to frown and look displeased. Alma had no problem with him suddenly feeling protective and a little clingy, it would worry her greatly if he shut off completely from possible suffering, but she wasn't going to break by just leaning away from him.

"Scanners indicate no problems."

"So, I am okay."

"I don't know."

"David!" Alma exclaimed shortly, "You're not making sense! If the scans are coming back all fine, and the MedPod didn't flag anything up, then I am fine. Just...tired. We already established that I am likely to have aftereffects from waking up, there's nothing new there, it happened the first time too, remember? Just this time...this time it may be slightly different because of the activity I shouldn't have been doing while sleeping. And that isn't your fault, David! Don't look at me like that, it isn't. I'm fine. I'll be even better after some actual decent sleep which isn't induced, yeah?" Alma said while looking up at him desperately. She was searching his expression for some semblance of understanding.

He relented in the end with a sigh and picked up walking again. "I worry."

"I know you do." Alma said while managing to wrap an arm around his shoulders. He adjusted his hold on her to allow her to sit up more. He looked at her when she playfully ruffled the back of his hair, "But with your ever vigilant eye, how could I not improve?" If something did go horribly wrong with her health she knew full well he'd be there.

"You have such faith."

Alma smiled and let out a quiet laugh. "Yeah...well...I know your capability, so of course I would have faith in you." She put her other hand to her mouth and hid her yawn. With a tired smile she looked away from him when they reappeared back in her room. "I think I can walk now, David. Thank you," she said while he slowly lowered her back to solid ground. He steadied her by holding onto her shoulders when she wobbled slightly. Alma sent a sheepish smile over her shoulder at him which David responded to by frowning. He was really trying to believe her here, but he was really struggling.

After she reached up and gently patted one of his hands, he let go and watched her slowly walk off to find a change of clothes. David stayed standing near the door and watched as she disappeared into the bathroom. Looking downwards he mutely heard running water, looking about the room he went over and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Looking at his hands, he simply turned them over and rubbed them together. A few minutes passed and he looked up at the sounds of footsteps. Still with steam rising from her, Alma knelt down in front of him. From clearly changing in a hurry, her clean dark t-shirt slightly clung to her as did the pyjama trousers. With a smile she took his hands in hers and gave them a gentle squeeze. "Dinner?"

David raised an eyebrow, it looked like she was all ready to reassure him. It was the expression on her face which led him to believe that, but no, here she was asking about food. "Table." He nodded over to it and looked confused when she laughed and shook her head slowly.

"No, I meant do you want dinner too?" Alma rolled her eyes and stood stiffly. She placed her hands on her hips and looked down at him with a smirk. David slowly stood and looked down at her, she continued to smirk up at him before sighing and reaching up to put her hands on his shoulders. "I'm not a doctor, but I'm going to suggest that you do what I used to have to do with you."

"I don't follow." David's head tilted in confusion as he frowned down at her.

Alma smiled, "Observations. Every few hours in this case."

"You used to observe me?" David watched as she turned away and walked over to the table. She drunk slowly from the glass and nodded her head. He looked about not knowing what to quite make of this.

"You never even noticed."

"Why?" He wanted to know why he was supposedly watched so avidly. Alma looked at him as if his question was incredibly stupid, David stood by her side again as she put the glass down on the table.

"Emotional stability for one thing. Need I even explain more on this? I believe I have done enough in the past without boring you with it all again. They wanted to know how well you...functioned, for the better word. I'd watch you in our little workshop, either interacting with 6, or just minding your own business doing a task I had set or you had decided to take upon yourself; then there were the times when you would sit and watch movies, and others where you just sat stationary and looking off into space...as if you were musing over something." Alma explained with a roll of her hand as she looked at the unappetising food before her.

She went to reach for the popcorn, only to have David snatch it up and away from her. "What did you garner from your observations?"

Alma crossed her arms, "This isn't about some report I wrote, David. This is me suggesting you keep an eye on me in case I do suddenly take a turn for the worst."

"But I want to know."

"David...you could easily access those reports. They're logged away in any Weyland system. You are..."

"A Weyland system." David said a little bitterly, from the look on Alma's face, he knew she didn't mean it like that. "I shall take your advice, Miss."

"David-"

"Eat, then rest." He turned away from her and walked back to where he was sitting. He slowly sat down and looked to her from the corner of his eyes.

Alma picked up the tray and walked over. Placing it down in the centre of the bed she sat beside him. "You know that didn't sound like that in my head, right?"

"Still doesn't mean it didn't hurt."

Alma put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close. Running a hand through his hair, she kept it threaded in and gently made his forehead bump against hers. "I am sorry. And for the record, I said that you were a rather interesting being; more than capable of following orders if needed, and more than able to not mind spending time on your own. Can work well with others, as well as humans. Understands conscious thought and even participates in thinking over equations and situations which life provides. Now, dinner?" Alma leaned away from him and gently kissed him on the forehead before turning and climbing over the bed to get to the side she liked to sleep on. She pulled the tray nearer to herself and looked hopefully to him.

David looked over his shoulder at her with a smile. "You're a kind person."

She waved a hand, "I think highly of you, so I had to convey that. Now come on, David, stop sitting there all awkward like. Get comfy, load something up for us to watch, and seriously stop death gripping that popcorn...I promise I'm not going to make a lurch for it, I've got...is this soup?"

"I honestly don't know." David replied while she pulled a face, he pulled himself onto the bed and swung his legs up and stretched them out. Alma laughed and hung her head, she gave a thumbs up and turned to lean against the headboard. David glanced at her with a shake of his head as she made overly dramatic enthusiastic noises over her food. The sarcasm was noted, but he opted not to address it.

——

(Edited: 1/March/2021)